Jimbogubson Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 Hi folks, I bought a set of cobalt flats approx 4 years ago and they came with rust spots here and there on all strings. The set was replaced by EB, but the replacement set had the same issue. I carried on using them as I really liked the sound and feel and have taken them on and off various basses. They’ve spent the last year in the drawer, but last night I thought I’d try them on my mexi p bass. They sound absolutely great on there and am thinking of getting a new set. has anyone been using them recently and found the corrosion issue still exists? Or have EB sorted this? would love to give them another go , but at 45 squids, I’m a bit reluctant if there are still QC problems. cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo m Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 They turn green & become disgusting under your fingers.... E. B will probably stop manufacturing these strings it is a common issue & their are many other strings on the market that will serve you better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 1 minute ago, paulo m said: They turn green & become disgusting under your fingers.... E. B will probably stop manufacturing these strings it is a common issue & their are many other strings on the market that will serve you better. I’ve been using them since they were released, I’ve never experienced this. My very last set had the spotting issue on one of the strings but, as they were free, I didn’t complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 From what I've read, they're an iron & cobalt alloy, so I would assume that they would more be prone to rust rather than any steel based string (especially stainless steels). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo m Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 For people whom suffer from corrosive sweat ( shall we say) or people whom can make a set of strings become very dull & very dead quickly.... These strings fit the bill.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 1 minute ago, paulo m said: For people whom suffer from corrosive sweat ( shall we say) or people whom can make a set of strings become very dull & very dead quickly.... These strings fit the bill.... I eat through gold hardware very quickly (fortunately, I’m not keen on it aesthetically) and don’t have the best reaction to poorly cured nitro (yes, I’m looking at you Gibson and PRS). It seems I have the ‘right’ sweat for Cobalts - score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbogubson Posted March 27, 2021 Author Share Posted March 27, 2021 Thanks for the replies. my set haven’t corroded any more than the initial spots, so I must have cobalt friendly sweat too. It’s a shame they haven’t got this quite right, but I suppose if they changed the alloy to a more rust proof mix, the sound would change too. Are there any other flats that are similar to the cobalts? I’m not a big fan of chromes so would rule them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo m Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 20 hours ago, ezbass said: I eat through gold hardware very quickly (fortunately, I’m not keen on it aesthetically) and don’t have the best reaction to poorly cured nitro (yes, I’m looking at you Gibson and PRS). It seems I have the ‘right’ sweat for Cobalts - score! Funny' do you ever remember D'addario's XL Reds..? they marketed those as copper coated..? The outcome was Green & black finger ends... 😝 they briefly returned as EXP's but then dissapeered forever... These E.Bs Cobalts are expensive strings & if they don't sell in global figures.... They may hold the same fate...?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 No, the Reds must’ve passed me by. However, I’ve had some acoustic strings go the green route in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted March 28, 2021 Share Posted March 28, 2021 I’ve had cobalt flats on my thunderbirds for well over a year, and they’re still clean & bright with no rust, corrosion or discolouration. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbogubson Posted April 1, 2021 Author Share Posted April 1, 2021 On 28/03/2021 at 13:08, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: I’ve had cobalt flats on my thunderbirds for well over a year, and they’re still clean & bright with no rust, corrosion or discolouration. Think I’m gonna give them another go. They seem so right on my p bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 I absolutely love blue set (40 - 95) on the thunderbirds - I tried various other strings before finding these to be the perfect match in terms of feel & sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickA Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 No problem with mine. The second set I bought had a few spots on, easily removed with a scotch brite pad and didn't come back. Nice strings, but a bit "coloured" ( ie have a sound of their own ) . Took them off my fretless as it altered the sound too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbogubson Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 Just ordered another set so looking forward to putting fresh ones on. Hopefully without the rust! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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