Bright flatwounds

[dorenac]

Suggestions for medium flatwounds with brighter sound characteristics, especially the G strings, than the TI's. I love the feel of flatwounds, but on my Strad-o-lin they don't project very well.

[Michael Cameron]

You might like the D'Addario Flattops.

Not quite as "flat" as true flatwounds;feel good. They seem to be more...lively than TIs. IMHO

[John Hill]

I love my TI's but I agree about the G string...sounds a little like a rubber band compared to the D, A & E strings.

Michael is right, the D'Addario's aren't a true flatwound. You could try the Jazzmando flatwound set. I've not tried them myself so I can't say if the G string sounds any different than the TI's.

[MandoSquirrel]

I never noticed a substantial difference in the JM11's vs TI's other than the unwound "A" on the JM11's. I tried the D'Addario Flattops on the Breedlove KO I had, but they felt and sounded Rough to me, I couldn't stand them.

[Jim Nollman]

jazzmando strings are highly recommended. Have been very happy with them on my instruments.

[Tim2723]

It's not normally considered that flat-wounds are all that 'bright' sounding to begin with. Their primary tonal characteristics are contrary to the idea. It's not why you use flat-wounds. If you want bright you generally have to look elsewhere.

[dorenac]

I will ask this question slightly differently. Although I prefer the feel of a flatwound, and the TI mittels I'm using are a "light medium" string, what are other Strad-o-lin players using? For me the G strings are the "rubber bands".
What about D'Addario J62's?, I know that's getting away from flatwounds though.

[John Flynn]

I like J62's. I had them on my Parsons Flat Top for a while. I would characterize them as very bright, with decent volume. The word "sparkly" comes to mind. Another string you might try is GHS Silk and Steels. They are round wound, but they have silk in between the core and the winding. They are a little easier on the fingers than standard round wounds and although they have their own sound distinct from J62's, I would ascribe similar characteristics to them.

[Tom Morse]

Does anyone know if any of the "name" jazz mandolin players use flatwounds? Or do any of you "name" cats want to weigh in on this question? Thanks.