Thomastik Infeld Strings ???

[(david/wales/u.k)]

Thomastik Infeld strings ( hope that's the right spelling ) .....................What's so special about these strings as lots of people on this forum seem to use and recommend them?..............Have seen a couple of websites where they can be bought ( I haven't seen them in the shops ) but there are a few different varieties and I'm not sure which are the popular ones... i.e..the type that forum users speak so highly of..... I would like to try them.

[(jps)]

Strings are one of those things that no matter how much you read and hear about them you really have to try for yourself.

With that said, TIs are fantastic strings (IMHO), both the Jazz Flats that most folks around here use, and their Jazz Rounds, too, that I have on a couple of basses, at the moment. Are you looking for bass or guitar strings?

[(antipodean)]

TI make a wide ranmge of strings (though not as wide as some). The strings that get the most attention amongst Rick-o-philes are the flatwound Jazz bass set and the flatwound Jazz Swing guitar sets.

I'm using the Jazz flatwound bass strings on a couple of basses, and TI Jazz Swing flatwounds on a couple of guitars. They have a great retro sound and silky smooth texture, and excellent longevity. John Hall has said that the TI Jazz bass strings are the closest match to the Maxima strings used by Rickenbacker in the '60s. The guitar sets also have a very '60s vibe to them.

The guitar strings come in a range of gauges. The bass strings come in just one gauge, so if you like the feel and "zing" of high tension bass strings, these may not be for you.

[(david/wales/u.k)]

Thanks for that.....I'm a guitarist and you've given me the info that I needed to try a set...I'm about to get my guitar set up again ( needs tweaking ) and I think i'll give these strings a go......One thing though, why do most people here use the flats....wouldn't it be better to use the roundwounds as these are used on the standard Ric strings aren't they??? ( I'm not too knowledgeable on these things I'm afraid! )..Thanks

[(jdawe)]

My impression is that most people here do use roundwounds on their 6-strings, but prefer the tone and playability of flats on a 12. I followed the advice of many and put TI flats on my 12 when I got it a year ago, and have been very happy with them, but I haven't tried them in my 6-string.

[(david/wales/u.k)]

My impression is that most people here do use roundwounds on their 6-strings, but prefer the tone and playability of flats on a 12. I followed the advice of many and put TI flats on my 12 when I got it a year ago, and have been very happy with them, but I haven't tried them in my 6-string.

....
...........................Thanks for that....will definitely try some ( I have a 330/6 so will try the roundwounds first )

[(bowser2533)]

Iv tried lots of different brands of strings on my ric 360/12 and the thomastic invelts are the best thats ever been on it. They are the flat wounds. The feel,and the tone and mostly the intonation are great. Try a set i think you will love em. You can order them from pick of the rics. Talk to Chris Clayton about them if you have any questions. Gary

[(Hotzenplotz)]

I use the Thomastik Infeld flats on my 330/6. Now I stopped looking for "better" ones.

Beside the personal taste the intonation and the playability is just great. And the tension of these is quite low.

BTW: My guitar is equipped with toasters. Combined with the flats it has got THE 60ies/ 70ies tone.

[(wj350)]

I first tried flats on some Fender guitars, trying to replicate surf sounds. I originally used Fender flats.

I discovered I really loved the feel on the neck, and the warmth the strings offered. As I got more into The Beatles thing, I tried them on a Casino and J-160E, where I discovered they worked great with hollow body/semi-hollow body guitars.

From there I went down the 325 path, and originally used Pyramids. The P's were great sounding, but even the 12s felt very heavy to my fretting fingers. Like you, I'd read a lot of folks mentioning the TIs, so I decided to try a set on my 325. They sounded every bit as good if not better to my amateur's ear than the P's, but "felt" much lighter to my hands.

Most of my guitars today are strung with either TI Jazz Swing flats, or with D'Addario 1/2 Rounds, which are a bit brighter in tone but still very similar in feel to a flat string. I'm using the D's on my current Ric, a 350v63 and am very pleased with them.