T-I Jazz Roundwounds - Why?

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I have a hankering to try these on a short scale 5 string fretted bass (E>C). Genres I use this bass for are: bass/chordal/melody on soft jazz and pop standards with jazz chord palette; semi-acoustic blues; accompanying country-folk singer/songwriter, etc. If I ever play out again it will be very small venue low volume work.

The T-I's seem to receive universal high praise notwithstanding their outrageous price by comparison. Why? What's the magic that justifies the price?

For a point of comparison/reference, I have used these and have liked each of them for various reasons:
- Newtone platinum wind (much lighter gauge nickel final wrap, similar to what T-I advertises)
- GHS Pressurewound
- SIT Silencers
- Rotosound Solo Bass

There is none. You are paying for the inspection process, and export fee.

 

[DJ Bebop]

T-I Jazz Roundwounds - Why?
Why not?

 

[fermata]

The cost is mostly due to the fact that they're imported from Austria; in Europe GHS strings, for instance, cost a lot more than they do in the US.

To me, the cost of TI rounds is worth it for the sound, the feel, and the longevity.

 

[Kelly robinson]

I'd say they are like the Mercedes of strings - you pay for the higher quality and the long life as they hold their miles very well . I find them to be very responsive to attack and hand positioning too - more so than several other brands I've tried . .... Kelly

 

[J_Bass]

Hi all.

Another TI fan, here.

I use TI Flats on all my basses, except the short scale and the acoustic.

What can the Rounds bring me, comparing to the Flats? Maybe I could try the rounds on the short scale. I'm not very eager to take off the TI Flats I have on my main bass.

I also use TI on the DB, haha!

 

[DeepHz]

I love the TI jazz flats. I feel like they are less muddy then some other flats. I don't mind the price as I don't change out strings monthly. Good quality with a great sound.

 

[franklindayala]

I believe there's a silk wrap between the core wire and wrap wire. Soaking them in anything is probably a bad idea. Mine are about ten years old and have never been cleaned with anything but a dry cloth. They're as bright as anyone could ever need them to be.

I was doubtful to buy them for my fretless. I love the TI jazz flats on my P basses. This just cleared all. Thanks.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

The cost is mostly due to the fact that they're imported from Austria; in Europe GHS strings, for instance, cost a lot more than they do in the US.

To me, the cost of TI rounds is worth it for the sound, the feel, and the longevity.

Be assured that they're expensive in Europe too

 

[JRA]

they do not sound like any other round wound string! they're in a class by themselves.

I'm asking because with a lot of round wounds they become a bit "dull" or lifeless sounding

agreed. i've liked/preferred/played rounds (almost any) since the beginning but the jazz rounds are a different breed altogether. they have their own version of 'new-string-zing' but IME that only lasts a few hours and what i get after that is consistency (forever!). i'm with all the others: they sound great and feel great, but what i really like is their "low tension" (compliance), lack-of-stiffness quality. i think they're superior strings for fretless. and the fact that they sound so consistently good for such a long time easily justifies the price.

 

[KenD]

From all but one off the replies here the universal praise for T-I continues. I'm going to order a set but everywhere I looked online the short scales are not in stock. Plus I need to order a separate C string. It may take awhile but after I have then installed and played for a bit, I'll report back. Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

They have more mids than many roundwounds.

The wraps are very fine, so it makes them a good partner for a fretless, as does the tonal balance.

They are very light, so if you like to play hard with a pick, these are not for you. a light touch is advised. I've used them on fretted and four and five-string fretless, and they excel particularly in the latter, and mwahs have been captured from the atmosphere and incorporated in the core of them somehow.

They last seemingly forever, almost. I have ones that are at least five years old on a fretless. If I was sufficiently careful playing basses for all styles they would be all I used, apart from TI flats. In reality, I have a drawer full of various strings!

 

[-Asdfgh-]

There is none. You are paying for the inspection process, and export fee.

The construction is not typical - finer wraps, silk mid layer.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

The cost is mostly due to the fact that they're imported from Austria; in Europe GHS strings, for instance, cost a lot more than they do in the US.

In Europe, GHS and TI strings are expensive! The premium for US->UK is more that Austria->US, it seems.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

What can the Rounds bring me, comparing to the Flats?

A bit more zing (but not a huge amount) and a more round-wound sound in general, and even lower tension. But they are rounds that don't sound like Swing Bass or anything like that.

 

[fourstr00]

Here's an alternate reason, although I use them for the reasons listed above too.

My truss rod is about maxed out (mid 90s Carvin with the known truss rod issues) and lower tension TIs let me keep that bass in rotation for a longer life.

 

[ELG60]

Of the basses I regularly play, I have a matched pair of Devon fivers and a brace of 4 banger Fenders, one of each has TI Jazz Flats and the other two have the Jazz Rounds. I'm good with that . . . Best of both at my preference. The flats will likely outlive me and the rounds too . . . If the Lord wills it. Well worth the investment.

 

[biobass]

After decades of being a Rotosound player, about 15 years ago I switched to TI Jazz Rounds on my '65 Jazz and Roscoe Beck V fretted basses, and Jazz Flats for my A/E Precision fretless. My Turner Ren fretless gets the TI Acousticores. They are the strings with the most responsive to dynamics and nuances of playing that I have ever found. They have a very clear and balanced tone. The up front cost is steep, but for me, they last an incredibly long time. Typically, I get 5-7 years of daily playing out of a set of Jazz Rounds. The strings continue to intonate precisely and play with a clear and full harmonic content all the while. I don't know how long the Jazz Flats last, but at least 15 years, so far. I get about 5-7 years, as well, out of the Acousticores. The musicality of the strings is why I play them. The cost amortized over the life of the strings makes them amongst the best values out there. YMMV

One more thing. The customer service of the U.S. distributor, Connolly Music, is amazing. There was one time when a new B string in a set of Jazz Rounds was not well matched with the other strings. They immediately shipped me a new B string, only asking that I send the old one back so that their technician could look at it to determine what the problem was. The new B string matched sonically quite well with the other strings.

 

[MVE]

I use TI Rounds on my fretless J.

They took a bit of getting used to at first, as they are thin and low tension.

But they are very articulate and allow for a great deal of expression, which is especially useful on fretless.

It has now been several years and I have no ambitions to try any other strings on that instrument.

 

[Gully Foyle]

They sing like no other rounds to my ears, feel great, and have less finger noise.

I was deeply skeptical about the rounds, even though I had loved the flats for years. Finally I bought some of the rounds, 49% convinced I was making a huge mistake. I was not.

 

[Sbassman Scratch]

I play quite a bit at and above the octave. TIs have consistent timbre and clarity of tone all the way up the fretboard.