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Sadowsky BLUE Label Flats

#161
michael_t said:
So, what specifically is the best element of the Black Label and the best of the old Blue Label that were incorporated into this "re-engineered Blue Label Flats"?
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Of our two original flat wound strings, we loved the tone of the Blacks, but they had consistency issues (which is common in flat wound strings). The Blues were amazingly consistent and reliable and though they sounded great too, they were not as quite "old school" sounding as we wanted. So we went back to the drawing board and re-designed the string to have the best qualities of both.....old school tone and excellent consistency and reliability. We did not feel the need to have two different lines of flats, so we incorporated the new string into our Blue Label line, which is our most complete line of strings. The re-engineered Black Label strings now solely consist of our Stainless and Nickel Roundwounds.
 
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#164
michael_t said:
The old Blue Label Flats vs. the new re-engineered Blue Label Flats...

How would we distinguish the two when shopping for them to make sure those who are looking to try the new ones don't end up with the old version?

Different packaging? Silk color?
Click to expand...

There is no way to know from the packaging.....But if you buy it from our webstore, you can be sure you have the new version. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#165
Sadowsky said:
Of our two original flat wound strings, we loved the tone of the Blacks, but they had consistency issues (which is common in flat wound strings). The Blues were amazingly consistent and reliable and though they sounded great too, they were not as quite "old school" sounding as we wanted. So we went back to the drawing board and re-designed the string to have the best qualities of both.....old school tone and excellent consistency and reliability. We did not feel the need to have two different lines of flats, so we incorporated the new string into our Blue Label line, which is our most complete line of strings. The re-engineered Black Label strings now solely consist of our Stainless and Nickel Roundwounds.
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The first blue label was supposed to be a bit more flexible than the black label. Where does this new blue label sit in terms of flexibility or stiffness?
 
#166
Are there inventories of the original Blue Label Flats anywhere?

Don't want old school ..... The mid-centric nature of the originals make them a lot more versatile. They were recommended to me as a great, stiffer version of TIJF's and that is exactly how I find them to be.
 
#168
For the beta testers, they may be better, if you're looking for old school. But old school usually means more thump, and at least slightly scooped mids. That won't work for me. I have a set of Black Labels, and while they sound and feel good, they don't work for what I do.

But I do understand that you have a business to run, and having the two string sets may not work for you.

I'll just have to see if anyone has any of the old versions left, and stick them away, because I really don't want to go back to TIJF's.
 
#171
I've tried two places now, and neither have the previous version left...... I'll keep trying, but this seriously sucks.

I think that anyone who plays these regularly does so because they aren't old school sounding. TIJF's are about the only other option in this category, but for me, the Blue Labels were superior in playability (you can dig in a bit without fretting out, yet they are still comfortable)

My current set of Blue Labels have about a year on them now, and they sound better than ever. I was about ready to buy two more sets.... One to replace the TIJF's on my backup, and another set for a spare.

So, can anyone comment on the new version? What are your initial thoughts?
 
#176
ljazz said:
I've tried two places now, and neither have the previous version left...... I'll keep trying, but this seriously sucks.

I think that anyone who plays these regularly does so because they aren't old school sounding. TIJF's are about the only other option in this category, but for me, the Blue Labels were superior in playability (you can dig in a bit without fretting out, yet they are still comfortable)

My current set of Blue Labels have about a year on them now, and they sound better than ever. I was about ready to buy two more sets.... One to replace the TIJF's on my backup, and another set for a spare.

So, can anyone comment on the new version? What are your initial thoughts?
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Old school is a very vague and subjective phrase.
ljazz said:
Drag.... BSOL is out.

These have barely been out out long enough to know these are the strings you want to leave on until they break.... And now they are changing.

Any chance of finding out who the manufacturer is?
Click to expand...
ljazz said:
Drag.... BSOL is out.

These have barely been out out long enough to know these are the strings you want to leave on until they break.... And now they are changing.

Any chance of finding out who the manufacturer is?
Click to expand...

Why are you making an assumption you won’t like the string without trying them??????

Roger
 
#177
Well, your post mentioned old school, and the Blue Labels were "not as quite 'old school' sounding as we wanted." You then said, "old school tone and excellent consistency and reliability," when mentioning combining the best qualities of each. That tells me you believe the Black Labels are more old school.

I have Black Labels ... Sound great on my jazz.... Meh on my P bass. I won't waste 50 bucks and months of break in time when the designer's own description are that of a string I would not like on my P bass. Taking it a step further, I'm supremely disappointed. To me, the old Blue Label Flats are magical on my pbass. Easily, my favorite strings of all time!
 
