Flatwound & roundwound strings

[manicmando]

this might be a ignorant question but whats the difference besides ones round & other is flat any advantages of either

[Bob A]

Briefly, flatwound strings give you less surface noise (like from sliding your finger n a string) but are much less bright-sounding.

There are different types of flatwound strings. Some are just round wound strings that have had the ridges ground smooth; others are actually wound with flat, tape-like wire.

Flatwound tend, I think, to be more pricey, due to the extra steps to make them. But of course that doesn't make the better, just different.

[Ted Eschliman]

Some other considerations (and generalities):
Flatwound are tighter wrapped and resist corrosion better, so the greater expense is only up front. If you like the strings, they last longer and you change strings less. In most cases you actually spend less because of the string life.

That said, some miss the bright resonance of roundwound which produce more "zing" and penetrate in ensemble situations better. The flatwound will be characteristically warmer (emphasis on the string fundamental rather than overtones), more "intimate" and in my totally biased opinion, more comfortable.

[Soupy1957]

Having been down this road of string choice recently, particularly with regard to flat wound -vs- round wound strings, I humbly offer my useless banter on:

StringChoice (http://www.livevideo.com/video/306B77BB57534E19B1DD21597BF6DB90/musicmoose-video-report-3.aspx)

(I still prefer the flat wound Thomastik-Infeld strings by the way).

-Soupy1957

[Ivan Kelsall]

I used to use D'Addario FT-74 flat wounds,which i really liked. The only problem was that the wound 'A' strings were always slightly out of pitch when fretted.I think that this was because of the extra thickness of the strings & the extra pressure needed to fret them. I changed over to D'Addario J-74's & that problem simply went away. I could have lowered the bridge maybe just a fraction,but the action was pretty low anyway.The flatwounds are certainly more comfortable to play on though.

[steve V. johnson]

I'm quite new to critical choices in strings for a modern mandolin. My '36 Kalamazoo is pretty uncritical... <GG>

Recently, I was loaned a Rigel A+ Deluxe to play with, and the strings were quite worn out when I got it, so I did a scan of the Cafe based on keywords "strings + Rigel" and I found that Ted's JM-11 flatwounds are quite popular, along with what seem to be the 'default' string for mandolinists, the J74s.

I got some JM-11s from Ted and they were great fun, really different for me, but they have a lovely sound and feel good. I use "Flat-Top" guitar strings, so the flat mando strings seemed familiar. After a while, I missed the timbre of a bronze round-wound string, so I changed over to the J74s. The true performance seems about even, tho I think, as Ted notes, that the JM-11s will stay robust longer. I've been going back and forth between them for a while, and right now I like the J74s better.
Next week I may feel differently.

In actual projection and volume they're about even, but the deeper sound of the JM-11s is deceptive. The JM-11 sounds fuller and deeper, the J74s brighter and more agressive. I think the thing I like about the round-wounds is the timbre of the pick on the strings.

Fortunately, both seem tough enough to withstand my changing back and forth pretty darn well! <GG>

So they do different things, both very well... (no help, eh?... <GG>)

stv

[Martin Jonas]

I used to use D'Addario FT-74 flat wounds,which i really liked. The only problem was that the wound 'A' strings were always slightly out of pitch when fretted.I think that this was because of the extra thickness of the strings & the extra pressure needed to fret them. I changed over to D'Addario J-74's & that problem simply went away.
There is a simple reason for your problem with the wound A strings: if you have a compensated bridge, it will almost certainly have been compensated for a plain A string. Wound A strings need a completely different bridge compensation. Indeed, they usually work fine with a straight uncompensated bridge.

Also, the pedant in me drives me to point out again that the FT-74 are not flatwound strings but rather roundwound strings that have been polished after winding. True flatwound strings are wound with a flat ribbon, not a round wire, and they sound and feel completely different from FT-74 strings.

Martin

[Steve Scott]

I put on a new set of D'Addario Flat Tops just before a gig. Both the A strings broke (a common occurance I think with wound flat top A's) and I replaced them with A strings from a standard set of J74s. I decided I like the combination. I like the tone and feel of the D'Addario flat tops G and D while the non-wound steel A's give it a bit more zing.

[John Craton]

(I still prefer the flat wound Thomastik-Infeld strings by the way).
These are my strings of choice as well, though it should be stated that I play only bowlbacks. Not sure how they'd sound on anything else. I particularly like to use flatwounds with beginning students as they tend to be gentler on the fingers. Once the callouses form, I leave it up to the students to use whatever they prefer, within reason.

[R. Kane]

I've played TIs on old Gibsons and they sounded great and lasted 4-6 months between changes. The flatwounds do have a more dry, old timey sound, and seemed appropriate for old or new old instruments. I am really liking the JM 11's on my new Old Wave mandola. Actually, I was able to have Bill install the JM 11s when he shipped the 'dola to me, a nice service from Mandohack! When Bill builds my oval mandolin, it will be strung with JM 11s.

[MandoSquirrel]

If only we could get a true flatwound bronze! Best of both worlds?

[Ivan Kelsall]

Martin,you are right on both counts,i just didn't want to drag my post out too long. The FT's are indeed ground down 'round wound' (try saying that 10 times very quickly !). And the bridge was very likely compensated for plain steel strings rather than wound ones. The flat wound strings that you refer to are usually called 'ribbon' wound as you say & as per my D'Addario 'Chromes' elec.Guitar strings,
Saska

[steve V. johnson]

I really love the D'Addario Flat-Top guitar strings, and I'd like to try the mandolin Flat-Tops, but those (and Flat-Top singles for my bouzouki) seem very expensive, much more so than other sets and singles.

Where can a goo price on the Flat-Tops be found?

Thanks,

cheapstv