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Your favourite flatwounds for short scale?

#61
michael_t said:
For a flatwound with "good mid attack" you might want to consider the Ernie Ball Stainless Steel Flats (not Cobalt). Smooth and mellow with nice midrange clarity.

The good news is Ernie Ball has just introduced a new short-scale set (45-105) of their traditional stainless steel flats.

Stainless Steel Flatwound Electric Bass Strings | Ernie Ball

I'm not quite sure how available they are in NZ at this point, though.
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VERY interesting! Also, thank you for taking the time to check my location. I see that one of our local retailers has the long-scale version, so I'm sure they'd get the short scale ones in for me.
Are you thinking the lighter gauge set would be more punchy than the 50-110 gauge?
 
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#63
michael_t said:
The gauge selection is a matter of personal taste. Some like them firm while others like them flexible.

I use the 40-95 set (Group 4) on my 34" scale P bass and find them "comfy but not floppy".
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The Group 4 flats on my '79 StingRay are breaking in sweetly at 27 months, and stay where they are. I see short scale EB Group Flats are available in Group 1 and 2 gauges. I wonder how the Group 2 would work for me on the Nordy Cat, if I ever decide to play it with flats. I appreciate strings with lower stiffness.
 
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#64
On my Sonic Bronco, the new Ernie Ball short scale Group 1 flats sound amazing. Have tried short scale Chromes and Rotosound 77 on an older shortie, and definitely am more impressed with the 110 Ernie Ball.

My particular problem with short scale options is that the old school product lines designed for short scale basses generally have as much or even less tension than their long scale "light" versions. The sound is cool and bloomy, but it is too different a feel from the long scale bass, for better or worse. For those preferring a tighter short scale string flatwound, the 110 are a godsend. And the mids, both low and high, are amazing!-which is the frequency range I most favor. 90 or even a 100 on a short scale can feel too loose *for me* (I admit many prefer that, and it's fine.) I *suppose* Group 2 (105) would feel similar to a 100 or 95 in a long scale bass.

The experience with these EB stainless steel short scale flats has been so good that I may purchase the newer "Group 2.5" (105/85/65/45) for my Vintera P bass, as it would be a thicker E than with the current Fender 9050L (which also have great mids, though more of the upper kind-lovely strings, BTW.)
 
#65
thrashingbass said:
On my Sonic Bronco, the new Ernie Ball short scale Group 1 flats sound amazing. Have tried short scale Chromes and Rotosound 77 on an older shortie, and definitely am more impressed with the 110 Ernie Ball.

My particular problem with short scale options is that the old school product lines designed for short scale basses generally have as much or even less tension than their long scale "light" versions. The sound is cool and bloomy, but it is too different a feel from the long scale bass, for better or worse. For those preferring a tighter short scale string flatwound, the 110 are a godsend. And the mids, both low and high, are amazing!-which is the frequency range I most favor. 90 or even a 100 on a short scale can feel too loose *for me* (I admit many prefer that, and it's fine.) I *suppose* Group 2 (105) would feel similar to a 100 or 95 in a long scale bass.

The experience with these EB stainless steel short scale flats has been so good that I may purchase the newer "Group 2.5" (105/85/65/45) for my Vintera P bass, as it would be a thicker E than with the current Fender 9050L (which also have great mids, though more of the upper kind-lovely strings, BTW.)
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I like to go heavier than normal on the shorties also because you get some more harmonics back.
 
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#67
Type-55 said:
I have a JMJ Mustang and came up with a great combo blend of strings.
I tried the LaBella DTF and found the 105 E string to be really thuddy and no real pitch definition. So I replaced the E string with a Dunlop light gauge 100 E and much better balance.
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Makes sense. With a flats on a short scale it’s a tricky balance between too loose and floppy, or too stiff and clunky. Either way you can get poor performance, bad intonation, sharp harmonics.

I’ve found 105 flat wound E strings to be generally clunky even on long scale. The 90 E Rotosound flat on a short scale was likewise bad performance, a loosely strung but stiff construction string, all bassy, sharp overtones.

