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HELP! Need assistance identifying strings.

Dec 11, 2019
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I realize there are other threads regarding strings and silk color, but I'm in need of assistance from you kind folks. Years ago I put a set of flats on my Fender. I don't remember what they are, but I CAN tell you what they aren't. I have not ever tried Ken Smith nor Pyramid strings. After reading previous threads(no pun) on silk color/flatwound association, I thought perhaps they were GHS precisions, but the tension and feel are different, as is the color. They're purple...ish(see comparison pics below), but with a touch more pink than the GHS's. Any help identifying them would be helpful. Thanks in advance to anyone with info.
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Zoom in on the winding and silk wrapping for comparison. It may help.

The strings on the Fender look smooth, just like my La Bella’s. La Bella’s feel like glass because they are so smooth. Also, La Bellas (the non-lights, anyway) have a nickel-ish shine to them despite the fact they’re stainless. When you look at the Rosche...I don’t think they are the same string.

Here is an image of LTF flats online. Looks pretty close. One way to be certain would be to test the flexibility and gauge the tension. LTFs are very flexible and have tension that is, if I remember correctly, only slightly above TIs. If those flats are stiff and high tension, they aren’t LTFs.

That’s all I got, good luck.
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Probably wrong, but I remember the specific Cobalt gauge I used and La Bella LTFs having purplish silks.
It's entirely possible they're La Bella's. It's been a while since I last bought some so maybe that's where they ended up.

Don't know if it'll help or confuse the situation but my last pack of ghs flats had two different shades in the same pack...
View attachment 4180059
Interesting. If it weren't for the fact that they just feel so different, I'd think it possible, although the color is quite different when viewed side by side with the naked eye.

Are those ones on the Fender installed thru-body? They do look very much like the GHS Precision Flats I had on my P bass a couple of years ago, but mine were top-loaded, so the start of the silk is farther up the headstock. The Precision Flats are 38" from ball end to silk and no silk at the ball end.

View attachment 4180199
Both sets are through body. I just put the precisions on the Rosche, and while they're nice, they're just different from whatever is on the Fender, and I'd like to know what I put on it Thanks for the replies all. Appreciate it.
 
Zoom in on the winding and silk wrapping for comparison. It may help.

The strings on the Fender look smooth, just like my La Bella’s. La Bella’s feel like glass because they are so smooth. Also, La Bellas (the non-lights, anyway) have a nickel-ish shine to them despite the fact they’re stainless. When you look at the Rosche...I don’t think they are the same string.

Here is an image of LTF flats online. Looks pretty close. One way to be certain would be to test the flexibility and gauge the tension. LTFs are very flexible and have tension that is, if I remember correctly, only slightly above TIs. If those flats are stiff and high tension, they aren’t LTFs.

That’s all I got, good luck.
View attachment 4180246
I think you solved it. Thanks so much!!
 
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It's entirely possible they're La Bella's...

If they're in fact La Bella LTFs, the way the silks line up across all four strings indicates they're the "extra long scale" set. Do you know for a fact that's what you purchased? Their standard "long scale" set would have the E shorter at 36.75" in winding length (ball end to silk) than the other three at 38".

GHS Precision Flats would have all four strings at 38", except for the low B at 37.25".
 
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If they're in fact La Bella LTFs, the way the silks line up across all four strings indicates they're the "extra long scale" set. Do you know for a fact that's what you purchased? Their standard "long scale" set would have the E shorter at 36.75" in winding length (ball end to silk) than the other three at 38".

GHS Precision Flats would have all four strings at 38", except for the low B at 37.25".
I'm not 100% certain the last La Bella's I bought were extra long scale. I am certain that the strings on the Rosche are GHS precisions(I just put them on), and that the strings on the Fender are not GHS precisions. The coloring and description given previously make me think they're La Bellas as I have bought those in the past, though I'm not certain what scale.
 

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