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.

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 👊.

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

Great comparison. Very helpful. Thank you!

Proper comparison format. Useful thanks.

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.

Really well done comparison / review vid. I am caving in and shopping flatwounds for the first time in 46 years. Prog guy, but I just bought my first P bass, a GORGEOUS Japanese made 60s P. I think it screams for flats. While I liked the upper mids and top end on some of the other strings, the Chromes just had such enormous punch down low. Probably going with those. Kudos and thanks!

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

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!

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.

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

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!

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

🙌🏽 Great demo!

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!

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.

Super helpful vid. I haven’t used flats yet but want to try it out, turns out the fenders are the exact sound I’m going for. Saved me a lot of money by getting the right set from the get go

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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).

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).

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.

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!

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!!

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 👍🏻

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

I liked the chromes .

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.

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?

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

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

I prefer D'addario 👍👍👍

La bella LTF have the depth and character.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!

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

Nice, missing cobalt flats only. :)

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

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.

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)

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

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

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.

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

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 :(

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

D'Addario then Labella's.

Man what is it the D’Addario flats sound good

D'addario for me

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

And then how they feel on the fingers.

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

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.

my choice would be daddario or la bella

D'addario.

TIs!!

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

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.

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

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

1 and 5

Do another same video but with fender vintage ii 54.

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

what cable are you using?

No Rotosound Jazz Bass 77 ?

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

D'Addario Chromes followed by Fender 45's.

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.

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

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

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

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?