Flatwound String Questions

[Cenycal]

I've searched the threads but I haven't found the clearest answer to my own questions. So here goes.

I play in church, a lot of modern worship and putting our own spin on hymns. Our band is basically rock style and I only play mandolin occasionally. I've decided to really invest in my sound and not just 'play'. I've gotten the impression from discussion that flatwound strings are the answer since I'm not playing bluegrass. But I want to be sure. So are flatwound what I need to blend well in a modern church band? Also I'm installing a K&K pickup on my mandolin this week if that effects my string choices.

If they are what I need, what brand should I start with to experiment with the flatwound sound?

[yankees1]

I think that FW strings would be great for your music selection ! I had FW strings but for BG I really didn't like the sound but they feel good while picking ! I think they were D'addarrio.

[George R. Lane]

I would also try the GHS Silk & Steel strings. Plus they are less expensive that the Thomastik's.

[mandobassman]

I also agree that it would be a good choice. Then again, I'm a bit biased toward flatwound strings. They have been my choice for over 16 years. I used Thomastik for many of those years but for the last 3 years I have been using D'Addario FW74, which I believe are now named EFW74. They have all of the qualities that I really love about flatwound strings, but have a tone that is more useful for a wider variety of musical styles. They have a tone that is slightly brighter than most other flatwounds and are a bit beefier in the mids and bass response. The qualities that I love about flatwound strings are the silky smoothness of the fingering, which after being used to for such a long time makes me really hate the feel of roundwound strings. And also the longevity, which is much longer that any bronze string you'll find. I usually keep a set of FW74s on for over a year, so even though they're more expensive than most strings, they really end up being very cheap when you only have to change them once a year. Keep in mind that after you put them on they will need a week or two of regular playing to break in the tone, but after that they will sound the same a year later.

[Cenycal]

Thanks for the heads up the fw74s needing a week or so. I'll have to start with those, afraid the Thomasiks are out of my league for now, especially since I don't know if I'll like the sound. I read else where inn the forum the fw74s are basically the Chrome Electric strings also from D'addario, is that true?

[Ted Eschliman]

Yes.

[mandobassman]

After a few of years of using these strings, I feel I owe Ted Eschliman a big "Thank You" for pushing D'Addario into developing them. They give me just the tone and feel I had always been after but never found with other strings.

[Cenycal]

Are there any other flatwounds besides FW74 and TI154s that are recommended?

[mandobassman]

LaBella used to make a couple of sets of flatwound strings that many people here on the Cafe used and really liked. You could get them through LaBella or through JazzMando.com. Unfortunately, LaBella discontinued them. That's a shame because they were a much cheaper alternative to Thomastik, which is too pricy for a lot of players. Most of the other flatwound strings that I am aware of are also very expensive and/or only available in Europe. Pyramid Gold is available in the US but is nearly as expensive as Thomastik and I didn't like them as much when I tried them.
Another option is emando.com. You can get a set of flatwound strings in different gauges for about $22. However, they are the D'Addario Chromes, which is what the FW74 set is made from. They do have a set with a .040 G string where the FW74 set G is a .036. Maybe Ted could chime in on his thoughts about that .040 .vs the .036 G string.

[Willie Poole]

I have tried flat wounds and found that they don`t last as long as regular strings, great for recording though, good tone but go dead after a short time...But the only way to know for sure is to try them, good luck....

[mandobassman]

Willie, I think you might be confusing dead for what flatwound strings are supposed to sound like. To a player that is used to the significantly brighter tone of bronze strings, flatwound strings may very well seem dull and dead. After a week or two of initial brightness, they settle into a very dry sound with a very short decay and is the sound that most flatwound users like. After that initial break in, they stay that way for a very long time. I've had a set on my mandolin for as long as 16 months of regular playing.

[Steve L]

This has been a really helpful thread for me. I've got my first set of D'Addario flatwounds on a Portuguese style mando that I thought sounded too bright with the bronze strings it came with. I was surprised by how shrill and metallic they sounded and almost took them off immediately. They've only been on a few days and now I'm going to give them a couple of weeks before I make any real judgement on them. Thanks to all who shared their knowledge and experience here.

[Cenycal]

Yes, this has been very helpful. I'm ordering a set of Flatwounds now to try. I intend on sharing how I feel about them once I've given them the necessary brake in period. Also got my K&K installed yesterday. I think a mellower string will sound better with the pickup because it's very HOT. We shall see.

[mandobassman]

Play the heck out of them during that first couple of weeks.

