Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

jps wrote:TI Jazz Flats. Wonderful feel and tone.

+1
Love these, lite feel and they are perfect if you are looking for flats...

I just installed the new Ernie Ball Slinky flats with cobalt. So far, these things thump. They have a bright but yet warm sound. Very low tension. I got 105-45. Installed them on. My 4003s. I'll update after they're broken in

Does using nylon tape strings increase noise, due to the lack of ground connection to the player's hands? The lighter gauged LaBellas seem pretty interesting.

I just put a new set of Optima 4099s on a '71 4001.
Very nice. Brighter than the LaBella low tensions but not
quite as bright as the TIs. A little beefier feel as well.
Optima also announced at NAMM that they were getting ready
to release a flat wound set made with the original Maxima formula.
They say they'll be available later in the spring.
Looking forward to trying those.

bassman4001 wrote:I just installed the new Ernie Ball Slinky flats with cobalt. So far, these things thump. They have a bright but yet warm sound. Very low tension. I got 105-45. Installed them on. My 4003s. I'll update after they're broken in

I just tried a set of these with my new 4003S, and I'm loving them so far, bright for flats but still have the warmth and woodiness that I like. I've been pleased with them.

squirebass wrote:

bassman4001 wrote:I just installed the new Ernie Ball Slinky flats with cobalt. So far, these things thump. They have a bright but yet warm sound. Very low tension. I got 105-45. Installed them on. My 4003s. I'll update after they're broken in

I just tried a set of these with my new 4003S, and I'm loving them so far, bright for flats but still have the warmth and woodiness that I like. I've been pleased with them.

+1 on that, I put a set on my Fretless and they sound really good.

I was looking for a little more natural brightness from my 4000, so this morning I strung her up with 40 - 95 Ernie Ball cobalt flatwounds. Everything that you have read about these strings is true: flatwound feel with roundwound tone.

Previously, LD389 was strung with LaBella Low Tension flexible flats . . . MIRROR smooth and ULTIMATE thump.

Under my fingers, these Ernie Ball's feel like they are slightly higher tension than either the LaBella LTFF or TI 344'S, though still very much on the low end of the tension spectrum. Also the windings are very close, but not quite as smooth as either.

$30 online . . . give 'em a try !!

My favorite, and seemingly more balanced string to string flat is the TI JF344 set. Brighter than most flats too. Total tension about 140 lbs.

donhank wrote:I was looking for a little more natural brightness from my 4000, so this morning I strung her up with 40 - 95 Ernie Ball cobalt flatwounds. Everything that you have read about these strings is true: flatwound feel with roundwound tone.

Previously, LD389 was strung with LaBella Low Tension flexible flats . . . MIRROR smooth and ULTIMATE thump.

Under my fingers, these Ernie Ball's feel like they are slightly higher tension than either the LaBella LTFF or TI 344'S, though still very much on the low end of the tension spectrum. Also the windings are very close, but not quite as smooth as either.

$30 online . . . give 'em a try !!

Interesting.i really liked the LLTF set,still,thinking that may be what i put on my fretless at some point.I actually thought they sounded brighter than the maximas,then again,the set i have is starting to sound tired. (They've been transferred to different basses too many times,i suspect!)
I've never had much luck with what i thought were clangy sounding Chromes on my Ricks,but I've recently got an American Standard Fender Jazz bass (which i'm liking a lot),strung with (presumably) Daadario flats of some kind,and i'm really digging them. Is daadario the only company that puts those different-color ball ends on their strings? And are chromes the only flatwounds they make? They're not in the least clangy,almost sound like the old Fender flats,sound awesome with a pick. They have kind of medium blue silks,too.

Liked the sound and feel of my TI JF-344's, but wanted something different. tried the White Tapes....interesting but not for me; ground buzz galore with these. Installed a set of EB Cobalt Flats.....heaven! right amount of tension, thump and clarity; very focused sounding through the house mix. They growl a bit when I dig in too. I had to lower the rear pup a scoche because it was a bit hot for the boards input. I've had them on for 4 months now....they have mellowed out, but still clear, punchy and full sounding. My sound techs prefer my 4003 over my other basses.

Fred Mertz wrote:I've been using Fender 9050ML's flatwounds on my P Basses and jazz basses for about 40 years. I'm guessing that the 4003s should use a lighter set. I have a 9050L set waiting for my new bass to show up. I have used Pyramids in the past but don't like the feel. Looking for string suggestions that would not require truss rod adjustment.

Suggestions?

Dave

I've used those quite a bit on 4003's and they sound and play great. The sound doesn't really change all that much with use either. I think you may have to tweak the truss rods a little but you usually have to do that anyway when changing to a different string.