Slinky Flatwound

Do not cut these strings to length! Wrap them per the instructions inside the package. They fit a 34 inch scale Fender bass just fine and they are nearly the size that I would cut them to if I were installing regular strings. This particular bass has smaller diameter posts than a normal Precision or Jazz bass does and I was still able to wrap the full length of the strings easily. The key reason is that the inner wire is much thinner and more flexible than on the bass strings I'm accustomed to using. If they fail or unravel I will follow up this review. The sound is unique and I like it. 2 other bass players also played the strings liked the sound. Not a normal flat sound (which is a great sound). This may change as the strings age. I think these would sound good on a fretless bass and I may try that in the future. The guage is 45-65-85-105 and they feel great. It seems to me that the string tension is high but there is no way for me to measure that. It might be why people hear a brightness in the sound? It does not feel like a stiff string when played. These are smooth strings. The tonal balance between strings was perfect. Very enjoyable to play. I hope they last a good long time. I am looking forward to some sound difference as they age. I'm not sure what that will be but it happens to all strings over time. The best endorsement that I could give is that I immediately thought about buying more for other basses. I feel that the price is just right for these strings. If they were more expensive, I would be inclined to buy LaBella flats or D'Addario Chromes instead. I have used Ernie Ball strings for 20ish years and they always perform well so I'm glad they have flatwound strings.

High quality flat wound strings. They fit rather nicely on my Fender Precision Bass Q: Comparable to TI Jazz Flats? A: Almost. They wrap around the machine heads quite easily. No need to trim them down. They have a lower tension for a hex core then most others. Comparable to most round core strings. Very bright when they're new. If you're looking for a flat wound that has some of the round wound characteristics, look no further.

. . . these are excellent strings IF you like throaty, meaty, articulate in a good way bass tones -- which is also what TIs provide. These are what I think of when I think bass guitar sound. I play solid, up-tempo, catchy, riff-based, melodic, pop/rock/surf/punk. I am NOT nor will I ever be a slapper. These EB cobalt flats are soft to the touch but not too soft, residing in a Goldilocks zone for me. The TIs are a tad softer, maybe a tad smoother but honestly if you didn't have them side-by-side on identical basses, as I did, you might not be able to tell. Coming from a guitar player's perspective who never before played bass beyond casual noodling, who recently auditioned 14 different bass guitar brands, with mostly different strings on each, and who is 90% of the time using a pick (Dunlop Tortex .60 mm), I would be (and will be) happy to continue to use these as my mains on one of my basses. The TIs are on the other bass, and it was my first time using those too. There, instantly, I understood why most bassists regard TIs in such a high stature. They have a certain je ne sais quoi when playing them -- tone and feel. These EB cobalts are not worse, just different, but they ARE in the same category as the TIs, at $25 less. McLaren vs Ferrari. IDK, personally I think if you can swing it, it's worth it to have both. Knowing what I know now, why anyone would ever want to play the stock Fender rounds after playing these EBs or TIs is a complete and utter mystery to me. Yet that diversity is what makes life interesting.

These strings have the brightness of a roundwound and the feel of a flatwound. I play many genres, so a versatile string is important to me. On my P bass, I can roll the tone all the way off and get some really articulate low mids in my tone. With a mute, they have an excellent Motown thump. They are also fantastic for slap. I only need to turn the tone knob up to 40 or 50% with a fresh pack; they have plenty of room to mellow out and still maintain their clarity. With the tone wide open, you can absolutely shred some rock or metal tunes. I initially purchased the hybrid set (45-105) and after 5 hours of practice in a day I noticed my fretting hand was getting sore. I bought one gauge lighter (40-95) and these have similar flexibility to the 45-105 set of roundwounds I'm used to. The lighter gauge 40-95 set is much easier on the fretting hand. It has a brighter slap and pop tone, as well as a bit more clarity above the 12th fret. The hybrid set is warmer. Both sound really good, it's mostly just down to personal preference. Any tone difference can be dialed out with some EQ.

