Tell me about flatwounds

[valley_parade]

For the most part, I've been playing with D'Addario 10s on my JM, my Esquire, and my archtop for the past few years.

Lately my playing has gone away from more punk and shoegaze/ambient stuff and more towards surf. It seems (and feels) like playing surf rock requires some heavier strings, and also that a lot of people prefer flatwounds.

I've never in my life played a flatwound string. Is it worth shelling out for a seriously more expensive set of strings, or should I just bump up to regular 11s or 12s?

[Telliot]

I love flats. They’re a must on every bass I’ve ever owned (LaBella’s), I have them on my Martin, as well as my ES-125 (all Chromes). I’ve had them on my JM, and have even considered putting a set on my Tele.

They’re more expensive, but then you never need to change them. I’ve had the same set of string on 3 of my guitars for at least 5 years.

[parry]

They definitely have their own unique sound. They will sound different than you're used to. It takes a bit before the nuances and good qualities reveal themselves to you. You won't be able to restring your guitar and leave everything as it is. Do that, and you'll have them off your guitar in a matter of days (or hours). You'll say things like "they sound dead", "they sound muffled", etc. So you'll need to reset your EQ - maybe even a few times. Treble becomes your friend. it may even change the tone of pedals you have - so be prepared for that. But once you find that spot, you may not want to leave. I didn't realize that a lot of the sounds I loved - and couldn't get - came from players using flats. The subtle complexities in the way they glow-up and resonate is a completely different beast - you either think it's the greatest thing ever... or you'll go back to rounds, hahaha.

As far as gauge goes... you might find the same gauge flats to feel a bit stiffer than your usual 10s. I like a good fight, and I think I can hear a difference in the heft of a set of 12s, vs 10s.

Oh... and as far as being more expensive... the beauty of flats is that the more worn-in they are... the better they sound. I've had flats on a guitar for over a year; and am disappointed, when they break.

[parry]

I love flats. They’re a must on every bass I’ve ever owned (LaBella’s), I have them on my Martin, as well as my ES-125 (all Chromes). I’ve had them on my JM, and have even considered putting a set on my Tele.

They’re more expensive, but then you never need to change them. I’ve had the same set of string on 3 of my guitars for at least 5 years.

This.
And yes, your post about putting flats on an acoustic was the tipping point for me. I had an acoustic that was given to me by a friend, that I never played because it sounded terrible... until I tried flats - now it's my go-to. So thanks for that, Todd!

[Jazzmastervsjaguar]

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... oUEALw_wcB

I really like these. I use them on an old silvertone with gold foils and they sound perfect together. The Chromes come in .11's and actually feel a bit thinner to me than normal round .11s Don't be affraid to try a set!

[Telliot]

I love flats. They’re a must on every bass I’ve ever owned (LaBella’s), I have them on my Martin, as well as my ES-125 (all Chromes). I’ve had them on my JM, and have even considered putting a set on my Tele.

They’re more expensive, but then you never need to change them. I’ve had the same set of string on 3 of my guitars for at least 5 years.

This.
And yes, your post about putting flats on an acoustic was the tipping point for me. I had an acoustic that was given to me by a friend, that I never played because it sounded terrible... until I tried flats - now it's my go-to. So thanks for that, Todd!

My pleasure!!

[jakeisjake]

like telliot, i have flats on my basses and i've used them on different guitars. i like them on Jms...but not on Jags.

my kids hate them tho.

i put half rounds (or wounds...i forget) on a couple of guitars. they don't really notice them and they have the sound of flat wounds.

[Flurko]

Joe Gore's post and video (http://tonefiend.com/guitar/flatwound_addiction/) made me try out flatwounds, I really like them. I didn't notice such a huge difference in amplified sound, but it's been good to not rely so much on bending.

[TeenageShutdown!]

Pick up a pack of Chromes. If you don’t like them then lesson learned & you’re not out much money.

[daemon]

The chromes are a good "toe in the water" of flatwounds, but I found the Thomastik's really took it to the next level. They just feel right on my JM and have held up really well. Tuning and intonation are spot on, even with a lot of trem use. It will take some experimentation tone-wise, as others have said, but it's really worth it.

[my bloody television]

I’ve become a recent flatwound convert. Both of my guitars are short scale and I use chrome 11’s but I buy a separate unwound G, usually a .18 or .19. No turning back now.

[valley_parade]

Pick up a pack of Chromes. If you don’t like them then lesson learned & you’re not out much money.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I think this is going to be my plan of attack for now, trying out a set of the Chromes on the Jazzmaster.

[601210]

I had a set of Thomastik-Infelds on my JMJM for a while and I liked them very much. The fact that I have to import them makes them like $50 a pack for me, though, which isn't ideal so I ended up switching back to regular 10s.

Has anyone else had an experience of a wound string breaking right on the bridge? It's never happened to me before on any other guitar strings, and I haven't heard anyone else having that problem, so it makes me wonder if I'm doing something unusual. I'm using a staytrem bridge, too, so you'd think there isn't much friction on the saddles.

[Stoopy]

... It seems (and feels) like playing surf rock requires some heavier strings, and also that a lot of people prefer flatwounds.

You may already be aware of this thread elsewhere but if not, you may find it to be of good value. (Viewer Caution: 26-page discussion of strings by reverb-crazed surf guitarists):

https://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/793/

Heavy is good. These days I use 13's on my Jaguar and 12's on my Jazzmaster, and that's for bedroom/home playing. Back when I played in an instro Surf band, I used 14's on both (Dean Markley Jazz being most available at the time).

Happy reading and happy stacatto'ing... Next up, the 28-page discussion on picks....

[JVG]

It's an experiment definitely worth doing, although they will sound pretty weird to you at first because your ears are accustomed to the twang of round wounds. It also takes a while to get used to the smooth feel, but once you do, you will love it!

I use Daddario Chromes 10-48, and recommend starting with these, since you normally use 10-46 in round wounds. I support the suggestion above that it's worth buying an unwound 3rd (probably an 018 ) if you really like bending the G.

If you really want a set of 10-46 with an unwound 3rd, the only manufacturers I know of that make this set are Curt Mangan and Galli.

Another option is Daddario half-rounds. For me, these were a gateway into the world of flatwound strings, and I still have them on a couple of guitars. As the name would suggest, their sound and feel is somewhere between round wound and flatwound.



Cheers
J.