Flatwounds on JM

[Synchro]

I intend to try some Pyramid Fusion Flats on at least on Jaguar, and probably some Thomastik Jazz Swings, once I have the setup dialed in and don’t anticipate having to de-string them for setup work.

The Fusion Flats are weird! I currently have them on a Tele - they have a strange feel, not smooth like most flats, but very rough (especially at first). Initially they were too bright, but quickly mellowed and i really enjoy the sound of them.

I checked them out under magnification, and it seems that the wrap overlaps by a small amount each time around the core, rather than sitting flush like most flat wounds.

Just thought it worthy of mention, so you know they are not ‘normal’ flats.

I appreciate the information.

There are a set of Fusion Flats sitting here waiting to be installed and I looked at them and was puzzled, because they didn’t look all that flat. I don’t have much magnification available, so I couldn’t really get a handle on what was going on with the winds.. I have one fret on my Warmoth Jaguar build which is high, and I need to take care of that problem before I commit to using a set that cost over $20, but I hope to address that in a week or so, and then give them a try. I’ve read several posts, on various forums, where users of these strings were quite enthused about them, so I thought it’s worth investigating.

[sciuri]

I like the aggressive bite of roundwounds, but I really love the feel of flatwounds. It's an excuse to have two JMs to have one of each. And two Jaguars to have one of each.

Not sure if this makes sense, but when deciding which to use for which guitar, I put roundwounds on the guitar with lower output, darker pickups and flatwounds on the one with higher output, brighter pickups.

Among flatwounds, I've only tried Pyramid Golds and Thomastik Jazz Swings. I vastly prefer Thomastiks. Maybe I got a bad batch, but the Pyramids were not as smooth feeling (flat but still with tiny palpable dips between winds) and left a black residue or oil or something that I had to clean off the wound strings. I've never gotten a bad batch of Thomastiks. Both sets of wound strings last forever! Both are low tension, which I prefer.

For my rock-intended guitars, I prefer an unwound G so use Slinkys for the G, B, and high E strings. Note that the standard Thomastik unwound strings are brass-plated and are a different golden/brass color that for me wears off more quickly. They make a tin-coated set that I haven't tried yet. For my jazz box, I keep the wound G.

Thinking about getting a set of Thomastik 12s for my Ric!

[JVG]

A few years ago I put together a list of all the flats that were available at the time. The options might have changed a little bit since then, but should still be useful for anyone looking to experiment in that area.

The thread:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=114012&p=1589447&hi ... s#p1589447

[Synchro]

I like the aggressive bite of roundwounds, but I really love the feel of flatwounds. It's an excuse to have two JMs to have one of each. And two Jaguars to have one of each.

Not sure if this makes sense, but when deciding which to use for which guitar, I put roundwounds on the guitar with lower output, darker pickups and flatwounds on the one with higher output, brighter pickups.

Among flatwounds, I've only tried Pyramid Golds and Thomastik Jazz Swings. I vastly prefer Thomastiks. Maybe I got a bad batch, but the Pyramids were not as smooth feeling (flat but still with tiny palpable dips between winds) and left a black residue or oil or something that I had to clean off the wound strings. I've never gotten a bad batch of Thomastiks. Both sets of wound strings last forever! Both are low tension, which I prefer.

For my rock-intended guitars, I prefer an unwound G so use Slinkys for the G, B, and high E strings. Note that the standard Thomastik unwound strings are brass-plated and are a different golden/brass color that for me wears off more quickly. They make a tin-coated set that I haven't tried yet. For my jazz box, I keep the wound G.

Thinking about getting a set of Thomastik 12s for my Ric!

Buying TI Jazz Swings as singles is no more costly than buying in sets. I make my own sets, using TIs flats for the bottom three and plain steels up top.

[tqi]

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[Mechanical Birds]

From the moment I tried them the first time I loved how they felt. Have them on my Jazzblaster that I keep set up for heavier sounding stuff and it’s great, which is funny because I’ve been told that flats aren’t typically thought of as being good for heavier playing. Never made sense to me because they sound much more balanced if not mid-heavy than typical round wound strings to my ear. I don’t even remember how long ago it was that I put them on, but they still feel and sound really good, which for me is basically icing on the cake. They were like double the price of a typical set of EBs or something but I’d have replaced the EBs 8-10 times by now so I’ve really gotten my money’s worth.

Really wanna try a set of those nice Labella things with the fabric by the end like you more commonly see with bass strings.

