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Ernie Ball Slinky Flats


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  • 3 weeks later...

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1431896533' post='2776065']
Do you mean Cobalt flats? The normal EB flats are just repackaged Chromes.
[/quote]
NO, THEY ARE NOT. They used to be a generation ago. Then EB had someone else make the strings. I don't know if they are made in-house, or by a third party vendor, but the normal EB flats are definitely NOT the same as Chromes. I have played and studied both. They have different wraps and silks. The tone of Chromes is zing fading to thump over time. The EB's are a subdued growl.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I bought 2 sets of these while visiting the USA. I had a D string break (a replacement is on it's way) but robbed one from the other set and put them on my Sandberg Umbo which seems like a good match.
They are quite bright, a little more so than Status half-rounds for instance, and by use of a passive tone control, can obtain sounds from roundwound-ish to flatwound-ish.
What it seems to do best however is it's own sound which combines the qualities of both. It has the percussive sound of a roundwound with the thump of a flat.
As an all round string this may be what I have been looking for. I will report back when I've done my first gig with them.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I just put a set of the Cobalt Flats on my Crescent Moon fretless today. So far they kind of remind me of SIT Silencers sound wise, but with a much smoother feel. I'm off to a gig right now, will check back in after I see how that goes. I've had T-I Jazz flats on this bass for nearly all of the last 12 years and just wanted to take a flyer on a serious change. The EB's are that, for sure -- I can actually really hear the Q-Tuners in there for the first time.

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[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1440525979' post='2851616']
SIT Silencers are already pretty smooth![/quote]

Indeed, and I like them a whole lot. They actually seem fairly sticky compared to the EBs though, although I have very different gauges between the two -- I'm using the 40-95 set for the cobalts since that is closest to the T-Is that the bass was built for. Last night I got to play sets in a few different styles and found that copping the sound of T-Is that I have used forever on this bass was no problem at all. When I started digging in more or otherwise playing more aggressively the effort was generally rewarded rather than punished though, which I am quite happy about. These string are keepers for me as long as they hold up reasonably well, I think.

Edited by Passinwind
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[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1440542980' post='2851866']
That's interesting because when I tried the EB flats they felt rougher than the Silencers. Those Silencers had been on a year though, so.
[/quote]

The light gauge set that I have has only been out for a month or two AFAIK. There have been a few heavier sets of the Cobalt Flats out for a while longer, and the early pics looked pretty rough compared to the current spec. The Silencers on my other bass are at least 2-3 years old IIRC. The Cobalts I have are slightly stickier and coarser in texture than Jazz Flats, but only slightly. Given all the breakage and dead string reports, maybe you just tried a bummer set, or I just got an extra nice one.

[b]Edit for pics just taken:[/b]

SIT Silencers:



Ernie Ball Extra Slinky Flats:

Edited by Passinwind
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Having used the Cobalt flats live at a jam night a few times I can report that I really like them and also, having heard people play my bass, they really sit in the mix perfectly.

The initial stickiness wears off ( I gave my second set a helping hand with a non stick scourer and methylated spirit before stringing) and the tone has all the character of a good flat with some roundwound punch and brightness without string noise.

Having tried most of the strings that aim to operate between flats and rounds these are [b]by far [/b]my favourites and will be my go-to string in future.

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[quote name='Opticaleye' timestamp='1440590544' post='2852177']
The initial stickiness wears off ( I gave my second set a helping hand with a non stick scourer and methylated spirit before stringing) and the tone has all the character of a good flat with some roundwound punch and brightness without string noise.[/quote]

I'm guessing that stickiness is what LDTF experienced, I have seen quite a few other references to it. The strings I just received don't have that, so hopefully EB will be able to achieve that in all gauges going forward. I am not one to be impressed all that easily, but I actually said "wow" when I hit the first pluck on the first string I installed.

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  • 1 month later...

Yo, i have just had my Stingray hh de-fretted and 40-95 cobalt flat wounds put on it, so far i'm not too impressed. The sound is fine but the feel of these strings is very sticky. I'm hoping that this is just because they are brand new and need a little wearing in. I know that i chose light gauge but these do have a very ropey-tinny quality to them.

I have 40-95 ernie ball round wounds on my fretted which i love and am used to, also i have 40-95 flat wounds (not cobalt) on another fretless which are also fine which leads me to believe that the whole clangy sticky feel is because they are cobalt.

I'll probably write on here again in couple of days insisting that they are great, switching strings is going to feel strange at first.

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