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TI Flats are oh so Good!!!

I bought a very lightly used set here.I don't think the guy I bought them from waited long enough to get them broken in before giving up on them.I can't find anything not to like about them.Probably never having to change then is a very big plus.
 
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I just got back from checking out a '69 Guild ThunderStar tube combo.

It's a unique model that the old ad stated is designed for use with a guitar, bass, or organ. Has a CTS speaker that certainly does sound great for bass guitar application.

I took my Squier Vista MusicMaster with TI Jazz Flats to check the amp out and wow. The definition on the E I was having trouble dialing in with my class d Rumble 500 was there in spades.

I mean, the TI's sound good through my Rumble head but goodness. The tube tone made these flats shine.

Didn't buy the amp because it was too big and heavy even though it sounded great.

But I will certainly be moving to a tube amp now !
 
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I just got back from checking out a '69 Guild ThunderStar tube combo.

It's a unique model that the old ad stated is designed for use with a guitar, bass, or organ. Has a CTS speaker that certainly does sound great for bass guitar application.

I took my Squier Vista MusicMaster with TI Jazz Flats to check the amp out and wow. The definition on the E I was having trouble dialing in with my class d Rumble 500 was there in spades.

I mean, the TI's sound good through my Rumble head but goodness. The tube tone made these flats shine.

Didn't buy the amp because it was too big and heavy even though it sounded great.

But I will certainly be moving to a tube amp now !
I'm really into funky old tube amps as well, and in fact was just playing my P Bass w/ TI flats through my old '71 Plush 1000S head into a Sunn 1X15 loaded w/ JBL K130. This has become my only amp in the past year and it is sounds incredible for low - medium volume duties. Such depth & rich character, and the P with Thomastiks just melds perfectly with that amp.

You should go buy that Guild! Those look sweet! (Says the Bass Impulse Purchase Enabler :thumbsup:)
 
I've always wondered how these are, but never pulled the trigger on a set. I'm predominantly a SS roundwounds guy, but I have a set of chromes on my Jaco sig and a '55 pbass replica I built. I don't mind the stiffness of the chromes, and the only other set of flats I've tried were fender brand that was on the Jaco sig when I got it. I definitely didn't like the sound of those. I'd really like to try a set on the '55.

The lower tension wouldn't be an issue, in fact I'd like it probably, but do the strings roll under your fingers? That would be a definite turn off for sure. I'm just hesitant because of the price.

Anyone go from chromes to them? Like I said I like the sound of the chromes, but then again I really haven't tried many flats either. Which style would be better? The Jazz or the other ones? Sorry for so many questions, I'm just trying to get a feel for these strings based on the chromes I have now
They don't roll. But they are very flexible. Nice especially if you like higher action. They work best with a light touch. Pick sounds good.
 
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What does "roll" refer to? I have seen this term bandied about, and have a rough idea, but can you articulate what it means?
Some strings will actually roll over frets/under your finger when bending notes (or even just when fretting them normally), instead of sliding. They tend to pop out from under your finger as a result. I tried an ABG some time ago with roundwound bronze strings that did this. It was weird and annoying. Like pressing down on marbles.
 
its like knowing the nuances of a fine wine-

at first glance, players may not appreciate those nuances, but they are in the strings.
the feel, the tone are obvious.
but there is also a quality in the experience of playing them that is hard to peg down.
mine are four years old on my P bass and they still amaze me.

I also don't understand the rubber band thingy; I do set up my P bass a tad differently than my others due to the larger orbit of these strings but once its dialled in...
why make a bass harder to play?
 
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I'm really into funky old tube amps as well, and in fact was just playing my P Bass w/ TI flats through my old '71 Plush 1000S head into a Sunn 1X15 loaded w/ JBL K130. This has become my only amp in the past year and it is sounds incredible for low - medium volume duties. Such depth & rich character, and the P with Thomastiks just melds perfectly with that amp.

You should go buy that Guild! Those look sweet! (Says the Bass Impulse Purchase Enabler :thumbsup:)

I'm pushing 60, so that amp, as sweet as it is, will land somewhere else. It's a moose.

