Flat Wound

[notepicker]

the FT's and the FW's are less expensive than the Thomastiks. Teasing out whether you like the wound A string of the FT set versus the plain A string of the FW set and intonation issues thereunder all makes sense to me. Thinking either is a cheaper alternative to the Thomastiks only makes sense if you've tried all three. I have. The Thomastiks are the clear winner (for me) with the FTs and FWs so far back it's like they don't even belong in the discussion. Are they flat? Yes, they're just not in the same league (for me). Just to fend off the neysayers, I'm not trying to justify the extra cost. I just don't see them as similar.

f-d

I ordered a set of Thomastiks. I just could not help myself, my favorite string site still has a 20% off sale and that combined with free shipping, well, I had visions of Roger Rabbit right after he took a drink. You know... where his eyes bulged out and he made the sound of a train whistle. The only other time this happened to me was when I put out the bucks for my BlueChip CT55. I hope I am as happy with the Thomastiks as I am with the CT55.
I enjoyed the FW's, the only beef I have with them is they just do not seem to stay in tune very long.

[crisscross]

I have two Suzuki Bowlbacks, one with a maple back the other with a rosewood back. I really like the sound of the rosewood one with Dogal Calace strings, but the maple one, which had D'addario 009s sounded a little harsh to me.
So on Polecat's recommendation I ordered a set of Fisoma lights.
With the heat being as it is in Germany at the moment, I didnt' feel like doing any serious practicing yesterday, so I just recorded a little comparison, flatwound on a maple back vs. roundwound on a rosewood back.
I played a typical German piece with a thick Wolle Pick and a typical Italian one with a small Ultem.

What is apparent to me is the second time I play Ode to Joy (on the roundwood strings), the difference between the unwound a-string and the same melody played on the d-string. The a-string sounds a little thin, especially played open, whereas the d-string sounds almost too fat, especially when plucked with the Wolle.
But as a general result, I now have two bowlbacks I really like. Thanks Polecat!

[Polecat]

Thank you for that, Crisscross. A very interesting comparison, although I am not well-versed in classical mandolin tone, I found that the recordings with the round-wounds did, indeed sound more "Italian". The flat-wounds sounded anything but "dead" to my ears, what do you think, DavidKOS? The Fisomas claim to have a long sustain, though I haven't noticed any great difference to the other flat-wounds. Also, the E-string seems to me to sound more homogeneous than with other flat-wound sets, I believe it is because the temper of the steel is less hard. In the course of looking for the mythical Hannabach FW E-string I asked the music store http://trekel.de/ , who appear competent to me, why it is that classical players use Thomastik sets with a Hannabach E-string given that the E is also only plain steel; they replied that the Hannabach is made of a different mateial than other E-strings and sounds more homogeneous. I can't prove it, but I believe the same is also true for the Fisomas.

[mandobassman]

Why it is that classical players use Thomastik sets with a Hannabach E-string given that the E is also only plain steel; they replied that the Hannabach is made of a different mateial than other E-strings and sounds more homogeneous. I can't prove it, but I believe the same is also true for the Fisomas.

I've never used the Hannabach strings but it's interesting that so many Classical players do that. What's interesting is that the Thomastik E strings are "gold-tinned plain steel". So I would think that the Thomastik E strings are the ones that are different than normal. I always liked the Thomastik E. I thought they blended well with the rest of the set.

[notepicker]

I would like to offer a one more thought on this. I have been playing the Thomastiks for a few weeks now and have decided they are the best choice for me. I chose the mediums because of my RA. At first I thought this was a mistake. In fact at first I thought the Thomastiks were a mistake. After tweaking my setup I have found they sing out beautifully with my style of play. also at first the intonation was off just a little with the D course running sharp and the A course flat. Now a with a couple weeks of playing they are running very close to perfect. The other thing that impresses me is they stay in tune longer. With the D'Addarios it seemed I was constantly reaching up to the tuners where now it seems once there it stays respectfully well. Now I am hoping that they last as long as others have said they did for them.
I know there are a number of listings on Thomastiks so I hope this helps someone else with their decision. It seems tough putting out that kind of money for a set of strings but in my case it was well worth it.

