FLATWOUND strings Shootout / Fender Precision AVRI 62 - BASS PILLS 

I remind everyone that the strings are not new, but they all already have many km... and in our opinion it was the most sincere way to compare flats

Thomastick and Labella.

The Fenders are my favorite and this video confirms it. I like the wiry bite in the high mids and a more subtle low mid. Really round sounding.

isolated 0% tone 2:33 - ernie ball 3:11 - d'addario 3:49 - thomastik 4:28 - fender 5:06 - labelle

My vote is for Thomastiks, my favourite tension and very well balanced

It’s been Chromes for me for many many years now . Tryed all the others numerous times and over time the chromes have a consistent feel and sound for much longer

The Fender set was brighter than I anticipated with more overtones. The Chromes had a nice low-mid punch 👊.

Great comparison. Very helpful. Thank you!

Proper comparison format. Useful thanks.

I prefer D'addario 👍👍👍

Nice comparison! I was a little surprised by the results. I would have liked to see GHS Precision Flats and Labella Deep Talking' Bass in there as well.

Thanks for this comparison. Beginner here, I just bought the d'addario (not necessarily my fav but the ones readily available in my area) and I'm excited to try them out!

WOW... The TIs sound vastly superior to the others to my ears!

I liked the Fender the best, and was a little surprised that they were Stainless Steel. However, I play roundwounds so the Fenders wer the closest to what I’m used to hearing.

I was surprised that I preferred the Chromes in the blind test. I find them quite "zingy" new, but it looks like they settle in nicely. Really like the Labellas, too.

Great comparison, thanks!

Great video! A very useful methodical demonstration. I hoped to like the Thomastik more, but that's why those video are for. Thanks

🙌🏽 Great demo!

They all sound awesome! I've never used all those strings except that La Bella on my P now, and I'm very satisfied with the tone and feel. Great video!

Thomastic and Labellas... by ear and not surprised at all...

I knew 5 was the LaBella strings as soon as I heard them. Been playing those strings for years.

Thanks so much for this demo. I know how hard it is to set this up and edit. This helps out SO much!

Great comparison video! My preferences are for La Bella first and D'Addario second.

Blind test, fingerstyle, Pick, slow playing to allow develop the tone, using all 4 strings, no gap between the different stringtests for perfect remember by ear, with and without drums, different toneknob settings = a realy awesome test. Thank you

Thanks so much for the comparison, really shows how different the same type of strings can sound! Played with fingers and tone wide open, I preferred the Ernie Ball and the Thomastik, followed by the Chromes and the LaBellas. With tone closed, I preferred the Ernie Ball. The Thomastik lacked a little in the fundamentals of the E/A strings in comparison. So far a real surprise, I didn't expect that! But as soon as you switches to the pick, I found the Ernie Ball to have far too much sustain and too little thump. I liked the thump of the Chromes and the LaBellas, but found the difference between the E/A and the D/G strings too harsh. Even though the Thomastik had less thump, they were very well balanced across the strings. So in the end, they win for me all around. The Fender on the other hand are the ones I didn't like at all. Sounded like roundwounds to me. That's not what I want from flats, but for anyone looking for the feel of flats with a sound as close to rounds as possible, this might be a perfect match. Right now, I have Chromes on my P style bass (Aria RSB Standard), and I recognized that tone. The Rumblekat that I recently bought currently has Rotosound flats, which I also like. But I have no idea which part of the sound is the bass and which is the strings. At least I can tell that unplugged the Rumblekat with Rotosounds sounds a lot brighter than the P style with Chromes.

La bella LTF have the depth and character.

Thanks for the string shootout! I was surprised to hear how dead those chromes sounded, though. My experience with them is that they take ages to lose their brightness. Likewise, I was surprised by how bright the fenders sounded! Guess I just forgot what they sound like when new (3 mo is still pretty new for flats. Mine are about 4yr old now).

Thanks for this! I only ever use Chromes but I've been thinking of experimenting with some other flats. The Labella sounded really nice!

They all sound good. I just love the low tension feel of TI strings.

1:14 ernie ball 1:25 d’addario 1:36 thomastik 1:48 fender 1:59 la bella

My ranking: 1.Labella LTF's 2. Fender 3. TI Jazz Flats 4. Daddario 5.Ernie Ball. I would have liked to have heard the EB Slinky Flats in with those. I had a set and really liked them but sold that bass. I have the Fender Flats on a jazz bass and it sounds excellent with those on it.

