Flatwound Tension

[Lo-E]

Hello folks -

I'm a recent convert to flats and have been using TI JF344s for a little over a year on one of my P-Basses. I recently tried a set of RotoSound SM-77s on a J-Bass and, while very different in tone and higher in tension, I'm liking them a lot as well. I've had a set of D'Addario Chromes (light gauge) on fretless P-Bass for a while, too and even though I like the tone, the tension is a bit high for me.

I searched for a thread that made a comparison of flats by different companies and their relative tensions. I found a lot of threads that touch on the subject a little, but none that address it straight-on.

SO: Can anyone with first-hand experience please give me your thoughts on the relative tensions of the most popular flats out there?

I'm particularly interested in:
TI JF344
D'Addario Chromes
RotoSound SM77
GHS Precision Flats
LaBella 760 FL and FX
Pyramid Gold
Fender 9050 or 7150
DR
Sadowski
If I missed any standouts, feel free to include them.

Please keep replies specific to tension and feel, NOT tone. I realize that these strings vary widely in tone, but that's covered extensively in other posts.

Please try to stick to first-hand experience.

Wherever possible, try to compare strings of similar gauge.

I understand that there is a difference in actual string tension in lbs. and perceived tension. I'm only interested in how the strings feel, ie: flexibility, stiffness etc... so, yes, this will be somewhat subjective.

I'm probably asking a lot here, but the TB community has a lot of collective experience, so I'm anxious to see what we can come up with as a group.

If this has all been covered before, my apologies. I couldn't find a direct match in a search, but feel free to link me to a thread that's already beaten this to death!

Thanks in advance -
E

 

[TomB]

SO: Can anyone with first-hand experience please give me your thoughts on the relative tensions of the most popular flats out there?

These are my impressions/recollections from memory and from experience; no guarantees of accuracy:

TI JF344 - by far the lowest tension
D'Addario Chromes - fairly high
RotoSound SM77 - fairly high
GHS Precision Flats - medium
LaBella 760 FL and FX - medium
Pyramid Gold - low but not as low as TI
Fender 7150 - medium (strange gauges)
DR - no experience
Sadowski - no experience, are they Labella?

 

[Lo-E]

Thanks, Tom! This gives me a starting point.

Anyone else?

-E

 

[Lo-E]

No one? Really?

 

[Matthew_84]

I had a set of .45 - .105 chromes on my p-bass for about 5 months before I decided that the G string sounded too tinny and that the tension was stiffer than I liked. After hearing sound clips on about five different brands I went with GHS precisions .45 - .105. I only strung them on yesterday but everything is better, the tone is punchier and meatier and as far as your concerned the tension was exactly what I wanted, not nearly as stiff as chromes. You can tug on them a bit, they certainly have rubber band-like capabilities but I have not noticed it while playing for about 3 hours. Again, was the perfect amount of tension for me.

Those are the only two I've tried myself, but don't see the need to try something else right now

 

[dbhokie]

I don't have enough experience with varying brands to comment, but I enjoy Ernie Ball flatwounds immensely..

 

[Doctor Dirt]

I've only used the Fender & LaBellas (deep talkin) offerings, I'm sure there's plenty of tension on all flats and the degrees of tension from brand to brand must be minimal I'd guess. I'm a huge fan of the Deep Talkin'! good luck, Doc.

 

[Lo-E]

Thanks for all the replies.

Looks like we're starting to get a consensus, which is what I was hoping for.

 

[insain]

New to flats myself. Chromes stuck to my fingers too much. Like the Pyramid tension. just put DR on but haven't played enough to tell yet

 

[yodedude2]

<snip>
I'm particularly interested in:
TI JF344

Thomastic Infeld Jazz Flats:
.043 = 37.03 lbs
.056 = 37.47 lbs
.070 = 31.30 lbs
.100 = 34.39 lbs


D'Addario Chromes

D'Addario Chromes:
.045 = 45.7 lbs
.065 = 52.0 lbs
.080 = 43.7 lbs
.100 = 38.4 lbs

RotoSound SM77
GHS Precision Flats
LaBella 760 FL and FX
Pyramid Gold
Fender 9050 or 7150
DR
Sadowski
If I missed any standouts, feel free to include them.

D'Addario ECB80:
.040 = 37.6 lbs
.060 = 45.2 lbs
.075 = 36.4 lbs
.095 = 35.2 lbs

<snip>

i put in the specs for comparative purposes. i like the t-i flats; they do not feel low tension to me, more like regular tension. i also like the la bella tapewounds, they are slightly higher tension than the t-i flats and the gauges are much larger as well. the fender smooth tapewounds i tried and discarded were even higher tension than the la bellas; too high for me. cheers, ron

p.s. i pulled the specs from here: Invalid Link Removed

 

[Lo-E]

Righteous! Thanks, Ron!

 

[martinc]

These are my impressions/recollections from memory and from experience; no guarantees of accuracy:

TI JF344 - by far the lowest tension
D'Addario Chromes - fairly high
RotoSound SM77 - fairly high
GHS Precision Flats - medium
LaBella 760 FL and FX - medium
Pyramid Gold - low but not as low as TI
Fender 7150 - medium (strange gauges)
DR - no experience
Sadowski - no experience, are they Labella?

