BottomEndian Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I've just got hold of an Ibanez BTB775, and I'm interested in trying out some flatwounds on it at some point. Just a couple of limiting factors here: [list] [*]35" scale length, so the strings need to be extra-long. [*]Monorail bridges: these don't look like they'd be able to take a 130-gauge B-string wound at full thickness to the ball-end. They come installed with a taperwound 130, and the E-string at 105 looks like pretty much the limit for these bridges. You'd maybe get a 110 in it. [/list] So, first question: Anybody here ever put flats on their monorail-bridged 5-string? If so, what were they? Failing that, the second question: Anybody know of an extra-long scale 5-string flatwound set with a taperwound B? The only one I've found is the Sadowsky SBF45BXL. Third question: Anyone tried the Sadowsky SBF45BXL set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wotnwhy Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 i've used quite a few sets of flatwounds on my Shuker, which i believe has the same monorail bridges as the BTB and i've never had trouble with fitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 [quote name='wotnwhy' post='422338' date='Mar 1 2009, 01:03 PM']i've used quite a few sets of flatwounds on my Shuker, which i believe has the same monorail bridges as the BTB and i've never had trouble with fitting.[/quote] Awesome. What's the thickest gauge you've got on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wotnwhy Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 i've used 130's at times, can't remember wether they were flatwounds or not, but shouldn't make a difference. string guages are not something i seem to be able to commit to memory, don't even know what guage are on now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 [quote name='wotnwhy' post='422506' date='Mar 1 2009, 06:15 PM']i've used 130's at times, can't remember wether they were flatwounds or not, but shouldn't make a difference. string guages are not something i seem to be able to commit to memory, don't even know what guage are on now...[/quote] Well, as luck would have it, I found a spare set of D'Addarios with a 135-gauge B as I was clearing out a cupboard. A quick check, and indeed it fits in with no problem. And that's a full-thickness, untapered roundwound 135 with clumsy, lumpen ends. Looks were very deceptive with these bridges. So I should have no problem with a 130 flat. Problem solved. If only everything on Basschat was this simple. Just as an aside, looking at the Shuker website, their monorails look quite different to the Ibanez ones. The Shuker bridges seem to have the ball-end visible at the back of the bridge, kind of in a similar position to where they'd be on a standard bridge. If you look at [url="http://resources.ibanez.com/resourceservicehost/images/Ibanez/web/insets/zoom/BTB676PBAM_bartolini_pus.jpg"]this picture[/url] of the Ibanez monorails, you can see how the ball-end is kind of seated deep down inside the bridge. It's almost semi-strung-through, which is where I thought the problem might lie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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