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Medium scale middle of the road flats?

#21
I recently put TI Jazz Flats on my fretted 32 P and loved it. Moved them back to the 32 P fretless and put chromes on the fretted. I liked the TIs better but the chromes are OK. I had DR Legends some time ago but the were too short for medium scale. Actual speaking length did not match the specs. I am planning on getting another set of TI to replace the Chromes.
 
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#22
iiipopes said:
The post right below yours measuring the critical lengths of ball end to nut and tuner is the reason. Not all short scale basses are created equally. I have a travel bass that has a standard plate bridge. So even the shortest of "short" scale strings will clear the nut. The OP's bass, Hofners, etc., have a longer back length from the bridge saddles to the ball anchor and therefore need longer strings to come up and over. The most extreme example is the Harmony H30 bass that the ball anchors were on the heel of the guitar so far from the bridge that those basses used regular long-scale strings.
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So does my '94 Gretsch Broadkaster. Built from Gretsch's G6119 "Tennessean" hollow body electric guitar, it's a BIG bass. At 39.25" from the string anchors in the tailpiece, to the upper A and D tuners, most long scale strings fit it just fine. But, no "real" short scale strings fit. Most medium scale strings don't fit, either (they're juust too short for those two tuners). "Short scale" TI Jazz Rounds fit it just perfectly, though... Yeah; short scale basses are definitely not all created equally...:cool:
 
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#25
michael_t said:
From post #1:
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OK, thanks, I missed that, probably because it was missing the list marker and I scanned too fast. Good to know they've been considered. Though I think the characterization as "dark" is not accurate. They are certainly brighter than LaBellas or D'Addarios of equivalent weight, at least mine are, though my experience is limited to the light-weight short-scale strings set.
 
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#26
wiscoaster said:
Though I think the characterization as "dark" is not accurate. They are certainly brighter than LaBellas or D'Addarios of equivalent weight, at least mine are, though my experience is limited to the light-weight short-scale strings set.
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I would describe GHS P Flats as "warm and woody with a focused low-mid punch". To my ears, La Bella and D'A are both brighter than GHS at least when they're new, but my experience is limited to long scale. ;)
 
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#28
Sir Toby said:
Wow!! The DR Legends could be the perfect ones. This is really helpful!
It' 11 PM here now so time to call it a night but feel free to comment!
Now I have great choices but would love to hear how they feel and sound from those who have tried the ones mentioned.
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DR's start dark, and get darker, and darker, and darker, and darker....
 
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#31
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#34
Be sure to check D’Addario’s length info. Took medium scale Chromes to fit my violin basses. These are *great* strings on hollow body basses if you have just a little patience. They’re on my 1971 Guild Starfire II and sound utterly brilliant. They didn’t for a month then suddenly they *really* did.
 
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#36
So far the DR Legends and GHS sound like they are pretty dark but without being boomy/dull and with good low mids. Dunlops and Optima a little brighter, right? And as usual the Chromes sounds different to everyone, ranging from middy but defined thump to bright metallic treble. Probably because of how different they sound when broken in vs new.
Also the common description of the GHS sounding like chocolate makes me curious
 
#38
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#39
Pyramids are actually quite bright in my opinion. They're a combination of thumpy and bright, they don't necessarily have treble but they have lots of upper mids. The problem with Pyramids (the long scale set) is that, in my experience at least, especially when played with a pick, you have nice open G and D strings (even a bit too open, six months later), a balanced A string and an E string that is quite different in character. It's a good set of strings if you use the E string just as an anchor of sorts, playing just a few notes now (maybe palm muting them) and then but focus your playing in the 2nd octave. Furthermore, they play as if they're soaked in molasses or something, they have a very "slow" attack (the bright tick of the pick first, then the body of the note afterwards) and it's hard to get them to cut through the mix (not for the sound per se, but it feels as if you're playing upwind). But if you have a more open band mix, their sound is just fabulous. Rich and just nice to listen to.
 
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#40
Boneless said:
Pyramids are actually quite bright in my opinion. They're a combination of thumpy and bright, they don't necessarily have treble but they have lots of upper mids. The problem with Pyramids (the long scale set) is that, in my experience at least, especially when played with a pick, you have nice open G and D strings (even a bit too open, six months later), a balanced A string and an E string that is quite different in character. It's a good set of strings if you use the E string just as an anchor of sorts, playing just a few notes now (maybe palm muting them) and then but focus your playing in the 2nd octave. Furthermore, they play as if they're soaked in molasses or something, they have a very "slow" attack (the bright tick of the pick first, then the body of the note afterwards) and it's hard to get them to cut through the mix (not for the sound per se, but it feels as if you're playing upwind). But if you have a more open band mix, their sound is just fabulous. Rich and just nice to listen to.
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That is precisely what I have been hearing on the sound clips! Well said!
 

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