Better Strings

[Bill Cameron]

I got habituated to Daddario EFW74 on my 505. All flatwounds are kind of hard to find on the ground, and pricey in stores, and you need more than one set since you dont want to change broken ones with non-matching....I order them in bulk, best price is currently at Strings and Beyond, aout ten fifty a set with free shipping.

Couple of questions...1. anyone tried both the flatwounds and 'flat-top' daddarios? The flattops are wound in the round and then ground flat....say thats quite poetic. They're even more pricey.

2. But pricey is relative; what on earth is so special about Thomastik flatwounds that they bring $$48/set????

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Bill - I used to use the standard D'Addario J74's but bought a couple of sets of their ''flat tops'' FT74's - they sounded 'to my ears' just the same as the J74's but at over twice the cost here in the UK. I went back to the less expensive J74's.

As for the Thomastiks,part of that cost will be the US import duty / tax. We all get hammered with that on any imported goods.
From what i've read on here,on mandolins that they suit,the Thomastiks are really excellent strings & apparently they last a long while. You'd have to try a set of maybe their heaviest gauge to see if they suit your mandolin.
A friend of mine & a fellow UK Cafe member has a beautiful Heiden "A" style on which he had Thomastik strings at first - it was way underpowered = they didn't suit the Heiden. He changed over to J74's ( now EJ74's of course) & it was very much better. He did change over to DR MD11's & might still use them,but i haven't seen him for quite a while,so i don't know,
Ivan

[5bassman]

I'm another fan of flatwounds. I use medium gauge Thomastik Infelds and love them! Very warm and woody, but can be a little bright and woody with the right pick. And flatwounds are easy on the frets and fingers. And last a loooooooong time! If you need to stand out in a band unmiked, I wouldn't recommend them. But if loud volume isn't a issue, they're great!

[Don Julin]

I have good luck with these. The E and A strings are bit heavier than 74's.