low tension flats,,,

[g-dude]

FWIW, my $80 TIs have been in continuous use for ~10yrs.

Obviously, it's a considerable cash outlay up front if you're not sure you'll like them, but they are very reasonably priced if you like/keep them even a few years.

Just be glad you don't play upright. $250 string sets aren't uncommon, but they'll last a long, long time.

Or you could pay more for guts that don't last as long.

 

[alack]

I have Chromes (40-95) on all three of my P basses. Love the sound and feel.I have the neck relief right where I want it and rarely have to adjust them.

 

[thisheregiraffe]

Meaty MID voice = EB 2808

Great suggestion. The Ernie Ball "Group" flatwounds (not Slinky cobalt flatwounds) seem to be a bit overlooked in discussions about flats. I've got this set on one of my Warmoth parts basses, and they feel and sound great.

 

[rogerbmiller]

I love the LaBella low tesnsion flats and DR Legends. Both sound and feel great out of the box.

 

[smtp4me]

Thanks for the clarification.

The La Bella Low Tension Flats, already mentioned above by @bholder, are the lightest I've seen at 134.9 lbs., which is actually lighter (and cheaper!) than the TI Jazz Flats (140.2 lbs.).

I normally play roundwounds, so I'm just asking out of curiosity: would low tension (on the neck) strings also mean lower tension in playing feel? The logical answer is yes, just wondering. I know that string core type (e.g. hex vs. round core) can affect feel, with round core feeling less stiff.

 

[michael_t]

would low tension (on the neck) strings also mean lower tension in playing feel?

No, not necessarily...

A good example is La Bella LTF vs. TIJF... The LTFs have less tension but the TIJFs are more flexible in feel.

It's quite possible for two sets of strings with the same tension to have very different feels in terms of stiffness/flexibility.

 

[g-dude]

I normally play roundwounds, so I'm just asking out of curiosity: would low tension (on the neck) strings also mean lower tension in playing feel? The logical answer is yes, just wondering. I know that string core type (e.g. hex vs. round core) can affect feel, with round core feeling less stiff.

Speaking of round wounds, the TI Jazz Round wound really feels like it splits the difference between the two worlds. Best of both.

 

[whitelines]

Here's a comma delimited text file version that you can easily import into Excel.
In Excel: Data -> From Text/CSV -> browse to file -> Open -> if not automatic select "Comma" for delimiter -> Load

Might need some minor adjustments when you do that but the data is all there.

The prices are recent (last month or so) but subject to change obviously.

Excellent thank you. I’m more interested in having a list of possibilities than up to the minute prices. There are some on there I did not know about. Thx

 

[JRT64]

A very common misconception. Rickenbacker actually specified flatwounds for their 4001 basses so that the warranty would not be violated on their basses. Rotosound strings screwed up more Ricky basses than any number of flatwound strings. The tension is much higher on those strings and Rickenbacker finger boards popped loose at the first fret or just warped on those 4001s.

They also chewed the frets up too. At least they did on my 4001 back in the day.

 

[GwenOnBass]

When I swapped out Low Tension Flats for Dunlop flats in late October, I found no need for a truss rod adjustment. That suggests similar pulling tension to me. Just swapped the LTFs back in because they're more what I've in mind for that bass.

 

[michael_t]

When I swapped out Low Tension Flats for Dunlop flats in late October, I found no need for a truss rod adjustment.

The 40-100 set to be specific?

 

[GwenOnBass]

The 40-100 set to be specific?

Yes, 40-100, medium scale.

 

[Norman Hunter]

I just put Dunlop flats (45-105) on one of my Precision Basses. To me they feel perfect and have about the same tension as the DR Sunbeams (medium) that were on there. They are smooth and very comfortable. Less tension than Chromes but not floppy. They are $80 a set. I’m no expert but they sound really good to me. They are not excessively bright (Chromes) or dark LaBellas. How they will do over time I can’t say. At this point, I would buy them again. They must be strung through the bridge as they do not come a longer length. I purchased a Serek Bass that came strung with the Dunlops. In Jake’s words, “They feel broken in right out of the box.” I’m new to flat wounds so take this with a grain of salt.

 

[Yahboy]

LTF4A just sing !!!!