[DavidKOS]

But as a general result, I now have two bowlbacks I really like. Thanks Polecat!

Thank you for that, Crisscross. A very interesting comparison, although I am not well-versed in classical mandolin tone, I found that the recordings with the round-wounds did, indeed sound more "Italian". The flat-wounds sounded anything but "dead" to my ears, what do you think, DavidKOS?.

The roundwounds do sound a bit more Italian - but honestly both sounds were very nice and the flats sounded better than I would have thought, just to be honest.

[mandobassman]

The other thing that impresses me is they stay in tune longer. With the D'Addarios it seemed I was constantly reaching up to the tuners where now it seems once there it stays respectfully well. Now I am hoping that they last as long as others have said they did for them.

One of the things I loved about the Thomastik strings was the tuning stability. One of the reasons for that is the silk windings at BOTH ends of the strings. It really helps grab the tuning post and not slip at all.

Don't be surprised if you get at least a year out of them. Makes the cost a pretty good deal if you only have to buy them once a year.

[Sevelos]

After trying flatwounds 25 years ago, I never went back to wounds! I really love the quiet slide of the fingers along the strings without the grinding sound, and the cleaner and boomier sound of the lower strings (yes, they are "boomier" than wounds).
I play Thomastiks Mediums for most of this time. Lately, I tried both the D'addario EFW74 and the Thomastik Heavies for a few weeks, as I wanted to lower the action on a new Godin A8 mandolin and the Thomastik Mediums were somewhat too loose.
My choice is the Thomastik Heavies.

D'addario EFW74 pros:
It is true that the A string in the Thomastiks gives a somewhat (just a bit) flat sound on my Godin A8 (as the bridge is not movable). The D'addarios sound a bit more "open" and twangy than the Thomastiks, which is not bad. I also don't mind the A string on the D'addario not being wound and its sound is fine for me (someone complained above about this).

D'addario cons:
The D and G D'addario strings (these are the strings which are flat wound) make a somewhat grindy noise when picked, which I don't like. When I play the D or G D'addario strings and move from fret to fret, they make a slight "clang" sound which also annoys me. Sliding the finger along the D and G strings is noisier on the D'addario (not NOISY!, just noisier) than the Thomastiks, which are almost totally quiet. For some reason, although the Thomastiks Heavies are slightly lighter than the D'addario EFW74, the Thomastiks buzzed less when played with a low bridge.

To summurise: While the D'addario's are ok, I prefer the Thomastiks as their sound is cleaner and more predictable, virtually without extra noise.

[mandobassman]

Sevelos,

Nice assessment. I would agree with your summarization, but would add one thing. I play strictly Bluegrass and used Thomastik Heavy for about 13 years. They worked quite well for me. I would say that when the D'Addario flatwounds came out I found the exact qualities you described made them a bit more appropriate for Bluegrass than the Thomastik strings did. Finger sliding is still very quiet, although not quite as quite as TI. The "grindy noise" gives them a slightly more raw sound but retains the benefits of flatwound strings. So, although I would say that the Thomastik strings are probably a better engineered string, with tighter and smoother windings, the FW74's are still quite good and work well for Bluegrass. At least for me.

[Gary Leonard]

After reading this thread (and others), I ordered a couple sets of Thomastik heavies. Just put them on the Weber Bitterroot, and I must say, I love them if only for the fact that they were a pleasure to put on. The silk windings on the end, the feel of the strings, they just scream quality. And I have never had a string change go so well, I attribute that to the silk windings on the end. They feel great on my fingers, and no squeal when sliding. Let's hope I don't have to change them for at least another 6 months, not changing strings as often is worth the price premium imo.

I don't think I lost much volume or punch from the EXP74CMs I previously had on, and they appear to stay in tune much better than the coated phosphor bronzes I have been using (my A string pair has been driving me nuts lately). Count me in as a Thomastik convert.