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Thomastik JF324 short scale - Questions

sonic boogaloo

sonic boogaloo

Aug 18, 2017
813
1,996
Valencia • España
#1
hi. although described as 'short scale' the Thomastik JF324's appear to be 32 medium scale.

i'd love to try these on one of my 30 short scales.

will they fit? anyone have experience of playing these on a 30 scale bass?

i read one review which says that the 106 gauge E string has a lot more tension than the A D and G strings and makes the set 'unplayable'. any truth in this?
 
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#2
sonic boogaloo said:
hi. although described as 'short scale' the Thomastik JF324's appear to be 32 medium scale.

i'd love to try these on one of my 30 short scales.

will they fit? anyone have experience of playing these on a 30 scale bass?

i read one review which says that the 106 gauge E string has a lot more tension than the A D and G strings and makes the set 'unplayable'. any truth in this?
Click to expand...
Well...
Short scale Thomastik-Infeld strings - Like Pyramid short scale strings - were originally intended for Hofner-style basses. Short scale from nut to bridge, but with several inches back from the floating bridge, to the trapeze tailpiece. So, yeah, they're pretty much "medium scale" strings. And, they're among the longest ones, too. I have a set of TIJR324 Jazz Rounds on my '94 Gretsch Broadkaster bass - with a floating bridge and trapeze tailpiece. Physically, it's so big that a lot of medium scale strings are too short, and most long scale strings fit it just fine. Those TI Jazz Rounds? They fit it perfectly... The Jazz Rounds are on it, because I bought them by mistake; got in a rush, and didn't read the fine print... :rollno:
Will they fit on a "normal" 30" scale bass, with a "normal" bridge? If you can string it through the body... yeah, maybe. I've read here that they work on through-body Fender Mustang basses. But, top loaded? They will most likely be too long for most short scale basses. You can try, but... it's a pretty expensive experiment...
As for them being unplayable? Well, I did put a set of them on a 32" scale Canadian-made Fury Anthem lined fretless bass - which is through-body stringing only. They fit that bass perfectly - even the top silks lined up exactly. For reasons that don't matter here, they didn't stay on that bass long. However...
TI's are notoriously "weird" when you first install them. Aside from the usual "bright A, D, & G strings, dull/dead E string" nonsense that lots of flats go through? Yeah, the tension varies a lot. And the A string is wonky at first, too. The long scale set on my Alembic Epic certainly was; took roughly forever to break in... But, all that stuff went away when they finally did. The short scale ones on the Fury weren't on it long enough to break in, but even though they acted like new TI flats? No, they weren't "unplayable". Just annoying new flats... Actually, now that I think about it? The TI Jazz Rounds were pretty annoying, too. Didn't take as long to break in, though...:cool:
 
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#3
GIBrat51 said:
Will they fit on a "normal" 30" scale bass, with a "normal" bridge? If you can string it through the body... yeah, maybe. I've read here that they work on through-body Fender Mustang basses. But, top loaded? They will most likely be too long for most short scale basses. You can try, but... it's a pretty expensive experiment...
Click to expand...
thanks for the detailed response! i did want to try them on 30 with a top loaded bridge, so i think i'll pass. i do have a through body mustang but i'm happy with the La Bellas on that. maybe i'll try them in the future...
 
#4
yes i've used them on hofner and fender basses and they work great. if you don't like the big E string get the hofner set, the E is .96. it's JF324H for that set, here's a link

www.stringsandbeyond.com

Thomastik-Infeld JF324H Flat Wound Electric Electric Bass Strings Short Scale Hofner Beatle Bass 43-96

Thomastik-Infeld JF324H Flat Wound Electric Electric Bass Strings Short Scale Hofner Beatle Bass 43-96 - Drawing from the upright bass, Thomastik-Infeld JF324H Flat Wound Short Scale HOFNER Bass Guitar Strings have a legendary sound that is all their own. "The outer winding is a true ribbon...
www.stringsandbeyond.com www.stringsandbeyond.com

Thomastik are some of the finest strings made, they last forever and sound great. I don't currently use them but they will work fine on a top loaded bass, no problem.
 
