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New EB Cobalt Flats?
- Thread starter king_biscuit
- Start date
We do like our barbecue in these parts, but I'm pretty sure the alcohol removed every bit of oil on my hands 
They did feed us before we went on at the Holiday Humidity Fest, but it weren't no barbecue...
They did feed us before we went on at the Holiday Humidity Fest, but it weren't no barbecue...
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Update: The E string on my P bass has gone completely dead. Not just kind of dull, but totally lifeless unplayable dead. If I play it hard, it's farty with no sustain. It's way quieter than than the other strings. The A string has lost considerable brightness. The low b on the TRBX-505 has lost all high end, but the rest seem OK. And they are much easier to play in lower humidity. I still kind of dig the tone, but the humidity thing and dead strings (after maybe less than 6-8 hours playing time on the P) are deal breakers.
I'm dumbfounded. Just bad QC, or a reply flawed product? In 30 years of playing, these are the shortest life strings I've ever tried.
I'm dumbfounded. Just bad QC, or a reply flawed product? In 30 years of playing, these are the shortest life strings I've ever tried.
No clips yet, but an update.
They sound good in a mix at rehearsal (everyone going direct) but the lowB is more tubby than I like. My fodera nickels have more harmonic complexity that I like in my really low notes, I noticed I'm missing that in my sound.
Going to rotate them to my mb5 soon and see what happens. Judging by the sound of EADG I think I'll be happy with them on my p4 especially if/when I convert it to being a fretless. Will post all clips together labeled accordingly.
CLIPS!!!!!!
I got motivated and put the cobalt flats on my Fender mb5 Jazz bass and that's where they'll stay. I need to let the bass settle and set it up but hopefully I've found the right home for these. My vmp5 will continue to wear fodera medium nickel rounds (in all my swapping I got some new ones on there as well) as they really bring out the best in what that bass has to offer. My MIM P4 will keep it's nickel XLs (120-50) until something better comes along.
As promised here's the clips.
Everything was recorded direct into my ionix u82s to my imac into garage band no effects, and sorry but volumes are not consistent and I flubbed my playing a bit I was listening to tone as much as executing scales on unfamiliar instrument setups.
Alright, its been right around a year for me using these strings, and I still love everything about about them. I was able to get about 8-9 months out of my original sets before replacement on my Ric and P.
I proceeded to boil the old sets and put one of them on a new build that isn't done, and they still sound sweet.
Please share your experiences (good or bad)!
I proceeded to boil the old sets and put one of them on a new build that isn't done, and they still sound sweet.
Please share your experiences (good or bad)!
The zing was tamed after a few gig's/practices and just mellowed nicely, so i guess kind of like flats.
If i had to compare (not tone wise, but character wise), i'd say they were like new chromes, but with a punchy E and A. I love chromes, but the E and A dull quickly while the D and G remain bright for months.
Hope that helps!
If i had to compare (not tone wise, but character wise), i'd say they were like new chromes, but with a punchy E and A. I love chromes, but the E and A dull quickly while the D and G remain bright for months.
Hope that helps!
I went through a couple of sets and both had dead A strings. Switched to Chromes and couldnt be happier.
Hi Steve, have you tried wiping them down with some alcohol? I heard others had done that with good results. I just put my Rickenbacker set back on for the third time. I wiped them down with fast fret on a sock then wiped them dry. Seemed to help. I put my set of Fender flats on it again the other day, but they just aren't doing it for me. Maybe they need more break in time or something I'm just not digging the sound man! Used to be my favorite flat, but the Cobalts are killing all the other flats I've tried! Have to try the new Dunlop flats next.
Well I've been using them for 6 months on a fretless Jazz and am still very happy with them. They still sound like worn in rounds to me and don't thud like flats. Still plenty of definition on the E and A strings. In fact I do miss the neck pickup thud sometimes when I'm going for an upright type vibe but that's not the fault of the strings.
I have been through four or five sets in under a year. 50-105 and 55-110. Mounted on an ESP Ltd B-4, strung through body.
I have broken strings in all gauges on this bass.
On my least played bass, a Schecter Raiden 4, also string-through-body, a 55-110 set is still going after 8 months.
EB was helpful at first, now I think they are tired of hearing from me and I have been left to twist in the wind.
Back to GHS for my future strings.
Never broken a P-flat or pressure wound.
I have broken strings in all gauges on this bass.
On my least played bass, a Schecter Raiden 4, also string-through-body, a 55-110 set is still going after 8 months.
EB was helpful at first, now I think they are tired of hearing from me and I have been left to twist in the wind.
Back to GHS for my future strings.
Never broken a P-flat or pressure wound.
