Ernie Ball Group series flats

[Basslie]

Reviving this thread, but hopefully this will help someone in the future as I couldn’t find a lot of info on these strings and this is the most recent thread on them. I just installed a 5 string set (I believe they’re the same as Group 3 + a low B). I was surprised by a few things:

(1) tension: much lower than the labella’s FL-B’s I have on another bass. I had to loosen the truss rod to add relief more than what I had for a set of D’addarion XLs that these replaced. I figured I’d be able to tighten it and get the neck straight, but no. Not sure how I feel about this yet as I think I like a little more tension if I do some slapping (strange to write this about flats).

(2) these are bright sounding! At least out of the package. The G had already settled some… strangely is seems the G, and D lost some of their brilliance quickly, but the B, E, A still have that new metallic ring to them. I was debating between flats and half rounds, so I’m hoping these will kinda split that difference.

(3) They’re smooth, but a “dry” smooth is as best I can describe it… not as smooth as the Labella’s. There is a little more sound when running fingers up and down the strings as compared to LaBellas. Maybe this will wear off too once the spaces between wraps gets filled in with hand oils and skin flakes, lol.

I’ll be using these in a band setting next weekend, so looking forward to how they sit in the mix on my Sire Z3. The band and FOH usually love my P bass with labella flats, so hopefully these will still give that big foundation, while allowing my fills and things to be a bit more present in the mix.

Update. Still breaking them in. What’s weird is the D and G went mellow quicker than the B,E, and A. Exact opposite of LaBellas. They have a surprising amount of finger noise and clack for flats… just running fingers in them make more noise. Took a while to get setup how I like it. Definitely a different thing than LaBella. I slap with them too. They have a dry tone. Between my P with Flats, J with rounds, and this ray like bass (Sire Z3), we’ll see how things fit when these strings settle down. Anyone with experience know how long these take to ‘break in’? I feel like the 1+ year old labella’s on my P bass sound right…. Not that I’m expecting these to sound just like that.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

Just put a set of 2.5’s (45-105) on my P bass yesterday and I’m pleasantly surprised. Definitely bright(ish) and clanky, even for flats, but not nearly as much as the Cobalts. I plugged into a bass amp that I don’t particularly care for (just out of curiosity) and still liked the sound I got! I think the assessment that they’re somewhere between Chromes and La Bella DTF’s is an accurate one.

Just one gripe. The silk threads at the ball end of the E string made it just a little too thick to fit through the hole of the BA II bridge so I had to scrape some off to make it fit.

Otherwise my experience has been if I like flats fresh out of the pack I usually like them more once they settle! I’m using this bass for a gig next weekend. I’ll report back after they settle a little more.

 

[Basslie]

Just put a set of 2.5’s (45-105) on my P bass yesterday and I’m pleasantly surprised. Definitely bright(ish) and clanky, even for flats, but not nearly as much as the Cobalts. I plugged into a bass amp that I don’t particularly care for (just out of curiosity) and still liked the sound I got! I think the assessment that they’re somewhere between Chromes and La Bella DTF’s is an accurate one.

Just one gripe. The silk threads at the ball end of the E string made it just a little too thick to fit through the hole of the BA II bridge so I had to scrape some off to make it fit.

Otherwise my experience has been if I like flats fresh out of the pack I usually like them more once they settle! I’m using this bass for a gig next weekend. I’ll report back after they settle a little more.

I installed mine in January, and they’re still a bit clanky. Not sure if I like the dry clank sound. It’s not my most played bass, so it’ll be interesting to see if they lose that in time or settle more into a thump type sound.

 

[Kyle_S]

Trying out a set of Group 2.5's on my P-bass and I'm quite relieved to find their tension to be just right. I was a bit worried they were going to be hard to play, but to me they feel about the same as your average set of 105-45 rounds.

Bright out of the package, as expected, but they respond pretty nicely to adjusting my bass's tone knob. About 50%-60% gets me a mellower sound until they break in.

Installed them the way EB instructs in their little insert, and I'm not quite sure I did it right, but the strings intonated easily and they're holding their tuning, so... Close enough, I guess? Regardless, once they're on the bass they make a fine first impression!

 

[michael_t]

Installed them the way EB instructs in their little insert, and I'm not quite sure I did it right...

Don't worry too much about the instructions from EB as they apply more to the Cobalt Flats. These stainless flats are finished in the traditional way at the silked ends, so there is no reason why the conventional way of wrapping them around the post would cause any issues.

I just re-installed the same Group IV flats (40-95) for the third time on my P bass, and they're doing fine.

 

[JJR58]

Just put a set of 2.5’s (45-105) on my P bass yesterday and I’m pleasantly surprised. Definitely bright(ish) and clanky, even for flats, but not nearly as much as the Cobalts. I plugged into a bass amp that I don’t particularly care for (just out of curiosity) and still liked the sound I got! I think the assessment that they’re somewhere between Chromes and La Bella DTF’s is an accurate one.

Just one gripe. The silk threads at the ball end of the E string made it just a little too thick to fit through the hole of the BA II bridge so I had to scrape some off to make it fit.

Otherwise my experience has been if I like flats fresh out of the pack I usually like them more once they settle! I’m using this bass for a gig next weekend. I’ll report back after they settle a little more.

I’m currently using Group IV’s on my Precision.
The light gauge set.
They feel great, and I was surprised how much top end they have out of the package.
They’ve been on the bass since March and have mellowed quite a bit.
I do miss the brightness when fresh.
But I love how even sounding these strings are, and the mids sit right where I like them.

Cobalt flats are still my top choice though.

 

[thrashingbass]

I have posted about them before, the EB Flats Group I for short scale are amazing, as the tension is medium in feel, allow for comfortable action, is not too loose nor too tight-all of course because of the comfortable, shorter scale. So while I may not use Group I for my long scale basses, that heavy gauge is great for my particular shortie. Most light tension sets for short scale bass (which many of them traditionally are) are not ideal for what I do, as they lean towards an excessive, loose feel for my preference. I am sold on that set for it forever, should Ernie Ball keep manufacturing them. Sounds great too, old or new! The bass always feels like home with these. So, really love them (haven't tried the Cobalts on that bass, but no need to; it's great with the Group I flats.)

 

[Yahboy]

I installed mine in January, and they’re still a bit clanky. Not sure if I like the dry clank sound. It’s not my most played bass, so it’ll be interesting to see if they lose that in time or settle more into a thump type sound.

Dry Clank ! Can't agree more with you. So, reverb pedal add some WET for the tone....

 

[Yahboy]

I have posted about them before, the EB Flats Group I for short scale are amazing, as the tension is medium in feel, allow for comfortable action, is not too loose nor too tight-all of course because of the comfortable, shorter scale. So while I may not use Group I for my long scale basses, that heavy gauge is great for my particular shortie. Most light tension sets for short scale bass (which many of them traditionally are) are not ideal for what I do, as they lean towards an excessive, loose feel for my preference. I am sold on that set for it forever, should Ernie Ball keep manufacturing them. Sounds great too, old or new! The bass always feels like home with these. So, really love them (haven't tried the Cobalts on that bass, but no need to; it's great with the Group I flats.)

I hope EB provide super long set option on both Group and Cobalt flat along with tapered B string.