Praise Report: GHS Precision Flats

[sonojono]

View attachment 4514588

Yeah, they’re on a Road Worn P with a custom wound pickup that I bought about a year ago. From how he described it, I thought he had just put them on in the last year before he sold it to me. Maybe he had them sitting around from 2012?

They are fantastic strings on this bass, either way you slice it.

Hate to break it to you but those look like Ernie Ball Slinky Flatwounds, not GHS Precision Flats… they even have the same texture like mines below


Another way to know if they are Ernie Ball, do they snag your arm hairs when you play? GHS Precision flats doesn’t do that.

 

[Mastermold]

Put a set on my Fretless Jazz

Feels different to Chromes. Less tops I think to. Feels like higher tension. I like them enough to buy another set which I will try on an active Bass

1 question

The E string wraps metal onto tuning peg whilst the other 3 are Silk only. Is this “normal?”

Tension feels in the same ballpark to me as Chromes, but I like Chromes too and have them on I believe three of my basses. I've had my first set of GHS precision flats on a '64 Precision for about 3 weeks now and really enjoying them. Still very consistent playing and sounding string-to-string and a nice fundamental with still a lot of clarity in the notes. Really good first impression and I'm expecting to keep these strings on this bass a good long while.

The E string silk on mine also doesn't cover the entirety of the string on the post, which I understand is normal for these strings and apparently a byproduct of the 38" length to accommodate through the body stringing.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

Put a set on my Fretless Jazz....

....1 question - The E string wraps metal onto tuning peg whilst the other 3 are Silk only. Is this “normal?”

....The E string silk on mine also doesn't cover the entirety of the string on the post, which I understand is normal for these strings and apparently a byproduct of the 38" length to accommodate through the body stringing.

~
Yes, I believe that this was the reason.

It would be considered 'normal' for a string with a 38" wrap to do this on a top loading 34" scale Fender bass, but I would rather that this did not happen, and in earlier editions of these strings, IIRC the wrap was shorter, so it did not.

That said, if it is a traditional Fender bass with the 1/2" wide posts in the tuners, having the wrapped part around the post is of a lot less risk than on basses with 3/8" posts, or occasionally narrower posts.

A prime example of where it would NOT be Kosher would be when choosing the proper length for a Hofner bass, which usually have short scale length, but a trapeze bridge and tailpiece, and not all production runs of them have the same distance to the tailpiece after the bridge.

And a guitar sized Hofner bass tuning peg generally could not tolerate a full wrap thickness of a bass string around it without breakage.

Therefore please measure the required distance on your bass before ordering !

Depending upon the brand of string and the exact measurement from ball to nut on the bass, some Hofners will fit best to short scale strings [such as my Hofner Ignition Club], others will need medium scale, and in still other instances, sets built to a custom length for Hofner, such as from LaBella, will be the best fit.

And if you are using LaBella, they caution strongly against wrapping the full thickness around the tuner posts of ANY bass, as well as against using their regular strings on a string thru bass, for which they instead also make specially tapered ones.
~

 

[michael_t]

The E string wraps metal onto tuning peg whilst the other 3 are Silk only. Is this “normal?”

Yes, it's normal. The Precision Flats are wound to 38" in winding length, so the E is a bit too long on a typicall Fender-style headstock. The good news is they're formulated in a way they're pliable enough not to break when the main body wraps around the post. No worries.

(Top-loaded on my 2014 Am Std P)

 

[michael_t]

Hate to break it to you but those look like Ernie Ball Slinky Flatwounds, not GHS Precision Flats…

The E string silk on mine also doesn't cover the entirety of the string on the post, which I understand is normal for these strings and apparently a byproduct of the 38" length to accommodate through the body stringing.

One way to distinguish between the GHS Precision Flats and the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats is the winding length.

GHS P Flats = 38" from ball end to silk.
Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats = 37.25" from ball end to silk.

See the pic I just posted above.

 

[michael_t]

The ones that are on a P bass that I bought secondhand do have silk at both ends. Did they used to have them there and then change?

