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Post subject: Strings
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:30 pm
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I wonder what strings r u using?
M still usind d stock string on my bass which is d 8250m wd taperwound 110 e string.
I luv it!
M planning to buy a new set.
Wat r ur preferd sets?


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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:00 pm
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Thomastik-Infeld flats. Best strings ever.


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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:53 pm
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I agree with Mastermold 100% Thomastik strings are the best available! I have my Zone and 57'Reissue strung with flats and all of my 6 string guitars are strung with Thomastik!


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Post subject: Floppy Flats!
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:19 pm
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waksfly wrote:
I wonder what strings r u using?
M still usind d stock string on my bass which is d 8250m wd taperwound 110 e string.
I luv it!
M planning to buy a new set.
Wat r ur preferd sets?


Interesting you don't have a favorite set yet! The best thing to do is to find a set you really, really like that maximizes an instrument's potential and stick with that one set on that instrument to minimize setup issues and time spent making adjustments.

I've used the Thomastik-Infeld JF344's that everyone else till now has mentioned on a couple of basses over the past five years. Right now I only use them on one, an active bass. The TI JF344 JAZZ FLATS are nickle but don't sound like a traditional flatwound strings and are very low tension. Some people actually say they are too floppy to suit them. I've adjusted to them. This is especially true when switching between instruments set up with very high tension strings and the Jazz Flats. $106.95 LIST price with a $55 USD street price. The best price I can find on TI JF344's right now is from Carol Kaye's website which you can get to from the resources page in my signature. Her price is $47.96 today. I've been using TI JF344's since she first recommended them. They are the only string she uses and the only string she sells.

My preferred roundwound set is the Thomastik-Infeld EB344 POWERBASS set. In fact, these actually are my favorite set of any kind ever. The tension is perfect. The feel is excellent and the tone is consistently fabulous. I have these nickle strings on three different basses. The tension is slightly higher than the JF344 set. These strings have a slightly higher output which makes them ideal on passive basses. $89.95 LIST price with a $45 USD street price. These are the ones with the PURPLE colored silk wrap. I use these on a '54 Precision, 06 Precision and an old Ibanez TRB70 that has been overhauled with Bill Lawrence WILDE P/J pickups and US electronics. I've yet to find a bass I can put the EB344's onto and be disappointed. If I could only have one bass, it would have these strings.

All TI strings are made in Vienna, Austria. The JF344 and EB344 sets last a VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY long time. Due to the falling dollar versus the Euro the price on these has gone up about $15 to $20 a set over the past two years, so it is a good thing they last so long. The TI Flats can last years! I don't really know how long the EB344's last. I've had one set on for nearly 3 years. I have never broken an EB344 or JF344 string.

I tried and was disappointed in the IN344 "INFELD SUPERALLOY" set from Thomastik-Infeld. They are cheaper, but frankly I won't buy any more of them. The tone was very vanilla and the D string broke during my first set up with them while making an intonation adjustment. That should not happen. I had several new sets and eBayed them off at a loss just to get rid of them. The EB344's are worth the extra 10 bucks and are truly the best round I've tried and there is no need to cheap out here. TI Strings are distributed in the USA by Connolly & Company in NY state and they did replace the broken string after just one email so long as I sent the broken one back to them.

My favorite flatwound for a traditional flatwound tone (like the original Labella 760's) is the GHS 3025 PRECISION FLATWOUND set. (With a name like PRECISION, how could I NOT try them?) This is a very light gauge flatwound set. It has lower tension than the Labella 760's (I call it MEDIUM tension) yet still has lots of the traditional thump. They are also PERFECTLY SMOOTH! They feel as flat as solid rods! A remarkable USA made string. Goes for about $24 to $28 a set. Worth a look by all flat players. I use these on a '51 Reissue P-bass. This is very much the sound heard on all those 60's R&B records.

Another string I've used and really liked was the Ernie Ball 2842 REGULAR SLINKY Stainless Steel. Street price is $20. Very bright with a very modern sound. Great for fusion or modern jazz stuff. Seems to last a couple of months and then I want to change them. After I found the TI EB344 set I don't use the Ernie Ball rounds. HOWEVER since Thomastik-Infeld keeps raising prices I may switch one bass back to Ernie Ball 2842's to conserve my TI string stash.

I try to stay away from high tension strings like Labella 760M's. Severely warped necks quickly teach you a lesson about high tension strings.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:23 am
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Tnx brotherdave!
Il try the eb344 i heard good things bout this also.


