TI Jazz Flats not that great?

#41
It's all a matter of taste. Tis feel great to me and I have nothing near a light attack (loved the eagle feather comment). I just raise the action and play them closer to the bridge. But I'm not in love with the sound. Yes, it's clear in a mix, but in the wrong way for me -- the upper mid hump just doesn't feel like me sonically, even on fretless. I am on my first set of EB Cobalt flats and feel wise they're close but sound like dead rounds (though not exactly--they're their own thing), which is a sound I like. Eager to try a set on my fretless.

Other flats I've tried: Chromes. Even the light ones feel stiff (tried with low action), and the brash high end doesn't do it for me. Good mids and lows though and best flat wound B string I've tried (best=equals clear on low end, sounds like the rest of the set, can play up the neck without wolf tones).
Sadowsky black label: like a slightly more modern version of the Labellas to my ears, and stiffness/tension wise somewhere in the middle. Currently happily residing on a G&L L2000 for a mix of modern and old school. Didn't like the tapered B at all, though.

The TIs did lead me to my favourite round, though: Jason at BSO suggested I try Sunbeams and they are the perfect round for me.
 
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#43
I've tried TIs and Chromes. I like them both.

The TIs have such an excellent sound. Smooth, rich and full with perfect roll-off on the high end. But, they are very floppy and loose! Either I have to raise my action to stop fret slap or pluck closer to the bridge or totally re-think and control my plucking which ain't easy to do.

The excellent sound of TIs allows me to put up with the loose and floppy low tension. (very expensive but will last for years)

Chromes. I like their tension. About a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. Nice sound but a little bit on the bright side. The tone control gets them sounding right. Excellent affordable price!

Pyramids sound very good. Kind of a "dud and thud" sound. The E string is kind of too big in gauge for the rest of the strings, IMO. Another expensive and over-priced set of flats. What do you expect for being made in Europe?

I guess that I actually like high tension flats. They sound great, allow for aggressive plucking and the action can be set lower with no fret slap. But, they can take a toll on the playing hand.

I like flats!
 
#44
LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass Lights (760FL) or GHS Precision Flats (45-95). Both are similar for their light tension and smooth feel. LaBella has a slight edge on a more solid sound. All depends on what sound you want.
I can live with either for my P Bass-Seymour Duncan Quarter-Pounder combo.
La Bella is great for basic blues and country. GHS Precision Flats work very well for that too but would be better for busier playing because they are a bit more flexible to the touch.
 
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#45
michael_t said:
These two comments on TIJF vs. LBLTF confirm why I've always had zero interest in even trying the TI's once in my life and why I'm so keenly interested in trying the LBLTF now. I've always been a big fan of the 760FL; if I can get the same basic flavor but in a slightly lighter package, that would be ideal.
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The 760FL is a good set. I had them on a jazz bass for years and they covered a lot of ground tone wise. Definitely a good amount flexibility but still enough tension to retain that classic Labella thump.
 
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#46
In regards to the TI Flats, I used them for some time on an ash/maple P when I was playing in a new/old country cover band and the tone always sat really nice in the mix and I never had any complaints about my tone or not cutting through etc. And that is with my sound competing with the mids of two guitars driving their gain channels, so don't let anyone tell you that TI Flats won't let your sound be heard well in the mix.
 
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#48
If you like the sound of the chromes and want less tension, I'd suggest trying the 40-90 gauge of the chromes, if you had been using the 45-100 set. I have the lighter gauge on one bass, and they feel quite a bit more flexible than the higher gauge 45-100 to me. Seeing how you like the sound of the chromes, this would be the logical next step to try. You can even get the single strings and custom build the gauge set you want.

I personally like the higher tension chromes on my fretless basses, it allows me to get the neck flatter and action closer than the lighter tension set, which I use on my fretted '55 p replica. I do more bending of strings on that bass, so the lighter gauge strings are more flexible and it makes it easier to play. I'd love to try the TI flats sometime, but I'm afraid they would be just too floppy for me. The chromes are a touch brite and stiff when new, but when they break in the feel a lot better. By rolling the highs off a touch I can find a very useable tone with these strings.

Just a though before you start throwing money in untested (to your ears) waters with different strings.
 
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#49
I currently have a 35" 5-string I bought used, with TI flats on it. Have been around them before, and being around them again reminds me of the reasons that I prefer Sadowsky or DR flats.

Even though I've tended to dislike high-tension strings, and even on a 35", the slinkiness of the TIs is too much of a good thing. I don't have a light touch, and particularly like to dig in with my left hand to bring out growl, vibrato, etc...and just don't feel comfortable with the TIs. And I prefer more timbral continuity across all 5 strings - with the TI there is a lot of thump and thud from the B, the E and A sound relatively neutral, but the D and G seem to push the upper- mids out, with a corresponding lack of body or bottom.

I prefer the tension and timbral continuity of the Sadowsky flats (have only used black label) and the DRs. Neither are high-tension. Both are sensitive to right hand touch so you can get old-achool thump or more articulate sounds, particularly in the upper-middle range of the fretboard. The DRs are a bit more old school, the Sadowskys faster and more articulate. I really love the Sadowsky flats on fretless.
 
#54
Sadowsky Blue Label Flatwounds. TIJF-like singing mids, with some more girth in the low-mids..... All while being slightly less pliable. I have about a month and a half with them, and they are fantastic. They do not thump (unless you mute), but they are incredibly expressive. I use them for everything fingerstyle.

Quite possibly my favorite flatwounds.
 
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#57
Dr Earl Funkton said:
do you still have a lot of travel with your plucking hand when it's set up like that? Cause that was my main issue, feeling like the string was traveling with my finger for longer before slapping back as usual
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What is this travel thing? Do you mean it takes a while before the string releases from your fingers? If that's so, I chalk it up playing technique, as in, digging in too hard with your plucking hand. I prefer playing the instrument, not wresting with it: YMMV. :)
 
#58
Jeff Scott said:
What is this travel thing? Do you mean it takes a while before the string releases from your fingers? If that's so, I chalk it up playing technique, as in, digging in too hard with your plucking hand. I prefer playing the instrument, not wresting with it: YMMV. :)
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Exactly, I couldn't think of how to explain it simply haha thank you. I agree that you shouldn't have to fight your instrument, but with the TIs I feel like I have to tickle the stings and don't have as large of a dynamic range and room for articulation as a set of strings that might be a little bit higher tension
 
#59
I'm plunking away on a set right now but they are 15 years old and well worn, I didn't like them at first either but I learned to adapt to the low tension, works best finger style IMO. Most of my basses have Labella 760FL's which is my first choice, this particular Jazz bass didn't like the tension of the Labella's so the TI's went back on, I just use the front PU and they sound really rich that way.
 
#60
I have TI Flats on one of my 5 strings, I like the sound but not quite enough tension as I like, I dig in. I just put a set of La Bella Deep Talkin Bass Golds 760 FGS-B on another of my 5 stringers, they are 45-128 and have more tension. I like the way they feel and the way they sound. Strong mids, lows are fine, highs don't seem as bright as the TI's. They haven't been on it a week and I'll have to play around with EQ to see how bright they'll get.
 
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