Ernie Ball Extra Slinky Flatwound Bass Guitar Strings, 40-95 Gauge (P02815)

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.

. . . 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.

I love these strings. I have tried many many flatwound sets and have always been disappointed. For me, flatwounds are always too thumpy and lacking in definition. I miss the upper level harmonics. I've always used roundwounds because I've never found flats I liked. No more. These flats are amazing. Warm with a strong fundamental, but they also have upper register harmonics akin to a roundwound string. Maybe because of the cobalt used in the construction, which is unique.They are truly a modern hybrid flatwound string, not a traditional flat sound. If you are a fan of the traditional flatwound sound you probably will not like these. But if you are like me and are looking for the flatwound sound, but with more definition, these are worth a try. They are reasonably priced and the quality is consistent Ernie Ball. I have never had a bad or defective string in any sets of these I have bought, which is something that I cannot say about other manufacturers.I love them and they have become my go-to string on almost all of my basses. They are even great for slapping/thumbing!

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.