Also the Fenders, have them on my P-bass and just some people are saying, it has a bit of a sharper bite than all the others and that's what I like about it.

1. La Bella 2. T.I. 3. Chromes (rarely do you hear the sound of broken in chromes which is a disservice to them)

The Ernie Balls are the closest to Roundwounds. I believe for somebody who wants Flatwounds for the feeling but the sound more then Roundwounds will be happy with the EB

Great job. I'd like to add a few more to consider that are good: The Optima RB flats (exceptional string of very high quality); Pyramid Gold (nothing better, but not cheap); S.I.T. Powerflats (a little high on tention like the Fenders, but a very good string with even output).

I liked the chromes .

My choices best to worst: 1. Thomastik and La Bella tied. Both sounded great in all situations. 2. Chromes. What I use on my PJ. 3. Fender. Sounded more like rounds to me. 4. Ernie Ball. Pretty unusable from my perspective.

THANK YOU!!! This is the way comparisons should be done!! Same bass, same player, same EQ's. I really do appreciate it. I'm looking for a set of flats for my Squier P. What's tension like between the sets?? I'm liking the EB, Fender and Thomastiks. Keep it up man, and awesome groovin!!

I like the Ernie Ball strings best. The pick sound reminds of the Pixies.

Amazing comparison man. (Pick with the tone off would have been nice though). I like those Fenders.

The first time I tried Thomastik I truly hated them I just did not like that sloppy loose feel so after a few days I put the Ghs flats back on, a few years later I decided to give them another try and by accident just foolin around with string height I took them so low they were almost on the frets but the amazing thing was they played like butter with no buzz and I would have thought taking them lower would have made them feel even looser but no they felt much better and sounded great they have been on the bass 4 years and I have no reason to change them.

I voted 3 and 5 ... i have both set so maybe i wasnt partial .. great test

I liked the La Bella's the most but I use Fenders on my P bass because I play in two very different sounding bands and need the versatility.

my choice would be daddario or la bella

Got 3 of 5 just on the color of the silks!!!

Excellent test, really glad you broke in the strings first 😊

I put Fender flats on all my basses (because they have a nice price/quality ratio to my ears), and during the blindtest I prefered the 4th set. I think there might be a bias here, but I am ok with it!

I was able to tell them apart using the color of the silk at the headstock. Otherwise, i would never have guessed.

Based on this demonstration, it’s between the chromes and the la bellas for my purposes, which really surprised me. Did not expect to like the D’addarios that much. I’m going for as dark, round and clear as possible.

D'Addario then Labella's.

Nice, missing cobalt flats only. :)

D'addario for me

TIs on my P and never looked back. That bass sits in a band mix like nothing else I've owned. The tension is great and they are really responsive to attack. The only reason I put LaBellas on my 32" scale bass is that TI doesn't make strings for it.

So interesting with opinions. I liked the EB best and going from the EBs to the Chromes to me gave an obvious lack of body in tone. Did you use the same gauge on the Chromes (50-105) as on the EBs? Other than that it’s pretty clear that less tension gives a more ‘clanky’, rubbery sound but less low mid push. Thanks for a good and ambitious test 👍🏻

EB: Too bright, sound like round wounds. Chromes: Darkest/smoothest sound. Best sounding strings when used with a pick. TI: Very close to chromes, slightly brighter though. Fender: brightest of them all, almost sounds like round wound. no thanks. LB: Sits in the middle. Medium brightness. Mellow but not as dark as the Chromes. My personal ranking, favorite to least: #1 Chromes. #2 LB. #3 TI. #4 EB. #5 Fender. Definitely not seeing the nearly $100 price tag being worth it for the Thomastiks, at least on this bass. Coincidentally, I've been using those Chromes for years, and as soon as he started playing them, I was like "yep, i know that sound." Funny. Excellent demo my friend!

Naturalmente è questione di gusti, ma ho apprezzato di più le Labella

D'Adarrio is the only strings I play. Flatwounds and rounds alike. Also the only strings I use for my second instrument as well the electric guitar (yes I know that's blasphemy on a bass channel).

TIs for sure, followed by D'Addarios and LaBella . . .(But, depends on the Bass)

Nice comparison! I love the feel of Thomastik’s, but still not sure what my favorite flat is!

I did a similar test a few years ago. We should compare notes at some point.