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#178
Ok, I've given in and picked up a set of the new Blue Label Flats in the lighter gauge (40's). I figured if I don't like them on my pbass, and Sadowsky has met the stated design goal (making them sound like Black Labels), then they can go on my jazz, which currently sports a set of 4+ year old heavy Black Label Flats. If I like them on my P bass, then Sadowsky will have not met the stated goal, and I have a good replacement for the old version.

Out of the pack, they are a bit floppier/softer than the previous Blues. Holding both E strings in the middle and letting them hang, the new set sags down closer to vertical. Not quite as much as the TIJF E string though. Once they were on, I needed to tighten the truss rod a quarter turn though (to achieve the same action and relief) ..... To me these initial observations mean more tension, but softer feel. Worth note, the ball end silks are a bit longer, so I had to trim back the E string because it was on the saddle.

Playability-wise, my initial observations held true..... These are very soft, even though they pull on the neck more. In fact, I may need to tweak the truss rod again, and raise them back up a bit. While they aren't quite as pliable as TIJF's, they will fret out if you try to make them bark.... Of course that's with mimicking the set up I had with the old version Blues. One other observation ... The windings are as tight as the Black Labels, except on the A string.... The A looks like the previous Blue A string. I took a look at the Black Label A on my jazz, and it is not as tight as the other strings as well. I wonder why that is???

Too early to give a good tone description now. Right out of the pack, they don't have the singing mid quality of the previous Blues. They sound an awful lot like the Black Labels did when new. The problem with the Black Labels for me was that after full break in, the mids disappeared, and they got thumpy. They sound like a good, worn in set of LaBellas, which I love on a jazz bass. The problem on a P bass is that those mids are right in the sweet spot of a P bass' limited frequency range..... The only thing that comes out is a dull thump (classic tone, I know, but not what I want for my Pbass).

I'll give these a few weeks to break in. We are opening for Walter Trout in a few weeks in Knoxville (Maryville). I'll make a desicion as to whether or not they'll stay on the P by then.

I'll give updates over the next few weeks with more observations. We have rehearsal tomorrow night, so I'll post some thoughts on the band mix afterwards.
 
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#179
ljazz said:
Out of the pack, they are a bit floppier/softer than the previous Blues. Holding both E strings in the middle and letting them hang, the new set sags down closer to vertical. Not quite as much as the TIJF E string though. Once they were on, I needed to tighten the truss rod a quarter turn though (to achieve the same action and relief) ..... To me these initial observations mean more tension, but softer feel. Worth note, the ball end silks are a bit longer, so I had to trim back the E string because it was on the saddle.
Click to expand...

It is my understanding that the Black Label Flats were made by La Bella, meaning both had the glassy smooth feel with tight winding and ugly ball ends without silk.

The fact the ball ends of the Blue Label Flats have silk tells me they're probably not by La Bella. And one intriguing thing is the silked part at the ball end is long enough to be on the saddle. I've read a few posts by people who were complaining about the same thing regarding the Dunlop Flats, which just happen to be one of the more flexible ones due to the smaller-than-average hex core - the same idea as their Super Bright rounds. They're also known for being more "modern" in tone with round-like sustain.

Of course, I'm just speculating here; the fact the Sadowsky Blue Label Flats and the Dunlop Flats have certain similarities don't necessarily mean they're in fact related. Just intriguing, as I said...

@ljazz, have you ever tried the Dunlop Flats? It would be an interesting comparison between them and the Sadowsky Blue Label. And the good news for you is the Dunlop now has their flats available in 40-100.

DUNLOP FLAT WOUND BASS STRINGS  
 
#180
michael_t said:
@ljazz, have you ever tried the Dunlop Flats? It would be an interesting comparison between them and the Sadowsky Blue Label. And the good news for you is the Dunlop now has their flats available in 40-100.

DUNLOP FLAT WOUND BASS STRINGS
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I have not tried the Dunlop Flats. However, I've considered them since finding out the Blue Labels changed. I'm not stuck on lite gauges either. We'll see. I really hope the new version Blue Labels work out. It's going to be tough to top the mid-centric tone of the originals on a P though. These new Blue Labels sound a lot like brand new LaBellas ... Even more so than the Black Labels, which were made by LaBella. I'm noticing a huge volume difference between the old and new versions on my CS '59 P. I'm thinking it's because the mids are so strong on the old version (much more volume). I'll mix and match between the old, new and black labels on a couple of different P basses and my Jazz this weekend. I'll see if I can figure out why they are different.

I will say this though..... The new Blue Labels are about as pliable as TIJF's. They are super comfy to play!
 

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