I replaced more expensive LaBella Deep Talking' Flats with these on my fretless bass. The LaBellas are dull, thuddy and lifeless. These strings did exactly what I hoped for, they feel and play like flats, sound warm, lively and keep enough of the high frequency to provide a slight bite to the sound, (but not as much as you get with roundwounds). The only reason I gave 4 not 5 stars is because they stupidly come coated in something that feels like WD40 and leaves your fingers feeling oily after playing. Also I don't want oil (or whatever it is) on my bass's fingerboard. I didn't notice until I had installed the strings, so now I need to take them off and clean them and the fingerboard with denatured alcohol or something. Other than that these are exactly what I was hoping to find sonically.

Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt Flatwound strings are the best flatwound bass strings ever invented by mankind. Period. These strings are pricey compared to round wound stainless steel or round wound nickel bass strings, but they last 3 times longer and are totally worth the cost. I have EB Cobalt Flats on 4 of my 14 basses.... Sterling Stingray 5 HH, Sire Marcus Miller V5 (jazz bass) Fretless, Fender Player Precision and Fender Vintera 60's Jazz. These strings eliminate finger noise and sound similar to round wound strings with zing and mid-range growl. Not quite a piano-like tone like fresh rounds, but that kind of tone is not needed for classic bass tones. I was always disappointed with average flat wound strings. Thought they were dull sounding and lifeless. EB Cobalt flats are anything but dull and keep their tone even after months of playing. Highly recommended for bassists who want a long lasting string with a much better tone and range than typical flatwound strings on the market. A+++

I've seen few reviews of this string. So, as a bassist with decades of experience and having newly installed a set of Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt Flats (product number 2816), I would like to share my impressions. I used to play flatwounds years ago but have been a roundwound player for about ten years. First off, these are not your father's flatwounds. Now, granted, I am an old-school player, preferring finger style over most other approaches to bass playing. I have to admit I wouldn't pay to hear myself slap but these are the first flatwounds I have played in which, IMHO, a bright slap sound is easily attainable. The strings harmonics are surprisingly good too, especially for a flatwound. I prefer Fender Jazz basses and own a few but I have been particularly frustrated with trying to get the sound I want out of a 2009 Fender American Deluxe Jazz V. This bass's active circuitry is quite strong, especially the treble and bass controls. If you look at the frequency response pattern for the new Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats you will see a bell curve with mids at the high point. This curve allows me to push the bass and treble controls, harnessing the power of this Jazz bass's 18 volt circuitry. Mids. We all know that herein lies the frequency range that will allow a bassist to cut through the mix and be heard. The problem I have had with this lovely bass is that, with nearly every roundwound string set I have tried, and I have tried many, the mids take on almost a nasal quality. Not good. And I don't think I have the technical knowledge to explain why these new strings respond in this manner but the mids sound, to my ear, like bass mids should. I can now use the full range of the mid control on this Jazz bass. This allows me to both be heard in the mix and to hear myself better on stage, but if I want a sound sans mids, I just roll the mid control off. The range of sounds I am getting with these strings is really nice, all the way from a Santana-like chest-thumping bass to an articulate Jaco-esque sound. For your reference, I play in a band that covers classic rock, blues, boogie, alternative, some pop and some southern rock. I play Markbass heads into Ampeg 10” bottoms. I cannot yet say how they will sound after months but I change strings a lot anyway. I look forward to using them in the studio. So, in summary, if you have experienced similar tone challenges with one of your basses, I would recommend you give these strings a shot. Again IMHO, Ernie Ball has redefined the flatwound bass string with this new product.

Best Bass strings

As cordas possuem um timbre super brilhante e com graves bem definidos, proporcionando então um sustem incrivel. Até mesmo nos slaps (que é a preocupação para alguns baixistas com esse tipo de corda), elas me surpreenderam bastante. Só tive um pequeno contratempo para encaixar a corda (E) no meu contrabaixo, mas deu tudo certo.

Nickel. L'alliage des cordes donne un son bien clair. C'est un parfait substitut pour cordes a filets ronds

First time using flatwounds and OMG I’m love with these. I can see why they are so popular and pricey.

Ótimo encordoamento, a um bom preço.

品質管理が出来ていないと思います。弦の一部が黒く汚れてました。音に影響はないので、返品はしませんでしたが、この製品には、このようなコメントが多いですね。