[Synchro]

From the moment I tried them the first time I loved how they felt. Have them on my Jazzblaster that I keep set up for heavier sounding stuff and it’s great, which is funny because I’ve been told that flats aren’t typically thought of as being good for heavier playing. Never made sense to me because they sound much more balanced if not mid-heavy than typical round wound strings to my ear. I don’t even remember how long ago it was that I put them on, but they still feel and sound really good, which for me is basically icing on the cake. They were like double the price of a typical set of EBs or something but I’d have replaced the EBs 8-10 times by now so I’ve really gotten my money’s worth.

Really wanna try a set of those nice Labella things with the fabric by the end like you more commonly see with bass strings.

I use LaBellas on my Bass VI, and they are wonderful strings. Nice folks to deal with, too. I had a nearly new string snap and thereby needed a single replacement string, so I called, and explained that I had just spent $50 on these strings and didn’t want to buy a whole set. The lady I talked to was very pleasant, and asked if I could wait a few days, until she had time to run a one-off string, to which I agreed. A few days later, she sent the string, gratis.

[rhythmjones]

I use flatwound .12s on solid bodies and flatwound .13s on hollow bodies. They have a thick, robust sound. No string squeak. Bending is a challenge but it's also not my thing so...

[GGJaguar]

I keep one Jaguar and one Jazzmaster strung with flats (usually T-I) for a vintage vibe. They have a smoother tone and thumpier bass. I play rhythm guitar so bending strings isn't an issue for me.

[bessieboporbach]

When looking at the original 1959 Manual, they mention flatwounds as what came on the JM from the factory. Does anyone here use flatwounds, if so, what do they sound like?

I use D'addario Chromes and Half Rounds. Chromes are true flatwounds. They fundamentally sound like "dead"/old normal D'addario strings, which suits me because I play jazz. The main other difference is the incredibly smooth feel, and slightly stiffer tension. The bass strings also sound more like a bass than a guitar, I find.

Oh, and they last forever. I have had a set on my #1 for 6 years (!).

Half Rounds start out sounding bright like new D'addarios but quickly turn "dead" like flats. The main difference between half rounds and Chromes is that they don't feel as smooth and cost a lot less.

[Synchro]

I tried D’Addario half rounds on my Heritage archtop, but ended up going to TI flats. I still have ten sets of half rounds, lying about.

[bessieboporbach]

I tried D’Addario half rounds on my Heritage archtop, but ended up going to TI flats. I still have ten sets of half rounds, lying about.

What I found with Half Rounds is that they have a break-in period. When you first put them on, they seem to have all the worst qualities of both roundwounds and flats and none of the positives. But after a week or so I find I really like them. This seems related to the characteristic extreme brightness of new D'addario nickel wound strings, which deadens quickly.

Currently I have a set of Half Rounds on a Charvel with a Floyd, Chromes on a Hofner semi-hollow, and TI Jazz Swings on a Jaguar. I like them all for different reasons.

[Synchro]

I tried D’Addario half rounds on my Heritage archtop, but ended up going to TI flats. I still have ten sets of half rounds, lying about.

What I found with Half Rounds is that they have a break-in period. When you first put them on, they seem to have all the worst qualities of both roundwounds and flats and none of the positives. But after a week or so I find I really like them.

Currently I have a set of Half Rounds on a Charvel with a Floyd, Chromes on a Hofner semi-hollow, and TI Jazz Swings on a Jaguar. I like them all for different reasons.

I have Chromes on my fretless Warwick bass, and they do a great job.

[ThePearDream]

I have a few guitars with flats, but don't like them enough to put them on more. I have a baritone Jaguar (27", C#) with some big, thick, Chrome Flats (that were just long enough to fit) and it's a super fun guitar.

I have more guitars with half-rounds though. I really like them on my 67 Yamaha SG-2, or on guitars that other people normally put flats on. I do wish that there were more readily available options, besides D'Addario though.

Off topic slightly, but D'Addario Flat Tops are awesome for acoustic guitars.

[switchmodz]

I recently threw a set of chromes I had laying around as a last ditch attempt to address some mystery buzz I was getting on a Jazzmaster, even after a fret leveling. It's been a long time since I used a set on an offset, and I used to go crazy for them, paying top dollar for sets from Thomastik & Pyramid. Well, not surprisingly, it solved the issue. and this Jazz now has a killer and unique almost percussive mellow tone when paired with some Antiquity I's.