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#5
I use Thomastik JF324's on my 32" medium scale Dean Stylist. The silk on the E string sits just past the nut. I remember having to bore out the bridge tail piece to fit the E string diameter. While the E string does feel larger in comparison to JF334's the short scale set feels consistent and plays well. The overall tension feels a little heavier than JF344's but that is good on a hollow body.
P1150362.jpg
 
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#8
Well.. I've posted this before, but here are my thoughts on Thomastik-Infeld flat wounds - long and "short" scale - again;
- Some people think that they're the Alpha & Omega of flat wounds. Sorry, but... they are not. No flat wound string is. For every player that thinks that they are, there's somebody that loathes them, and wouldn't use them on a bet...
- I do use them; but, I consider TI's a "niche" string. They are very easy to play, and - the long scale set in particular - they have complex harmonic overtones that no other flats I've ever played have. And, in the last 55 years of playing bass with flats, almost exclusively? I've played a lot of different flats. Problem is, some music needs those complex overtones - but, a lot of music does not. Particularly the kind where the bass's job is to keep the beat; sit in the mix; and fill the sonic gap between the rhythm guitar and the bass. Regular ol' flats do that job just fine - and have for a very long time. And, cost a lot less, too...
- The bass that wears TIJF's in my "herd", is a '95 Alembic Epic; and it's worn the same set for over 15 years, now. So, yes, they do last a long time. It's the bass that I use to play Jazz - or try to, anyway... It's also the only bass I have, that never gets played with a pick. I'm so used to stiffer, higher tension flats, that trying to adjust to the comparatively "flubby" TI's isn't worth the effort. Besides; who plays Jazz with a pick, anyhow...🤔
- Low tension? Yes, TI's are pretty low tension - as in pounds of pull needed to pull them to pitch. But, there are other flats with less tension. What most people mean when they say "tension" is stiffness; how hard the strings are to pluck. And TI's are, indeed, very flexible... But, there are lots of light gauge, round core flats that are easy to finger play; are comparatively low tension; and don't cost an arm and a leg. I know, 'cause I use those flats...
- So, yeah; TI's are nice strings. But, they are by no means the be all/end all of flats. In fact, if you like the overall tone, but don't feel you need those expensive overtones? Try a set of Fender 9050L's. It's amazing how much they sound the same... :cool:
 
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#9
The 324s are amazing on 30 or 32"scale and yet completely different! I have the 30's on my Player Mustang and the bass sounds great - nearly the same as my P with La Bella 760s. The lower tension makes them nice and easy to play. The T.I. 324s and 344s are my favorite strings by far.

When I realized that they are really designed for 32" scale, I also installed them on my 32" Jaguar bass and WOW! Totally unexpected result. Really clear and strong bass sound without the thump normally associated with flats. Like a good punchy set of rounds without the grind. Still easy on the fingers and no finger noise. First time I played out with them the sound man was really impressed, commenting on how well he could hear the bass cut through! An amazing difference from the Mustang considering it is the same strings and the same pickups only the tension is different. I really should do a spectrograph to see the where the real sonic differences are.

BTW - My deal friend asked the T.I. sales rep why they are so expensive. He said that to get the super smooth finish they are ground and polished at 1/2 the normal speed, so it takes much longer to make them. I don't know if this is true or not, but I hope they keep doing what they are doing. I have made quite a few converts once they get over the "sticker shock" and they love them equally.
 
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#12
Bassamatic said:
BTW - My deal friend asked the T.I. sales rep why they are so expensive. He said that to get the super smooth finish they are ground and polished at 1/2 the normal speed, so it takes much longer to make them. I don't know if this is true or not, but I hope they keep doing what they are doing. I have made quite a few converts once they get over the "sticker shock" and they love them equally.
Click to expand...

I doubt that's the sole reason why they are expensive. They are hand-made in a country where wages are higher, so regardless of how they are made, they will be expensive. They also have a silk core treatment that controls how they resonate - a bit like wound violin strings, and I imagine that process affects the price too.

Then there's the name. Every orchestra string player I know who plays TI strings complains about the cost.
 
#13
I just put a set of these on my ‘75 Mustang and they fit perfectly because that bass has thru-body stringing. They might be too long for a top loading Mustang bridge. But gotta say, I prefer these strings to the LaBella Mustang flats. Might be my particular bass, but I never got the response I wanted out of the E string and even a replacement E seemed dead compared to the others. The TI flats are more even to me and the .106 E string doesn’t pose a problem with tension or balance. Again, old Mustangs are quirky so others’ results may differ…
 
#14
How was the fit?
If they’re too long the cheap hardware store solution is to stack #6 washers onto the string at the ball end to shorten the effective length. Looks a little odd but it works well.

This may have been mentioned but don’t cut them until you’re sure they’ll work.
If you can’t return them used flats have resale value.
 

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