Has anyone tried the Thomastik flat wound stirngs. I have tried them on an electric geetar, liked them.
Has anyone tried the Thomastik flat wound stirngs. I have tried them on an electric geetar, liked them.
Throw my wife out the window, a kiss.
Lots of people here have used them. IMHO, the pros are:
> No break in to speak of. They sound good as soon as you put them on.
> Very easy on the fingers.
> Easy to do slides with.
> Last a very long time.
> Very mellow. No tinniness or brassiness at all. For that reason, they are a great choice to "upgrade" an inexpensive mando that tends to be tinny.
Cons:
> They are too darn expensive
> They lack the punch and volume of other strings
> I have had breakage problems on the wound A multiple times, on two different mandos that I have never had breakage problems with on any other string. This is especially onerous when they are so expensive. This was with "mittle" or medium, sets.
All that being said, I am considering trying the "stark" or heavy, set on one of my mandos again.
Thanx....It seems that there is as much or more positive for the JM-11s. I don't want to lose bass, in fact, I tried rebar sized strings trying to get basser and discovered that I got more bass out of liter strings. I am currently using Ernie Ball Earthwood 2067's. Easy on the fingers and plenty of volume.
Throw my wife out the window, a kiss.
What Johnny said.
John, I tried the starks some time ago on my OW and really didn't like the sound at all. I hope your experience is different. The mittels worked best, IMHO. That being said, JM-11s do the trick at a much lower cost and still last forever.
TI's are the only strings I use.
I put a set on my '24 Gibson A, it's now much easier to play and sounds wonderful. Might try a set of the jazzmando strings next time.
Seth
Shana Aisenberg
http://www.sethausten.com
Fisoma supersolos are pretty good
I really liked TIs, but... They were on my Yellowstone when I bought it, and I put a couple more sets on, but the last time I broke a string putting it on, and the cost was just too much. JM-11s are an excellent likeness, but that said, I still ended up using J-74s, which are sold two-for-one at my local store (finally -- they used to carry only J-62s).
Brian T. Walker
Down beside the Alamo
In the Lone Star State
"Ignorance is when you don't know something and somebody finds it out."
-- Kenneth "Jethro" Burns
TI Starks, you'll get the bass you want and they last for almost six months. I've been using them for around three years now, and have never broken one yet. Sometimes I get to flailing pretty hard too! Plenty of volume out of my F5-G. It can be heard just fine along with a couple of amplified Martin flatpickers! Buy them from Ted at Jazmando.com for the best deal.
Good Pickin', Steve
I use the mediums and love them. The price may sound high but considering how long they last I don't think they are expensive. I use a set for at least 6 months so just using round numbers $30 / 6 = $5.00 per month. I have had problems with the silk like winding coming off the end of the As right out of the package but the distributer was very quick to replace them.
Ive been hooked on the heavy TIs for several years and they are actually cheaper in the long run----just less changing=less work.....but the real reason I use them is the wound A string, it is the ultimate feel for me(and they are the only that I know of with the wound A) I love the feel of the flat wounds and I love the tone....I wish they offered a wound E string too....by the way...I have never broken a TI string of any thickness out of about 8 sets over several years...I dont think I gave up much, if any volume, and feel like I got a much smoother tone.....they are not for everyone, so you have to try themn yourself
I just put a set of starks o my Hamlett F4, and they sound and feel great. Better than anything I have had on there to date.
Can anyone tell me how the T.I.'s perform with the very heavy picks like the Tortis and Wegens? I'm pretty heavy handed, but I don't tend to break too many strings. I hit hard though, even when amped. Very hard on chops.
Dedicated Ovation player
Avid Bose user
I used a set of starks on my MT with the Wegen M150 and loved the sound. A little, but not drastic, reduction in volume and nice tone. I think a set is in order for trial on the Flatiron. Maybe it ain't the way Ol' Bill would've done it but they work just fine for Monroe/Compton style I've found.
There are three kinds of people: those of us that are good at math and those that are not.
Thanks John,
I'm an Irish picker and want that woody, deep green sound. I think I'll try a set of starks just for kicks. I can always write them off anyway!
Dedicated Ovation player
Avid Bose user
Been down the TI road, and the JM-11 road...now I'm back to J74's..
StringComparison
-Soupy1957
Breedlove Crossover FF SB
“The weather was so bad even my iPhone was shaking!”
-SDC
I use a Wegan m150 pick and T-I mediums on both of my Collings. I've never broken a string but I play with a fairly light touch.
Thanx for all the comments. With TIs three flavors: Stark, Mittle, and Weich, selecting one... with a little counseling... would be appreciated.
I have narrowed the decision down to two. The Stark I have omitted from the selection (currently I prefer the EBL 2067, 9-34) so staying with similar weight gives one a bench mark.
My question, I guess, which TI will have more volume. The medium or 'soft'?
Just to experiment I am ordering a set of JM-11s with the set of TIs from JazzMando as soon as 'they' get back from vacation.
JazzMando seems to have as good a price as one can find on the web.
Throw my wife out the window, a kiss.
I would recomend the Mittles. They are 10-33, so they are the closest to your set. as As I have said, I have had breakage problems on the Mittle .15 and I would worry about the Light wound A string being only .14. That is plenty thick on a non-wound string, but not a wound one.
I just put Starks on my Breedlove Friday (2 nights ago tonight), & immediately thought, why did I wait! No intonation problem with the A, great balanced tone, beautiful feel.
I wouldn't go lighter than Mittel, unless you're stringing a Fragile instrument.
I like Ted & his JM-11's, but I've had too much trouble with Labella's string quality, & decided to give up & spend the bucks.
Elrod
Gibson A2 1920(?)
Breedlove Cascade
Washburn 215(?) 1906-07(?)
Victoria, B&J, New York(stolen 10/18/2011)
Eastwood Airline Mandola
guitars:
Guild D-25NT
Vega 200 archtop, 1957?
I have had the same set of TI Starks on my mando for at least 2 and 1/2 years and consider them just reaching maturity. The tone is still sweet and with warmth not to be believed.
John
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