jonnybass Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 It all depends on the bass Im using and how often. My Fretless got a brand new set of Thomastiks in 2018, I think they were around £40, still going strong and no need to change them. My four string jazz which is doing the most work at the moment, gets a set of Ernie ball hybrid slinky's (£19.99) every 6-8 weeks depending on gigs and weather. Not found a suitable set for my Sire V7 five string, its currently strung with my spare fairly fresh (March) Newtone 5 string Platinums (£40 odd quid including delivery) which i use for the ACG. I haven't gigged with the ACG since June last year, so just ordered a set of Newtones for it, but when gigging regularly they get changed every 3 months. Anyone recommend a decent 5 string set for the Sire? They need to be roundwound, Nickel, 45 to at least 130 standard Long scale? I prefer flexibility link Hybrid slinky's and Newtones...Preferably under £30 Do D'Addario do a set that meets this? Only tried a flatwound set a few years ago and didnt like them... Jonny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 6 minutes ago, jonnybass said: Anyone recommend a decent 5 string set for the Sire? They need to be roundwound, Nickel, 45 to at least 130 standard Long scale? I prefer flexibility link Hybrid slinky's and Newtones...Preferably under £30 Do D'Addario do a set that meets this? Only tried a flatwound set a few years ago and didnt like them... Warwick Red Label? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 I use Elixir nickels on everything. I like a reasonably bright tone with a bit of snap, and with Elixirs lasting as long as they do, this means I only have to replace them every 18 months or so. So with two working basses, one of which is a five, this means my string expenditure is effectively about £5 a month. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnybass Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 4 minutes ago, tauzero said: Warwick Red Label? Thank you, I'll investigate. I notice Warwick do a Red or Black label. Do you have any experience on the differences? Jonny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnybass Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 Cheers Rich, I tried Elixirs when they first came out (im that old) but really didnt like the feel, although the more I think about it, I was playing two-three times a week and loving Labella Hard Rockin steels on my basses then. I may take another look at these. Jonny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 2 minutes ago, jonnybass said: Thank you, I'll investigate. I notice Warwick do a Red or Black label. Do you have any experience on the differences? No, they came to mind because I've got them for a fretless 6 as they were the right gauge (40 rather than 45 in my case) and nickels. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 A set of Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats (43 - 136) for my 5-string - £70.00 on Amazon last May. I see they are £81.00 now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diskwave Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 My days of earning from this caper are long gone so now it's nothing. Chromes on my P bass are 17 yrs old and very nice....they may even do another 17, well see, if Im still around that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 54 minutes ago, jonnybass said: Do D'Addario do a set that meets this? Only tried a flatwound set a few years ago and didnt like them... D’Addario EXL170-5 are the ones you’ll probably like - 45-130 long scale nickel wounds. I’ve used the 4 string sets for decades with no bother. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 I only use flats on bass and never change them, I think the last set I bought was Labella's at about 50 quid? (not many choices when it comes to short scale 5 string flats) My Letts had a set of chromes just after i got it and they're still going strong, the '77 P-bass had some old ernie ball group flats when i got it 12 years ago? they're fine too. my short scale 4 string has GHS Precision flats. when i started playing i had a Yamaha RBX765 and used to fit the DR fat beams, they were expensive but i used to get about a year from a set so that was fine. I've got a set of Newtone stainless rounds for the short scale 54 string that will go on at some point. i think they were 38 quid? my EUB has some used Innovation reds that i bought from the classifieds a a bundle of about 15 strings for 50 quid. It's a bit different for my skinny stringers though, the acoustics only get the best (Newtone Heritage 12's) and the electrics get whatever i can get the cheapest deal on (currently quite enjoying the premium Harley Bentons but have some pyramid' nickels that were under 4 quid a set to try as well.) the price of strings has really rocketed in the last few years. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 Reading a few of the replies above, am I right in thinking that flats never ever need replacing? Don’t they lose tone / stretch / have intonation issues, even after a long time? I’ve rarely used them so just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 33 minutes ago, casapete said: Reading a few of the replies above, am I right in thinking that flats never ever need replacing? They desperately need replacing but for some reason some people prefer them to rounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 33 minutes ago, casapete said: Reading a few of the replies above, am I right in thinking that flats never ever need replacing? Don’t they lose tone / stretch / have intonation issues, even after a long time? I've had Dunlops and Adagio flats go dull after a couple of years (which is, hmm, I guess... 100 hours of playing?). But I also have some 10-year-old La Bella DTF which are going just fine. Ed Friedland mentions in one of his videos that he has some La Bella from the 1980s or whatever - but then again he also seems to have dozens or hundreds of basses, so I don't know how much playtime those strings have had. I'm assuming it's playing, and not just existing, which would dull them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 3 minutes ago, jrixn1 said: I'm assuming it's playing, and not just existing, which would dull them. So they do eventually dull after plenty of use then. I assumed this might be the case as the metal will surely show signs of deterioration (like rounds do), but just not so soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 50 minutes ago, casapete said: Reading a few of the replies above, am I right in thinking that flats never ever need replacing? Don’t they lose tone / stretch / have intonation issues, even after a long time? I’ve rarely used them so just curious. Ed Friendland has had a set of Labella flatwounds on his Precision for over a decade. He says they're just settling now Personally I can't wait that long, the set I got was replaced by roundwounds within a week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo85 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 3 minutes ago, casapete said: So they do eventually dull after plenty of use then. I assumed this might be the case as the metal will surely show signs of deterioration (like rounds do), but just not so soon. The problem is defining "dull". If I remember correctly, this guy's bass has had TIs on since 2012 or something like that. They most certainly sound less bright and growly than they did when new. Is it a problem, or an improvement? Some people put hand cream or vaseline on their new flatwounds to make them age quickly so they lose brightness and get more thumpy (I have done it myself). The whole point of flats for many (most?) is to have that thumpy sound, and flatwounds do not really get to their best sound before a certain amount of time. I suppose there may be a point where they have aged too much, but the threshold for that is down to personal taste 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickyk Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 Flats much quieter overall ,so better for beginners and playing at home IMHO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) Nowt, 'cos I use flats. I'm currently have about £350 worth of new sets sitting on the shelf. At some point I'll have to admit to myself that I'm never going to get around to using them. Edited September 7, 2023 by wateroftyne 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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