rollerwound strings?

**Paul Kinnear** · 12-20-2010, 11:16 PM

Has anyone tried rollerwound strings? For the past 20 years or so I have been using GHS flatwound .013 guage on my 335. Recently I have been playing an Eastman 905ce 7 string carved archtop for duo jobs. Currently there is D'addario. 012 roundwound strings on the Eastman and I do dig the acoustic properties. The GHS flatts sound to muddy on it as well as tape wound (although I didn't give them much of a chance). It may be the feel I miss.
The other thought was maybe a different brand of flatwounds (maybe D'addario chromes)?
I still use the 335 with the flatts for group gigs. The Eastman I am using for most of my duo work.
Does anyone have any experience with rollerwound or maybe brighter flatwounds?

**hot ford coupe** · 12-20-2010, 11:34 PM

Hey Paul. I used to use nothing but GHS flatwound .013 gauge strings. The low E string used to thud rather than ring like a round wound. I used them also on my ES335 and an ES355. Then I came to this forum and saw some discussion about D'Addario Chromes and decided to try them out. I put them on the 355 and took it out to play. What a major difference. The Chromes were so much more alive and still nice and mellow without the muddiness. I tried some round wounds also but there was just way too much squeaking with my DeArmond pickups on my acoustic archtop. BTW, I used the chromes on my acoustic archtop. They sound better than they do on the semi solid. I haven't tried the Thomastik Infeld strings yet but I'm very happy with the D'Addarios. Hope this helps you out.

**JohnW400** · 12-20-2010, 11:39 PM

The TI's sounded great on one of my oval hole boxes. I use a set of GHS1315 rollerwound on my Super 400. I have used the 1400 on some of my guitars. They sound fine. They feel ok too

The GHS have less drag than the D'Addario semi's. The D'A's feel weird. Like your callouses get hung up on the winding

**krusty** · 12-21-2010, 01:53 AM

I found Chromes to be completely lacking the tone I wanted. They made my tone control rather sensitive to correct adjustment, and wouldn't allow me to select from a possible range of tones. Rather, they locked me into a particular sound. Like most flatwounds I have tried (TI were among the best), rolling off the tone control produced a very fine line between what I wanted and mud with no note definition in chords. I have since tried La Bella rollerwound nickels, and on my solid bodies, they are the best I have found. They allow a greater range of tone possibilities with clear definition at any setting.

**Paul Kinnear** · 12-21-2010, 03:23 AM

Thanks. I will try them all ( D'addario chrome flatts, La Bells rollerwound and Ghs rollerwound).

**bkdavidson** · 12-21-2010, 08:02 AM

You should also check out the GHS groundwound, which I think they call Brite-Flats. They feel a lot better than the rollerwounds, at least to me.

**hot ford coupe** · 12-21-2010, 10:01 AM

And there you have it. This thread should be annexed to the "what is jazz tone" thread. We all have a different sound in our heads and are looking for different tone variations. Solution? Like Paul said Let's try 'em all and see what we get.

**bluemood** · 12-21-2010, 06:48 PM

I have a set of La Bella Nickel 200 Rollerwound...Two things I don't like first is that they are sticky when you press and slide second is that they do make noise while playing ,one thing that did to help the sticky and noise is take and rub the string with a cloth for a long time this really help alot...Now for what I do like about these strings is the tone is great and the flexiblity and sustain is fantastic...I'm thinking of putting some Thomastik 12's swing set flatwounds back on Hofner Very Thin Classic and leaving the La Bellas on my Parker.

**MarkRhodes** · 12-21-2010, 07:12 PM

I just went back to D'Addario Chromes and love them. (Most of my experience is with slinky rock'n'roll / blues strings, so I speak as a novice in this area.) I've found that most guitar stores near me (Palm Beach County, Florida) don't carry *any* flatwound strings *except* the D'Addario Chromes. Is this a weirdness about South Florida--there are many--or is this par for the Guitar Center course?

**hot ford coupe** · 12-21-2010, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by markerhodes

I just went back to D'Addario Chromes and love them. (Most of my experience is with slinky rock'n'roll / blues strings, so I speak as a novice in this area.) I've found that most guitar stores near me (Palm Beach County, Florida) don't carry *any* flatwound strings *except* the D'Addario Chromes. Is this a weirdness about South Florida--there are many--or is this par for the Guitar Center course?

