Flatwound String Life

**stringtapper** · 03-14-2018, 04:40 PM

Hello all!

I am a bassist who finally decided to start learning guitar last year. After a year of playing an Epiphone ES-335 Pro I have gone all in and purchased a 2018 Gibson Memphis 335 and am blown away at the quality and feel of this instrument!

Anyway, I immediately gravitated to the heavy gauge, high tension flat wound feel and used a mix-matched set of Chromes on the Epi (15–20w[yes you read that right!]–26w–35–45–56) and I really loved that combo (although I will admit that the wound B was a bit over the top).

I have joked that I set up my instruments for pain (I use the heaviest flats available on my P-basses set up for old school Soul/R&B [Ernie Ball Custom Gauge Flats Group I; 55–75–90–110])! :-)

Now I have a set of the LaBella Jazz Flats 20-PH (15–56) and so far they seem like the closest thing to my previous setup without having to buy single strings.

So all that was introduce myself and to ask this question:

What is the general lifespan of a set of heavy flatwounds like this?

My MO with my basses that have flats on them is to essentially consider them part of the bass once they're on and never take them off unless one breaks or goes so dead as to be unplayable (which hasn't happened to at least one set for over five years now).

I know that I'm not likely to get away that easily when it comes to the guitar strings, but I am wondering how much playing time I can expect to get out of them and whether I should just go ahead and buy a couple of backup packs (something I would never really do with my basses; i.e. break a string on stage? work around it until the gig is over!).

Thanks!

Dave

**oldane** · 03-14-2018, 05:06 PM

That will depend very much on how much you play. It will also depend on how much you sweat when playing. I did sweat more when I was younger and I replaced my strings more often than I do now. You may want to replace the plain strings before the wound ones. The LaBella 15-56 set comes with extra B and E plain strings.

I'm not a pro but try to play every day. I had a set of LaBella 15-56 flats on my "go-to" guitar for nearly 2 years. They were not worn out, but I replaced them to try out TI Bensons 14-55. Right now I have a set of Chromes 12-52 on it - mostly because I had some sets lying around which I might just as well use. I'm not that prickey about my strings and adapt pretty easily as long as they are medium to heavy - and flats for my electric guitars. I have never like the feel and the tone I got when trying thin gauge strings.

**stringtapper** · 03-14-2018, 05:24 PM

Thanks for your reply oldane!

Originally Posted by oldane

That will depend very much on how much you play.

Absolutely. These days I'm at least putting my hands on the instrument every day, if not outright practicing, but I'm not performing (yet) and so I'm probably not putting a ton of mileage on them.

Originally Posted by oldane

The LaBella 15-56 set comes with extra B and E plain strings.

I read about this somewhere before I purchased them but the set I bought from Strings By Mail did not have an extra E and B.

Originally Posted by oldane

I have never like the feel and the tone I got when trying thin gauge strings.

Same here. To me, the semi-hollow plus heavy flats is not only a sonic preference but a tactile one. When I first played a friend's 335 with heavy flats I was floored by the entire experience of it, the feel, the sound, the "mojo" of it, I guess.

Picking up an acoustic or a solid body with rounds feels like playing a toy after you've played one of these beasts with heavy flats on it!

**Papawooly** · 03-15-2018, 04:06 PM

I also tried the LaBella 15's, though, they seemed way to bendable for 15's and I didn't love the tone.

So on my "Wes" setup (My L5 Studio into Polytone) I ended up getting TI GB14's. Great strings, but not cheap.
They last for at least 4-5 months of hard playing, then one day the just die, and feel like you are playing a railroad track.

**silverface** · 03-15-2018, 06:50 PM

I can get months out of TI's; just trying LaBellas for the first time.

I've had lousy results with Rotosound's RS-200 set - one just went dead early; the second set I tried came with a bad 4th string.

FWIW I use a LOT of D'Addario strings on my electrics and acoustics - but their Chromes don't last for me. 8 hours or so of actual playing time, which is about double what I get out of roundwounds. They also have a harsh tome to my ear.

If I could find an economical altenative to TI's I'd be a happy guy. Haven't found them yet.

