Ernie Ball 2811

For the past 10 years I used flat wound strings almost exclusively - I like the tension and the "old school" sound. Lately I've come to appreciate Ernie Ball's Cobalt Flats because they are a "lively" string although flat wound. You can pop and slap these strings as well as use a pick, or simply imitate the great players of Motown and Stax.

While they are not ideal if your main style is slap or if you pursue a metallic tone that steel round wounds would normally give you, they are quite universal and I've used them for many different styles of music and in both concert and studio settings - They record really well.

Oh yeah... and as for the gauge (0.055-0.110) - I tune down a whole step (D-G-C-F).