The issues to have in mind with all string comparison video demos like this: It's fine that we hear these flats compared in fresh and new condition but we'll never hear them compared with equal and significant amounts of break-in time which matters quite a lot with flatwound strings. We also can't visualize from any video how these strings feel and respond in hands; how stiff or loose the strings are, surface texture vs smoothness, thump vs punch, etc. Experienced players know this.

I have LaBella's on my Precision. They are the only flats I've ever used extensively. I think they will always get the nod for classic flat wound Motown sound since that's what James Jamerson used. They are the real deal. However, there are other flat wound sounds. Paul Mac, Jack Casady, and others. Super loose and sloppy with the perfect floppy string noise: (Jack Casady on Hendrix's Voodoo Chile.) String tension has a lot to do with the characteristics and punchiness. Flats tend to have higher tension, but not always. My LaBella's are higher tension and very big and punchy.

Funny this shootout should just drop. Two week ago I got a set of D'addario flats same as what you demod only they're 40-95. I never played anything but Round wounds because I'm primarily a old school Hardcore (NYHC/Massachusetts and LA style as well) player who does a lot of punk and 80s-90s Rock, Heavy Metal. You know turns out the Flatwounds actually work better for my style than rounds. Who would of thought it? Guess Steve Harris had it right all along. Btw very thorough, excellent shoot out.

Love it but splitting hairs - they all sound great and I’m going to say it’s more about feel vs tone cuz in a mix any major difference is mooooot

Great comparison in many ways; blind test, used flats, same bass lines, with and without drums. Nicely done. How much less tension are the LaBellas compared to the Chromes?

TIs!!

I used the same flatwounds for about 6 years. I know that sounds crazy but I just enjoyed the tone. Wasn’t broke so I didn’t fix

Fender 45 - had best consistent range - IMO....also I apparently have a nickel reaction on my fingers as of late(?)...so i guess SS is the only thing I can use now :(

D'addario.

La Bella stands out as the warmest, the flatwoundiest. The strings i normally use, Thomastic, are in between the LaBella and Fender, but closer to the Fender I think. Nor sure about the chromes. The Fenders are the most agressive, but i think that can be controlled, and I can buy 3 sets of those for the price of one package of Thomastics. So, hmmmm....It's not like I will ever need to buy new strings though, lol.

I love the EB Group flats. Such a great mix tone. Joe Dart can’t be wrong!

Man what is it the D’Addario flats sound good

Volevo indovinare in maniera onesta, ma la seta delle corde mi ha dato la soluzione 😂 Belle squillanti le Fender, stranamente "morte" le Chromes, Labella e Thomastik molto distanti come sonorità ma bellissime entrambe. Non mi hanno fatto impazzire le Ernie ball

1 and 5

I primarily play with a pick, and with the tone open a la the demo at 5:25. Nothing I've heard here negates my love of Fender 9050s. They're comparatively cheap, they last forever, and they feel great.

Are there any flat-wounds for 32" scale 5 string basses

d'addario chromes was the best, followed by low tension flats

And then how they feel on the fingers.

I assume TI’s are the most flexible or supple. Can you please rank the strings in descending order of flexibility?

You wrote EB group 3, 45-100 but in the photo it shows EB group 2, 50-105, so which did you really use?

Where are all of you finding Fender strings cheaper than any other brand? I don't see them listed on any US online stores as being cheaper. In Canada, Fender are just as expensive as any other brand, whether its local retail, Amazon, or otherwise on line.

Amazing how the TIs just jump out as being the most musical, to my ears anyway.

La Bella’s overall the best. The fenders were the brightest and sounded great with a pic. Ernie Balls also great with a pick. Chromes sucked

How would you order them in terms of lowest tension to highest?

Do another same video but with fender vintage ii 54.

what cable are you using?

Silks give it away if you know your strings. Chromes are always my least favorite in every test including my own. Thomastick > Ernie Ball > Fender > La Bella > Chromes for this test.

D'Addario Chromes followed by Fender 45's.

No Rotosound Jazz Bass 77 ?

1 nothing special 2 too middy 3 seems balanced 4 sounds fine with good high 5 mellow but OK so I will go for La Bella

Sound like the pickups may need to be adjusted. The D string sounded pretty hot on all but the TIs.

Alright - dead honest - maybe my pc speakers aren't good enough for this - hardly any difference to my ears until the pick section.

Am I the only one who finds flatwounds “sticky?”Like your fingers hang up on them when sliding up or down?