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TI Flats vs the world...
- Thread starter Elder Rynok
- Start date
I’m another Jazz Flat fan. I have them on all my basses and they continue to surprise me at how perfect they sound and feel. I know their high price may scare some people but if you consider how long they last, they’re actually a good deal. The low tension suits me and my playing style well. I can imagine their super low tension requiring some adjustments on some basses, but I had no problems with my Ric, my Warwicks or my G&Ls.
for sure. TI and fried foods. anything you can find. pizza. coffee beer whatever.
labellas are nice too and cheaper if you’re worried about breakage
labellas are nice too and cheaper if you’re worried about breakage
I've read and listened to the praises sung about TI Jazz Flats for the whole time I've frequented online forums, maybe four years, now. The flats on my Ibanez Musician I'd put on there in the late 80's and I don't even remember what they are. I still liked their sound and I was content. I got interested in a slightly brighter sound when I started hanging recently with guys who play mostly jazz standards, who rarely have a drummer. I got the TIs, which are a little thinner, revisited the setup (raised the bridge saddles on E and A) and commenced to playing. The flex of the strings took only a little getting used to. It's now been 4-5 months of practicing, plucking/picking (no slapping), jamming and being critical. The result is pleasing enough to be a keeper.
TI's are excellent strings, the reason is that there was a lot of r&d involved in making TI's and a lot of thought went into them.
They tried different gauges to find the gauges that gave the most balanced tone, a silk inlay is placed around the core to filter off colour harmonics and the flexible feel of the strings is achieved by placing a synthetic fibre between the windings during winding so they do not touch, this fibre is then removed later which leaves extra space between windings, I suspect this flexibility also gives the strings their brighter tone than most flatwounds by allowing the strings to vibrate more fully rather than being dampened by a stiff tightly wound wrap.
They also use a pure nickel wrap for the final wrap which is probably what gives them their strong mid prescence
They tried different gauges to find the gauges that gave the most balanced tone, a silk inlay is placed around the core to filter off colour harmonics and the flexible feel of the strings is achieved by placing a synthetic fibre between the windings during winding so they do not touch, this fibre is then removed later which leaves extra space between windings, I suspect this flexibility also gives the strings their brighter tone than most flatwounds by allowing the strings to vibrate more fully rather than being dampened by a stiff tightly wound wrap.
They also use a pure nickel wrap for the final wrap which is probably what gives them their strong mid prescence
Floppy? Dang, I've had the TIs on my P for maybe 14 years now, and I never once thought they were floppy. They're still a bit bright for my taste, even after 14 years, but I just roll off the tone knob. Got them on my 5string too.
I have TI's on all my basses, except one, which has Chromes.
They sound good with all sorts of different pickups. All my basses are fretless, and I don't use a pick.
I have a little different take on how they sound. I think they sound very articulate. Every note is clear and concise. Other strings I have tried are not as focused.
Are they thumpy, not really.
Cheers
They sound good with all sorts of different pickups. All my basses are fretless, and I don't use a pick.
I have a little different take on how they sound. I think they sound very articulate. Every note is clear and concise. Other strings I have tried are not as focused.
Are they thumpy, not really.
Cheers
I have TI’s on both of my E tuned P basses. I love their feel. They were a little floppy for me tuned to Eb, so my P basses tuned a half step down have Dunlop flats.
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
I used to use TI's exclusively, but now am more of a fan of GHS Pressure wounds. TI's are expensive, but you get what you pay for.
I have TI flats on one of my basses and I think they're amazing. When I do use a pick I prefer the Dunlop felt picks because they are not as aggressive on the floppy strings as others might be.
You lost me at multiple sets of flats in only two years.
Labella Low Tension flats are nice, especially low B on 5 string set. Not as low tension as Thomastik. For me nicest flats I've tried.
+1 here
I liked the TI, but the Low Tension Flats are less "floppier" and have the big La Bella sound. My favorite strings, ever!
If you like flats and want a quality set definitely check out TI and Labella. I have both sets on different basses and they are both awesome. TI's have a little less tension and thump but both are great whether used with fingers or a pick.
For me the world has won, can't stand the TI's tension-less, might as well play with rubber bands IMHO. I need a string that provides feedback when I pluck it.
I've played TI flats off and on for years and never found that I had to adjust either my action or playing style when using them compared to other strings I have played recently, including the pressurewounds you mentioned. But, YMMV; if you pluck hard you may not like them.
What is it about the pressurewounds that you don't like? They'll definitely give you more grit and growl than the TI's. Tension between the two will be roughly the same.
What is it about the pressurewounds that you don't like? They'll definitely give you more grit and growl than the TI's. Tension between the two will be roughly the same.
I adopted TIs as I was focused on changing my approach from
"aggressive" -which really meant being lazy and not thinking how hard/soft I was playing
to "pluck lightly and let the amp do the work" which benefited my sound
Once I lightened my touch and allowed myself to have dynamic control
I was able to get "smooth and silky" or "thumpy" or "gritty and aggressive" sounds out of them
by varying my plucking strength / location
[edit]: of course you wont' get as "thumpy" as labella deep talking flats , nor as "gritty" as some real rounds -but for me , I got "thumpy" /"gritty" to my satisfaction.
TLDR: TI Jazz flats respond extremely well to a thoughtfully controlled technique
"aggressive" -which really meant being lazy and not thinking how hard/soft I was playing
to "pluck lightly and let the amp do the work" which benefited my sound
Once I lightened my touch and allowed myself to have dynamic control
I was able to get "smooth and silky" or "thumpy" or "gritty and aggressive" sounds out of them
by varying my plucking strength / location
[edit]: of course you wont' get as "thumpy" as labella deep talking flats , nor as "gritty" as some real rounds -but for me , I got "thumpy" /"gritty" to my satisfaction.
TLDR: TI Jazz flats respond extremely well to a thoughtfully controlled technique
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