Thomastik Infeld TI flats JF344 - tension figures

[4000]

Have been toying with putting some TI flats on one of my vintage Rics for a while. I was looking for the tension figures last night, comparing them to other strings I’ve used, and the tension for the JF344 (43, 56, 70, 100) set appears to be showing as 140.19, which isn’t that much less than the 40-100 or 40-95 Roto Swing Bass I normally use (155.38 & 145.35) and is actually quite a bit higher than the Roto nickel 35-95 I occasionally alternate with (127.14).

The last time I played some TIs, admittedly a long time ago, I remember the tension feeling very low and obviously they’re generally considered to be as low tension as they come, so I’m certainly surprised to see them come in heavier than the Roto nickels, even bearing in mind the gauges are on average a little heavier (the Rotos are 35, 55, 75, 95).

FWIW, the TI rounds (43, 51, 68, 89) come in at 122.34. 

Can anyone confirm the above figures? 

[4000]

Well, for anyone who might be interested (based on the previous response, probably no-one😂), I bit the bullet and bought some TI Jazz flats, just to try on one of my 4001s.

First impressions is that they are much growlier (or should that be raspier?) than expected. They have a real bark down low. They’re also pretty trebly compared to what I expected, although my understanding is that’ll die off somewhat. They’re also - at least given I can’t try them in a band situation - very clear-sounding. The note seems more “present” than many rounds do. They’re not at all woolly unless you start turning the tone controls down. I’ll try a bit of recording this weekend, see how they fare.
 
In terms of tension, they’re stiffer-feeling than I expected, or rather the D & G are. Only marginally softer feeling than my usual Roto 40-100 Swing Bass (I haven’t had to touch the neck) and noticeably stiffer than the 35-95 nickel Rotos, which surprised me, although matches the tension figures in my first post.

Do I like them? Early days. I like the growl, particularly on the E & A and they do feel nicely balanced, with the exception of the G (a 43) which to me feels far stiffer than the other strings, and which I’m not keen on. I prefer a more flexible-feeling G. I doubt they’ll replace my usual strings, but I’ve got them if I decide I need them. If that G was lighter though, it may be a different story. It’s certainly a different sound, and not the flatwound sound I’ve experienced previously. 

[Guest]

Should have bought the set I had for sale - would have been cheaper

[4000]

21 minutes ago, FDC484950 said:

Should have bought the set I had for sale - would have been cheaper

I keep browsing the For Sale but by the time I get there they’re always sold. These were £41.00 from Amazon, which was the cheapest I found them. 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

I put a set of FI flats on my old Guild Starfire (since departed). They were like elastic bands, in a good way. They sounded excellent too.

[krispn]

Jazz Flats are a personal fav and do have a lot of character compared to what one might imagine flats to have!

 

[4000]

I kind of expected elastic bands, tbh. 😂

I like the feel of the strings, unexpected given I love the gnarly feel of Rotos. They’re like glass, almost like they’re lubricated. Very smooth to play and nicer feeling than all the other flats I’ve played. 

[4000]

8 minutes ago, krispn said:

Jazz Flats are a personal fav and do have a lot of character compared to what one might imagine flats to have!

 

Character. That’s the word. They don’t sound like anything else I’ve used, and I been through a lot of strings.

[krispn]

22 minutes ago, 4000 said:

Character. That’s the word. They don’t sound like anything else I’ve used, and I been through a lot of strings.

Right! They can have presence and ‘top end’ bite but not that gakky high end. It’s nit for everyone but I’ve yet to find a flat I enjoy so much. I like the Fender ones on my JMJ Mustang and the GHS Precision’s aren’t bad either on my p bass but if I was sticking flats on for my main 4 string gig I go back to my TI’s!

[Paul S]

I put them on all my basses.  First thing I do. Costs me a fortune 😊

[krispn]

It’s why my set migrate over from bass to bass 😀

[machinehead]

TI flats are on my Precision, Jazz, US Jaguar (a PJ), and my Squier fretless.  I love the tension and they work so well tonally on a gig.  They're easy on the fingers too and that's good for longer gigs.

Frank.

[adamg67]

I bought a nass that had with TI flats on a 35" scale neck and really liked them,  so that's what I have on my 5 string Maruszczyk now. I've always assumed that the tension is just slightly higher because of the longer scale (about 1/34th higher if it's a linear thing), probably not enough to notice. I really like the feel and the tone, and that "clear-sounding" thing. 

[Beedster]

On 12/12/2020 at 15:34, 4000 said:

Have been toying with putting some TI flats on one of my vintage Rics for a while. I was looking for the tension figures last night, comparing them to other strings I’ve used, and the tension for the JF344 (43, 56, 70, 100) set appears to be showing as 140.19, which isn’t that much less than the 40-100 or 40-95 Roto Swing Bass I normally use (155.38 & 145.35) and is actually quite a bit higher than the Roto nickel 35-95 I occasionally alternate with (127.14).