I had the same problem with breaking but I've had the 2 current sets for I guess about 5 months or so with no issues. Bummer your still having problems.
I agree. The two basses are nearly identical in hardware (tuners, bridge, etc.). The strings always break right at the tuners at the final turn.
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All flats, or at least all the ones I've tried, have some stickyness when they are new. It's a byproduct of the manufacuturing process. IME playing them for a few days is the best way to fix. Part of the breaking in process.
IIRC, for many flats they recommend not using with string-through-body setups. Don't remember seeing this specific to EB Cobalts but do remember reading elsewhere.
Re: breakage in general, I broke a D string on the first set I tried while installing them. I never broken a bass string on any bass ever. Thankfully EB sent me out a replacement set right away. They breakage occurred as I was bringing the D up to pitch and it broke close to the tuner. While I was carefully installing the replacement string, I looked as if the string was getting stuck in the nut slot so I was very careful to make sure it could move freely before bringing up to pitch. Nothing usual about my nut and the gauge was essentially the same as what I had been using before. It could be that the sticky residue left on the strings as part of the manufacturing process was enough to clog things up when passing thru the nut. Have had no issues since installing the replacement D and loving the strings. Maybe we need to have some kind of swap pool for orphan strings since you can't yet buy individual ones.
Interesting, I haven't gotten any response from EB customer service either. I had strings on two different basses string with these go dead really quickly and emailed them. Never got any response.
That would not explain the breakage at the tuners, nor would it explain why nothing happened on the Schecter. Also, EB does not advise against use on a through-body.
There is a known problem with these strings being brittle.
Here's my report.
I installed them about 3-4 months ago on my Moollon P-Classic. These are now my favorite flats.
I had been using this bass with D'Addario rounds since I've had it and have been very happy with the results. I also have a AV 57 RI PBass which has TI Flats. I settled on the TI's after trying many different flats and love how they sound and feel on that bass. I liked the option of having a P with flats and a P with rounds.
When I first installed the EB's I was fairly neutral about them. They sounded and felt OK, but I didn't think they were anything special but I left them on my bass anyway and just kept playing it and figured a some point I'd put the D'Addarios back on. Something clicked one day about a month or 2 into having them where they just started to feel and sound amazing and now I can't imagine taking them off.
They're an interesting hybrid string. They're not quite like traditional flats and not like traditional rounds. I love the feel of these as they've broken in. They've got a nice slinky feel - not super low tension like the TI's but maybe slightly stiffer than typical rounds. I love the range of available sounds with these. You can get old school flat sound by rolling back the tone or more upper mids to cut through if you slap or play with a pick. They're not going to be as bright and agressive sounding as rounds, especially stainless so if that's what you're used to may not be your cup of tea. For my purposes, these strings cover a lot of ground and I'm playing the TI flats bass less and not feeling the need to restring with rounds.
With most rounds, you put them on and they feel and sound great almost from the start and best a day or 2 into playing them. If you're trying a different string, you'll know pretty quickly whether you like the or not. With flats, you really need to play them for a while and give them a chance to break in/settle in before you judge them. They also tend to get better with age. Can't wait to see what they're like in another year!
I installed them about 3-4 months ago on my Moollon P-Classic. These are now my favorite flats.
I had been using this bass with D'Addario rounds since I've had it and have been very happy with the results. I also have a AV 57 RI PBass which has TI Flats. I settled on the TI's after trying many different flats and love how they sound and feel on that bass. I liked the option of having a P with flats and a P with rounds.
When I first installed the EB's I was fairly neutral about them. They sounded and felt OK, but I didn't think they were anything special but I left them on my bass anyway and just kept playing it and figured a some point I'd put the D'Addarios back on. Something clicked one day about a month or 2 into having them where they just started to feel and sound amazing and now I can't imagine taking them off.
They're an interesting hybrid string. They're not quite like traditional flats and not like traditional rounds. I love the feel of these as they've broken in. They've got a nice slinky feel - not super low tension like the TI's but maybe slightly stiffer than typical rounds. I love the range of available sounds with these. You can get old school flat sound by rolling back the tone or more upper mids to cut through if you slap or play with a pick. They're not going to be as bright and agressive sounding as rounds, especially stainless so if that's what you're used to may not be your cup of tea. For my purposes, these strings cover a lot of ground and I'm playing the TI flats bass less and not feeling the need to restring with rounds.
With most rounds, you put them on and they feel and sound great almost from the start and best a day or 2 into playing them. If you're trying a different string, you'll know pretty quickly whether you like the or not. With flats, you really need to play them for a while and give them a chance to break in/settle in before you judge them. They also tend to get better with age. Can't wait to see what they're like in another year!