Hate to break it to you but those look like Ernie Ball Slinky Flatwounds, not GHS Precision Flats… they even have the same texture like mines below...

View attachment 4517662 View attachment 4517660

One way to distinguish between the GHS Precision Flats and the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats is the winding length.

GHS P Flats = 38" from ball end to silk.
Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats = 37.25" from ball end to silk.

Just thought of something as yet another possibility...

Ken Smith Slick Rounds, which are Alloy 52 half-rounds and the closest cousin to GHS Brite Flats, do come with purple silk at both ends and have similar surface texture to the EB Cobalt Flats. And they're 38" in winding length just like the Precision Flats.

 

[TomB]

Just thought of something as yet another possibility...

Ken Smith Slick Rounds, which are Alloy 52 half-rounds and the closest cousin to GHS Brite Flats, do come with purple silk at both ends and have similar surface texture to the EB Cobalt Flats. And they're 38" in winding length just like the Precision Flats.

…and they wrap comfortably around an E-string post, IME.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

Just thought of something as yet another possibility...

Ken Smith Slick Rounds, which are Alloy 52 half-rounds and the closest cousin to GHS Brite Flats, do come with purple silk at both ends and have similar surface texture to the EB Cobalt Flats. And they're 38" in winding length just like the Precision Flats.

~
Hmmmm....

These are news to ME !

I just visited the KS page,

Specialty Strings - Ken Smith Basses

and there are interesting similarities and differences between them and Brite Flats.

The sets of 4 come in 3 different gauge combos, with some telltale individual gauge matches to Brite Flats, but the combos of the gauges in the sets are different than how they are offered in the GHS branded strings.

I rather like the concept of their lightest set, which has 40-56-77-103, which is close to the GHS Brite Flats light set of 45-56-77-98, most recently bought for my Ric 4001, but perhaps a bit better balanced.

And the 130 B for a 5 string set can be ordered 3 ways, including with 36.5" wrap if desired.

If only they also offered them for short and medium scale basses too, in all of those gauges, or if GHS did directly....

As always, I would be willing to pay a premium price to be able to choose my individual string gauges, no matter for which of my basses.
~

 

[deepestend]

Just got a set off of the classifieds. Psyched to test them out tonight.

 

[deepestend]

I'm liking them so far. They are a little firmer/less slinky than the Sadowsky blue labels that I've been using. Not as firm as chromes I've had in the past. Nothing against either of these strings. I really like the Sadowsky strings, but it's nice to have a different flavor. And I have liked Chromes in the past, but only the lighter gauge. The thicker ones are too firm for me.

 

[NKBassman]

I'm liking them so far. They are a little firmer/less slinky than the Sadowsky blue labels that I've been using. Not as firm as chromes I've had in the past. Nothing against either of these strings. I really like the Sadowsky strings, but it's nice to have a different flavor. And I have liked Chromes in the past, but only the lighter gauge. The thicker ones are too firm for me.

In terms of tension, I found the "Custom Medium" set of Precision Flats to be just right for me, with the standard Medium gauge feeling a little too stiff.

 

[deepestend]

I believe I have the light set. They came off of the classifieds, so I'm "pretty" sure that's what I have. Lighter is better for me with flats.

 

[foal30]

Certainly noticing that these 3050 Flats are more work for my left hand (fretting) compared to Chromes

Nice strings though I probably should have tried them out a few years ago. Have another set on the way to put on a Tobias Bass so see how that goes

 

[DavesnothereCA]

In terms of tension, I found the "Custom Medium" set of Precision Flats [CM3050] to be just right for me, with the standard Medium gauge feeling a little too stiff.

~
Judging by their gauges of 45-60-80-105, and my 5+ decades of electric bass playing, I completely agree.

They also have a more consistent tension from string to string.

Both GHS and D'Addario have been dabbling with balanced tension sets during the most recent few years, the best examples being Balanced Nickels from GHS and similar sets from D'Addario, as well as the set which you mentioned, which proves that they understand the concept, but nobody has so far shown the courage to offer this kind of set, all at once in all of their wrap types and scale lengths, likely for fear of 'rocking the consumer boat', as it were.

