Ernie Ball Pino Palladino flatwounds - £90 a set

[dave_bass5]

19 minutes ago, chris_b said:

I've been using a set of TI flats for the last 10 years. . . . and I sound exactly like Pino.

 

Well I sound like a bloke playing TI flats on a Precision bass, which is what Pino sounds like. I'm still working on the technique and bass lines though.

I think its easier to sound like Pino talking in Welsh than it is to sound like him playing bass 😀

[Steve Browning]

Pino used Rotosound Swing Bass strings to record with Paul Young. His Stingray is, apparently, on its 3rd fingerboard as a result. 

[Misdee]

l cannot help but think that PIno might have done some endorsements at this late stage in his career because he has one eye on retirement, or at least cutting back a bit. He's never really put his name to anything much before, and he could have done deals with any company in the world. 

 

It's the same with Geddy Lee and Geezer Butler. They never did endorsements until the later stages of their career. It's not just a coincidence. Getting paid a percentage on sales of your signature models can be a nice little earner that requires relatively little effort on the part of the artist.  I think they call it "passive income".

Edited July 31 by Misdee

[LeytonPlaysBass]

I hope you don’t mind me reviving the thread. I’ve had a set of the Pino flats on two basses, so I thought I’d give a little feedback from my experience. 

 

I’ve tried a number of different variations of flats on my Fender CS Sean Hurley precision, trying to find the set for it, but always found myself in the Goldilocks predicament: too much tension, not enough tension, too bright, bad intonation, etc. 

 

I’d tried Chromes, Elites, Thomastik, La Bella (stock on the Hurley), Fenders, Ernie Ball Cobalts, Ernie Ball Group Flats, and the newer Ernie Ball Group 2.5s. 

 

The set I eventually settled on were the La Bella Olinto Signature Flats, possibly as the gauges matched the Thomastiks PowerBass rounds I use on other basses. Nice tension, maybe sounded a little more roundwound but still a nice thud.  

 

Not long after I settled on the Olintos, I saw that the Pino sets were going to be released. I’m not a lover of EB strings in general, and I really didn’t like the cobalt flats, so you can imagine my joy when the Pino Signatures were a take on the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats….

 

Curiosity got the better of me, and I bought a set of the Extra Light 38-98 to pop on my Geddy Lee Jazz. Well, I took to them instantly.

 

Although they were lighter in tension than what I was used to in a flatwound set, more ‘bouncy’ than loose, they were a joy to play. I was surprised by just how much warm/rich bottom end they had and how the top end still sang and sustained when you played a harmonic. I found them nice and balanced tonally across all strings and they possessed a ‘played in’ feel as if they’d genuinely been on the bass for a while. 

 

I was so impressed, the next morning I took my Hurley bass to the shop and took the Olintos off (😬) and put an Extra Light Pino set on. Now, after a truss rod tweak, I have the set for the bass. It has all the characteristics as above on the Geddy but then it has ‘that sound’ when you dampen the strings with the side of your hand or engage the Hurley’s mute. 

 

Long story long, I was really concerned they would be a gimmick (and the recent feedback on the EB John Mayer Signature Silver Slinky’s we’d had didn’t fill me with optimism either) and it would be another set of EB Flats on and off in quick succession. However, I’m pleased to say that I was wrong to think that and for me, with or without Pino’s name on them, I think they are worth the money. The silk wraps are a pretty colour too. 

 

Apologies for the War & Peace post!

 

(A little OCD may have kicked in while stringing up the Hurley)

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by LeytonPlaysBass

[Steve Browning]

And you paid for them or didn't claim the input VAT (personal use of business assets).

 

Insert big smiley here!! 🙂

[LeytonPlaysBass]

3 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

And you paid for them or didn't claim the input VAT (personal use of business assets).

 

Insert big smiley here!! 🙂

I did indeed paid for them. I’m just in the fortunate position of being able to pay trade pricing instead of retail. 

 

I was trying to be helpful and provide context of what I had previously tried and a light hearted reference to what is an expensive pursuit of finding the right string in the Flatwound world. 😕

[Steve Browning]

1 hour ago, LeytonPlaysBass said:

I did indeed paid for them. I’m just in the fortunate position of being able to pay trade pricing instead of retail. 

 

I was trying to be helpful and provide context of what I had previously tried and a light hearted reference to what is an expensive pursuit of finding the right string in the Flatwound world. 😕

Indeed and thabk you. I hadmy tongue very firmly pressed into my cheek with my comment.

[HeadlessBassist]

I've never understood why people want to sound exactly like their heroes. I always took little tidbits from their techniques, like Rhino's creative use of very musical, but varied fills, Mark King's two handed semiquaver slap ideas, Victor Wooten's double thumbing and harmonics, Marcus Miller's parallel right arm slap technique, etc. But at the end of the day, I incorporated all these into my own style. I sound like me. You're never going to sound like Pino Palladino. "But if you spend £90 on our magic strings, you just might..."  Yeah, right.

 

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by HeadlessBassist

[ghostwheel]

33 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

I've never understood why people want to sound exactly like their heroes. I always took little tidbits from their techniques, like Rhino's creative use of very musical, but varied fills, Mark King's two handed semiquaver slap ideas, Victor Wooten's double thumbing and harmonics, Marcus Miller's parallel right arm slap technique, etc. But at the end of the day, I incorporated all these into my own style. I sound like me. You're never going to sound like Pino Palladino. "But if you spend £90 on our magic strings, you just might..."  Yeah, right.

I think it's rather "why don't give it a try despite the fact they're an artist signature ones."

An effing lot of people play TI Jazz flats, but they hardly sound like Pino, neither do they want to (at least, I suppose they don't).

In my humble opinion, it's just a very expensive set of strings. They might be good though.

 

 

P.S.: I assume Pino has never played those on any recording yet, so we actually don't know whether they sound "like Pino"  

Edited 2 hours ago by ghostwheel
post scriptum