Normal for new TI flats?

[Jason Schulhz]

I play TI Jazz Flats and Rounds exclusively. I hate the way they sound new. For me the six month mark is the magic date when they start sounding good. Do not underestimate how awesome they will soon sound!

If Pino’s tone is your thing, this is THE way to get it, trust me. They cut through a mix magically and work really good with effects also. It can truly be said that there is NO other string out there like Thomastiks.

 

[stigbeve]

I play TI Jazz Flats and Rounds exclusively. I hate the way they sound new. For me the six month mark is the magic date when they start sounding good. Do not underestimate how awesome they will soon sound!

If Pino’s tone is your thing, this is THE way to get it, trust me. They cut through a mix magically and work really good with effects also. It can truly be said that there is NO other string out there like Thomastiks.

I always see posts about the flats but how do you like their rounds?

 

[Jason Schulhz]

I always see posts about the flats but how do you like their rounds?

They are really great. They are not bright, they are mellow for rounds, but they have basically the same texture and playability as the flats. I would describe them as a dark sounding round, and they last forever. Not as long as the flats, but you know. TI flats have the world record for longevity, so there’s that.

My favorite thing about them other than the low tension is how perfectly balanced they are. And I do mean perfectly. That is a huge deal to me. My worst pet peeve is a weak g string. Unless it’s on my wife.

 

[Big String]

Installing Questions:
I have a set of standard jf344 on my short scale (31”) Bird Song Cortobass and pulled from the bottom then over the bridge assembly. They seem just fine but on the E string I can see the outer ribbon slightly disengaged at the sharpest part of the bend. Most flat wound strings are pulled through the bridge.

I have a brand new set but I don’t really want to install them yet even though the set on the bass have been on and off several times but seem just fine.

I usually install any type through the bottom …. Note: my other Birdsong has DR Pure Blues but they are rounds.

By stringing from the bottom I have less to trim at the post which I generally prefer and then there is the sustain variance.

Of all the Flats I’ve tried TI are my favorites.. I’m generally a RW guy btw.

I am aware TI offers a short scale set but I think the gauges are weird.

Your comments are most welcome.

 

[porterbass]

Installing Questions:
I have a set of standard jf344 on my short scale (31”) Bird Song Cortobass and pulled from the bottom then over the bridge assembly. They seem just fine but on the E string I can see the outer ribbon slightly disengaged at the sharpest part of the bend. Most flat wound strings are pulled through the bridge.

I have a brand new set but I don’t really want to install them yet even though the set on the bass have been on and off several times but seem just fine.

I usually install any type through the bottom …. Note: my other Birdsong has DR Pure Blues but they are rounds.

By stringing from the bottom I have less to trim at the post which I generally prefer and then there is the sustain variance.

Of all the Flats I’ve tried TI are my favorites.. I’m generally a RW guy btw.

I am aware TI offers a short scale set but I think the gauges are weird.

Your comments are most welcome.

I've used TI JF344 strings on a number of different basses in a string-through configuration and have never had an issue with that break over the bridge. I currently have them on a Fender '54 P build, and have had them on Rick Turner Ren and Rob Allen MB-2 basses...both of those use a bone saddle and have a pretty sharp break angle.

 

[Big String]

I've used TI JF344 strings on a number of different basses in a string-through configuration and have never had an issue with that break over the bridge. I currently have them on a Fender '54 P build, and have had them on Rick Turner Ren and Rob Allen MB-2 basses...both of those use a bone saddle and have a pretty sharp break angle.

it’s actully where the sharp bend occurs before the saddle… where the string comes out of the hole… zoom in.
Seems not to be an issue but eventually I will put the new set on and need to decide from which mounting would be the best… $75 set of strings

 

[GIBrat51]

I decided to try ti flats on a fender P because I love Pino’s tone and flatwounds in general.

They feel amazing to play. The output on them is crazy, it feels like I barely have to touch the strings to get a full sound.

But the midrange is INTENSE and very honky. I can eq a lot of it out by boosting bass but is it normal for them to be like this new?

Will some bottom end come in as they settle in? What kind of time frame are we talking about?

IME, the answers to your questions are; yes; yeah, a little; and it depends on how long you play them at a sitting.

TIJF's, like most flats, have kind of a dud E string at first, along with very bright A, D, and G strings. As they break in, the E string will get brighter, and the other strings will lose some of the brightness. When they all meet in the middle somewhere? They're broken in. However... TIJF's are not known for their low end tone. They are known for their low-mids, mids, and high end - along with their superb harmonic overtones. IME, their bottom end is... adequate, at best. Some basses can accentuate that bottom end a bit - and some can not. The bass I have that wears TI's - an Alembic Epic - certainly can, but I also have basses that can not...
How long they will take to break in, mostly depends on you. TI's are sorta notorious for taking a good long while to break in. The ones on my Alembic took about a year, but I wasn't in a much of a hurry. I had... well, a lot... of other basses with strings that needed breaking in, and I was never going to play the Alembic a lot, anyway. I only use it for Jazz, and I don't play that a whole lot, so...
In any case; the more you play them, the quicker they'll break in. But, you'll have to play them a lot...

 

[Killing Floor]

I’d give them a week or so but they mellow and then they will stay there for eternity. I find Chromes the same. Not sure why. But you’re right, TI start pretty differently from how they finish.
Don’t give up on them.