Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

ok ,, i thought some of you may find this interesting...... As we all know, TI flatwound strings are some of the lowest tension strings available - on their website, it is stated that a set adds up to around 140lbs total tension.

I emailed Jason How (at Rotosound) asking how much tension a set of Swing bass 66 roundwounds at 45 - 105 guage put on a bass.

His answer was "about 150lb's"

I cant see that 10lbs would make much difference in bass strings, and sure enough i swapped my TI's for rotos's on my 4001 and did not need to touch the truss rods.

weird.......no?

p.s. this thread probably wont start a big discussion, i just thought it was an interesting fact

I guess my question would be how flappy the strings become when detuned a half step?

I just restrung my '74 4001 with Rotosound flats...no reason except that I'm a lifelong Roto customer (and the only other choice at the shop was Fender brand strings).

I've literally not touched a flatwound bass string since 1983, when my first bass (a lovely '70s Fender Jazz) came with nylon tapewounds, which I quickly threw away because thay weren't "rock" enough.

Now I'm trying to broaden my horizons a little bit, and really enjoying the hell out of this old bass.

The reason for my post? Oh yes: When the bass was strung with roundwounds, I could feel the neck flexing as I tightened the strings (though the bass has been strung as such for years, as far as I can tell, and has suffered no adverse effects). With the flats, that flex is much reduced. The bass has a pleasingly loose feel, and I feel as though I've gained some insight into the soul of the 4001.

Or maybe it's just the coffee talking.

Hey Owen, check you neck in a week or two, those old 4001 necks were like rocks, or at least some of them were. I had a 75 with the old style flat profile neck and it was perfectly flat, no relief, the only way I could get some relief in it was to finally put med gauge Fender flatwounds on it, and you know what those are like (Fenders fretlesses come with med. lights on them, and that is usually what you will see, the med. gauge are not very common.) Once I got it to bend a little it was ok with lighter gauge strings but initially nothing touched it but med. flats. If Rotos are only ten more lbs. total pressure on a neck than TI's they must have changed the formula because they always seemed a lot heavier to me.
Seth, I too feel a big difference with TI's on 4001's they seem to let the bass "breathe" because of the lower tension.
Owen, for Christ's sake put your TI's back on! (no offense intended for any our more religious members)

ahahha i would Bob, but one of my TI's snapped remember? they are too expensive to buy again at the moment.

Roto rounds do feel stiffer but mathmatically have about the same tension.

lol, Wotever!

Ive had The rotos on for like a week, the Neck is fine, not over tight either.

Owen,
You should send it back for a replacement, where did it snap?

Owen:
It is usually the dimention of core wire that gives strings their stiff/loose feel. That is why a 105 string can feel stiffer from one brand to another, while the tension is relatively the same.

p.s. this is a good topic & your thread may turn into a big discussion after all.

Bob i emailed them (TI) weeks ago, and no reply. I made it quite clear i was angry and stated i didnt try them sooner due to the high price, and now i took a risk and one snapped i wont buy em again.

The mail order company i buy from understandably wont replace snapped strings, thats why i contacted TI

Owen, the problem I have with this is that "about 150 lbs." is not a legitimate answer. Unless he can give you an exact figure, it's worthless as a comparison.

I like Daddario Strings' website, you can look at every size and type in their range and see the tension by string.

I also like the D'Addario web site and their strings sound great on my basses for a fair price.
I wish they would put the silk wrap back on their strings again, but that is one of the ways they keep the strings affordable. I think just the Slowounds have the silk wrap.

I made up a custom set of Chromes that work well on both my 4001 and 4005 WB that are 40-55-75-95, which have a nice, even, light tension.

dave its not meant to be a comparison, only i always thought the gap would be bigger between rotos and ti's

Owen, what I'm saying is that you can't determine what the gap is without accurate figures, and "about 150 lbs." tells me he really doesn't know.

Since different necks react differently, the fact that you didn't have to make a neck adjustment on your bass doesn't really prove anything. IMO TIs are much lower in tension than any 45-105 roundwound on the market. I've never heard of a bass failing to pull into relief using Swing Bass 66 in 45-105, but I know of several people (including me) who have had this experience with TI flats.