Flat Wound

[notepicker]

I would like to try some flat wound strings. I have been using J74's forever but the string noise is now bothering me with my style of playing.
I am not against the cost of Thomastiks if they are worth it but have always been happy with D'Addario products as well.
I am a relatively light picker using straight chords, arpeggio chords and cross picking when not picking single course melody. Mostly contemporary and seasonal type music.
I have never broken a string while playing.
What do you think of flat wounds and or have you gotten a fair dollars worth (in your opinion) out of Thomastiks.
Thanks

[Paul Busman]

Someone will no doubt direct you to other threads on this subject. In the meantime, I can tell you that I have the D'Addario flatwounds on 3 mandolins (one electric, two acoustic) and love them. I can't imagine paying the Thomastics' cost for strings. I'd suggest trying the D'Addarios and see how you like them. You can always switch later.

[notepicker]

Thanks
Your right, I was not thinking, I should have just done a search.
I will follow your advice and order some D'Addario's to try.
Knowing me though I will bet I talk myself into trying the Thomastiks one day. Probably one day when I have MAS really bad and I let me spend $48.00 instead of $1000.00
BTW your whistles are real nice. I hand carved a Native American Flute a few years ago and still play it.

[mandroid]

the D'Add FT are bronze round wound, ground flat, and have a very thin core wound A,

Their FW are Ribbon wound and like flat wound guitar strings .
able to go on magnetic Pickup Electrics..

[jlsmando]

The D'addario EFW74 are excellent flats and are priced well .. AAA+++ .. see the link:

http://daddario.com/DADProductDetail...6-af9bfec78215

[mandobassman]

Thomastik was my string of choice for nearly 13 years. When the D'Addario flat wounds came out I tried them and have not looked back. The sound, while very different from bronze wound, is much closer to the sound of J74s than Thomastik will be. Bronze wound and Thomastik flat wounds are at polar opposites of the sound spectrum. The DAddario flat wounds will deliver a sound that is a bit punchier and brighter than Thomastik while retaining the qualities that flat wounds are known for. Plus they'll last about six times longer.

[mandobassman]

Don't make the mistake of getting DAddario FT strings, thinking they are flat wound. Many people make this mistake. Not only are they not flat wound, they have the most finger noise of any string I have ever used and are terribly bright, IMO. I tried them once and took them off after a day.

[Mike Snyder]

FW74, or whatever the new name is. I enjoyed the years of searching for the perfect strings for MY instruments. It' over now. My completely different mandolins wear the same set. F5g from '05 and a Mike Black '14 A4. Tone, volume, long life and easy on the fingers.

[Joey Anchors]

Another user of EFW74. They have great full tone and no finger noise when sliding.

[lenf12]

I too love the sound of the D'A EFW-74 strings on my F-4. I was using the EFT-74s for many years on this mandolin but found that it sounded too similar to my F-12 using the same EFTs. When D'Addario introduced the EFWs recently, I tried a set on the F-4 and really like the difference in tone and feel of the mandolin now. They are softer under your fingers and they sound much more fundamental with fewer overtones than the EFTs, closer to the tonal spectrum of the T-I flat wound strings which I attribute to the sound of the wood rather than the sound of the strings. They are stainless steel rather than phosphor bronze and I do love each for their unique qualities but for now, I've settled on which strings to use on each mandolin.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[notepicker]

I have been playing the EFW's for a couple weeks now. At first I hated them. They did not sound right, they did not feel right.
Now after a couple weeks they seem to have gotten used to me. They have developed a nice mellow sound with good range on my MD505. I enjoy playing them.
I also ordered a set of EFT's that will be the next set to go on so I can say I tried them. I think I will get another set of EFW's so I have a set ready to go on just in case...

[Shelagh Moore]

Another FW-74 satified user here!

[mandobassman]

I have been playing the EFW's for a couple weeks now. At first I hated them. They did not sound right, they did not feel right.
Now after a couple weeks they seem to have gotten used to me. They have developed a nice mellow sound with good range on my MD505. I enjoy playing them.
I also ordered a set of EFT's that will be the next set to go on so I can say I tried them. I think I will get another set of EFW's so I have a set ready to go on just in case...

You will probably find the EFT74 and the EFW74 sets will sound nothing alike. I, personally, found the FlatTops to be offensively bright, and what I wasn't expecting was how much string noise there was when sliding.

One of the nice things about a good set of flatwounds is they last so long that even after I take a set off, I keep them for spares. I had a old set that had been used for close to a year. I put them on another mandolin and they still sounded good and were on that mandolin for another six months.

[DavidKOS]

One of the nice things about a good set of flatwounds is they last so long that even after I take a set off, I keep them for spares. .

Because flatwounds sound dead from day one, so they sound like that forever.

Alternate opinion on OP's issues - lift your fingers and eliminate fret and string noises by better left hand technique.

