I own Thomastik-Infeld an apology

[ejaggers]

Years ago, I bought some used TI Jazz flats from a TBer,
installed them on my Coronado II, and couldn’t wait to get them off.
So they sat for years collecting dust.

Low tension didn’t work for me on my short scale at that time,
but I recently put them on my P and have completely changed my mind.

I’m very impressed with them now, but I’m too cheap for them,
especially since there are others I like as well at half the price.

But I won’t be bashing TI anymore, so Thomastik-Infeld,
can you forgive me?....057912

 

[michael_t]

I own Thomastik-Infeld an apology

"I owe Thomastik-Infeld an apology."

 

[jimmydean]

Wish I could try them out but they cost too much and that robs me of an opinion other than the cost .

 

[squeally dan]

Years ago, I bought some used TI Jazz flats from a TBer,
installed them on my Coronado II, and couldn’t wait to get them off.
So they sat for years collecting dust.

Low tension didn’t work for me on my short scale at that time,
but I recently put them on my P and have completely changed my mind.

I’m very impressed with them now, but I’m too cheap for them,
especially since there are others I like as well at half the price.

But I won’t be bashing TI anymore, so Thomastik-Infeld,
can you forgive me?....057912

They actually aren’t more expensive. I just bought some off Amazon for about $60 and they will likely last at least 10 years. That comes out cheaper in the long run. So don’t really understand all the gripes about cost.

 

[Johnny Alien]

They actually aren’t more expensive. I just bought some off Amazon for about $60 and they will likely last at least 10 years. That comes out cheaper in the long run. So don’t really understand all the gripes about cost.

Initial investment and price vs the competition. If I get flats that are comparable at $30 and they last me 5 years then it's the same value with a lower initial investment. I don't think its impossible to understand that in a world of $30 bass strings that people will be hesitant about spending $75 (which is the common price I see not $60). I love TI strings. I was a long time endorser and then a dealer. I stopped using them and selling them because the price got higher and competition got better. When TI first rolled out no one was doing lower/balanced tension or round cores. Now a few companies are (special hats off to GHS who is just killing it with great strings at a great price). I think if people have the money they will be very happy with them. I also think there are good options out there for less.

 

[dagrev]

I've bought most of my sets lightly used. In some cases sold them if my tonal directions changed. They are actually cheap when you consider they will last over 10 yrs. And if you decide you don't like them you can always find a buyer. Like any string, they are magic in certain situations for certain goals.

 

[Killing Floor]

Wish I could try them out but they cost too much and that robs me of an opinion other than the cost .

This is why I don’t recommend them to anyone who’s on the fence with low tension. But they do last forever, it evens out.

 

[Gizmot]

Wish I could try them out but they cost too much and that robs me of an opinion other than the cost .

If you consider the fact that most people play Jazz Flats for about 5 years or more, they are very cost effective. You will spend a lot more money replacing strings every few months.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I tried a set and they lasted maybe ten minutes before I swapped them out. Really, really did not like them. They felt like strings that would be on a toy guitar to me. I'll probably try them again since they get so much love and this time I'll keep them on a bass for at least a few weeks to give them a fair trial.

 

[mambo4]

I’m very impressed with them now, but I’m too cheap for them,
especially since there are others I like as well at half the price.

Good news: you won't need to replace them any time soon.
I have the same set on my main bass for at least a decade.

They CAN take some adjustment, tho

 

[Gorilla Monsoon]

The only strings I actively despise. Was shocked at just how bad they sounded. It was like having four completely different string volumes. The most expensive set I’d ever purchased, the absolute worst sounding as well.

 

[kumimajava]

Initial investment and price vs the competition. If I get flats that are comparable at $30 and they last me 5 years then it's the same value with a lower initial investment. I don't think its impossible to understand that in a world of $30 bass strings that people will be hesitant about spending $75 (which is the common price I see not $60). I love TI strings. I was a long time endorser and then a dealer. I stopped using them and selling them because the price got higher and competition got better. When TI first rolled out no one was doing lower/balanced tension or round cores. Now a few companies are (special hats off to GHS who is just killing it with great strings at a great price). I think if people have the money they will be very happy with them. I also think there are good options out there for less.

I hope it isn't too far from the main topic of this thread to ask a quick direct question:

Since you seem to have a lot of experience on this, could you recommend a cheaper alternative that sounds/feels like TIJF's, and also comes in a 6-string set. Even better if they would come in medium/short scale 6-strings as well.

I've been looking for other strings with similar sound/feel, but i've not found any. The stock answer seems to be "buy a 5-string set and a loose hi-C" which is rather difficult to do in Japan. Ordering from the US might be feasible, but the additional postage costs, duties, etc. make the process more expensive than just getting the TI's locally.

Last time I checked, GHS precision-flats didn't even have a matching high-C in production. Similarly with LaBella's balanced-LTFs. I think there might be a hi-C for EB Cobalt-flats, but not sure they make medium & short scale versions of those?

So far, TIJF's have been the only flatwound 6 stirng sets i've found, and they do also have 32 and 30 inch length sets as well. Would be very curious to hear of similar-yet-cheaper alternatives

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...s-strings-4-string-34-inch-long-scale-043-100 brand spankin'-new!

I don't see that as extravagant, really. If they're going to last a decade. Think about how much we spent in bass strings over the last decade.

 

[Slade N]

Flats require patience, they take a long time to settle in, for me its many months…i suffer through the beginning to be rewarded with what they offer once they mellow… they are opposite of rounds that sound good then decline.

I suggest getting a set and play that bass every day for a long time to put the time in, you have to give them a fair chance. It is an acquired taste, one that often takes exposure and wear.

 

[silky smoove]

Loved the tone, but couldn’t hang with the tension. They felt even lower tension than the Labella black nylon tapewounds I had on the same bass previously.

 

[2saddleslab]

Ti flats can easily last more than a decade. I've had a couple basses go beyond 15 years. Love them right out of the box and they seem to bring out the best of every bass. Easy on the fingers as well.

 

[devnulljp]

The Sam Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness, often called simply the boots theory:

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

 

[StatesideRambler]

That is not my cow.

 

[JimmyM]

The Sam Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness, often called simply the boots theory:

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

Makes sense. A little oversimplified, but there’s some merit to that. At least OP bought his used, though.

Surprisingly, Thomastik upright bass strings aren’t horribly priced, and the kind I like the best are among the least expensive strings that aren’t crap (Superflexibles). They’re still well over twice the price of Jazz Flats, but that’s cheap for upright strings.

 

[soulstew]

Sorry for asking if I'm the only one who doesn't know, but I've wondered this before after seeing it in your posts: what does "057912" mean?