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Post subject: Tomastik Jazz Strings
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:17 pm
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Roadie
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Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2009 1:20 pm
Posts: 263
Location: Rhode Island
I purchased a set of Tomastik Jazz flat wound bass strings in early December. They never arrived so I called Musician's Friend about this they promptly sent out another set & BOTH sets arrived the same day last week! So I called to return one & what a deal they told me to keep them both & I was only charge for one $63 set! Anyway I put a set on my 2002 Mexican SAGE GREEN P bass & they feel great & sound great. Now, brother Dave, did you not say something about these string getting better after a few weeks of use or something to that effect?


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Post subject: Re: Tomastik Jazz Strings
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:03 pm
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Rock Star
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Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
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Location: Albemarle, NC
Congrats on the buy one get one free accident!

When new they sound pretty zingy and have some undesirable overtones but will mellow a tad and the overtones will go completely away. That takes a month or two or three depending on how often you use them and then they level out for a year or three depending on how clean you keep them and how often you use that instrument.

Two sets for one instrument lasts me a four years at least. When new I usually use a felt wrap to tone down the overtones. (See this link for how I do muting: http://brotherdave.com/add_mute.htm After they settle down I take the felt wrap off.

Jazz Flats have a unique tone that is not at all like a traditional higher tension flat and not quite like a round either. Pick players will find they work great with a pick. The ultra-low tension takes some getting used to, especially if switching from instrument to instrument at a gig. That lower tension can be problematic for me as I tend to overplay them immediately after playing an instrument setup with about any other string.

You also should never boil these strings, they have an ultra-thin silk wrap layer between the core and the outer winding, so when dead or dying just replace them. Boiling will kill them for sure as it causes the silk to shrink which probably causes it to break up in multiple pieces when it dries. Soaking in denatured alcohol also seems to kill them, but not as quickly as boiling.

Thanks to the US Dollar's collapse versus the Euro exchange rate, the price for anything made in Euro countries has gone into the ludicrous range, but given how long I use a set they are actually more affordable than changing a $20 set every 1 to 3 months. Spending $63 or more today on a string set you are not even sure you will like is somewhat of a gamble, but if you do like them then you will certainly get your money's worth in the long run.

The T.I. Jazz Flats are not my favorite string and not even my favorite flat, but I do use them on my only active bass as I think they are perfectly suited tonally for active basses and help my active sound more natural and organic. My favorite strings right now ranked in order are the Thomastik-Infeld EB344 Power Bass rounds, The GHS 3050 Precision Flatwound REGULARS, then comes the TI JF 344 Jazz Bass set in third. Those are the only 3 sets I'm using. I have the Power Bass on 2 passives, the GHS Precisions on 2 other passives and the Jazz Flats on the one active.

If you like the Jazz Flats and have another bass to string up then I suggest trying the PowerBass rounds on it. Actually most modern style players can cover about everything under the sun with two basses set up with the Jazz Flats and Power Bass sets. Then if you need some real 50's/60's old school flatwound thump you will need some higher tension flats like GHS or Labella or Chromes on a third one. Once you get tired of buying new strings every month or three you'll find the longevity of TI's Jazz Flats and Power Bass sets makes them your best value. The only problem is if you don't like them out of the box then you are out 55 to 70 bucks, but there are many people who won't use anything but the Jazz Flats, while the Power Bass set is the only rounds I'll bother with. If I could have only one bass, it would have the Power Bass set on it.


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Post subject: Re: Tomastik Jazz Strings
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:58 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:48 am
Posts: 375
Location: Deep East Texas
Well expressed. I put TI Jazz Flats on my gigging bass, a Classic '50s P, in 2007 and gigged and practiced steadily with it until I got an American Vintage '57 about two years ago. The local studio manager/engineer -- and excellent bassist -- wanted to buy it and asked me to put roundwounds on it, so I took the ones off the new AV, put them on the Classic '50s and then installed the TIs on the '57. They are still on. I practiced four times with it in the last two weeks, and they sound great. I love the feel and the sound: a lot of bass players have stereotyped notions of dead-sounding flats, but those of us who play the TIs know that's not true. They kill on a Precision (and a friend, who has a Squier Jazz he bought for $200 probably 15 years ago, liked them so much he put a set on the J). I currently have 5 basses, and all have the TIs except for a Godin A5 fretless that has the factory flats. Of course, it will get TIs when they wear out! :mrgreen:

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"Digo: 'paciencia, y barajar.'" Don Quijote de la Mancha, Part II, Chapter 23


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Post subject: Re: Tomastik Jazz Strings
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:34 pm
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Roadie
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:30 pm
Posts: 203
Thomastics are just great strings. I use them on my guitars as well, the flatwound jazz strings just feel so great underhand.


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Post subject: Re: Tomastik Jazz Strings
Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:02 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:48 am
Posts: 375
Location: Deep East Texas
LawDaddy wrote:
Thomastics are just great strings. I use them on my guitars as well, the flatwound jazz strings just feel so great underhand.


I didn't mention, I'm 69 and have mild arthritis in my hands, so playing roundwounds is a challenge. Thank you, Thomastik-Infeld.

_________________
"Digo: 'paciencia, y barajar.'" Don Quijote de la Mancha, Part II, Chapter 23


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Post subject: Re: Tomastik Jazz Strings
Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 6:08 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:04 pm
Posts: 388
Location: Lititz, PA
I'm a TI Jazz Flat fan. I use them all the time on my P Bass -- although I have to confess that I switched the E string with a Fender taperwound for the extra growl.

I got to spend some time with Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) this past spring. He tried my bass and was impressed with the TI Jazz Flats.

brotherdave's characterization is pretty accurate. The can be zingy at first -- especially the G string. But they settle in and sound great for many years.


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