Ernie Ball Flatwounds - Very pleasantly surprised! Cobalt Flats are A+++ on a StingRay

[GroovinOnFunk]

I’m a bit of a string whore. I try a lot of different ones and scrutinize them pretty excessively, to be frank… But, hey… We all have our flaws, right? Haha
I really like experimenting with strings to achieve different tones. And so that’s how we find ourselves in this adventure.

I just scooped up a Fender Select P-bass and an EBMM BFR StingRay not too long ago. I wanted to put flats on both of them so I called up a friend at Ernie Ball for recommendations on what to toss on the basses. A couple of days later I got a couple of packs of flatwounds in the mail. Super Slinky Cobalt Flats and Group 3 (and Group 2.5, which I ended up not using) SS Flats.
Both of them way exceeded my expectations (in different ways).

The Group 3 flats sound nice and traditional after they break in and definitely brings an upright kind of vibe to the P-bass. They replaced a set of Chromes that were on there and definitely sound more old school than the Chromes. Tension isn’t too crazy high either. I got to try out the 45-105 and the 45-100 sets. I preferred the 45-100 set for these. Felt a little easier to play and I didn’t really notice the E and A strings sounding much different.

But the star of the show was the cobalt slinky flats. I saw videos where people talked about how they are freakishly like roundwounds so they seemed like good candidates to go on the StingRay… What a killer marriage it is! They sound awesome! Can slap on them, tap on them, pick on them, finger on them (woah there!)… They’ve got some great brightness and even growl to them without quite extending into the same treble territory that rounds might and certainly still having the fundamental and mids of flats. They’re anything but traditional sounding though (and I hope they stay that way for a good long while before fully breaking in!)
They’ve actually replaced a set of TI Jazz Flats that I had on that bass. I just never felt I got enough fundamental with the TI’s. Loads of mids. But not enough booty! Being that the StingRay Special has a mid-control, I’m ok with having strings on there that aren’t quite as mid-forward and I can always boost the mids a bit if needed.

Point being… CHECK THESE STRINGS OUT! Ernie Ball’s got their flat wound game on point for the traditionalist and the adventurer out there!

Nice extra bonus… They have really nice looking silk wrappings. The Slinky flats have a beautiful purple and the Group flats have a cool sky blue color. A minor detail, but I still appreciate it.

 

[ShawnG]

Will give the Group 3 flats a try on my P-Bass. Already have Cobalt flats on my Stingray and Jazz basses. LOVE them!!

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

Will give the Group 3 flats a try on my P-Bass. Already have Cobalt flats on my Stingray and Jazz basses. LOVE them!!

How long do the Slinky Cobalt Flats retain that brightness for? Really loving where they are at with a couple of days of play time on them so far.

The Group 3, on the other hand, I’m looking forward to it breaking in more.

 

[Elk]

I have used the Group III flats on my P Bass for 16 years. My first set lasted 13 years before the G snapped. Devastating. But my second set going strong!

Once they break in, they are just incredible. I am looking forward to trying the new short-scale set on my EB-2, but the SS sets are hard to track down in Aus.

 

[Morrighan]

Going strong on 34 months with Group IV flats on my 79 StingRay. Just a perfect match for my tastes and needs.

 

[ShawnG]

How long do the Slinky Cobalt Flats retain that brightness for? Really loving where they are at with a couple of days of play time on them so far.

The Group 3, on the other hand, I’m looking forward to it breaking in more.

I’m an at home player, so probably not your best source of data for how long a string will last, but, I notice the initial “sheen” damping a bit as they break in, but the underlying brightness keeps up for a long time, significantly longer than a set of round-wounds.

 

[FunkHead]

I have these strings on my Spector NS-2. They sound amazing but are no where close to being broken in.

Do they change a while lot over time?

 

[Slade N]

Yes they do

 

[Zigmundfloyd]

Is the rust issue still occurring? I've always avoided these for that reason.

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

Is the rust issue still occurring? I've always avoided these for that reason.

My hands sweat a lot when I play. So if they do rust, I should be able to tell pretty quickly and I'll update here.

 

[Passinwind]

How long do the Slinky Cobalt Flats retain that brightness for? Really loving where they are at with a couple of days of play time on them so far.