[lenf12]

I recently swapped out the D'Addario FT-74s on my '16 F-4 for a set of FW-74s. I love the FTs a lot but I'm really appreciating the different sound that the FWs have on this mandolin. I have used the TI mittels and starks many years ago when I played with the Providence Mandolin Orchestra. I never really "loved" the TIs as they sounded quite dead and thuddy even when new on this mandolin but they did last a long time if I could only get used to that thuddiness. Another reason why I didn't love the TIs is because I only had the F-4 at the time and really wanted to hear more of a bluegrass sound from the mandolin. (The solution turned out to be getting another mandolin that has the BG sound.) So I experimented with a variety of strings and found the FT-74s suited my sonic expectations perfectly and used them on both the F-4 and the F-12 yielding 2 mandolins with fairly similar sounds (except for the oval hole vs. F hole differences). These days I'm running FW-74s on the F-4 and FT-74s on the F-12 and I'm appreciating the different sonic characteristics of each. Another benefit to the FW-74s is how easy they are on the fingertips. The tension is lower so they are not as loud but the sound and feel is quite pleasing to my ears and fingers.

To address the OP's question, I'm sure they'll work out fine especially since you'll be playing amplified.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[bratsche]

I sure wish D'Addario would make a FW set for mandola, so I could try an alternative to the TI 164 set. With wound A strings, of course. Right now, TI 164 and D'Addario FT76 are my only options available, and I'm not very fond of the latter.

bratsche

[mandobassman]

I think Ted E. Tried to get D'Addario to expand the flatwound line, but it seems they wouldn't do it. I think it would be good for them as there are few flatwound options available for mandola or octave.
However, you can get them at emando.com. There is a flatwound page where you can order flatwound strings in many configurations. I've bought them there for my octave and they're available for mandola as well. They're not cheap, as he creates the sets to the scale length you need and gauge you need as a custom order. But it's a great option and he makes the sets from the D'Addario Chromes, same as the FW74s are made.

[Willie Poole]

Len, Aren`t the FT`s gauges the same as the others, if so why do they seem to have less tension?

[mandobassman]

It's interesting that D'Addario has a tension chart on their website, but the FT74s are not listed. I'd be more interested in the difference between the Ft74s and J74s, since they are basically the same string only the FTs have the outer edge flattened. The FW74s have a completely flat ribbon winding with a different size core wire.

[lenf12]

Len, Aren`t the FT`s gauges the same as the others, if so why do they seem to have less tension?

The string diameters and tensions for the FW-74 are:
E 0.011" 23.250 lbs.
A 0.015" 19.260 lbs
D 0.026" 22.970 lbs
G 0.036" 19.330 lbs

And for the FT-74s:

E 0.011" 23.250 lbs
A 0.015" 20.500 lbs
D 0.026" 26.240 lbs
G 0.039" 25.850 lbs

The guages are the same except for the G strings which are noticeably lighter and the string tension is lower on all but the E strings implying that they use the same E strings for both sets. I couldn't find any information on the core wires used for the wrapped strings in each set. Values given above are from the D'Addario website.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Paul Busman]

I sure wish D'Addario would make a FW set for mandola, so I could try an alternative to the TI 164 set. With wound A strings, of course. Right now, TI 164 and D'Addario FT76 are my only options available, and I'm not very fond of the latter.

bratsche

If you figure out the gauges you want, you might be able to piece together a set by buying single FW guitar strings from a good music store. You could even get wound A strings this way.

[Polecat]

It is noticable, that regardless of which brand of flat-wound string, the D and G courses are thinner than with round-wound sets. Does anybody know why?

[mandroid]

FT are ground bronze round wound, and the A is also Wound , heavy right hand I break A 's quickly ,

the core wire on them is the thinnest of the set.

FW is a flat ribbon.

for the WHY Perhaps Polecat can Call up TI on the Phone
since they are over there too .. Germany/Austria..

and ask them directly.

[Cenycal]

Got my FW74 set on today. I'll follow the advice and play them often for the next couple of weeks. But I love how they feel

[Brian Muller]

If you're feeling adventurous, you might consider assembling a custom flat wound set from single Thomastik guitar strings available from JustStrings.com and removing the ball ends (carefully). For my 1920 Gibson A-2, I use 10-15-24fw-36fw. The 10 and 15 are Thomastik plain steels (P10, P15 respectively). The 24 and 36 are flat wound bronze (AC024, AC036 respectively). These wounds come from the Plectrum series that Thomastik makes of which I am a big fan. (I use the 12-59 set on my 1930 Martin 0-18 to great effect).

String Tensions (per string) on 14" scale length:

E: 20.7 lb
A: 19.6 lb
D: 21.9 lb
G: 21.1 lb

Total tension: 166.7 lbs

Cost (at time of this posting): $32.82 before shipping (still a lot less than Thomastik "mandolin" string sets)