Optima 4099, the new Maxima ?

[coolingitdown]

They do come in long scale, though, don't they? Because I'm definitely interested in trying them on my Rick.

[mikko]

Yes, they do come in long scale too. It was actually much harder to find something else than long scale. Give them a try and let us know what you think.

[coolingitdown]

I hope to try them soon. If I get my bass teaching career up and running this month as planned then i'll be able to justify the purchase a bit better.

How's the balance on the set? is the tension pretty even from string to string? After playing TIs, this is a concern for me.

[mikko]

I bought a long scale set of Optima flats, just because I wanted to test them with Rick. Sound is very very old school which I like a lot. With these strings, bass sound like a bass (I personally don´t like that “treble bass” sound some people prefer). Sound is something like what you can hear on “White Album” era The Beatles songs. Not exactly the same but quite close to it in my opinion. Played with a pick, these strings produce amusing “plonk-plo-plonk” sound. These are also the first strings that gives me usable sound when mute is on. They actually work very well with mute.
I guess some people are concerned about balance…soundwise they are balanced quite well. Maybe E-string sounds a bit too fat compared to others or it could be just my modest bass combo or my ears. Tension between strings is close enough for me, but I think some people might want a .105 E-string instead of current .100 (this is a 45-60-80-100 set). Downside of fat old school sound is that it doesn´t cut through very easily. This of course depend on musical style of your band, but I found that little problematic (we play mostly traditional blues rock).
Optima maybe isn´t new Maxima, I really don´t know, but I think they´re good strings as what they are.

[coolingitdown]

If they get a good vintage tone and have better balance in terms of tension than TIs do, then i'll definitely have to try a set at some point!

[Wiker]

Mikko, very good description. "plonk-plo-plonk", yes

[coolingitdown]

Reviving an old thread to announce that these are available from a U.S.-based seller:

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/OP4099-4.htm

I look forward to trying a set one day!

[chefothefuture]

I had to order a couple of sets. Coming from Elderly. Just under $50 for two sets, so I'm not sure if they're trying to get rid of them....
Great; just when I got into TIs

[michael.m]

I put Maxima strings on my Jazz bass and my band mates went crazy now I have to put them on all of my basses

[chefothefuture]

I just put a set of 4099s on my 73 4001 (Rescue/re-neck).
When I took them out of the envelopes, they were as floppy as I remember the Maxima's being. That was a good sign.
On the bass and in tune they are much darker sounding than I recall the Maxima's being; less metallic. The E and A are much
thumpier than the Maxima- closer to a LaBella but with out the tension.
I would have liked a .075 for an A as opposed to the .080 as I think it would balance a little better in both tone and feel.
I think the TI's are a little brighter and sound closer to what I remember the Maximas sounding like.
So I'll still use the TI's.
But these are worthy adversaries( or companions...LOL!) to the TI's.
Love them both.
So- Optima: Dark, thumpy, short decay, not much ring. Good vintage vibe and tone, and nice low tension that is kind to the old Ricks.

Will I buy these again? You bet!
I like the feel, and have a few basses so I can go back and forth.
Great price too.

[jps]

I put TI Jazz Flats on my new Ruby 4004 Laredo last weekend; they feel a lot more balanced than I recall from the past using these strings, and not as floppy, either. Great tone with the HB-1 pickups on the bass.

[chefothefuture]

I'd be interested to try a set on one of my Starfires...
Though, again, the TI jazz flats do quite well....

[chefothefuture]

Well, the story continues...

I got a set of original Maximas in 3/4 scale and put them on my Starfire. (They were 1/4" too short for a Rick!)
My god! These are the best strings I have played in years!!!!!
Though the bass is a different beast than a Rick, the nuances of the strings are very apparent.
The Maximas ring and growl, where the Optimas are deep and sound more like an upright.
They both feel fairly similar, but the "magic" combination in the Maximas just brings a more vibrant tone....
The TI's pretty much miss the mark (though they are closest in tension and ring a little more than the Optimas).

I think it's time to have a metallurgic analysis done on the Maximas..
Hey, if the "Sheffield" alloy that Ravi Shankar used can be duplicated perhaps, if enough of us were willing to commit to it,
these could be too.

[Wiker]

:
My god! These are the best strings I have played in years!!!!!
:
I think it's time to have a metallurgic analysis done on the Maximas..

+1 to that

When I compared Optima and Maxima side by side on two basses back then, I was almost convinced they sounded very much the same. But you know, hearing isn’t very objective, but highly coloured by what one listens for - and want one wants to hear. Another factor that probably contributed to me not hearing that much of a difference is that I always play with tone knobs all the way down, which of course will reduce any difference quite a bit anyway.

When sadly my Maxima G-string snapped I took off the Maxima and put on Optima, and there definitely was something missing in the Optima. Maxima have stronger upper (treble and high-mids) harmonics.
I finally had to try TI on my Rick. In my ears TI do have more of that “metallic something” in the sound that Optima have too little of, but I think TI have more of that than the Maxima.
Also, TI have a much stronger output, while Optima matches Maxima quit good in that respect.

[coolingitdown]

So is it safe to say, then, that Optimas, Maximas, and TIs all have VERY similar tone, albeit with Optimas being slightly darker and less "metallic" than Maximas and TIs being slightly brighter and more "metallic" than Maximas?