If I could order individual strings to make my sets, that particular combination of gauges would be on my shortlist.

So would 40-55-75-100, for the same reason, and in many situations, all of these are gauges which are already being manufactured by most makers, so it is just a matter of putting different combinations of them into sets, with no retooling required in the factory.

And of course it would require the courage to consider and accept that some of us want them.
~

 

[michael_t]

Both GHS and D'Addario have been dabbling with balanced tension sets during the most recent few years, bast examples being Balanced Nickels from GHS, and similar sets from D'Addario, as well as the set which you mentioned, but nobody has so far shown the courage to offer this kind of set, all at once in all of their wrap types and scale lengths, likely for fear of rocking the consumer boat, as it were.

As a former "balanced tension enthusiast", I used to live and die by the tension numbers. But I try not to get too hung up on the figures on paper these days as I've learned over the years that a set of strings doesn't necessarily need to be perfectly balanced in tension to sound or feel balanced. Conversely, "balanced tension" doesn't always guarantee "balanced tone".

As a regular GHS user for the last several years, something I've always appreciated is many of their factory sets are nicely balanced in tension to begin with even though they're not advertised as "balanced tension" as such.

What GHS has done with Balanced Nickels and Round Core Boomers goes beyond simply putting together "balanced tension" sets. They employ the "balanced construction" concept, where all four strings (E-G) have two wraps instead of the traditional single-wrap G and three-wrap E. The primary objective of this "balanced construction" concept is "balanced TONE" first and foremost, not only across all four strings but also up and down the neck, with "balanced tension" being one of its benefits.

 

[Jon Moody]

Both GHS and D'Addario have been dabbling with balanced tension sets during the most recent few years, the best examples being Balanced Nickels from GHS and similar sets from D'Addario, as well as the set which you mentioned, which proves that they understand the concept, but nobody has so far shown the courage to offer this kind of set, all at once in all of their wrap types and scale lengths, likely for fear of 'rocking the consumer boat', as it were.

You're gonna have to explain this to me a bit more, in regard to "showing the courage." I'm not following you.

If I could order individual strings to make my sets, that particular combination of gauges would be on my shortlist.

You can! Grab a tension chart and talk to either the folk at JustStrings.com or Jason over at FretNation.com and you can do exactly that.

That was the driving force behind putting together our tension chart. I'd rather open up the entire string catalog to someone that wants to experiment with "balanced tension" over just making a couple of sets that are going to sit on a dealer shelf and cannibalize sets that sell.

So would 40-55-75-100, for the same reason, and in many situations, all of these are gauges which are already being manufactured by most makers, so it is just a matter of putting different combinations of them into sets, with no retooling required in the factory.

Retooling isn't the issue. It's inventory management at the dealer level and customer perception that are the issues.

A dealer that's planning to buy 10 sets of medium bass strings (that he knows he'll move) is going to be a hard sell to buy any additional medium balanced tension sets. He won't buy more; he'll buy less of his guaranteed movers to try out these other ones (let's say 7 reg and 3 bt). And when they sit on the shelf longer than the others?

And while we know on Talkbass that there are some benefits to balanced tension, the general musician population doesn't care. I've spoken at plenty of conventions about strings; different materials, construction techniques, etc.. all in the hope of cutting through marketing and, as I put it, "unlocking the string wall" at your local dealer. Many appreciate the information, but aren't swayed enough to try a different set.

They like what they like, and if it's worked in their 5+ decades of electric bass playing, who's to say they're wrong?

And of course it would require the courage to consider and accept that some of us want them.~

Some, yes.

Many, no.

 

[NKBassman]

My biggest beef is usually the lowest string feeling floppier than the rest of the set. I'd prefer a standard medium set with a 110 E in most instances. And a 130 or 135 B string for most 5-string sets. Even on a 35" scale 5-string, the typical 120 or 125 B is just way too floppy. But at the end of the day I'll take what I can get for tension if it gets me the sound I like. I've played around with custom Kalium string sets before, but the cost (shipping to Canada) and effort just wasn't worth it at the end of the day.