I have a feeling that if you get your strings from a Guitar Center, that's pretty much what is most in demand. That and a lot of the cheaper strings. It really depends on who the most common customers are, i.e. rockers, students, shredders etc. Since flat chromes are so popular, I'll bet anything else sits on the shelf collecting dust. I used to use D'Aquisto strings and the only reason the store carried them was because I bought them. They discontinued them because they couldn't sell enough of them if they bought a box. Nobody in my area sells TI's and I have a bad feeling that most of the sales people in the stores here never even heard of TI's. In fact, one large store doesn't even carry the .013 flat chromes, only the .012's. They used to carry them but nobody bought any in such a long time, they quit selling them. .

**SamBooka** · 12-21-2010, 11:45 PM

we have a few exceptions but 12 chromes or sometimes fender steel flats are all you can find around here as well. Nice thing about chromes is they seem (at least in the 13s) bottom heavy. I buy 13s and put a 14/18 on E/B since no one carries 14s.

My advice to anyone who spent more than 500$ on their guitar is to go to juststrings.com and get 4 different sets of strings. Chromes, Labellas, GHS etc and try them for a week. After a week change strings (even if they arent dead). Comparing dead strings to fresh strings from a different brand doesnt do much.

At the end you have wasted 40$ but you will know better which strings suit your guitar.

**hot ford coupe** · 12-22-2010, 12:18 AM

I sort of do the same thing as you do, Sam, with the E/B but what I do instead is I buy a set of .010's and .013's. Then I throw away the .010 (not really. I use the extra strings in my model aircraft scratchbuilding. they make great wires and plumbing.) Then I use the B string which is a .014 as my E string and so on sort of sliding the fingerboard over one string. Other guitarists fall over when I say I use a wound B string instead of a plain one. As far as the low E is concerned, I use the one out of the set of .013's which is .056. If I can get a few single .056's, then I don't need to get the .013 set. Strangely since my axe is well set up, I don't feel any real difference between the .013's and what I use.

I also like your solution for your final choice of string.

**Tom Karol** · 12-22-2010, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by SamBooka

... My advice to anyone who spent more than 500$ on their guitar is to go to juststrings.com and get 4 different sets of strings. Chromes, Labellas, GHS etc and try them for a week. After a week change strings (even if they arent dead). Comparing dead strings to fresh strings from a different brand doesnt do much. At the end you have wasted 40$ but you will know better which strings suit your guitar.

Couldn't agree more! I did just that and ended up with these for all 3 of my electrics (T-style, A/E Hybrid, and 335 clone):
D'Aquisto Electric Nickel-plated Round Wound, .011 - .048, #340, <$4 per set.
They sound great to me and seem to feel pretty smooth for roundwounds.

**fws6** · 12-22-2010, 01:57 PM

I didnt like the rollerwounds. But as argued above, string choice is a very personal matter

I didnt like flatwounds on my acoustic archtops, either, but do sometimes use them on the electrics. I think I tried 5 or 6 different brands over the last yesar only to end up with what I had started out on; DA EJ22's (013 gauge). I liked the TI Bebops too but very expensive. I didnt like their George Benson set though, way too light in the middle strings.

**hot ford coupe** · 12-22-2010, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by fws6

I didnt like flatwounds on my acoustic archtops, .

Now that's something I had to learn the hard way. I had to have it explained to me that acoustic archtops generally need heavy roundwound bronze strings to really bring out the sound designed into it. Flatwound strings make an archtop sound too dead unless you're using a pickup. It's sort of you can't have your cake and eat it too. The trouble is that I always thought I kept winding up with defective acoustic archtops because they always sounded dead and never like on the CD's (or record albums if you're old enough to remember those

). I went to Gruhn's one day and got to play a couple of good archtops with bronze strings on them. I was bowled over by the sound. I asked Gruhn why doesn't my archtop sound as good as the others? He told me because you have flatwound strings on it. He said the guitar will never sound right unless you're using a pickup only. I felt like an idot.

**SamBooka** · 12-22-2010, 04:57 PM

The first year I went to the montreal guitar show that is what struck me.. of the .. i dont know so I will make up a number .. 30 archtop guitars that were there maybe 5 of them had flats.

I have en Epi Emp Reg (nothing to write home about but I like it) that sounds best to me so far Newtone Archtop rounds. On a 175 not so much, the chromes (which I have always hated) actually work best for me.