On my fretless they didn't lose much brightness at all for well over a year. I liked them much much more then the TIJFs that were on that bass for many years, FWIW. Those are the only two flatwound types I've bonded with it all, but I eventually found that pressurewounds are just better yet for me.

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

Can anybody attest to the tonal difference between the 45-100 and 45-105 set?
I usually go with 45-105 for rounds and am wondering if I'd notice much tonal difference in the A and E strings (80 and 100 vs 85 and 105).
How big of a sound difference might I find?

 

[Dave TB Killer]

I’m a bit of a string whore. I try a lot of different ones and scrutinize them pretty excessively, to be frank… But, hey… We all have our flaws, right? Haha
I really like experimenting with strings to achieve different tones. And so that’s how we find ourselves in this adventure.

I just scooped up a Fender Select P-bass and an EBMM BFR StingRay not too long ago. I wanted to put flats on both of them so I called up a friend at Ernie Ball for recommendations on what to toss on the basses. A couple of days later I got a couple of packs of flatwounds in the mail. Super Slinky Cobalt Flats and Group 3 (and Group 2.5, which I ended up not using) SS Flats.
Both of them way exceeded my expectations (in different ways).

The Group 3 flats sound nice and traditional after they break in and definitely brings an upright kind of vibe to the P-bass. They replaced a set of Chromes that were on there and definitely sound more old school than the Chromes. Tension isn’t too crazy high either. I got to try out the 45-105 and the 45-100 sets. I preferred the 45-100 set for these. Felt a little easier to play and I didn’t really notice the E and A strings sounding much different.

But the star of the show was the cobalt slinky flats. I saw videos where people talked about how they are freakishly like roundwounds so they seemed like good candidates to go on the StingRay… What a killer marriage it is! They sound awesome! Can slap on them, tap on them, pick on them, finger on them (woah there!)… They’ve got some great brightness and even growl to them without quite extending into the same treble territory that rounds might and certainly still having the fundamental and mids of flats. They’re anything but traditional sounding though (and I hope they stay that way for a good long while before fully breaking in!)
They’ve actually replaced a set of TI Jazz Flats that I had on that bass. I just never felt I got enough fundamental with the TI’s. Loads of mids. But not enough booty! Being that the StingRay Special has a mid-control, I’m ok with having strings on there that aren’t quite as mid-forward and I can always boost the mids a bit if needed.

Point being… CHECK THESE STRINGS OUT! Ernie Ball’s got their flat wound game on point for the traditionalist and the adventurer out there!

Nice extra bonus… They have really nice looking silk wrappings. The Slinky flats have a beautiful purple and the Group flats have a cool sky blue color. A minor detail, but I still appreciate it.

I like flats a lot. Experimented with the Rotosounds, which were my favorites. LaBellas and Ernie Ball Group 1's were pretty good too. I am stuck on the Chromes for now because of the availability to purchase single strings fo custom sets. I like to tune down a whole step so the heavier gauge strings feel better to me. The Cobalt Flats come in a 55-110 set which I really like. I like the overall feel and sound as well. The only issue I have found is they seem brittle and can break easy. I have had a few randomly seem to come unwound and break at the tuner post. And this only happens when I have to remove the string for some set up purposes. Had a few unwind while stringing a Spirit by Steinberger until I learned how to use the string adapter. I probably will continue to use Chromes on most of my herd and the Cobalts on a couple as well. I do have a Bass with Rounds on it too. Just because sometimes I feel the need for that sort of tone.

 

[Root 5]

Big fan of the Ernie Ball Group flats. They feel lusciously smooth and have the old school tone I prefer.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

I’m a bit of a string whore. I try a lot of different ones and scrutinize them pretty excessively, to be frank… But, hey… We all have our flaws, right? Haha
I really like experimenting with strings to achieve different tones. And so that’s how we find ourselves in this adventure.

I just scooped up a Fender Select P-bass and an EBMM BFR StingRay not too long ago. I wanted to put flats on both of them so I called up a friend at Ernie Ball for recommendations on what to toss on the basses. A couple of days later I got a couple of packs of flatwounds in the mail. Super Slinky Cobalt Flats and Group 3 (and Group 2.5, which I ended up not using) SS Flats.
Both of them way exceeded my expectations (in different ways).

