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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 9:08 am
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Good Thread! :D

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 12:13 pm
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Thanks Brother Dave. Do I have to work on the nut with a larger sting or will it take care of itself - or, in reverse, will the nut need work if/when downsizing later on. As always your input is most valuable. Thanks.

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:46 am
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Yes you need to file the nut slots to fit larger strings or use a new nut for lighter strings than last used too. Else a few things can happen and none of them are good. Nut files are sort of pricey and nuts can not be "un-filed" so they have to be replaced if the slots are too big for the strings. Those facts probably make it a job for a tech with the right tools and experience.

The plastic nut material is pretty easy to work with and cheap too, but bone nuts less so on both counts. So the synthetic nuts are easier to work with and I can work the slots a little larger myself on them, but I'm not telling you to do that.

Once you find one set of strings that work for you on one instrument I'd stick to that set instead of doing setup after setup with different strings and nuts.

If a nut slot is too small for the string you can break the nut and then the string won't stay in the slot at all since there is not a slot anymore. It also makes tuning a nightmare as the string doesn't tighten evenly but in slips and fits. This can lead to broken strings. If the nut slot is too big the string can cause unpleasant buzzy vibrations and it may want to jump completely out of the slot. The slots all should be cut to an equal depth and polished smooth with no rough edges. It is really a skilled process to properly slot a nut. Expanding slightly an already slotted nut isn't such a big deal but still you have to watch it. If you are going the do-it-yourself route, order several spare nuts because sure as heck if you don't get some spares then you will positively need them.


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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:08 pm
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Perfect. Thank you and Happy New Year!

Steve

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:00 pm
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OK, I put on a set of GHS Precision Flatwound M3050 .045-.105

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/ghs-m3050-precision-flatwound-bass-strings-medium

These are quite interesting flats. I read one review at that place where they talk a lot about bass that said they came "pre-dead" straight out of the pack. :lol: So, of course, I ordered a set straight away.

What I have found so far is that: yes - they are 'dark' sounding; no - they are not actually "pre-dead", but the most important thing is :arrow: they are tightly focused on the fundamental.

To the extreme! I like that. Sure they have some over and under tones, but they are subdued/attenuated. They provide for excellent purcussive attack, and I like that. A lot. In that reguard they are unlike any other flatwound string I have ever played. That makes them special. :)

They are very high in tension and require a new set up & truss rod adjustment.

The set starts out very unbalanced. So much so that I called GHS. They do balance out as you play them in. They started to behave with about 20 hours of playing time.

After a month they play beautifully. Very smooth finger feel. Powerfully lovely thick meaty glissandos. Pluck a note with verve and out leaps the fundamental tone to savagely attack your pick-up(s).

Tone you can eat. Bon Appetit.

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:23 pm
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linnin wrote:
OK, I put on a set of GHS Precision Flatwound M3050 .045-.105

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/ghs-m3050-precision-flatwound-bass-strings-medium

These are quite interesting flats. I read one review at that place where they talk a lot about bass that said they came "pre-dead" straight out of the pack. :lol: So, of course, I ordered a set straight away.

What I have found so far is that: yes - they are 'dark' sounding; no - they are not actually "pre-dead", but the most important thing is :arrow: they are tightly focused on the fundamental.

To the extreme! I like that. Sure they have some over and under tones, but they are subdued/attenuated. They provide for excellent purcussive attack, and I like that. A lot. In that reguard they are unlike any other flatwound string I have ever played. That makes them special. :)

They are very high in tension and require a new set up & truss rod adjustment.

The set starts out very unbalanced. So much so that I called GHS. They do balance out as you play them in. They started to behave with about 20 hours of playing time.

After a month they play beautifully. Very smooth finger feel. Powerfully lovely thick meaty glissandos. Pluck a note with verve and out leaps the fundamental tone to savagely attack your pick-up(s).

Tone you can eat. Bon Appetit.


Nice review! I was a bit surprised when you said they were very high-tension - then I saw that you were previously using TIs (Jazz Flats?) - basically ANY string is high tension after those! I personally found the GHS flats to be much more flexible than D'Addario Chromes.

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:53 pm
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Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats are a different animal entirely. I do love them. Their tension is about like a roundwound, so it's a very easy change to go from rounds to T-I flats. They have great great tone. Full and wide ranging they're like Julie Andrews singing "The Sound of Music" in the Austrian Alps. Beautifully lovely. There is no other string that sounds like a Thomastik-Infeld. They are unique. And Damned Expensive! After about five years my set went wonky and just sounded like Tutonic Flatulence! Good thing they didn't smell like that. Whooooooooo :(

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 1:45 pm
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First of all, am I the only one who's noticed that the bass Forums are the best place to hang? For the most part, everyone is civil and the people are always willing to give their time to help, especially brotherdave.

Now back to the topic. I had GHS flats on my fretless until Mr. Nylon sent me a set of his famous nylon wound strings. The GHS were tension and played just fine. They're stored for the future, I'm contemplating using them on another bass, but that's in the future.


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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 1:49 pm
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I agree with Mr. OX. If I weren't using Nylons, D'Addario Flats would be on my Fender. Personal preference on GHS, or D'Addario strings. Image

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:31 pm
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Flatwound strings lack character, and are yesterday's thing.., but I've never sat down with a Jazz Bass that had 20 year old Labella's.


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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:31 pm
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Dalembic wrote:
Flatwound strings lack character, and are yesterday's thing.., but I've never sat down with a Jazz Bass that had 20 year old Labella's.

I disagree - they have lots of character, just more in the lower frequencies and less in the highs.

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:46 pm
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Another Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flat lover here. There is nothing like them. They'll give you that smooth, old school bassy bass.
A set of these is expensive but they last a long, long time -- and they get better with age. A set of these is probably cheaper in the long run than most other strings.


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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 11:04 pm
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I am still playing through the flat wound groups and really, I feel cheap to say this, but I like the Fenders first and the Ernie Balls second. I new acquaintance of mine is a manufacturers rep for Black Diamond, a string I have never seen mentioned in any thread - so I will give them a try.

I still like flats on my Ps and Teles, but I sure wish I knew which string it was on that first 72 Tele. That was, without a doubt, one of the best sounding basses I have ever handled.

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:21 am
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Anyone tried the DR flats? The set I picked up at GC are called "Legend" - heard that DR was making a flatwound string (I've used both Hi-Beams & Lo-Riders on and off for a long time, almost 20 years) but JustStrings.com didn't/doesn't seem to have them, so I was psyched to find them at Guitar Center. Thing is, I'm happy with the GHS strings on the P I have strung with flats, so haven't tried the DRs yet...

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Post subject: Re: Flat Wound Strings - Education needed
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:55 am
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To affprod: There is quite a bit of popular opinion that Fender bass strings are made by D'Addario so that Fender Flats = D'Addario Chromes. I liked the set of Fender rounds that came on my new Jazz, but after they died I put on a set of DR NEONs that I have come to adore.

To hieronymous: If I had not opted for GHS Precision Flats, I would have definitely gone with DR Legends without a doubt. I have liked every DR string set I've tried.

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