NAMM 2023: Ernie Ball announces Slinky Flatwound electric guitar strings and Flatwound Short-Scale bass strings

NAMM 2023: Ernie Ball has unveiled its annual Slinky shakeup, debuting three gauges of flatwound electric guitar strings and two new sets of flatwound bass strings for short-scale players.

Traditionally, flatwound strings offer a darker tone with a smoother feel, and were commonplace back in the early ’60s – they were once the preferred choice of the Beatles, don’tcha know – but Ernie Ball has sought to update the format with its new designs.

Specifically, EB’s Slinky Flatwound guitar strings utilize the company’s patented cobalt alloy ribbon winding for a “round sound with a flat feel”, and come with a plain G string to ease bending strings.

Three gauges will be available when the strings launch this summer: Super Slinky (9-42), Regular Slinky (10-46), and Power Slinky (11-48).

EB is touting their blend of old-school tone and modern playability, with the smooth feel particularly suited to slide playing.

On the bass front, the flatwound range has expanded to include two sets of short-scale options: Regular Slinky Short Scale (45-105) and Power Slinky Short Scale (50-110) gauges.

Again, EB’s patented cobalt alloy ribbon appears for that round sound and flat feel, and given the rapid rise of the short-scale, we can see these being particularly popular with the low-end community.

Ernie Ball: 2023 Slinky Flatwound Cobalt Bass Strings ft. Taiki Tsuyama - YouTube

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For more information on all the new strings, head over to Ernie Ball.