Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on September 25, 2020 at 2:12pm

Hi Brent, flat wound strings are designed to reduce noise due to ones fingers or a slide/bar moving along the strings. I would imagine the reason/benefits for using them would apply with either fretted or unfretted. 

I find that flatwound strings (though I have not tried them all) are not as bright sounding as wire wound strings, so without frets they may not sound very bright. If you try them let us know.

Taff

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Permalink Reply by Brent Kasl on September 25, 2020 at 2:18pm

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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on September 25, 2020 at 3:22pm

If by "fretless",, you mean still playing with finger fretting .. and wish to reduce "finger chirp "   then go ahead .

But if you  mean "playing with a slide"  ,  They are kinda   pointless . (you wont get " finger chirp" with a slide anyway ) and any  "wind grind" is barely noticeable on a slide. 

not to mention they usually sound muddy and  kinda  " flat " (pardon the pun ) .

So as a slider ...   leave the flats for the jazz players . 

imho

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Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on September 25, 2020 at 4:22pm

Brent, I use nothing but Flatwounds on every instrument, fretted or not, from 1 to 6 strings. True they aren’t as bright, but if you want a bright sound D’Addario makes a Flatwound called Chromes, they also sound great? Keep in mind that all the great slide blues players used Flats. I have lots of old git’s & I like the old blues sound & feel, so the warmth of Flats are my preference. 

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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on September 25, 2020 at 6:22pm

"all the great slide blues players used Flats" ... ?   (reaches in pocket to count  the change i have to bet against .  ) ....

;-)

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Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on September 25, 2020 at 9:26pm

Round wounds weren’t on the market til early 60’s, all guits came with flats before then? 

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on November 1, 2020 at 8:37am

Flatwound strings came relatively late to the game, marketed by La Bella  in the 1940s, before then, it was all round wound.

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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on September 25, 2020 at 11:24pm

Agreed , (unless you count catgut etc ..) .  But my comment stems from an all night  debate in chat on here a few years ago ,  where that  exact line ""all the great slide blues players used Flats"" , was stated .  hence  the argument came up  that alot of blues greats came after the invention ,  and naming just one    would  easily  win any bets . (since they said """all"" ) 

I  thought you were a part of that convo . hence the joke about digging for change . 

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Permalink Reply by Southern Ray on September 28, 2020 at 6:07am

 Interesting thread. I haven't tried them, all of my builds are fretless, so far.  I have two fretted Gitty necks. I have boxes... Sounds like I need a set or two of flat strings... Oh, darn! Curiosity has set in... (snicker)

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on September 28, 2020 at 12:42pm

I'm sick of flat strings.........every time the weather changes the strings go flat and I have to retune them. The tuning goes flat if the guitars are left out of the case.

I'm serious, I have a couple of guitars that detune themselves by the same amount, in tune but flat.

Taff

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Permalink Reply by Timothy Hunter on September 29, 2020 at 3:04am

i tried flat wound strings once, didnt like them and went straight back to DÁdarios.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 7, 2020 at 10:34am

I would think that Flatwound strings would be fantastic on a fretless guitar or bass. I bought a set to try out, but I haven't put them on anything yet.

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