**mongrel** · 03-16-2018, 08:11 PM

I have had a set of .012 Chromes on my '62 ES 355 for about five years. It doesn't get played much but when I take it out and plug it in the strings feel fresh and sound good. This guitar lives in its case mostly. I got a used LP Studio Faded about 14 months ago and had the luthier who did the fret-dress and board straitening put a set of .012 Chrome flats on it. This guitar sits out on a stand and I play it a bit every day. Those strings feel and sound great and, if anything, better than new. I had an Epi Joe Pass that I put TI Swings on, .013's I think, and those still felt good and sounded mellow after five years. That guitar sat out all the time and I played it daily. I don't sweat at all but I never wipe any of those strings down either.

**ptchristopher3** · 03-16-2018, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by silverface

If I could find an economical altenative to TI's I'd be a happy guy. Haven't found them yet.

Same here.

So I decided to just be a happy guy with my TI flats as they are. You can get them for about $22 if you poke around. And for how long they last, this is fine by me.

I love the title of this thread. Like the joys of “Living the Flatwound String Life”.

**neatomic** · 03-16-2018, 08:44 PM

like all things, there is a reason!!!

thomastik uses pure nickel wrap...two wraps of it on their flatwounds...pure nickel is pricey...all major usa companies cheap out on their flats and use stainless steel...way different feel and tone!!

only other major string maker using pure nickel wraps on flats is pyramid...another european company...and they ain't cheap either

3rd prize goes to rotosound for using monel wrap on their flats..but they only do one guage 12's... and with mixed results (as sf pointed out ^)

cheers

ps- thoms and pyramid also up the ante by using vintage round core inner...no major usa maker does that either on their flats!...

**sgosnell** · 03-16-2018, 09:37 PM

There are very good reasons for using hex core for strings. IMO it's superior to round core, but YMMV.

**neatomic** · 03-16-2018, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

There are very good reasons for using hex core for strings....

not denying that...hexcore came about at the request of john d'angelico!!...

just wanted to further establish differences between euro thoms & pyramid flats with major usa string manufacturer flats

whatever works best for your ears and your wallet! hah

cheers

**stringtapper** · 03-22-2018, 11:26 AM

Thanks to everyone for chiming in on the discussion!

I admit that I'm not at the point where I have as much sensitivity to the details of how guitar strings are performing like I do with bass strings. I'm sure that will come with time.

But I have noticed that the wound strings on the La Bellas seem to have some inconsistencies compared to those from the set of Chromes I have on my Epiphone.

Are there any other sets of flat wound 15s out there that I could try?

**oldane** · 03-22-2018, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by ptchristopher3

Same here.

So I decided to just be a happy guy with my TI flats as they are. You can get them for about $22 if you poke around.

That's in US. For the benefit of the European forum members, I may add that the price level in Europe has for years been about the same for Chromes and TI flatwounds. Some say TI is actually cheaper right now but I don't know for shure. I have a box full of string sets and it's a long time since I have bought strings.

**ptchristopher3** · 03-22-2018, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by oldane

That's in US. For the benefit of the European forum members, I may add that the price level in Europe has for years been about the same for Chromes and TI flatwounds. Some say TI is actually cheaper right now but I don't know for shure. I have a box full of string sets and it's a long time since I have bought strings.

What is your address and when are you away celebrating the Hans Christian Andersen Open-Face Sandwich festival?

**grahambop** · 03-22-2018, 01:10 PM

I just use D'addario 12 flats and they last for ages. I don't really bother changing them sometimes for a year or two, really it's whenever the intonation gets a bit suspect, the tone doesn't seem to change much. Whereas I used to find the equivalent rounds seemed to go much sooner.

**mr. beaumont** · 03-22-2018, 02:02 PM

Yeah, I get about a year out of flats...I'm about to change them on my Heritage as they're just completely dead and now finally having some tuning issues, but I keep putting it off because I hate new strings so much

Plugged in, they sound perfect right now...oh well...

**oldane** · 03-22-2018, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by ptchristopher3

What is your address and when are you away celebrating the Hans Christian Andersen Open-Face Sandwich festival?

If you actually came all the way over here for a couple of string sets, I'd think I'd give you those sets - and offer a dram of Ardbeg Corryvreckan in addition.

BTW, there's no such thing as a H. C. Andersen open-face sandwich festival. However, in Odense, the birth city of Andersen, they have - somewhat with tongue in cheek - a yearly tartelette festival, though not related to Andersen. As for the open sandwiches, there's no need for a festival for them. We eat them all year.

But I digress.... Over and out.