**Peter C** · 12-22-2010, 07:20 PM

OK, I just read a post here comparing the GHS Rollerwounds and the D'Addario Halfwounds, and my findings were just the opposite. Go figure, as they say.

I couldn't get on with the Rollerwounds, they felt (and squeaked) like standard roundwounds to me, but somehow a bit "off". You should try them both, though, of course. Eric Johnson seems to like the Rollerwounds a lot.

I don't think the Chromes are what you're looking for. They work fine on one of my solids and on my laminated top hollow body, but I don't think they bring out the best in a carved top.

I haven't tried them (yet), but the La Bella stainless steel flats are reputed to be very bright.

The TI Bebops could also be just what the doctor ordered, or maybe their Jazz Swings.

**milesfandavid** · 12-26-2010, 02:48 PM

For what it's worth:
I have a big problem with the transition from the wound G string to the plain strings. The tonal shift drives me nuts, and it's exacerbated with nickel-wrap wound strings; the best compromise I've found is a custom-gauged set of D'Addario Half Rounds (which are stainless steel roundwounds, ground almost flat). Not my ideal tone, but close, and very workable. The wound/plain string transition is pretty good to my ears, and there's very little finger noise (squeaks).

The biggest drawback is that I can't find any D'Addario Half Round single strings, so I have to buy 2 sets to get my gauge preference...oh well. It's only money, right?

**kris** · 12-26-2010, 02:53 PM

I use Gibson L-5 strings...works good with semmi-hollow guitars!!!

**bluemood** · 01-05-2011, 08:38 PM

I received The Thomastik swing set yesterday 1-3-11 and took them off today the 4th.
They did not work for me so back to the Labella rollerwound .

**Harleyboy** · 01-05-2011, 08:58 PM

You might try Pyramid flatwounds. They worked for the Beattles and they work great on my Gibson 330 & Sadowski Jimmi Bruno.

**Meggy** · 01-10-2011, 04:30 PM

I had not heard of roller-wound strings before, so did a bit of searching, but can't seem to find them for sale anywhere in the UK - does anyone know where I could get hold of a set to try (13 gauge preferably)? Also I can't find anyone selling GHS brite-flats in a 13 gauge, again any help would be gratefully received!

**bluemood** · 01-10-2011, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by Meggy

I had not heard of roller-wound strings before, so did a bit of searching, but can't seem to find them for sale anywhere in the UK - does anyone know where I could get hold of a set to try (13 gauge preferably)? Also I can't find anyone selling GHS brite-flats in a 13 gauge, again any help would be gratefully received!

Elderly Instruments has GHS brite flats In 12 guage.

**jazzguyfromnc** · 01-10-2011, 06:56 PM

Speaking of strings, I just started using these:

and I'm completely in love with them. I had been using D'Addario flat-wounds for years before this.

**spiral** · 01-11-2011, 04:28 AM

I've tried a few types of rollerwound strings and didn't find them to live up to the promise of "brightness of roundwounds! feel of flatwounds!". The smaller ridges in the wrapping creates more friction than flats or rounds, and they just sounded like flats to me. Some people love them. I am not them.

Originally Posted by Meggy

I had not heard of roller-wound strings before, so did a bit of searching, but can't seem to find them for sale anywhere in the UK - does anyone know where I could get hold of a set to try (13 gauge preferably)? Also I can't find anyone selling GHS brite-flats in a 13 gauge, again any help would be gratefully received!

I'll send you a set for free if you PM me your address. The heaviest they come in is 12's (what i have). I bought some and it wasn't a love connection. Now they need to move out before my new girlfriend finds out.

Originally Posted by Peter C

I don't think the Chromes are what you're looking for. They work fine on one of my solids and on my laminated top hollow body, but I don't think they bring out the best in a carved top.

This is a big "it depends". Generally i would say flats might be dull on an acoustic archtop but sometimes it is the perfect compliment to how a guitar is voiced. I just got this Tacoma archtop which is a carved top, and tried 3 different sets on it (1 roundwound, 1 halfround, and Chromes), my normal roundwound heavy 12's made it sound like a rubberband banjo, but acoustically the Chrome 13's sounded rich, articulate, and just really lovely. I think they had the right amount of tension for this guitar. If you guitar is already dark, then yeah you are probably right that Chromes are not going to bring out the tone.

So i would suggest what others have said: if you want to keep a guitar, or determine if you will keep it, suck it up and buy 3-5 string sets, try them all and figure out which ones work best.