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Post subject: Good Choice!
Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:54 pm
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I think you'll like them. If you don't, let me know and I'll buy them from you...at a discount of course! LOL


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Post subject: Re: Floppy Flats!
Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:48 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
...I try to stay away from high tension strings like Labella 760M's. Severely warped necks quickly teach you a lesson about high tension strings.


Yeah I've found the same thing, had to max out the truss rod on my favorite P-bass to use a set of La Bella 760FS strings and the tone was okay but after six months I replaced them with a set of DR flats and I think the neck appreciated it. I'm putting TI flats on it next so I'll probably have to adjust the truss back the other way then.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:39 pm
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My powerbass strings r on the way!
M so xcited! Tnx brotherdave!
5-10 days coz m living here in japan.
I bought 3 sets... Hehe!
How much did u get them brotherdave?
I got them for 42$ each set.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 3:48 am
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waksfly wrote:
My powerbass strings r on the way!
M so xcited! Tnx brotherdave!
5-10 days coz m living here in japan.
I bought 3 sets... Hehe!
How much did u get them brotherdave?
I got them for 42$ each set.


I last paid $34 and change, but that was three years ago. I bought six sets then. They were in short supply for some reason at the time, so I stocked up. I still have three new sets left which is pretty remarkable considering I use them on three different basses! On the bass I use most often they last about two years before I begin to think about changing them. I don't toss those strings either, but instead I move the used set from the daily player to a backup. Sort of like rotating tires. When I take the oldest set off of the backup they go to the bassist in my son's praise band and he uses them more until I give him something else to try in a year or so. The only signs of wear are some minor darkening that appears on the E and A strings after about three years where I've worn the nickel off plucking or maybe that is skin building up? I think it is the nickel going though. I've tried cleaning this discoloration with Ernie Ball String Cleaner and it doesn't seem to come off. They still sound fine even with the slight discoloration (which is hardly noticable) and I suppose if you used a pick they wouldn't discolor. I'm really not sure how long they last! I just know they last longer than any string I've ever used, the tension is medium so they aren't too floppy and they sound like a laser beam funneled through a blue diamond. Very focused tight tones and the string to string balance is unequaled in any string I've ever used including the TI JF344 flats.

This past December I gave the bassist in my son's praise band three brand new sets of decent D'Adario EXL170 rounds as a holiday gift. Two weeks ago he had them on at church for the first time. Then last Sunday I saw those purple silks again and realized that he had put that old set of EB344's back on his bass! Those strings are nearly 4 years old now! So, as the comedian says, "Here's your sign!"


Last edited by brotherdave on Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Floppy Flats!
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:51 am
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Mastermold wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
...I try to stay away from high tension strings like Labella 760M's. Severely warped necks quickly teach you a lesson about high tension strings.


Yeah I've found the same thing, had to max out the truss rod on my favorite P-bass to use a set of La Bella 760FS strings and the tone was okay but after six months I replaced them with a set of DR flats and I think the neck appreciated it. I'm putting TI flats on it next so I'll probably have to adjust the truss back the other way then.


I lost two basses to Labella 760's. One was a 71 Jazz and the other was a '03 or '04 Highway 1 Jazz. I forget the year. I do not recommend 760's for anyone with a Jazz when there are lower tension alternatives. The "Jamerson" set put a bow in the neck of Jamerson's famed "Funk Machine" P-bass which was so severe that legend has it nobody but Jamerson could actually play it. I've never used the DR Flats, but I've heard tons of good things about them and I enjoy hearing somebody playing old school stuff on those DR Flats. I went from the torturous 760's to the Fender 9050L (good flats!) to the Thomastik JF344's and then to the GHS 3025's.

I still have one bass set up with JF344's, but that bass doesn't get used a whole lot. My number 1 has TI EB344's and number 2 has GHS 3025's while number 3 has TI JF344's and number 4 and 5 both have TI EB344's. Number 1 and 2 get used at most gigs.

If I have to record something I'd probably use number 2 or number 3. But playing live I want the TI EB344's most of the time so I can have some ZING when I need it to stand out more when I crank the tone to full on.

Ever notice that most bassists never touch the tone control during gigs? I fiddle with the tone control all the time. I must be some sort of tone control pervert! That is one reason I now stick mainly to P-basses. The simple controls cut down on control tweaking. I really understand why some artist basses only have a volume control. It can be even more distracting to be fiddling with the tone and also with multiple volume controls! I'm so glad I converted my P/J number 4 to the Bill Lawrence WILDE P/J pickups. That pickup blend circuit is easy to set and forget. It was a bunch of wires to squeeze in, but man, it was worth it!


