Thomastik vs D'Addario Flats

[bassbully]

I strung my SQ Squier with a well used set of TI's I've had for the gig last night and they sounded really good. I love the tone and the tension but they fart out when I dig in too hard. I cant change my technique so I have a love /hate relationship with them. I prefer chromes overall but again TI's are a cool ,sexy string.

 

[Mastermold]

I strung my SQ Squier with a well used set of TI's I've had for the gig last night and they sounded really good. I love the tone and the tension but they fart out when I dig in too hard. I cant change my technique so I have a love /hate relationship with them. I prefer chromes overall but again TI's are a cool ,sexy string.

Yeah if you dig into TI flats they will bark. They need a lighter touch.

 

[millertx]

I have TI flats on my Lakland Bob Glaub (P) and love love love them. its a 4 string.
I am thinking of trying TI flats on my new Lakland 55-02, but have not tried the TI low B. Is it floppy as folks have been saying? Since the TIs are very pricy, mebee I try Chromes first, and then the TIs later. I don't really like floppy B's.

Someone, somewhere, posted a better place to acquire strings (D'adds or TIs) than the usual GC/MF/M123 cabal. Always lookin to save some coin, any help out there?

I bought my last set of Chromes from [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. Price was pretty good, but from what I've seen all the sites are pretty competitive on price.

Rich

 

[unclejane]

i could see that on a fretless, especially if you're worried about the wood. they would actually be really good on a fretless.

Heh, surprisingly, I'm not 100% happy with my TIJF's on my FL. In fact, I'm considering taking them off and going back to the Carvin (LaBella) strings it came with.

The nice thing about the TI's is they require only a very light touch to get a good attack. That's really about it.

I'm somewhat disappointed with the quality, especially at the price point. Mine had a waviness to the surface when I first put them on that caused them to buzz horribly about every 2 or 3 "frets". This went on for months, practically rendering the bass unplayable. I've had them on now about a year and most of that has dissipated as they've stretched out, but some spots on my fingerboard on some of the strings still buzz a bit. I find myself compulsively cleaning the string and the board to try to get rid of it.

I'm also not happy with the sustain, especially on the G and high C strings. Also, the low tension causes problems with ultra-low action like I usually like to use, they "fret out" on the board at higher actions than the old Carvin flats did.

Finally - and this isn't really the string's fault - they're so low tension they don't actually load the neck on my bunny _enough_. The neck moves back and forth more than it otherwise would with temperature changes. I'm often chasing the relief with the allen wrench to get it back on the gnats a%%; didn't have to do that with the higher tension strings.

Otherwise, the tone is very nice, but I kind of don't like em (maybe if they were cheaper). I'm probably going to go back to Labellas on this one...

LS

 

[engedi1]

My experience with TI Flats:
1. You do have to set the action a little higher so they don't buzz. Since they are so flexible, this should not slow you down, or at least, it doesn't slow me down that much. Give it a try!
2. You have to learn to pluck closer to the bridge. Not only does this control the string better, but it produces such a cool sound.

With these two points, I can dig in REALLY hard without any problems and get cool tones. Flea uses them, and I doubt any of use dig in harded than he does!

regarding fretless playing and their quality. I have owned several sets, and can testify there is no higher quality string. They last for years and years. I have no idea what the "waviness" you refer to above means. You probably just have the action too low since these strings oscillate like crazy. Check out TI flats on the sound samples on this page :

http://www.woodwiz.com/epoxy/sounds.html

As the above sound samples show, with the right touch, TI flats can be wonderful on a fretless. However, you do have to adapt your technique a little, but I think that they are worth it.

 

[unclejane]

I have no idea what the "waviness" you refer to above means.

It was a slight variation in the thickness of the strings. I wasn't sure what was going on when I first put them on and was getting horrible buzz in about every other position up and down the neck.

I ran the strings between my thumb/forefinger and felt the variation in thickness - I'd never observed that before in a set of strings except on Rotosound wounds many years ago, so I was quite surprised to see this on such an expensive string.

As they wore in, tho, it did almost go away, except there are still some buzzy positions on a couple of the strings here about a year later.

They do have a nice tone and stay impeccably in tune tho, have to give them that (but the LaBellas did also)....

LS

 

[mccartneyman]

Try Sadowsky flats. Tension is somewhere between TIs and Chromes and they have a bit more top end and fewer mids than TIs. Sadowsys produce a great JAzz tone on mn my 55-94 using PUPs with the MM set to back coil only. To my ears, Chromes worked better on a Jazz bass.

 

[Chris K]

My experience with TI Flats:
1. You do have to set the action a little higher so they don't buzz. Since they are so flexible, this should not slow you down, or at least, it doesn't slow me down that much. Give it a try!
2. You have to learn to pluck closer to the bridge. Not only does this control the string better, but it produces such a cool sound.

With these two points, I can dig in REALLY hard without any problems and get cool tones. Flea uses them, and I doubt any of use dig in harded than he does!

regarding fretless playing and their quality. I have owned several sets, and can testify there is no higher quality string. They last for years and years. I have no idea what the "waviness" you refer to above means. You probably just have the action too low since these strings oscillate like crazy. Check out TI flats on the sound samples on this page :

http://www.woodwiz.com/epoxy/sounds.html

As the above sound samples show, with the right touch, TI flats can be wonderful on a fretless. However, you do have to adapt your technique a little, but I think that they are worth it.

