TI JF344 Flats - odd sounding A string

[Massan]

Hello
Just put on a set of TIs on my P bass and I notice a "weaker" less harmonically rich A string. especially compared to D and G, but E sounds more pronounced and punchy aswell albeit closer to A in overall tone.
did I get a dead one or its supposed to be this way?

 

[levis76]

Probably a twisted string. Loosen it a bit and see if the ball end wants to rotate. Let it settle then retighten and rest your witness points.

 

[michael_t]

Also, check for the break angle on the A string at the nut, making sure the last wrap on the tuner post extending toward the nut is as low as possible to allow sufficient break angle and downward pressure. If the A is sitting too loosely in the nut slot for lack of break angle, it might cause issues. This is important especially with TI Flats because the tension on the A is lower than the other three.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I've used TIJFs on several of my own basses over the years and I've also installed them for many customers at the workshop. Based on my experience the TIJF A-string should be slightly brighter than the other strings out of the box. The A-string will mellow out eventually but it typically stays slightly brigher than the rest for at least a couple of months. At least this has been the case with every TIJF set I've installed. It's quite subtle so not really a problem.

Did you remember to crimp or bend the strings 90 degrees before cutting them? TIJFs have a round core so if you fail to do this the wrapping may loosen from the core. This can certainly make a string do "dead".

The A-string also has lower tension than the other strings in the JF344 set. If you're used to higher tension strings you may have to be careful not to dig in too hard with the TIJFs until you've adapted to the lower tension. The tone of the A-string in particular may suffer. But it sounds to me like you've got a dead A-string.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Also, check for the break angle on the A string at the nut, making sure the last wrap on the tuner post extending toward the nut is as low as possible to allow sufficient break angle and downward pressure. If the A is sitting too loosely in the nut slot for lack of break angle, it might cause issues. This is important especially with TI Flats because the tension on the A is lower than the other three.

This is also good advice, particularly with Fender-style headstocks without a retainer for the A-string (which in my opinion is a serious design flaw).

If the break angle is poor you may also experience buzzing in the nut slots. This can also happen if the nut has been cut for heavier gauge strings (and most bass nuts are). Again, the A-string will be the most problematic due to it's low tension. If you're experiecing buzzing when digging hard into the open A-string you will need either a new nut, a string retainer for the A-string or (probably) both.

From the description I still think we may be dealing with a "dead" string though, possibly caused by the wrapping loosening slightly from the round core. I've had this happen on several occasion with TIJF even when just loosening/re-tuning the strings for setup/service. They're amazing sounding strings but they need to be installed correctly and once they're installed they should be kept at full tension (at least that's my experience). When installed correctly and kept at full tension they will last for years, if not decades!