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Post subject: Re: Floppy Flats!
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:50 am
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brotherdave wrote:
Mastermold wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
...I try to stay away from high tension strings like Labella 760M's. Severely warped necks quickly teach you a lesson about high tension strings.


Yeah I've found the same thing, had to max out the truss rod on my favorite P-bass to use a set of La Bella 760FS strings and the tone was okay but after six months I replaced them with a set of DR flats and I think the neck appreciated it. I'm putting TI flats on it next so I'll probably have to adjust the truss back the other way then.


I lost two basses to Labella 760's. One was a 71 Jazz and the other was a '03 or '04 Highway 1 Jazz. I forget the year. I do not recommend 760's for anyone with a Jazz when there are lower tension alternatives. The "Jamerson" set put a bow in the neck of Jamerson's famed "Funk Machine" P-bass which was so severe that legend has it nobody but Jamerson could actually play it. I've never used the DR Flats, but I've heard tons of good things about them and I enjoy hearing somebody playing old school stuff on those DR Flats. I went from the torturous 760's to the Fender 9050L (good flats!) to the Thomastik JF344's and then to the GHS 3025's.

I still have one bass set up with JF344's, but that bass doesn't get used a whole lot. My number 1 has TI EB344's and number 2 has GHS 3025's while number 3 has TI JF344's and number 4 and 5 both have TI EB344's. Number 1 and 2 get used at most gigs.

If I have to record something I'd probably use number 2 or number 3. But playing live I want the TI EB344's most of the time so I can have some ZING when I need it to stand out more when I crank the tone to full on.

Ever notice that most bassists never touch the tone control during gigs? I fiddle with the tone control all the time. I must be some sort of tone control pervert! That is one reason I now stick mainly to P-basses. The simple controls cut down on control tweaking. I really understand why some artist basses only have a volume control. It can be even more distracting to be fiddling with the tone and also with multiple volume controls! I'm so glad I converted my P/J number 4 to the Bill Lawrence WILDE P/J pickups. That pickup blend circuit is easy to set and forget. It was a bunch of wires to squeeze in, but man, it was worth it!


That's interesting about the tone controls. I mess with the tone when changing amps but once I'm happy I usually stick with it. There are exceptions, however, like with a Jazz I sometimes roll off the bridge pickup for more P-tone on some songs and then roll off the neck pickup for more burpy growl on others. With P-basses and Rickenbackers I find a sweet spot and leave it there, however.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:40 pm
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hello.In 1990 i started using GHS Pressure wound strings on my 68 telly bass,then on a 77"p",84 sqiuer bullet bass, And a 03 Highway1 jazz.The sound is solid, bright and mellow on alll the bass's And they don't chew up the frets.The tone Translates in the f.o.h. systems a very clean snd mean sound that is very easy to mix.When i use different backline on tour,I can get any amp to sound like i need to. Try them,you will like them Rarebird


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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:50 pm
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I'm actualy gonna be lame and say that I'm using Fender nickle roundwound .45 strings. I like Fender strings though they seem to be bright and punchy even after alot of use. Although anywhere near I live you basicaly can get a couple kinds of Gibson, Fender, and Ernie Ball strings, I used to be able to find GHS strings but can't anymore.


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Post subject: Finding them!
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 5:15 pm
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brockusher wrote:
I'm actualy gonna be lame and say that I'm using Fender nickle roundwound .45 strings. I like Fender strings though they seem to be bright and punchy even after alot of use. Although anywhere near I live you basicaly can get a couple kinds of Gibson, Fender, and Ernie Ball strings, I used to be able to find GHS strings but can't anymore.


Yep finding strings is a real problem and getting worse with so many mom and pop stores closing. The ones that are open aren't ordering anything they don't absolutely have to have and Guitar Center in Charlotte carries Rotosound, Fender, Ernie Ball and that is about all.

To the guy who brought up that he liked the Fender strings, I used the Fender stainless 9050L flats for a while before switching to the TI JF344's. I think I used 3 or 4 sets over about a year. The price sure was right. The tone on the flats was not the old school thump I was looking for, but they are a great pop flat. Very good definition and the sustain was surprising until the started going dead.


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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:41 pm
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Got it brotherdave!
It has lower tension than my old string but i think im gonna use to it.
It has loud output that i dont even hav to use my amp when im practicing alone. I love the tone... Sumthing that u cant get wd cheappies.
Hehe! It took me hours to set it up coz im having fret buzz wid the E string but i think im done.
Il see later after work if it cahanged. Hehe!
Im so happy! Tnx brother dave for recommending TI EB344!


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