Is TalkBass a place that will mess with you? Heck yes. Will it cost you? Depends on your self discipline. Will it educate you? It sure can. Will it broaden your horizons and exposure? Well, it has done all of these things to/for me and more, and overall, I am happy with the results.
I have bought in - I got a brand new 2015 American Standard Precision in January of this year (2016) at Corner Music in Nashville (thank you, J.D., for ordering my color preference and giving me the choice of the two you received - a great experience at a great store!). It is yet another sunburst and tort.
The Fender strings it came on weren't bad, I didn't mind them, but compared to the softer feel of DR Fat Beams that I love for their fatness on another bass I own, I put those on. I liked them really well, too. Fatter and softer, both things I like. However, I could easily have lived with either one and I still have both sets - no reason to throw them away.
I knew I liked Chromes from a previous Precision, at least their "aged" sound (on 2-3 years), but then I had not used Fat Beams, and after feeling them, I knew it would be difficult to got back to Chromes. Not impossible, but hard.
I have intentionally fought the urge to try all the flats that are the newest, coolest, thumpiest, brightest, best for metal, worst for metal, guaranteed to turn me into Jamerson, make my farts smell like roses, and my wife swoon every time I touch my instrument. This is a struggle when this place is so great at feeding the inner beast of curiosity.
I tried to read through the chaos of the fanboys and to listen to those that were objective. I had to think a long time about what I wanted strings to compliment in relation to my tonal goals and playing style, and I tried to listen, via my Grado sr80e headphones, to as many internet examples as I could of strings used on a bass similar to mine.
I don't slap, I just don't enjoy doing it, and though I appreciate the masters, for me, a little goes a long way. I want to be vibrated, not slapped as a listener. I don't pick either. For me, fingers are where it is at, fat, warm, pillowy bottom. My two home made cabs have Kappalite 3015's (non LF) with no tweeters and I still reduce the treble (@7K) on my amp.
TB has taught me the value of mids. I love mids slightly boosted (250hz and 1K on my GK MB200 - I own 2 and they are my only amps and fit my needs great) for what I do. That is what made me think that the TI's might be the thing for me based on all the comments and reviews. Pricey? Heck, yes. Softer feeling than any other string I have played in 21 years of bass playing? Sure enough! Do the E and A feel slightly rougher than the D and G? Yeah, but I don't notice when I play them. Do they make playing hard because they are so soft and light tension? Well, not really, but if you squeeze the neck hard, you can bend them sharp. They do require a setup tweak, but TalkBass taught me to do that to my tastes, so no problem. Also, the regular long scale strung through my body just like Jason at BSO said they would - thanks Jason!
I have had them on less than a week - if they get better with age, I will only get happier. they fit my needs. Are they the best string in the world making all other strings redundant? Of course not. Could I be happy with something else? One of the major characteristics of living organisms is adaptability, so yes - with all respect: duh.
I tried to make an objective choice based on evidence. I have tried to play them critically in hopes to avoid the placebo effect. At first I thought something was wrong with the E string - it was lifeless compared to the others. Then I realized I had not set the witness point. After that, boom! the set sounded like it was meant to go together. And I enjoyed what I heard VERY much!
If your playing style and tonal goals are similar to what I have said I am after, these might be for you. If you like ease of feel and fretting, these may do it. I like a low action, and these want to buzz slightly, usually I hate that. I am not thrilled about it, but so far I have been able to reduce it and maybe because they are flats, I only hear it acoustically, not plugged in. Oh, and I have a medium-light touch, so if you dig in, I see buzz in your future.
If I don't forget, I will try to update this as time goes on for my own record, and possibly your amusement. No, I am not cool enough to have the powers of sound clips, but you might run screaming from the room if I did.
Thanks for reading through this ebook, I appreciate it!
I have bought in - I got a brand new 2015 American Standard Precision in January of this year (2016) at Corner Music in Nashville (thank you, J.D., for ordering my color preference and giving me the choice of the two you received - a great experience at a great store!). It is yet another sunburst and tort.
The Fender strings it came on weren't bad, I didn't mind them, but compared to the softer feel of DR Fat Beams that I love for their fatness on another bass I own, I put those on. I liked them really well, too. Fatter and softer, both things I like. However, I could easily have lived with either one and I still have both sets - no reason to throw them away.
I knew I liked Chromes from a previous Precision, at least their "aged" sound (on 2-3 years), but then I had not used Fat Beams, and after feeling them, I knew it would be difficult to got back to Chromes. Not impossible, but hard.
I have intentionally fought the urge to try all the flats that are the newest, coolest, thumpiest, brightest, best for metal, worst for metal, guaranteed to turn me into Jamerson, make my farts smell like roses, and my wife swoon every time I touch my instrument. This is a struggle when this place is so great at feeding the inner beast of curiosity.
I tried to read through the chaos of the fanboys and to listen to those that were objective. I had to think a long time about what I wanted strings to compliment in relation to my tonal goals and playing style, and I tried to listen, via my Grado sr80e headphones, to as many internet examples as I could of strings used on a bass similar to mine.
I don't slap, I just don't enjoy doing it, and though I appreciate the masters, for me, a little goes a long way. I want to be vibrated, not slapped as a listener. I don't pick either. For me, fingers are where it is at, fat, warm, pillowy bottom. My two home made cabs have Kappalite 3015's (non LF) with no tweeters and I still reduce the treble (@7K) on my amp.
TB has taught me the value of mids. I love mids slightly boosted (250hz and 1K on my GK MB200 - I own 2 and they are my only amps and fit my needs great) for what I do. That is what made me think that the TI's might be the thing for me based on all the comments and reviews. Pricey? Heck, yes. Softer feeling than any other string I have played in 21 years of bass playing? Sure enough! Do the E and A feel slightly rougher than the D and G? Yeah, but I don't notice when I play them. Do they make playing hard because they are so soft and light tension? Well, not really, but if you squeeze the neck hard, you can bend them sharp. They do require a setup tweak, but TalkBass taught me to do that to my tastes, so no problem. Also, the regular long scale strung through my body just like Jason at BSO said they would - thanks Jason!
I have had them on less than a week - if they get better with age, I will only get happier. they fit my needs. Are they the best string in the world making all other strings redundant? Of course not. Could I be happy with something else? One of the major characteristics of living organisms is adaptability, so yes - with all respect: duh.
I tried to make an objective choice based on evidence. I have tried to play them critically in hopes to avoid the placebo effect. At first I thought something was wrong with the E string - it was lifeless compared to the others. Then I realized I had not set the witness point. After that, boom! the set sounded like it was meant to go together. And I enjoyed what I heard VERY much!
If your playing style and tonal goals are similar to what I have said I am after, these might be for you. If you like ease of feel and fretting, these may do it. I like a low action, and these want to buzz slightly, usually I hate that. I am not thrilled about it, but so far I have been able to reduce it and maybe because they are flats, I only hear it acoustically, not plugged in. Oh, and I have a medium-light touch, so if you dig in, I see buzz in your future.
If I don't forget, I will try to update this as time goes on for my own record, and possibly your amusement. No, I am not cool enough to have the powers of sound clips, but you might run screaming from the room if I did.
Thanks for reading through this ebook, I appreciate it!
