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Stingray Special with Thomastik Infeld Flats

I tried a set of TI's on my Classic and didn't like them, but they do sound the best on my P Bass and that is where they will stay as to my ears TI's sound better on passive basses rather than active basses. If you are looking for flats why not try EB Cobalts, they sound great on a Stingray.
 
I hear lots of good things regarding Bongos and flats. (Not brave enough to try it myself)
Stingray and flats ? Each to their own
 
I have flats on my SR5 Special. It's a brand new world out there, I'm telling you.

Don't be scared. They're just strings. You put them on, they sound good, you leave them on. You put them on, you're not happy, you take them off.

If I can do it, anyone can.
 
Lyin' Eyes by Jack Williams 166 | Free Listening on SoundCloud

This track was my SR5 with flats. Pretty sure I put a mic on my Markbass 2-10 cabinet and compressed it a little afterwards, but this is what it sounded like.

(For the true fanboi, that's also my James Valentine Signature guitar on everything but the lead, which I did not play but may have suggested. All other instruments were me, so blame no one else.)

I think it's a great bass tone.
 
I started playing bass with a Fender P, and I played that bass exclusively for more than 2 years. Being a noob at the time, I dind't know anything about the classic "P with flats" combination, I just tried different strings and immediately fall in love with the sound of flats. The combination of the simplicity of the P bass and that deep thumpy tone simply WORKS, there's not much to say.
My "problem" with flats and J basses (even more with StingRays) is that they seem to reduce their versatility, imho.
The beauty of these basses is that they offer a wide range of tones, they work very well for slap and many other styles. Flats reduce that range, in my experience.
Honestly, I can't see myself using flats on my StingRay, at least not at the moment. But I know how well these strings sound and I'm curious to try them.
 
I tried TI flats on my 2 band Stingray. I LOVED the tone, but they were too floppy and low tension for my liking. The tone was a fantastic, mid rich old school tone though. I sold that 2 bander last week (because it was the same color as my 3 bander - black), and I'm actually planning on grabbing a Stingray Classic to replace it. Since Stingray Classic has a through body stringing, it might change the feel of the strings so that they feel tauter. That was my experience with a MIA Pro Jazz that I had, I hated the body-through stringing because my favorite set of strings (Super Slinky) felt like they had more tension. However, that would be perfect for TI flats.
 
I just have a regular old 3 band Ray , but had various flats on it for years . TI's were my favourite , but they require a lighter touch . I went back to rounds on it though . Slinkys . Something about the sound of fresh rounds on that bass .
 
My 30th Anniversary Stingray has been wearing TI flats for well over 10 years now, strung through the body. They're my favorite string and I have them on four of the six basses I own, including the Bongo and the fretless Sterling. So I'm not objective. But I'm a fan.
 
DrMatthewCross said:
Just for information, flats and through body stringing isn't an ideal combo, usually.
Click to expand...
Most flat wounds are absolutely fine strung though body. I'm only aware of one brand, LaBella, that warns that some of their range isn't suitable.
Remember that the original Fender Precision was through body only, at a time when flats were the only strings available.
 
In my experience, It depends on the brand of flats.
Some of them don't like to be twisted, and the angle damages them over time. Another reason is that some flats aren't long enough to be stringed thru body.
I didn't have problems with Chromes, but 9050Ls can be definitely damaged with thru body stringing.
 
My Bongo 5 has TI flats on it. It plays and sounds fantastic. I have TI flats on many of my basses. I love them. Oh, and I have Spirocores on my upright basses. I love them too.
 
I play exclusively on flats with my StingRay since 8 years now and 5 with one set of TI. Amazing strings. Great tone, great life but one big (for me) disadvantage. They are too floppy and too light gauge. Now I play on Slinky Flats 45-105 and I'm really happy with them because they sound like a roundwounds and have nice tension. But still different animal than TI flats when it comes to sound and feel.
 
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