GHS 3050M Flatwound

I got these strings specifially for a Gretsch Broadcaster shortscale (that can't use shortscale strings due to the tail piece).

I had tried several different strings, rounds and flats, on this bass and always felt it was lacking something. I definitely liked it better with flats than rounds but it always sounded a bit muddy. Not that I wanted a brighter sound, just something a bit more focused.

I remembered using these GHS Precision Flatwounds a couple of years back on another bass and ended up preferring other flats that sounded fatter. But I had a feeling the Precision Flats with it's very focused fundementals could be perfect for the Gretsch. And they were!

I'm very happy with these strings on my Gretsch. They may not have the huge, fat sounds of something like LaBellas but the strong, focused fundamentals were perfect for the Gretsch.

Highly recommended if that's the sound you're looking for. They do take some time to break in though. The string to string balance/brightness is pretty poor straight out of the package. But once they break in they sound amazing.

I really love the sound, feel and tension of these strings and I would have gladly given them 5 stars if it wasn't for bad quality control. Of the 4 strings, 3 of them (E, A, D) have uneven wounding. The A and D have a few kinks in the wounding and the E has a couple of portions of a few centimeters that are uneven and rougher to the touch. Quite an unpleasant surprise on an otherwise nicely smooth string. I really wanted to like them but I'm not sure I'll be buying GHS flats again after this experience. That really is too bad because, otherwise, they really are great sounding, feeling strings. Maybe I just got a bad batch.
As a conclusion, buy expecting imperfections.

These are very distinctive flats which have pretty much zero break-in time. Right out of the pack they are dark, warm, thumpy and full. Absolutely none of that new-string zing, and immediately broken-in. Tension and feel wise they're amazing too, and despite the medium gauge feel just the right mid-point between flexible and stiff.

One point of note is that the E-string is noticeably more dead than the A, D and G strings. It's almost like the E-string is extra-aged... apparently the A, D and G eventually get that way also, but for the first few months you'll definitely notice that the E feels like it's from a different set of strings. For the most part when you're playing in band context it probably won't bother anyone, but it's a bit of a strange quirk about these which you should consider before buying.

At the time of writing this review, I haven't received my order from Thomann, but my review comes from my previous purchases from other vendors. I have plenty of experience with these strings (they're my favourite)

If you want old school thumpiness, with plenty of attack and percussiveness, and especially that woodiness that good, smooth flatwounds are known for, these strings will certainly do the trick.

Although many flatwounds require a fairly lengthy break-in period to sound right (and for the strings to have similar tonality between them) the GHS take less time than a lot of other brands. They are especially smooth to the touch and despite having a fairly tight wrap, they remain flexible enough for string-through bridges.

Frankly, I find these strings to be underrated. Labella might get all the accolades and the reputation, but these strings, which are very much in the same sonic territory (as compared to D'Addario's, Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, Rotosound Monel 77s, etc...) and they are often a lot more affordable.

Give them a try. Keep them on the bass for a while, let them break in. They just might be what you're looking for.

These strings do one thing and they do it great. They really give a lovely vintage 60s tone, very mellow and subdued with a rich low-end and fundamental, good thud. Also sit in the mix really well.

However, the response is so muted, they have a very stunted treble response with few harmonics. This makes them not very versatile, only really giving me that one sound on my precision and jazz basses, even when digging in.

All in all really great strings for what they do. Smooth and really playable and not overly tense. However, just know that there is not much versatility, no matter how you vary your playing.