^^^^
I went over from Chromes to TI's and this is about why.

 

[bassbully]

Yeah if you dig into TI flats they will bark. They need a lighter touch.

Yeah and in that lies the problem I cant change my touch and wont for any string its just the way I play. Some of my bands songs are slow ballads and those strings are so great but when we get walkin and thumpin I dig hard. Its not a huge problem but chromes never do this.

This is why I have my love/hate relationship. I think i will give them a longer try this time.

 

[Stranger Danger]

I have used both

TI-Loose and floppy, piano like tone, hard to play faster stuff

Chromes-Higher tension, closer to rounds in sustain



LaBella 760FM (my current fave)-Heavy, high tension, thumpy as hell and easy to play faster stuff. Rough on the hands at first but worth it.

 

[engedi1]

I have used both

TI-Loose and floppy, piano like tone, hard to play faster stuff

Chromes-Higher tension, closer to rounds in sustain



LaBella 760FM (my current fave)-Heavy, high tension, thumpy as hell and easy to play faster stuff. Rough on the hands at first but worth it.

I have TI Flats on my bass, and am learning to play Donna lee. I am not sure why they are hard to play fast stuff. Do you mean the tension on the right is so low that it is hard to pluck? I have solved this problem completely by picking closer to the bridge. A very minor teqnique adjustment.

 

[SJan3]

I've found I prefer TI's on P-basses, LaBellas on Jazz basses, and Chromes on my Ric.

..different strokes.

 

[canadian_man_44]

D'addario EN71 halfrounds. Nuff said.

 

[GreyBeard]

 

[michael_t]

It's about time someone posted this video. The OP's been waiting for this for almost 20 yrs!

 

[GreyBeard]

It's about time someone posted this video. The OP's been waiting for this for almost 20 yrs!

I saw that price on a 5 string set on Sweetwater so I started searching for some info on these $132.00 strings. 1st I came across this thread, not checking the date and then the video. I was going to bite the bullet and get a set of TI's for my p-bass 5 but after watching several videos I've decided to just keep my Rotosound flats.

 

[Mastermold]

Funny reading this zombie thread and my comments from a decade ago. I’m still using both TIs and Chromes but on different basses.

 

[GIBrat51]

Anybody have any comparison between TI Jazz Flats and D'Addario Chrome Flats?

Well, I use them both, so...
IME, other than both being flats, and both being in the "modern", mids-forward category? There's not much they have in common - at all.
-TI Jazz Flats. TI's are very low tension flats (only La Bella's LTF's are lower); very, very flexible (they aren't called noodle-y for nothing); take a long time to break in; they're very expensive (especially if you want a 5-string set); and they last roughly forever - if you take care of them. IMO, they don't sound like any other string, but... if that sound works for you? There's nothing better. Period. Others might - no, will - disagree, but... for me, they are not the Alpha/Omega of strings. I don't find them limp or noodle-y (lots of people do), but for me they're too flexible to play well with a pick. Which I do with most of my basses. I also find them too middy and modern sounding for most of what I like to play. But, for what I like to play - finger style - on a particular bass? They are a pure joy, and they won't be replaced with anything else...
- D'Addario Chromes. I don't normally use any D'Addario strings; something they polish them with irritates my fingers a lot, and they are a time consuming, royal PITA to get clean enough to use. However... I do have an well broken-in, re-cycled set of Chromes that are currently on my G&L ASAT bass. Where, IMO, they work well, and sound pretty damn good.
So, how do they compare to the TI's? Well... their outer wrap is stainless (like most flats) as opposed to the nickel outer wrap of the TI's. To me, they feel slightly rougher, too. They have higher tension that the TI's - but aren't the tension champs, by any means. They're also definitely "stiffer" than TI's (due to their construction); and for me, they work with a pick just fine. I can't say how long they take to break in, but consensus of opinion is; not nearly as long as the TI's. IMO, Chromes are tied with EB Cobalt/Slinky flats as the brightest of the "modern" sounding flats. As such, they are brighter - a little - than the TI's. Until they go dead, that is. How soon that happens depends on the player, and how long they get played, of course. But, their death will definitely occur much sooner than with TI's. However, they're a lot more easily acquired (most music stores will have them), and they are a lot less expensive to buy than the TI's. Will I replace the ones I'm using now with another set, when they die? I don't honestly know; I have a set of EB Cobalt Flats I'd like to try - and I won't have to clean the snot out of those to use them...

 

[Yahboy]

I saw that price on a 5 string set on Sweetwater so I started searching for some info on these $132.00 strings. 1st I came across this thread, not checking the date and then the video. I was going to bite the bullet and get a set of TI's for my p-bass 5 but after watching several videos I've decided to just keep my Rotosound flats.

If you never did, I suggest EB 2810 or 2816 a try. So far, both EB flat has great and solid B and E string tone which match with the rest.