The Group 3 flats sound nice and traditional after they break in and definitely brings an upright kind of vibe to the P-bass. They replaced a set of Chromes that were on there and definitely sound more old school than the Chromes. Tension isn’t too crazy high either. I got to try out the 45-105 and the 45-100 sets. I preferred the 45-100 set for these. Felt a little easier to play and I didn’t really notice the E and A strings sounding much different.

But the star of the show was the cobalt slinky flats. I saw videos where people talked about how they are freakishly like roundwounds so they seemed like good candidates to go on the StingRay… What a killer marriage it is! They sound awesome! Can slap on them, tap on them, pick on them, finger on them (woah there!)… They’ve got some great brightness and even growl to them without quite extending into the same treble territory that rounds might and certainly still having the fundamental and mids of flats. They’re anything but traditional sounding though (and I hope they stay that way for a good long while before fully breaking in!)
They’ve actually replaced a set of TI Jazz Flats that I had on that bass. I just never felt I got enough fundamental with the TI’s. Loads of mids. But not enough booty! Being that the StingRay Special has a mid-control, I’m ok with having strings on there that aren’t quite as mid-forward and I can always boost the mids a bit if needed.

Point being… CHECK THESE STRINGS OUT! Ernie Ball’s got their flat wound game on point for the traditionalist and the adventurer out there!

Nice extra bonus… They have really nice looking silk wrappings. The Slinky flats have a beautiful purple and the Group flats have a cool sky blue color. A minor detail, but I still appreciate it.

I play EBCFs on everything. Gibson TBird to Peavey GBass, P & J, Mustang & Mikro, 4s & 5s, and SBMM Stingray.
I occasionally try a set of rounds or a different type of flat, but return to the EBCFs. I’ve been sold on them for a few years.

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

I play EBCFs on everything. Gibson TBird to Peavey GBass, P & J, Mustang & Mikro, 4s & 5s, and SBMM Stingray.
I occasionally try a set of rounds or a different type of flat, but return to the EBCFs. I’ve been sold on them for a few years.

What gauge do you use?

 

[rickdog]

I tried a 45-100 set of Cobalt Flats on my Alembic - oh, man! Great tone through the entire range. I had them on for several months, they retained a lot of the brightness and showed promise of aging really well.

A few years ago I bought a used Epiphone Jack Casady Signature that came with strings that I'm 99.9% certain were the 45-105 set. They clearly had been on there for quite a while, as they were much mellower, and still sounded great.

But...

I have had a few randomly seem to come unwound and break at the tuner post. And this only happens when I have to remove the string for some set up purposes.

I was tweaking the setup on the Alembic (which sets up so nicely that its seasonal variations are more noticeable) and as I was tuning the D string back to pitch - POP! - the string went flying across the room, broke right where it started to curve around the post.

This is a deal-breaker for me. I hadn't had a bass string break on me literally for decades until this happened.

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

I guess the good news there is at least they aren't breaking during playing.
I can't think of why I'd need to remove the strings on the StingRay to do a setup on it. But definitely something I'll keep an eye out for! Good to know.
I am going to put a detuner on there so am curious to see if going from E to D and back will cause a weak point in the E-string.

 

[Passinwind]

I was tweaking the setup on the Alembic (which sets up so nicely that its seasonal variations are more noticeable) and as I was tuning the D string back to pitch - POP! - the string went flying across the room, broke right where it started to curve around the post.

This is a deal-breaker for me. I hadn't had a bass string break on me literally for decades until this happened.

I had a similar experience as well, which has definitely given me pause as far as using them again.

 

[Dave TB Killer]

I tried a 45-100 set of Cobalt Flats on my Alembic - oh, man! Great tone through the entire range. I had them on for several months, they retained a lot of the brightness and showed promise of aging really well.

A few years ago I bought a used Epiphone Jack Casady Signature that came with strings that I'm 99.9% certain were the 45-105 set. They clearly had been on there for quite a while, as they were much mellower, and still sounded great.

But...


I was tweaking the setup on the Alembic (which sets up so nicely that its seasonal variations are more noticeable) and as I was tuning the D string back to pitch - POP! - the string went flying across the room, broke right where it started to curve around the post.

This is a deal-breaker for me. I hadn't had a bass string break on me literally for decades until this happened.

That is what has happened with the strings I have installed too. Put them on and don't even think of loosening them or they break. I think it is the outer wrapping that is really brittle. Just not a set to use for first installations or for setups.