A heartfelt apology is owed...

[cassius987]

...to those of you who like Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats for bass. I think I finally "get it". Bear with me a sec.

I first tried the JF344s on my 4003FL in 2008. The tone was definitely magic. More supple and bright than most flatwounds and more sustain. However, the low tension on the A string caused it to sound a little muffled with my play style in a couple of recordings which really irritated me. So I moved on to a set of Chromes, which were much better in this regard. However, that TI tone was long gone.

Then I gave them a shot on both my 4003 and my 4001FL. In the case of the 4003, they did okay, but ultimately I wanted stiffer rounds again. And on my 4001FL they wouldn't even work because the neck is too straight already and they made it backbow (and the truss rods weren't tightened down either). I had to go back to fairly high tension strings with that bass. These were frustrating experiences so I swore off TIs.

On a whim I recently put a new set back on my 4003FL. I don't know if my play style has changed or if TI has secretly been tweaking their formula, but that floppy A string is long gone. I can barely feel tensional differences any more. And my 4003FL absolutely loves "wearing" these strings. Every thing I like about the bass becomes more apparent with them; it's like they perfectly complement its voice. I have decided that this bass will always be wearing these TIs if I can help it. So while I don't think they are perfect for every bass, I think I finally see the magic about them and how great they can be. I was recording with the bass last night and amazed at how versatile the tone could be, as well as how useable and mix-friendly.

So thanks for putting up with all my snark for the last several years on this subject! I get it now!

[woodyng]

I imagine,like any manufactured item,you are gonna get good ones and bad ones. I have experienced them on different basses,and usually didn't care much for them,but they were pretty perfect on RRF member John Ashfield's C64. I haven't tried them on my Ricks,because i found a set of the old maxima's,but should those ever wear out,i would keep them in mind. Glad they worked out for you!

[johnallg]

I imagine,like any manufactured item,you are gonna get good ones and bad ones. I have experienced them on different basses,and usually didn't care much for them,but they were pretty perfect on RRF member John Ashfield's C64. I haven't tried them on my Ricks,because i found a set of the old maxima's,but should those ever wear out,i would keep them in mind. Glad they worked out for you!

OR, you could try the set of Optima 4099 strings - so very close to the Maximas.

Anyone wishing they had the old RIC Maxima flats, but can't find any, should try the 4099s to see what the Maximas were all about. FYI, I have both string sets.

[woodyng]

And i think the optima set is "slightly" heavier gauge than the TI's,which would be a factor in favor for me....

[johnallg]

And i think the optima set is "slightly" heavier gauge than the TI's,which would be a factor in favor for me....

I've played a Rick or two with TIs on them but can't remember that level of detail.

[coolingitdown]

And i think the optima set is "slightly" heavier gauge than the TI's,which would be a factor in favor for me....

TI JF344: .043, .056, .070, .100

Optima 4099: .045, .060, .080, .100

Slightly heavier D and G, much heavier A, identical E.

I think I'm going to take next month's music gear budget and buy a set of Optimas for my 4001C64. Time to quit talking about it and do it. If I can find a way to record good sound samples, I'll A/B the TI and Optima sets on that bass.

Edit: fixed a typo.

[doctorwho]

... If I can find a way to record good sound samples, I'll A/B the TI and Optima sets on that bass. ...

Jonathan, that is a great idea. If you need to use my Korg D16XD recorder, let me know.

[jps]

I think I'm going to take next month's music gear budget and buy a set of Optimas for my 4001C64. Time to quit talking about it and do it.

Strings are one of those things (like girls) that you just have to try out instead of just talking about them.

[iiipopes]

Somewhere in the other Maxima/Optima threads both here and RIC, Mr. JH noted when he worked coiling Maxima strings into envelopes that his fingers turned black.

When I played T-I's, my fingertips turned black from my perspiration reaction to the nickel in the wrap.

Mr. JH also surmised that the alloy may have been a lucky accident from the reclaimed metals smelted and sourced near the factory.

The new Optimas advertise as having palladium in the alloy as well as chrome and nickel.

The Wiki on palladium says that a person who is allergic or hypersensitive to palladium may also be allergic to nickel.

If the new Optimas are as close as possible to the old Maximas, it is reasonable to conclude the old Maximas may have had a trace of palladium in their alloy as well.

Conclusion: probably all the above, and the black fingertips were caused by the nickel and palladium together.

With that in mind, I probably won't try them, just for them to turn my fingers black and corrode prematurely for me.

I'm sure they are great strings, but I have to stay with strings that have more iron or chrome in the mix, like Fender 9050CL flats, GHS Progressives for rounds, or those brands of stainless rounds that have a tad more chromium in the mix. (Remember: basic [pun intended] stainless steel is iron, carbon, nickel and chromium.)

[cassius987]

Holy ****. I just gigged the 4003FL with the TIs at my jazz gig tonight in a Denver winery... it took me back to 5-6 years ago when me and this bass were playing jazz together two-three times a week, also with TIs. This bass is just built for that. The sound, the feel, it's perfect. I missed this so much.

[ajish4]

Don't forget, they last a L O N G, L O N G time!

[coolingitdown]

I think I'm going to take next month's music gear budget and buy a set of Optimas for my 4001C64. Time to quit talking about it and do it.

Strings are one of those things (like girls) that you just have to try out instead of just talking about them.

... If I can find a way to record good sound samples, I'll A/B the TI and Optima sets on that bass. ...

Jonathan, that is a great idea. If you need to use my Korg D16XD recorder, let me know.

Gary, I think I'll have to take you up on that. My recorder is a Fostex digital 8-track circa 2000 (read: pre-USB). It really has no way to transfer to a computer (it has a SCSI port I never figured out how to use), and no built in CD burner to speak of even. It'll probably be a month or two before I take that project on, but I'll be in touch about it. Thanks!

[edski]

I'm going to build a bass soon, thinking of springing for TI flats (it is going to be a fretless). Interesting info...

It's funny about flats and some basses. I had Fender 9050's on my 4001 for a long time and loved the sound. If I dug in hard enough (and with those strings that was digging REAL HARD) I could get a Squire like growl. But alas, the 1975 4001 neck was not happy with all that tension, so I went back to some low tension rounds.

I have the 9050's on my fretless J-Bass, and it's OK. I'm probably going to sell that bass to finance some of the custom build. At one point when I was using the 9050's on both the J and the 4001 I bought a couple sets, and forgot about them. 1 set ended up on the Rick for a couple weeks before I went back to rounds, so they were cut for a bass with 2 tuning pegs on each side of the headstock and practically brand new.

A month or so ago I found my son's first bass (a low end Ibanez) in the house, lonely and forgotten. I picked it up, and it's nice and light, and actually plays pretty well. 2 tuners per side, and I thought "why not try those 9050's?" since the strings on it were really old and gross (even by my standards). So I slapped the 9050's I cut for the Rick, and WOW! This Ibanez LOVES these strings. It's like this bass was meant to have these stiff-as-bridge-cables flats on it. My son will be back home from a summer job soon, and I don't care what he says, this bass keeps these strings. After all, I did buy this Ibanez (for his 14th birthday). Seems I might be re-appropriating it.