The last time I played some TIs, admittedly a long time ago, I remember the tension feeling very low and obviously they’re generally considered to be as low tension as they come, so I’m certainly surprised to see them come in heavier than the Roto nickels, even bearing in mind the gauges are on average a little heavier (the Rotos are 35, 55, 75, 95).

FWIW, the TI rounds (43, 51, 68, 89) come in at 122.34. 

Can anyone confirm the above figures? 

All I can say to that is that I’d guess there’s more to perceived tension than is represented in the tension figures (or that the figures are wrong) because they’ve always felt very low tension to me

[4000]

13 minutes ago, Beedster said:

All I can say to that is that I’d guess there’s more to perceived tension than is represented in the tension figures (or that the figures are wrong) because they’ve always felt very low tension to me

I would tend to agree, but I guess it also depends what you’re used to. I haven’t used anything heavier than 40s for probably 25 or 30 years. if you’re used to playing heavier/stiffer strings than that, then obviously the TIs will feel very low tension. I imagine that to someone coming from 45 gauge Roto flats they really would feel like elastic bands. 

As I said earlier though, playing the 3 different sets I mentioned does IMO reflect the relative tension figures. 

[Beer of the Bass]

I've had mine on for about 2 1/2 years now, so I'm used to them. But they did feel like a big step down in tension from 45 gauge Fender or Sadowsky flats I'd used before that. The high end brightness mellowed off after a few weeks, but they've stayed clear and they can growl in a midrangey way. I like them; although they took a little adjustment in setup and technique, they feel very musical and expressive as well as never feeling like hard work.

[krispn]

They’re a delight under the fingers. I like the tensions but I recall doing a tune in drop d and feeling the E string got way too floppy so I’d suggest avoiding drop d with the TI’s!

[ead]

On 12/12/2020 at 15:34, 4000 said:

Have been toying with putting some TI flats on one of my vintage Rics for a while. I was looking for the tension figures last night, comparing them to other strings I’ve used, and the tension for the JF344 (43, 56, 70, 100) set appears to be showing as 140.19, which isn’t that much less than the 40-100 or 40-95 Roto Swing Bass I normally use (155.38 & 145.35) and is actually quite a bit higher than the Roto nickel 35-95 I occasionally alternate with (127.14).

The last time I played some TIs, admittedly a long time ago, I remember the tension feeling very low and obviously they’re generally considered to be as low tension as they come, so I’m certainly surprised to see them come in heavier than the Roto nickels, even bearing in mind the gauges are on average a little heavier (the Rotos are 35, 55, 75, 95).

FWIW, the TI rounds (43, 51, 68, 89) come in at 122.34. 

Can anyone confirm the above figures? 

Not sure what you are measuring here?

I like these trings and have them on my fretless basses.  My only gripe is the A string is floppier than the other three and could be a bit heavier to get a really good balance of string tension across the set.

[stevie]

I remember these being brighter than expected (in a good way). Their tension suited me too. I had them on my bass for about five years before I sold it and never felt tempted to change them. Because they last so long, I was never able to compare them with anything else. But I thought they were a good product.

[dannybuoy]

I love them - had the same set on my Precision for about 10 years now, I expect to get another 10 years out of them easily!

[3below]

14 hours ago, Paul S said:

I put them on all my basses.  First thing I do. Costs me a fortune 😊

 

10 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

I love them - had the same set on my Precision for about 10 years now, I expect to get another 10 years out of them easily!

^ both of these.  I have one set running at about 10~12 years old on my SB1, They also save on long term fret wear.  I also like the way they physically respond,.  I have tried others but keep returning to TIs.  The short scale version works well on both of my short scale basses.

[Beer of the Bass]

42 minutes ago, ead said:

Not sure what you are measuring here?

I like these trings and have them on my fretless basses.  My only gripe is the A string is floppier than the other three and could be a bit heavier to get a really good balance of string tension across the set.

Yes, I noticed that with the A string. I have the saddle raised just a touch to even out the feel.

[ead]

2 hours ago, Beer of the Bass said:

Yes, I noticed that with the A string. I have the saddle raised just a touch to even out the feel.

Interesting, might try that.  Thanks for the tip.

[Chiliwailer]

7 hours ago, Beedster said:

All I can say to that is that I’d guess there’s more to perceived tension than is represented in the tension figures (or that the figures are wrong) because they’ve always felt very low tension to me

Absolutely, and the superlight A string and light D add to the mix of that I reckon. 
 

edit - doh, just seen that mentioned in later posts 😂

Edited January 29, 2021 by Chiliwailer

[4000]

8 hours ago, ead said:

Not sure what you are measuring here?

 

The figures provided are just the factory tension measurements, pounds pull per set.

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/blog/string-tension-101/

Nobody else think the G is too stiff, relatively speaking?