Thomastik-Infeld JF344 Jazz Flat Wound Long Scale

Really nice flatwounds, usually play ss rounds but wanted to try some quality flats .. delivery was pretty quick & best price (incl postage) on the net !

Superb product. I use these Thomastik-Infeld #JF344 (and the 5 string set #JF345) on 5 of my current collection of 10 Basses. These are IMHO, the very best flat wound Nickel Coated strings, I've ever used in 60 years as a Bass player, which included several early years as a successful Pro. They sound really good and feel easy to play under my finger tips. Though they are lighter in gauge than some rival brands, their tone is unmatched. With careful use they last for many years. I have a friend, who is a Professor in the Bass Department at Berklee, (for more than 30 years), who has used the same set of #JF344 strings on his Fender PJ Bass, for more than 30 years. Thoroughly recommended.

I put a set on my Am Standard p bass and whilst I love the tone and feel of these strings I wasn't crazy about the E string which had less depth of tone and output of the other strings.I adjusted the pickup height which helped a bit but it still lacked the bottom end I wanted.I took them off and put them on a string thru 51 p bass with a Seymour Duncan scpb3 pickup and they sound great across all strings, it's just a shame they didn't work on my American Precision.Incidentally I put La Bella 760FS (45-105) on the standard and they sound fantasti. They have more low end than I've had in 30 years of playing and the tension feels no different from the same gauge rounds.

They do exactly what they are built to do. I don't want to be that guy that buys the 'wrong' product then complains - but as someone who was experimenting with flats, I thought it would be helpful to put these in context for people in the same position.



I arrived with these when I found the tension on some flats quite difficult to get on with - I was attracted to these by their well known 'low tension', but wasn't expecting how extreme this was - less tension than most roundwounds.



They're a light gauge of course - but for me they felt like rubber bands. You might have a very light touch (and conscious these strings do have a lot of fans), but I really couldn't make them work, to me they felt so sloppy and slippy that 'digging in' isn't an option, and they felt difficult to articulate over fast passages.



Tonally for me, they just didn't have enough meat - not the bass or mid that I'd really want from a flat (however they were on and off my bass in 48hrs so didn't really give any time to break in).



I've settled in the end with La Bella 760LF (the LF is the important bit) which for me are the perfect balance of great flatwound sound, and the 'right' amount of tension without being a struggle to switch from rounds.

Excellent tone, can be made to sound like an upright bass. Light gauge and low tension, puts less strain on the neck of your bass than some strings. A delicate touch is needed. Good for Jazz but with care could also be great for other genres. Surprisingly loud and unusual amount of harmonic content for flatwound strings.