 

[michael_t]

My biggest beef is usually the lowest string feeling floppier than the rest of the set.

I used to think the same way. But after trying both La Bella 760FL (43-60-82-104) and Fender 9050CL (45-60-80-105) on my P bass and finding the E's a bit too muddy for my taste, I finally decided to try the light set of the Precision Flats (45-60-75-95). Sure, they're not the best balanced set in terms of TENSION, but I was pleasantly surprised how nicely balanced they were in term of TONE. The 95E was cleaner and clearer with better note definition compared to the other two. That's what made me rethink this whole "balanced tension vs. balanced tone" thing.

 

[NKBassman]

I used to think the same way. But after trying both La Bella 760FL (43-60-82-104) and Fender 9050CL (45-60-80-105) on my P bass and finding the E's a bit too muddy for my taste, I finally decided to try the light set of the Precision Flats (45-60-75-95). Sure, they're not the best balanced set in terms of TENSION, but I was pleasantly surprised how nicely balanced they were in term of TONE. The 95E was cleaner and clearer with better note definition compared to the other two. That's what made me rethink this whole "balanced tension vs. balanced tone" thing.

I used to be a very heavy handed player, and loved super tight strings to compensate for that strong right hand attack. In that instance, if the low strings get too loose then they just rattle against the fret board and sound terrible, and so actual tension was important for performance and control while playing complicated and demanding metal riffage, and achieving a balanced tone was kind of secondary to that. Since I put a set of TI flats on my P bass, which are VERY loose feeling, I've had to really lighten up my right hand, which was very hard to get used to at first but I'm getting better now. When I really get going I still tend to dig in, but it's a lot more under control now. I'm also not playing super demanding metal riffs anymore, so that simplifies what I need out of my basses as well.

So long story short, these days I'm playing with a lighter touch and prefer balanced tone over balanced tension, but still favour a low E and B on the stiffer side of "balanced" tension.

Edit: Also @michael_t, there comes a point where increasing tension will relieve a muddy sounding string as well. A 105 E might be right in the middle of the mud zone for most string sets lol. I've never tried light gauge strings for the performance reasons I listed above.

 

[DavesnothereCA]

....What GHS has done with Balanced Nickels and Round Core Boomers goes beyond simply putting together "balanced tension" sets. They employ the "balanced construction" concept, where all four strings (E-G) have two wraps instead of the traditional single-wrap G and three-wrap E. The primary objective of this "balanced construction" concept is "balanced TONE" first and foremost, not only across all four strings but also up and down the neck, with "balanced tension" being one of its benefits.

~
I do not regard it as a coincidence that achieving one objective also achieved the other.

And yes, I had previously read the explanation at GHS about how those strings are constructed, agree with their logic, and those strings are proof of concept.

I only just wish that they would apply the same thinking to more of their types/models of strings, and if I live long enough, it would not surprise me if they and other string makers do eventually offer further such designed sets.

I think that the round core Boomers came out after the Balanced Nickels, and the CM3050 flats were not initially an option as a set, but were introduced along the way.

Also it seems that D'Addario's balanced sets came as a response to GHS Balanced Nickels, though am not sure whether or not D'Addario mimics the equal number of windings from string to string in the construction, or just the overall diameters and tension.

So we ARE seeing SOME movement, albeit gradual, in electric bass string offerings.

But none of us are getting any younger.

And I know that Jon understands the place from which my thinking comes, and agrees in principle with some of it, as we have touched upon much of this stuff somewhere upthread in the past, and/or in one or two other TB threads.

However, as part of his responsibility at GHS, he has to walk a fine line between tradition and change, and he seems to have paraphrased this in a portion of his latest posted reply to me.

I should also point out that it is possible to order individual strings directly from the GHS website, choosing from whatever they already produce, and was looking there just last night.

But part of what I was lamenting was not only whether or not we can choose from what is already being built, but also a need to broaden the choices in some instances, especially the offerings for short and medium scale basses, which, as many of us are discovering as we age, are more comfortable for old geezers like me to play.

And in that last observation, I KNOW that I am not alone !
~