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New EB Cobalt Flats?
- Thread starter king_biscuit
- Start date
Ok. Have done two sessions with my Stingray 5 with Cobalt Flats and I couldn't be happier! The first session they were brand new and were a little tacky, especially as his studio was a bit warm and they got difficult to play after an hour. But I was able to dial in a very nice vintagey tone with the eq on the bass and my Darkglass VU7: super cool. The second studio was cooler and the strings felt great. The tone for tonight's tune was brighter with more of a flater eq. But this was a more modern tone where I wanted clarity, punch and note definition, and I got that. I love the top end on these and I hope they don't fade too much too quickly! I have the driest hands ever and strings last 2x or 3x as long for me as sweatier dudes so I am hopeful to get a long run. Such a nice bottom end with these. The cut and clarity I need without being boomy. May just be the perfect string for the Stingray which can get a tad too grindy for most stuff that I do. I was thinking about selling it and buying a P bass as this bass was just a little too aggressive but these strings create a sweet spot that I really like and they have saved this bass!
Comparing them to other strings:
Less clunky in the midrange than any other flat, including TI flats. Way less so than Chromes. More complex and lovely midrange to my ear than either. Sustains almost like a round. Tension is WAY more normal and user friendly than Ti flats which were my go to for years. No adjustment period at all to the rolling A string you get from the TI's. The E and A sustain and have low end presence almost like a round, not thunky or tubby like a lot of flats. The highs are sweeter than on flats but yet have no glassy quality like rounds. Tension is much less than chromes. Tension to me is like DR low beams 45-105 set, certainly much less than the chromes, but more than the TI flats of course. All in all they are a very unusual string that scratches a certain itch and gets a certain tone I have had in my head for a long time. My number one bass is my Sadowsky Clone which has Dunlop super brights but my 'Ray with Cobalts just might bass it up, I'll have to see how they do in a live setting. So far I like them a lot and will keep them on for a while.
For my P bass I think I will put on labella low tensions so I have that truly old school tone as the cobalts are NOT old school. They are their own school.
Comparing them to other strings:
Less clunky in the midrange than any other flat, including TI flats. Way less so than Chromes. More complex and lovely midrange to my ear than either. Sustains almost like a round. Tension is WAY more normal and user friendly than Ti flats which were my go to for years. No adjustment period at all to the rolling A string you get from the TI's. The E and A sustain and have low end presence almost like a round, not thunky or tubby like a lot of flats. The highs are sweeter than on flats but yet have no glassy quality like rounds. Tension is much less than chromes. Tension to me is like DR low beams 45-105 set, certainly much less than the chromes, but more than the TI flats of course. All in all they are a very unusual string that scratches a certain itch and gets a certain tone I have had in my head for a long time. My number one bass is my Sadowsky Clone which has Dunlop super brights but my 'Ray with Cobalts just might bass it up, I'll have to see how they do in a live setting. So far I like them a lot and will keep them on for a while.
For my P bass I think I will put on labella low tensions so I have that truly old school tone as the cobalts are NOT old school. They are their own school.
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Here in the UK the difference is much smaller: £37 for the Cobalts, £46 for the TIs, so I'm debating the Cobalts, although I'm assuming they will be brighter. If I can ultimately shift relatively dead Cobalts to basses where a duller sound is preferable and use the Cobalts in most situations where I might currently use nickel rounds that would be great once I get through my current overhang of strings.
I had a dud 5 string set where the B and A string both broke very quickly. Asked EB for a replacement set and they didnt email me back but they sent a new set asap.
They sent a 4 string set, but the right gauges. Ita all good im happy. Ill probably use the 4 string set after i finally get my fretless neck for a mod i've been planning. Still my favorite strings right now.
They sent a 4 string set, but the right gauges. Ita all good im happy. Ill probably use the 4 string set after i finally get my fretless neck for a mod i've been planning. Still my favorite strings right now.
46 lbs huh? It would be cheaper to buy a set from a UK store, and have the shipped to Nashville than to buy one here. Damn.
£46 seems expensive. It wasn't long ago they were £35 but the currency's not been doing so well here, and they are imported*. Rotosounds look like good value.
* I thought about a Thomann EUB a couple of years ago but they are much pricier now...
I have a Couple weeks with my new EB Cobalts. I put them on my late 90's Peavey fury and so far they sound pretty good with an nice punch.
I think they are still very bright and still get some growl out of them. Compared to Chromes (my go to flat) they are way sticky and feel kind of weird. By now my Chromes would be very smooth but the Cobalts still feel sticky.
I'm not saying I don't like them they are just different. I still think the EB's feel thinner than my Chromes even thou I am using the same gauges 100-45..they just feel thinner. I like the tension but kind of miss the bounce Chromes have.
I will give them awhile longer then update. If its one thing I know is flats unlike rounds get better with age.
I think they are still very bright and still get some growl out of them. Compared to Chromes (my go to flat) they are way sticky and feel kind of weird. By now my Chromes would be very smooth but the Cobalts still feel sticky.
I'm not saying I don't like them they are just different. I still think the EB's feel thinner than my Chromes even thou I am using the same gauges 100-45..they just feel thinner. I like the tension but kind of miss the bounce Chromes have.
I will give them awhile longer then update. If its one thing I know is flats unlike rounds get better with age.
I can't say for sure exactly how they compare to day 1 but I've had mine on for well over a year and loving them just the same. Before that I used fender flats for a few years. I liked them a lot too but I don't miss them at all. And to address the top end, I've found that I actually roll off w/tone knob more so with these than any other flats I've used. Very responsive is the term I'd use. heres a link to a recording (in context with the band) where I used cobalt flats on tracks 1 thru 10 Jazz bass/ Lindy Fralin p/u. Track 4 probably best provides most contrast between registers. track 7 shows how E string responds to drop tuning. Track 8 nice fundamental sound for a bluesy/walking line not lacking on low end harmonics, sits nicely in the mix. These are all with tone rolled off a bit. Taste is very subjective, yes, but I love these strings for what I do.
Man the Cobalt Flats sound huge! I use the Cobalt rounds and love them. I'm convinced they're the best string ever.
played a jam a while back and did Breathe by Pink Floyd and I remember thinking that these would sound good on fretless.
Before I tried the Cobalt Flats I was a long time user of the Cobalt Rounds. They are by far the best round wound string I've ever used. They are very punchy and aggressive.
not necessarily looking for aggressive and punchy, though I would dig that too, looking for a full rich sound, full spectrum harmonics I guess. Does the top end tame well?
I've got a set of cobalt rounds up next to try on my jazz bass. They will have to be awesome to get me away from my Dunlop super brights.