I’ve had good performance with 95 or 100 E strings, La Bella LTF, GHS P flats, Dunlop, Pyramid Golds. All those are a nice tension and flexible construction.
 
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#68
I am also liking some worn in chromes I found lately. Def more thump and closer to a flat sound than round once worn in.

I found the Dunlops good too and they had a nearly identical sound to the Ernie Ball group flats (110 gauge). Seemed a little scoopy but the mids were very clear and nice highs, almost like worn in nickel rounds. The EBs were much higher in perceived tension though, in part due to the higher gauge, and I also found them a bit sticky. The Dunlops came with a bum A string that would buzz no matter what I did so those didnt last long. both sets got into old school thump territory with the tone rolled to 50%.

tl;dr id love to try the 105 Ernie Ball group flats and try a fully functioning dunlop set.
 
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#69
What I've been using is D'Addario Prelude 4/4 medium tension cellos strings, but that's for cello tuning (C2 G2 D3 A3). I'm seriously considering going back to fourths tuning, though, because I don't use that instrument enough, precisely because I keep it strung in fifths tuning. I can tell you that D'Addario Chromes *guitar* strings will fit just fine, the last time I tried them. The only reason I didn't keep using them is because the .020w, the lightest wound string, wouldn't tune up to A3 without breaking, usually at G3 or G#3.

I am considering trying D'Addario Helicore Fourths Tuning strings, which are meant to be used in guitar tuning (E2 A2, D3, G3), one octave above a bass guitar. The problem with them is that they are unbelievably expensive, at $160/set list price.

More likely, I will go to Chromes guitar strings again, and make up a set out of singles to tune fourths (A1 D2
G2 C3), like the top four strings of a six string bass guitar. I think that Chromes guitar strings are available down to .080 and up to .020 in wound strings. If I decide those are too floppy, I will either switch to bass strings, or change tuning to (C2 F2 Bb2 Eb3).

I don't really have much interest in playing E Standard bass guitar tuning on a short scale, but I might do it at some point, just because of the travel potential.
 
#73
Probably been asked before but what OEM has the least amount of thread at the ball end? Love the EBMM Group flats but like to avoid threads resting on the saddle of my Lionel. Intonation setting on rounds has the saddles pretty far back towards the ball. Thanks!!!
 
#74
Pyramid Golds would be my choice, but I went with a custom set (100 .75 .55 .40), the standards were more thumpy and stiff than I wanted.

l also like the la bella FX set on a short scale.

the la bellas are more refined, scooped and clean with a bright sheen, especially at first.

the pyramids are also a bit bright to start, but they have more mids and low mids and tighter liws than the la bellas. pyramids sound better to me than the la bellas with heavy drive or fuzz and in louder settings. the la bellas can get lost or very loose sounding.
 
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#75
45cmckay105 said:
Probably been asked before but what OEM has the least amount of thread at the ball end? Love the EBMM Group flats but like to avoid threads resting on the saddle of my Lionel. Intonation setting on rounds has the saddles pretty far back towards the ball. Thanks!!!
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Some flats come with no silk at the bridge: GHS; Rotosound; La Bella except -MUS and -TB sets; others I can't remember off the top of my head?

Also, silk can be removed entirely if one so wishes/needs.
I have had to in the past. I used a combination of box cutter and cigarette lighter: cut/fray. burn, rinse and repeat until all silk is gone.
(Best not done to nylon tapewounds: tape will unravel.)
 
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#77
I have a short scale 1977 Fender Music master ( original version of the Bronco ll) that’s had the same Labella flats on it for better than 20 years. I’ve strings are still in good shape and I have no need to change them. Those basses always sounded crappy anyway and a new set of strings won’t help anyway, so…
 
#80
Tim Schnautz said:
The 77’s are the same as the Steve Harris ( Iron Maiden) signature strings
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The RS77LE have the same gauges but a rougher finish than the SH77. Neither set fits a Mustang. The Roto Jazz Bass 77 flats that do, i.e. the RS77M, are smoother than the former two, but with much thinner gauges; plus, IME, the 090 low E has none of the aggressive tone of the long-scale sets.
 

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