String identification, please

[DumbDrummer]

I picked up a used Squier Jazz Bass for cheap yesterday at Guitar Center. It's nearly like new condition and nicely setup with a flat-ish set of strings. They are very bright sounding and I'm not sure if they are true flat wound or a half round. Can anyone identify these?

 

[Gorn]

GHS Brite Flats, maybe.

 

[michael_t]

Purple silk at both ends = Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats.

 

[michael_t]

GHS Brite Flats, maybe.

GHS Btite Flats would have dark blue silk only at the tuner end. And they're 38" from ball end to silk.

The ones in the pics appear to be 37.25" from ball end to silk.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

That string winding screams Cobalts. They are also "very bright", which is why I ditched them.

The silk-windings around the post are also a smaller diameter…and I distinctly remember buying these Cobalts at a Guitar Center in Mobile Alabama during an impending hurricane. I believe there are instructions about how to wind the Hofner-esque diameter in some special way on the packaging itself (maybe it was inside?), unless they changed it.

Regardless, Michael is correct.

 

[DumbDrummer]

Thanks everyone! These things are very bright and lively. Definitely more round wound sounding while feeling close to flats. I'm not sure I'll like them long term, but I did buy these bass specifically for it to be strung with a brighter string for jamming to rock. My other bass is strung with some really dark sounding flats for blues and Beatles songs that I enjoy jamming with. I picked up the bass for just $265 in nearly perfect condition and it seems to have been setup by someone who knew what they were doing. I'm OK with these strings for the price.

 

[ShawnG]

Cobalt Flats. Love 'em on my Geddy.

 

[GIBrat51]

My knee-jerk reaction was "GHS Precision Flats" - which I have on a couple of basses. But, they don't have silk at the ball end, so... nope. I do have a couple of sets of Cobalt Flats that I haven't found a home for yet; after a quick look? As usual, michael_t is right; Cobalt Flats it is...

 

[Jazzkuma]

My knee-jerk reaction was "GHS Precision Flats" - which I have on a couple of basses. But, they don't have silk at the ball end, so... nope. I do have a couple of sets of Cobalt Flats that I haven't found a home for yet; after a quick look? As usual, michael_t is right; Cobalt Flats it is...

Yeah at first glance I thought GHS P flats. But I think they are blue instead of purple? dont remember.

 

[michael_t]

Yeah at first glance I thought GHS P flats. But I think they are blue instead of purple? dont remember.

GHS Precision Flats do have purple silk, but only at the tuner end. Plus, they're 38" in winding length (ball end to silk), which would be longer than the ones in the OP's pics.

Ken Smith Slick Rounds (half-rounds) have purple silk at both ends, but they're also 38" in winding length.

 

[mcontour]

Definitely Ernie Ball Cobalt flatwounds.

 

[DumbDrummer]

Yeah at first glance I thought GHS P flats. But I think they are blue instead of purple? dont remember.

I've got GHS Precision flats on a short scale. I'm too color blind to tell the difference between blue and purple.

 

[DumbDrummer]

Cobalt Flats. Love 'em on my Geddy.

This Squier is my poor man's Geddy. I was thinking of Geddy when I saw this one with the block inlays and I was actually looking for a second Jazz bass to string with something brighter to contrast with my other one with Dr Legend. I love the feel of flats so these may well be the ticket. Guess I lucked out finding something already strung with what I what going for.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I picked up a used Squier Jazz Bass for cheap yesterday at Guitar Center. It's nearly like new condition and nicely setup with a flat-ish set of strings. They are very bright sounding and I'm not sure if they are true flat wound or a half round. Can anyone identify these?View attachment 4370382View attachment 4370384

Don't freak out over them being bright. Before canning them, try different settings on your amp and bass, in particular, roll off some treble and bump your low mids

 

[coy garcia]

I'm a recent convert to flats after over 30 yrs of rounds....set em low and let em growl. The upside is you won't get ropeburn on slides and you won't have to replace in a month or 2. Leave them on until they rust in 20-30yrs.

 

[Chris Wilke]

Yep cobalt flats - I recently bought a bass with them - a very nice higher end j bass fretless5 and didn't love them on that bass. Fortunately I also had a Squier VM Jazz V with Ti Flats (strings were about 1/3 of what I paid for the bass!). So I switched them. I love the cobalts on the fretted Jazz even better than the TIs as they can straddle the line between vintage and modern just through a twist of the tone knob and the TIs just sing on the ebony board on my fretless V.

 

[DumbDrummer]

Don't freak out over them being bright. Before canning them, try different settings on your amp and bass, in particular, roll off some treble and bump your low mids

Oh, I'm not. I'll leave them on for at least a couple of months to see how they settle in. Since it's a used bass I have no idea how long they've been on. Given the great condition of the bass, I doubt very long. That's pretty much how I set my amp. I bump the low mids a bit and roll back treble and actually roll bass off slightly since the small room I practice in can be kind of boomy.

 

[DumbDrummer]

Leave them on until they rust in 20-30yrs.

As I've read up on these Cobalts, it seems like they can have a tendency to rust quickly. We'll see. They are very very different from the DR Legend on my other Jazz bass and I think I'll enjoy them while they last.