[crisscross]

You might try Pyramid Gold strings. They are similar to Thomastiks, but cost a little less. http://elderly.com/accessories/names...-set--P531.htm

[fatt-dad]

My preference is the heavy Thomastik strings. I love those!

I don't like the Flat-Top.
Didn't really like the FW's by D'Adderio. Wanted to love them, but didn't.

f-d

[mandobassman]

Because flatwounds sound dead from day one, so they sound like that forever.

Alternate opinion on OP's issues - lift your fingers and eliminate fret and string noises by better left hand technique.

I'm not sure how a post like this does anyone any good at all. The OP just wants to try flat wounds. Why post such negativity. He may love them or may hate them. He'll decide that on his own.
As for the comment about technique. Some of the most prominent players in music deal with finger squeak from string windings. Do you question their technique as well? Offer something constructive.

[mandobassman]

.. have you gotten a fair dollars worth (in your opinion) out of Thomastiks.
Thanks

I know the initial cost is high but they last so long that you really only need to change them about once a year. When you think about how often the average player changes bronze strings the Thomastiks are actually a bargain.

[Mike Snyder]

I have a friend with a thick-topped pac-rim who feels that J75s drive his instrument more effectively than 74s. He wants to try flat wound strings. I think that there are no flat wounds in a comparable gauge. Anyone?



P.S.- everyone is entitled to voice an opinion on such forums as this. I can assure you that flatwound strings do NOT sound dead on either of my mandolins. They are perhaps less effective on other instruments or just not the sound you prefer. I have them on an F5 and an A4.

[mandobassman]

I have a friend with a thick-topped pac-rim who feels that J75s drive his instrument more effectively than 74s. He wants to try flat wound strings. I think that there are no flat wounds in a comparable gauge. Anyone?



P.S.- everyone is entitled to voice an opinion on such forums as this. I can assure you that flatwound strings do NOT sound dead on either of my mandolins. They are perhaps less effective on other instruments or just not the sound you prefer. I have them on an F5 and an A4.

It difficult to compare gauges of flatwound strings to those of roundwound. They are built differently. The windings are thinner because they are flat and because of that the steel core may be thicker. So a .034 flatwound G string may actually have a thicker core that a .038 roundwound G.. It's much better to compare string tension. I've always wondered if a heavier set of flatwound strings would sound stronger so I tried a set where the G and D strings were a bit heavier and didn't really notice much difference from the standard EFW 74 set. The EFW74s drive my mandolin top very nicely. The first time I ever heard flatwound strings was from the Nugget mandolin of the late David Peters. Let me tell you it was loud and clear. Mike Snyder is right that the flatwound sound is certainly a preference. I love the sound and would never use anything else, but for those who have used bronze strings all of their lives, the difference in tone may not appeal to them. I will say that I have had people play my mandolin that have said they don't like flatwound strings that have loved the tone produced on mine.
To the best of my knowledge, the EFW74s are the heaviest standard set available. However, they are made from the D'Addario Chromes electric guitar strings so you could buy heavier single strings if you wanted to try heavier gauges. That's what I did and have them on right now.

[fatt-dad]

Thomastik strings at Elderly are priced about right. Be sure to send to your shopping cart and then check the price. Last time they were significantly less in the "cart" compared to the page - closer to $40 bucks.

I go months and months on mine.

f-d

[msargent]

I also use D'Addario EFW74 (flatwound stainless steel) here.

My primary gig is with a balkan/klezmer band, where that sort of slightly muted old-time sound really works well. I play an Eastman oval hole and the flatwound strings have a great punchy/thunky sound - I can dig in with a bit more attitude. The Eastman is quite bright by nature and I find that these strings give some "oomph" to that brightness that I can't get out of J74s.

[notepicker]

Thanks, I believe that Thomastiks will be the next set on and the FT's will sit on the shelf for a future opportunity. If what I see about the life of the FW's I now have on I have a little while to save up for them. (LOL)

[notepicker]

Because flatwounds sound dead from day one, so they sound like that forever.

Alternate opinion on OP's issues - lift your fingers and eliminate fret and string noises by better left hand technique.

I have moderate/severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Some days it is easier to lift the fingers than others. I have found the flat wounds make my time with my instrument more enjoyable.

[DavidKOS]

I'm not sure how a post like this does anyone any good at all. The OP just wants to try flat wounds. Why post such negativity. He may love them or may hate them. He'll decide that on his own.
As for the comment about technique. Some of the most prominent players in music deal with finger squeak from string windings. Do you question their technique as well? Offer something constructive.

I'm not being negative, I'm stating the truth. Mandolin should not NEED flatwound strings to keep finger and fret noises low, lifting the fingers of the fretting hand a bit more will do the trick.

Why not hear the other side on this issue? Some people, like me, think flatwound strings have no tone to begin with. I can't even use them on my jazz guitars.

So now offering a different opinion and advice is "negative"?

I didn't think we were so PC here.