Tom: I have used the GHS Precision Flats and the Labella 760 FL. They are NOT in the same category re tension.
My hands are large and I have a firm touch from playing my upright bass but the Labella's wore out my wrists very quickly because of their high tension. The Precision Flats are medium tension and are supple under the fingers.
Also...the tension of D'Addario XL Chrome flats feel to me to be identical to the Precision Flats.

 

[Spupilup]

I have TI’s on my L1000 and just put LaBella LTF’s on my L2000 on Monday. Took off a set of TI PB’s for the LTF’s. What can I say, I’m a convert to flats. LTF’s are higher tension than the TI flats but still quite nice. Very easy on my 60 year old fingers. I would recommend them to someone who might be a little put off by the TI lower tension.

 

[Spupilup]

I should also add the LTF’s are easier on my hands than the 760FL’s I’ve tried on other Basses.

 

[jeff62]

For the ones I've had experience with, relative to each other:

TI's - very low tension (i.e. floppy)
Labella Low Tension Flats - low tension
Dunlop flats - on the low side of medium tension
Labella Deep Talkin flats - on the high side of medium tension
Chromes - high tension
Rotosound - very high tension

 

[Papuzzo]

Yesterday I put on TI Flats and I must admit I was afraid to buy them because of the typical comments from this forum of then being "floppy." Let me clear this up for anyone thinking about trying TI Flats: They are not floppy and play similarly to 45-100 roundwounds. Now, they are not as stiff feeling as Chromes, which I had on before. And then, with Chromes only the G and D strings felt somewhat stiff, but the A and E strings were supple enough to bend with ease. So, for flats the TIs are "overall more comfortable" than Chromes and other flatwounds, but for strings in general they are no different than typical light gauge roundwounds. If you think you can practice archery with TI Flats, you are mistaken. There's plenty of tension.

 

[martinc]

Yesterday I put on TI Flats and I must admit I was afraid to buy them because of the typical comments from this forum of then being "floppy." Let me clear this up for anyone thinking about trying TI Flats: They are not floppy and play similarly to 45-100 roundwounds. Now, they are not as stiff feeling as Chromes, which I had on before. And then, with Chromes only the G and D strings felt somewhat stiff, but the A and E strings were supple enough to bend with ease. So, for flats the TIs are "overall more comfortable" than Chromes and other flatwounds, but for strings in general they are no different than typical light gauge roundwounds. If you think you can practice archery with TI Flats, you are mistaken. There's plenty of tension.

Papuzzo: TI flats have tension ratings of 31-38 lbs. That is way below the ratings of other flatwound strings, many of which range from 40-50 lbs tension per string. No wonder many of us who have bought them describe them as floppy. And TI rounds are 27-34 lbs in tension. The TI's are very expensive and I would not like anyone be disappointed by the extremely low tension. I had a set for many years which I would string up occasionally to see if I could handle the floppy feel. I could not and finally ended up throwing them out.
And when you say the TI flats play similarly to 45-100 roundwounds...... D'Addario XL roundwounds for instance are rated at between 40 to 55 lbs tension which I think would be an average for most roundwounds.That's 13 -17 lbs difference. We all come from different experiences with strings. Some love TI flats. But to make it seem like TI flats are just another string like roundwounds as you have done, is misleading.

 

[Papuzzo]

But to make it seem like TI flats are just another string like roundwounds as you have done, is misleading.

I now also have firsthand experience with TI Flats. I personally think the word floppy is an exaggeration. Cooked spaghetti is floppy. I put on a set yesterday and the tension is nowhere near what I personally would call floppy. There is sufficient tension to create a very articulate note and more than enough sustain, which is something a floppy string wouldn't do. So, I believe the description of "floppy" is misleading. I think they play just like roundwounds but feel much smoother. That is my initial experience and YMMV.

More importantly, my post is really to help those on the fence not be afraid to try TI Flats because of the exaggeration/hyperbole that occurs in a forum. Let me break away from the hyperbole and state that TI Flats play just fine, are actually very comfortable under the fingers, and have a particular sound that makes them at least worth trying.

 

[martinc]

I now also have firsthand experience with TI Flats. I personally think the word floppy is an exaggeration. Cooked spaghetti is floppy. I put on a set yesterday and the tension is nowhere near what I personally would call floppy. There is sufficient tension to create a very articulate note and more than enough sustain, which is something a floppy string wouldn't do. So, I believe the description of "floppy" is misleading. I think they play just like roundwounds but feel much smoother. That is my initial experience and YMMV.

More importantly, my post is really to help those on the fence not be afraid to try TI Flats because of the exaggeration/hyperbole that occurs in a forum. Let me break away from the hyperbole and state that TI Flats play just fine, are actually very comfortable under the fingers, and have a particular sound that makes them at least worth trying.

Papuzzo: At close to 100 bucks US (with tax) for a set of 4 TI flats, I would say a potential buyer would like to know all the pros and cons before gambling that kind of money on an experiment. Maybe our posts will help.
Fortunately, the bass string world has dozens of excellent alternatives for around 30 bucks.

 

[Papuzzo]

I paid €44 shipped from amazon. In Europe the 4 string set is no more expensive than Chromes, EB, Labella, GHS. If I were still in the US I wouldn't spend $100 on a set of strings regardless of public forum opinion.