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I have used Thomastik Jazz Swing Flatwound String for more than 25years
in the past year or so I and others have noticed a marked differerence in
the tone of the first and 2bd strings, in a pack of say. JS112 flats, there is
a coating or treatment that appears to contain a bronze ? or another element.
The solution is usually to discard the 1st and 2nd string and replace them with
another make , I have followed Vinny,s suggestion and utilise Elixirs plain Anti
Rust. Although relatively inexpensive it is irksome to have to do this. For some
members here who own and play a large number of guitars , it is annoying.
I have emailed the CEO Zdenka Infeld and informed her of this shortcoming,
and taken the liberty of declaring that a large number of players in the UK and
USA ( and perhaps globally) have voiced this complaint.
Hoping to receive a positive response ,I will post one if it arrives.
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06-16-2017 05:37 AM
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I just switched to TI from D'Ad Chromes and was surprised to see the bronze sheen appear on the plains strings. I'm really happy with the tension and sound of the wound strings but considering getting heavier e and b anyway.
Thanks for reaching out to TI for the rest of us. For the $ they charge I would appreciate a full set of strings.
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I'm not a fan of the bronzed plains either. I preferred the tin coated plains and believe they are still available, but i haven't seen any for a while now.
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Foxman,
Thank you for doing this. This could be a real difference maker for a lot of us.
It is important to note that for me, Right out of the pack, the E strings don't buzz. But give them a couple of days and they loosen up and the string oscillation buzzes against the frets. This is probably more prevalent when players use low action, like I do. Then I change the E string to an Elixir and the problem goes away until next string change.
Thanks for lookin out for your buddies Foxman.
Joe D.
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I also dislike the Gold strings and usually replace them.
Very strangely...about 2 years ago I bought 2 sets of Benson flats from a shop here in Melbourne Australia and lo and behold there was a small paper square under the front plastic cover stating "now with plain tin 1st and 2nd" and sure enough they were not gold......and they were much better.
I thought that the gold days were over but I haven't seen any of those sets since.
I actually posted a picture here on the forum.
Go figure!
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Just found and ordered some TI Jazz Swing 13's with the tin coated plains. It seems both types are available.
I always thought the tin plated came first as that was what I first encountered? Maybe not.
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It looks like the tin plated plain sets would have a "T" suffix, i.e. JS113T. I don't see that any of the US dealers stock those so the default is the brass plated--I personally haven't had a problem with the brass but would like to try the tin, which I may like better. Would like to see them stocked in individual strings too--maybe encourage one of the US distributors to switch over or carry both?
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I also replace the plains. I think a link to this thread would be a great case to show TI's US distributors so that they realize there's demand and start carrying them.
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.......and I'd love to see them using heavier 3rd & 4th strings on JS 12's & 13's........or just offer them as single strings which they don't do......
.........sorry for repeating myself.....sorry for repeating myself....
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IMO while the bronze strings may sound great acoustically, they certainly do not sound good amplified especially with a humbucker pickup. Also they get a sticky feel to them quite quickly. I throw them straight in the garbage can.
The Elixir e&b seem to last as long as the other 4 TI's. The D'A e&b do not plus they rust.
Hopefully TI will listen up or at least offer both options here in the states......Thanks Alan.
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As Joe wrote for the first few days the E and B sound good, but deteriorate soon. So thanks a lot for taking initiative silverfoxx. You can add "swiss players too" if you get in touch with the CEO again (unless you think us to be too small to be mentioned ;-).
When i started playing TI flats in the eighties the E and B were not golden and the swiss distributer carried only sets with a wound B. So i started buying them in Germany where they also sold them with plain B's. I remember that later in the eighties, after experiencing quality issues, they disappeared in shops for what seemed to be a long period and when i called the factory they admitted to having production problems. Some of these inferior quality sets were almost impossible to tune. With the new package design (not sure if this was in the nineties) there came the brass plated strings ...... .
This confirms Stringmasters post: http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/site...er_06_13sc.pdf
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Please let us know how the tin coated strings compare, once you have them on for a couple of weeks or so. Thanks!
Originally Posted by Burrellesque
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This is the email for Fred Camin at Connolly Music. They are the US distributor for TI. He may be able to help if anyone would like to try him.
fredc@connollymusic.com
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Huh. I've never noticed a problem with the goldish-colored plains. They sound maybe just a bit softer on the attack than plains steel, and I actually like that.
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I've used TI js13 sets with plain steel
1st & 2nd also with tin 1st and 2nd
Seem the same to me
and anyway the tin wears off pretty quickly
( for me)
Never had a problem with 'em either way
Great strings generally I find
Might try pyramids tho at some point
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I too have no problem with the Bronzed strings.
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Question to the people who have no problems with the "gold plains": how frequent do you change them (compared to the wound strings)?
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I change the plains at about the 50% wear point of the wound strings. Originally Posted by JazzNote
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Jabber, thank you for pointing this out, unfortunately, they have only One set in stock Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
plus postage is added at£1.99.. The price shown appears also to be incorrect at the
checkout it is shown as £17.99 plus postage of £1.99 UK only they are
therefore not economically viable . The
alternative, not ideal, is to buy from DV247 JS112 sets @ £12 and
obtain Elixirs 1st & 2nd plains @ £1.39 each I suggest ? UK only
sorry to be the party pooper, but unless Ti,s change their stance I will buy from DV247
and get Elixirs to replace the E & B strings.
Best, SFLast edited by silverfoxx; 06-16-2017 at 05:16 PM.
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Likewise I have never had any problem whatsoever with the brass plated strings. Originally Posted by Cunamara
I have played plains that are tin plated, brass plated, and silver plated.
I can find no reason at all to prefer one over the other.
I suppose one notices the brass plating wearing off because the color of the string changes a bit. But tin and silver platings wear off also - we just do not seem to notice since the color change is less significant.
Chris
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I also have not noticed a problem with any of the TI plated strings. Like "Stringswinger", I change my EBG strings at a two to one ratio. I change the E and B steel strings along with the G about every 2-3 weeks. This is on a guitar that I would play 2-3 hours a day. What I found works for me is a .11 set flats where I toss out the BGE strings and go with depending on my whim either the GBE from a .13 or.12 set.
Last edited by rob taft; 06-16-2017 at 05:51 PM.
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When the intonation goes off on the treble strings which is a year plus ! Originally Posted by JazzNote
I could just change the trebles and carry on with
the wounds ...
but I just change the whole set
Ok call me profligate !
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I change strings rarely, couple times a year usually.
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That's interesting and confirms an observation I posted about my first set of TI strings--that the high B and E strings wear quickly and get sticky. I assumed it was oxidation.
Following the advice of others here, I cleaned them with rubbing alcohol, then used mineral oil to lube them a bit. That seemed to help a lot, and I have kept them on the last couple of months without problems. I never noticed any problem with the sound, in fact I found it quite nice.
I have also read many comments that suggest that some strings just don't work for some people--the combination of oil and sweat quickly corrodes certain types of strings, while other brands are fine.
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