Finally have given up on TI Jazz Flats

[KaseOfBass]

This is interesting hear. I was leaning toward getting a set of these, but this gives me pause. The midrange complexity is what appeals most to me about this string, and I'm not sure I'd want any of the strings, let alone just one or two, to be too much of a dead thump. Is this much of a concern for a new user? Not all that interested in playing "call the manufacturer repeatedly until you get a full working set" game.

I've been hummin' and hawin' about my next set of flatwounds. It was a toss up between TI and Labella Deep Talkin flats. No longer a toss up.

Thanks for this thread OP, as it has eased my worried mind.

I just put a a new set of TIs on my Fender Precision V. Sound great, feel great, play great. Would definitely recommend.

 

[Red Four]

Don't shy away from them because of my issues, they are a great string that are rightfully preferred by many...

Thanks! Fantastic basses in your avatar pic, by the way - are they yours? Hope so. That Classic Sterling is gorgeous!

 

[Gyver]

Thanks! Fantastic basses in your avatar pic, by the way - are they yours? Hope so. That Classic Sterling is gorgeous!

yep they're mine, the Sterling Classic is a very cool bass but lately my Reissue '58 P bass sees most of the action. I've never played a bass that was easier to play than the Sterling though, the neck is unreal.

The 70s (i assume) P bass in your avatar is a beauty as well. I was looking for one for a long time before settling on the '58 instead.

 

[JustForSport]

Stretching by tugging on them after installation. It's a common practice but with round core strings like DR hibeams and sunbeams and TIs, it can apparently cause damage.

I 'stretch them' during installation (while setting the witness points), not after installation to seat the strings around the tuner posts and be sure the ball end is well seated. It sure cuts down on having to re-tune as the strings gradually seat and acclimate. I do this with ALL strings.. round-core, flats, Fodera, Dean Markley, etc and have never had a problem with this method (maybe I just use the right amount of 'stretch', by chance, and not too much).

 

[quickfix]

I 'stretch them' during installation (while setting the witness points), not after installation to seat the strings around the tuner posts and be sure the ball end is well seated. It sure cuts down on having to re-tune as the strings gradually seat and acclimate. I do this with ALL strings.. round-core, flats, Fodera, Dean Markley, etc and have never had a problem with this method (maybe I just use the right amount of 'stretch', by chance, and not too much).

Very true and not just with the bass. Guitar too. I hear about and see people tuning strings up to concert pitch and then yarding on them as hard as possible, to the strings yield point. They then have the audacity to complain when their strings have lost their tone within the week. In fact they're dead by the time they get to retune after such wankery.

 

[Red Four]

yep they're mine, the Sterling Classic is a very cool bass but lately my Reissue '58 P bass sees most of the action. I've never played a bass that was easier to play than the Sterling though, the neck is unreal.

The 70s (i assume) P bass in your avatar is a beauty as well. I was looking for one for a long time before settling on the '58 instead.

Thanks! I need to take a nicer photo of mine. It's a '75 P, with the A (Jazz) neck size, which is a combination I really like. I got it about 11 years ago from Bass Northwest. I remember the good old days in the mid-to-late-'90s when one could easily find early-to-mid-'70s P basses in stores for around $600. I should have taken better advantage of that; this one cost much more than that, unfortunately.

Your Fenders are beauts as well. You chose great color schemes on all three of those. I agree with you on Sterlings - I have a regular '95 Sterling, and the neck is so nice. Feels solid, but slim at the same time. I've thought about getting a Classic, because I prefer gloss necks, but mine has been great.

Cheers!

 

[Pier_]

I do this with ALL strings..

what you do is normal... we are talking about this: Link Removed

is a common barbaric use it makes the string immediately set to a stable tuning, but it kills the string, because they are stretched far from their tuning tension.
and then you hear people whining about strings that don't last...

 

[Gyver]

I'm a big fan of the Jazz Flats, but my first try was not that good, exactly for the same reason, the difference in sound from lows to highs...

it's a matter of tastes, nothing else. for example, I can't like them on fretless basses, where my favourite are the D'Addario Chromes (wich I don't like on fretted basses), and I can't stand them on my new Classic 50's Precision, because the large neck with small strings is a thing I can't get used to...

I posed the question to Jason at Bass Strings Online and he verified what Pier_ is saying - the E/A have gaps in the windings and are a bit more flexible and sound "clearer" where the D/G are more tightly wound and sound "choked" in comparison. This is exactly how they sound to me, so I'm going to leave them on my P bass and see how they sound down the road.

 

[Pier_]

This is exactly how they sound to me, so I'm going to leave them on my P bass and see how they sound down the road.

yeah! wear them well!

and here's a little sample made this morning for a friend of mine:



the E string is dropped to D, for a DADG tuning. this is the 4-years old set, still rocking. even if they are light and roundcore, detuning the E string is not that mess, the tension remains decent (no rattles on the neck, and I use a low-action setup) and the sound is thick.

 

[markjazzbassist]

yeah man i use e flat a flat d flat g flat tuning with TI currently ain't no problem.