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Thunderbird Club

#97,962
PillO said:
...
I tried cobalt flats and they tore up my fingers on my fretting hand. I wondered what was wrong and it took a few days for me to work out it was the strings causing the pain. Calluses were no protection.
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Interesting on the Cobalt flats.

I didn't notice any surface roughness difference between my Cobalt flats and most other flats I've tried. Cobalt rounds on the other hand were like playing on a hacksaw blade, they chewed everything up including my brass nut. The only string I've ever ripped off the bass with less playing time than it took to put them on.

With all the folks that rave about the Cobalt rounds, I've often wondered if EB just has a really poor QC process or maybe there's knockoffs posing as the real deal. My experience on the rounds was horrible. And it sounds like your experience on the flats wasn't good, but it was completely different than my experience. Of course my total experience with Cobalts consists of one round purchase and one flat purchase, so not a lot of data points.
 
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#97,963
MCF said:
I got my first bass in ‘70. I always wanted a bird. Mine found me in ‘15. Congrats on your new bass!
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When I switched to bass, i knew I wanted a Bird. Always had. The very first one I played grabbed me. No, I don’t want one from the back, I want this one!
The wand chooses the wizard, the Bird chooses the player.
 
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#97,964
Miles_ONeal said:
When I switched to bass, i knew I wanted a Bird. Always had. The very first one I played grabbed me. No, I don’t want one from the back, I want this one!
The wand chooses the wizard, the Bird chooses the player.
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In some ways true - I was tipped off about a P-bass (loan shop) in 1974 and as it had sold by the time I got there, I scanned the rest and went home with my '63 T-bird. Back then I knew John Entwistle, Overend Watts and the bass player from Wishbone Ash played one but that was all I knew about them other than they looked cool.
 
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#97,965
GBassNorth said:
Interesting on the Cobalt flats.

I didn't notice any surface roughness difference between my Cobalt flats and most other flats I've tried. Cobalt rounds on the other hand were like playing on a hacksaw blade, they chewed everything up including my brass nut. The only string I've ever ripped off the bass with less playing time than it took to put them on.

With all the folks that rave about the Cobalt rounds, I've often wondered if EB just has a really poor QC process or maybe there's knockoffs posing as the real deal. My experience on the rounds was horrible. And it sounds like your experience on the flats wasn't good, but it was completely different than my experience. Of course my total experience with Cobalts consists of one round purchase and one flat purchase, so not a lot of data points.
Click to expand...

The cobalt flats weren't rough, they felt smooth but I ended up with sore fingers. In retrospect, I think that installing and tuning very slightly spreads the ribbon; enough to create a cheese grater effect for the fingers.
 
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#97,966
PillO said:
The cobalt flats weren't rough, they felt smooth but I ended up with sore fingers. In retrospect, I think that installing and tuning very slightly spreads the ribbon; enough to create a cheese grater effect for the fingers.
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Most flats are of higher tension and are tighter feeling. You can experience that as you install them - it feels like you are really cranking your tuners to get them to pitch. If you are used to more flexible strings, the extra force to compress them could add up to sore fingers regardless of smoothness/texture.
 
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#97,967
Andii Syckz said:
I did the cobalts (45-105) before. That added brightness factor only lasted two days. They were pretty dead afterwards. Playing in a punk band, i needed the grind to last longer than two days, hence my preference for D'addario - little cheaper, & last longer IMO. Also another reason i dislike EB strings with anger is cause, when i first got my epi goth bird - some 7 years ago, i figured i'll go EB route as they did work on my other bass. Had all strings on, & stretched them as i always do to break them in: The G & A snapped at the tuning post. Since then, no more EB strings for me.

I think that's a big reason to why they have a lot of artists: The play shows every night, tour extensively. They're good for one show, that's it. Endless amounts of strings supplied to them. I'd rather be on the road with a couple of packs of D'Add & have my original strings last the whole duration, than to go through strings every night. I do my own tech work too, Less i have to worry about new strings, it's just minor tweaking at that point.

This isn't meant to offend, nor have i taken offense of your 2 cents xD It's mearly my distaste, & bad exp with EB strings that put a fundamental strain in ever having that be my pick. on another note, they're not as stiff as the D'addario. I guess it does earn their slinky name well, but i figured once you get to a heavier gauge, it would start being stiffer.
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As far as the brightness goes... Are you talking about that 'new string zing' before any string is broken in? Sorry you had the bad experience putting them on... I guess 2 in the same pack that snapped stretching would sour me too. I do not abide a wussy D & G! Nor overly bright ones... perhaps that's why I gravitate towards the 55-110 set of a brand more than one person has complained about having a short life span :smug: I change em about every 3-4 months, and I'd guess that's with a 8-10hr average use time per week.

Said it before... Wow this thread moves fast!
 
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#97,970
Engle said:
The upright is a great! I'm trying to work my way into playing it more. It's pretty hard on the old hands:sour:
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I've got an old Czech plywood 3/4, needs serious repair but I'd got into it for a while. Getting it fixed hopefully by spring... got a few priorities, but I also like the visceral, "just you and the big strings" thing of the acoustic upright.
 
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#97,973
Gaolee said:
My theory is that dedicated bass players eventually also become lead guitarists, upright players, or occasionally both. They are still bass guitar players first, but what they gravitate to has a lot to say about how they play.
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I found it usually works out (not optimally) when guitarists migrate to bass but not the other way for some reason..
 
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#97,974
Chucky Stiletti said:
Ahem...Rings!!...
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I like the rings also, but as most T-birds past the 70's didn't have them - that also has become part of the recognized look for a T-bird. The recent Epi RI of the gen1 IV has got everyone seeing rings again. I say, do whatever blows your skirt up...
 
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#97,975
Gaolee said:
My theory is that dedicated bass players eventually also become lead guitarists, upright players, or occasionally both. They are still bass guitar players first, but what they gravitate to has a lot to say about how they play.
Click to expand...
Proving once again that I'm bass-ackwards, I went from saxes to bass.
 
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#97,976
GBassNorth said:
Interesting on the Cobalt flats.

I didn't notice any surface roughness difference between my Cobalt flats and most other flats I've tried. Cobalt rounds on the other hand were like playing on a hacksaw blade, they chewed everything up including my brass nut. The only string I've ever ripped off the bass with less playing time than it took to put them on.

With all the folks that rave about the Cobalt rounds, I've often wondered if EB just has a really poor QC process or maybe there's knockoffs posing as the real deal. My experience on the rounds was horrible. And it sounds like your experience on the flats wasn't good, but it was completely different than my experience. Of course my total experience with Cobalts consists of one round purchase and one flat purchase, so not a lot of data points.
Click to expand...
Not to beat the dead horse but that's what I meant when expressing my preference for Rotos...like 'em or or not, you always know what you get due the amount of product they sell/sold..
 
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#97,978
JIO said:
In some ways true - I was tipped off about a P-bass (loan shop) in 1974 and as it had sold by the time I got there, I scanned the rest and went home with my '63 T-bird. Back then I knew John Entwistle, Overend Watts and the bass player from Wishbone Ash played one but that was all I knew about them other than they looked cool.
Click to expand...
Martin Turner..
 
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