The little Ampeg PF-50T looks to be what I'd be happy with. I think I'll flip my Rumble head and get it over with:cool:
 
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Some strings will actually roll over frets/under your finger when bending notes (or even just when fretting them normally), instead of sliding. They tend to pop out from under your finger as a result. I tried an ABG some time ago with roundwound bronze strings that did this. It was weird and annoying. Like pressing down on marbles.
Okay so it refers to left hand. I was thinking it had something to do with right hand finger grip. So you are saying some strings actually rotate on the long axis of the string?
 
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its like knowing the nuances of a fine wine-

at first glance, players may not appreciate those nuances, but they are in the strings.
the feel, the tone are obvious.
but there is also a quality in the experience of playing them that is hard to peg down.
mine are four years old on my P bass and they still amaze me.

I also don't understand the rubber band thingy; I do set up my P bass a tad differently than my others due to the larger orbit of these strings but once its dialled in...
why make a bass harder to play?
Well fine wine is nonsense, proven by science to be placebo, but i think we have already gone down that path or dont want to.

But i will say that its good to practice on stiffer strings if you are a beginner to intermeldiate player. I get little right hand exercise from My ti flats. Though mine is a short scale tuned down a half step.
 
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I just got back from checking out a '69 Guild ThunderStar tube combo.

It's a unique model that the old ad stated is designed for use with a guitar, bass, or organ. Has a CTS speaker that certainly does sound great for bass guitar application.

I took my Squier Vista MusicMaster with TI Jazz Flats to check the amp out and wow. The definition on the E I was having trouble dialing in with my class d Rumble 500 was there in spades.

I mean, the TI's sound good through my Rumble head but goodness. The tube tone made these flats shine.

Didn't buy the amp because it was too big and heavy even though it sounded great.

But I will certainly be moving to a tube amp now !
The definition problem you're having with the Rumble amp may be that amp in particular, not solidstate, in general. All basses that I have had TI Jazz Flats on had/have great definition all across and up and down the fingerboard, through many different amps, mostly solidstate ones.
What does "roll" refer to?
It's just like the feel od classical guitar strings, that roll across the frets. It takes some getting used to, but the TI Jazz Flats do not do this at all. They are rock solid under my fingers.
 
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It's been years since I tried TI flats. I like high tension, but I can get used to the feel if the sound is there. In my experience, low tension strings lack a powerful attack unless you are using a midrangey tone, plucking near the bridge pickup. I want a flat for the gut-punch attack it gives, like a double bass, where the punch of the attack is in the fundamental more than in the mids. Chromes seem to do this pretty well.

How do the TIs sound if you roll the tone way down and pluck the string at the 21st fret? Does it punch hard, or sound smooth without much attack?
 
It's been years since I tried TI flats. I like high tension, but I can get used to the feel if the sound is there. In my experience, low tension strings lack a powerful attack unless you are using a midrangey tone, plucking near the bridge pickup. I want a flat for the gut-punch attack it gives, like a double bass, where the punch of the attack is in the fundamental more than in the mids. Chromes seem to do this pretty well.

How do the TIs sound if you roll the tone way down and pluck the string at the 21st fret? Does it punch hard, or sound smooth without much attack?

I think with any string or bass, you can get what you want as far as the envelope and punchiness just with technique, and perhaps some eq and compression. The variability of technique and processing far outweighs the variability between different strings. The TI's are more midrangey, but you can cut back the mids and play closer to the neck or on the frets or use the neck pickup and get a more fundamental tone. I personally like the mid heavy tone playing between bridge and neck, but mix it up with finger technique. But they key for me besides that is the longevity and feel. I like the loose strings, and since I have been using the same ones for so long, I have a good grip and sense of feel, so much that I can really pluck them hard in the right way to get some growl or softer to get more mellow tones.

For me, it's all about picking something and going with it. It's fun to experiment, but in the end you will be best on what you are most familiar with. And having the same strings for 9 years on the same bass is about as familiar as it gets.