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Ernie Ball String Explorer: Electric Slinky Bass Nickel Wound 4-Stringplay button

Ernie Ball String Explorer: Electric Slinky Bass Nickel Wound 4-String

Ernie Ball

collapse expand iconDescription

The Ernie Ball 2812 Regular Slinky Flatwound Bass Strings. These innovative strings provide an unparalleled combination of comfort and contemporary tone. The flatwound design delivers a silk-like feel under your fingers while the cobalt-infused wrap wire pumps out full, punchy bass with crisp highs and rich harmonics. Whether you're a rocker, jazz cat or studio hound, these strings will transform your bass into a smooth-sounding dream machine. Ernie Ball's 2812 Flatwounds are redefining what flatwound strings can do.

Cobalt-Powered Tone

Ernie Ball's proprietary cobalt alloy adds brightness, clarity and power to the flatwound design. The result is a fat, beefy tone with solid lows, focused mids and singing highs. Plug in and you'll get warm, throaty growl with clear note definition and impressive dynamic range. Harmonics leap out with bell-like resonance and sustain goes on for days. For flatwounds, these strings pack a serious sonic punch thanks to the cobalt-fueled tone.

Silky-Smooth Feel

While the tone is bold and powerful, the feel remains classically flatwound. The flat wire wrap is polished to a glassy-smooth finish that glides under your fingers with virtually no friction. Bends, slides and vibrato flow with ease, allowing for highly expressive playing. On a fretless bass, these strings provide the ultimate experience in velvet-soft glissandos and creamy pitch transitions. The comfort factor of these strings is off the charts.

Versatile and Balanced

With a gauge range of .050 to .105, the 2812 Flatwounds provide balanced tension and flexibility across the fretboard. The medium gauge works for a variety of bass types and playing styles from rock to jazz to R&B. The all-around versatility and smooth, full tone of these strings make them a perfect choice for studio work where a rich, polished sound is required. For live playing, they give you power and projection with a luxurious feel.

High Quality and Dependability

Like all Ernie Ball strings, the 2812 Flatwounds are made from the finest materials using state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. Ernie Ball is dedicated to producing strings of the highest quality, consistency and durability. You can count on these strings to deliver peak performance, gig after gig.

Ernie Ball 2812 Regular Slinky Flatwound Bass Strings
Ernie Ball 2812 Regular Slinky Flatwound Bass Strings

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • Propietary blend of iron and cobalt attracts the magnets in your pickups more than any other alloy available
  • SuperBright cobalt ribon for a superior sheen and feel
  • Cobalt underwraps adds clairty and output
  • Optimal core to wrap ratio for comfortable tension and playability

Featured Articles

collapse expand iconReviews

3.94

17 Reviews

79%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

Most Liked Positive Review

5

Believe the hype....

I just put a set of these Cobalt Flats on my SBMM SUB Ray 4 and I'm really liking them. I'm using the 2812 set which is the same gauge (50-105) as the 2832 Nickel Slinky Roundwounds I've been using for the last 3 years, and the brightness is very much the same. It's nice when a new product lives up to the hype! The tone is more balanced and MUCH quieter, as one might expect- the punch and clarity is superb. My only concern is longevity, as the Cobalt Flats are significantly more expensive than the 2832 Nickel Slinky Roundwounds. I only play in the studio- not on the road, so I get 3-4 months out of a set of Regular Slinkys. I'm hoping to get 6-8 months out of these Cobalts to justify the extra expense! Anyway, so far so good!

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

1

Fail! G String broke second time it was tuned.

I bought these strings to use on an 80s ESP fretless. I put them on, tuned it up played through for a few minutes. Put the guitar on the stand. Next day went to tune it an BOOM G string broke. The previous stings had been on the guitar a long time so it's not the bridge. The strings just suck.

Filters
Best Uses
  1. Practicing7
  2. Concerts6
  3. Back-Up3
Cons
  1. Breaks Easy5
Describe Yourself
  1. Experienced8
  2. Novice3
  3. Professional Musician2
Pros
  1. Good Tone11
  2. Consistent9
  3. Well Built / Quality5
  4. Long Life2
  5. Bright1
  • Super happy with these strings!

    5

    submitteda month ago

    byTim

    fromWinchester, CA

    Installed on Squire Precision PJ Bass. I took off the two month old LaBella Deep Talkin strings because there was minimal clarity and volume. I am thrilled that these Earnie Ball Cobalt Flatwounds put clarity, volume and dynamic sound into my bass. Sustain is long, with harmonic tones in the high strings. I now have so much more tonal range to choose from the bass tone knobs. The E string actually has some growl to it. The highs are clear and with the volume and tone all the way up for the bridge pickup, it really cuts through the mix if I need to. I'm super happy with switching to these strings and will be sticking with them. None have broken even after picking up the whole bass with each string, yanking and stretching them out after initial tuning to break them in quick. They stay in tune well and don't feel slopy. My bass never sounded better. I thought they were a little costly at first, but the sound changed my mind.

  • Excellent Bass Strings

    4

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitteda year ago

    byEloy

    fromLos Angeles, Ca

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    These slinkys just feel different Nice sound #sweepstakes

  • great strings

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted2 years ago

    byJoshua

    fromWashington state

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    These are great strings, I was apprehensive about using them on my P bass but after reading and researching i put a set on. They are nice and warm and really smooth sounding. Plus they are easy on the fingers and easy to play, most string noise is eliminated. I use them primarily for recording and they make the bass sit great in the mix!

  • Good strings

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted2 years ago

    bySmitty

    fromLaplace, la

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    Smooth as butter, just what I need, great sound, was using a different more expensive brand, these strings are right up there with them, glad I made the switch…..

  • Would Purchase Again...

    4

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted3 years ago

    byDylan

    fromYakima,Washington

    Practicing...

  • Check your gauge selection!

    5

    submitted3 years ago

    bySkulls

    from6 Feet Under

    For all the people leaving poor reviews for breaking the G string. I highly recommend NOT using these strings for E standard. These shine in D standard tuning and sound great. They also work for C#. Great for Blues/Jazz/clean tone and those long practice days.

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