JazzMando strings are great!

[erick]

The new JazzMando flatwound strings from LaBella ( marketed by our esteemed moderator, Ted) are fantastic! They play just like normal flatwounds, but sonically they're almost a cross between regular round wounds and Thomastiiks. I was never especially happy playing Thomastiks, but figured there was nothing else in the flatwound world. What a difference the JazzMando strings are- much more treble, more attack, more life. Too soon to tell how long they'll last, but for now I'm a convert. Cheaper than the T's as well....
Eric Kilburn

[groveland]

Too soon to tell how long they'll last, but for now I'm a convert.

Ha! I bought a dozen of Ted's sets. I play a lot - At least a couple hours a day, more if possible. Yet I rarely need to change strings... Of course, I don't have much to compare against anymore, because it's been a few years and I'm still on that first dozen! (This from a guy who used to change guitar strings every week, and on some gigs, every night.) At that rate, can Ted ever make a living selling those things? They do seem to last. :grin:

[TomTyrrell]

<< Too soon to tell how long they'll last >>

If you are one of those people, like me, who likes to try a lot of different strings to see how they react with a particular mandolin the JMs last way to d*** long!

[Al Bergstein]

You guys playing plugged in or amped by mic?

[JEStanek]

I'm a fan too. Great feeling, mellow tone, long life.

Jamie (plays them unplugged)

[sgarrity]

I just bought two sets for my oval hole. I'm looking forwatd to seeing how I like them. Based on the reviews I've read here, they should be great.

[swampstomper]

Well, YMMV, they are not for everyone. I got a set for Christmas last year (I asked for the Loar but all she gave me were strings and picks -:(), put them on my Ithaca Stringed Instruments oval-hole that I use for jazz-like things, and was underwhelmed. Plugged in they were very responsive but acoustically they were too bland for **my** taste -- you may really like them. I suppose it's partly what you're used to. They sure are a major change from the J74-type, including the SIT strings I normally use, and even are much mellower, more "neutral", than EXP74's. But I agree with above poster, I love to experiment.

[DougC]

I find that different sets of strings send out a different set of vibrations and harmonics. Every mandolin has a different way of dampening these things.

My Collings MT loves Thomastik strings but I get some unwanted overtones with the JM11's. I love the JM11's for their round, mellow sound and smooth, soft feel under my fingers. Are the strings thinner than Thomastic 154's ?

I'm going back to GHS LSB250's. They make that MT really sing and the whole mandolin vibrates in a great way. I hope they feel as soft as the flat wound strings.

It's fun trying different strings. I started out with J74's and they were too high pitched, and very loud. Great for punchy bluegrass chops and pretty nice tone on individual notes but mellow - they are not.

I tried some John Pearse 2150's and they had less tone quality than the J74's. Loads of chop and volume. If I had to bang out things in a big bluegrass band and try keeping up with a banjo, well maybe...they also felt stiff under my fingers. Ouch!

[Patrick Sylvest]

I love them on my Eastman oval.

[erick]

I use them on a Phoenix Jazz which I mic with an AudioTechnica ATM-350 lavalier that clips onto an appendage I made for my tone gard. The Phoenix Jazz is a lightly braced instrument that's very responsive, especially in the treble end of things, and it can't handle the string tension of J74's. With Thomastiks, it never cut through well enough at gigs with my swing band. Last night I did a gig with the JazzMando strings and everyone noticed the improvement- the solos came through the mix much better and chord chops had more bite.

I still prefer roundwound JS74's on my Hilburn F5, but that instrument has a totally different sound than the Phoenix. The Phoenix with flatwounds is mellower and more refined and slightly easier to play on long gigs where my hands are a bit out of shape like they were last night. The Hilburn may sound fine with flats, but I love the rich tone and wide range of possiblities I can get from it with the JS74's. On gigs where there's more blues, bluegrass, or rockabilly, the Hilburn always gets the call.

As always YMMV-
EricKilburn