Poll - Do you use Roundwound or Flatwound Strings?

[Patrick2]

Les Pauls, H150s & Strats . . .010 round. ES 335s and H535s . . .011 round. All of my arch tops have flat wounds. Most have .013 Jazz Swing TIs . . some have .012 GB TIs . . some have .012 D'Ad Chromes. Depends upon the guitar and the feel.

I don't believe any one set of strings will work similarly as well on a variety of arch tops guitars. However, on a solid body like a strat type or a Les Paul type . . just give me a set of any manufacturers .010 round wounds and I'm happy.

I once had an H 535 (Heritage's version of an ES 335) that I wanted to have set up for a jazz kinda tone/vibe. Put a set of .011 flat wounds on it. Hated the feel. Felt like I was muting the personality of the guitar. Immediately went back to .011 rounds.

[Klatu]

Les Pauls, H150s & Strats . . .010 round. ES 335s and H535s . . .011 round. All of my arch tops have flat wounds. Most have .013 Jazz Swing TIs . . some have .012 GB TIs . . some have .012 D'Ad Chromes. Depends upon the guitar and the feel.

I don't believe any one set of strings will work similarly as well on a variety of arch tops guitars. However, on a solid body like a strat type or a Les Paul type . . just give me a set of any manufacturers .010 round wounds and I'm happy.

I once had an H 535 (Heritage's version of an ES 335) that I wanted to have set up for a jazz kinda tone/vibe. Put a set of .011 flat wounds on it. Hated the feel. Felt like I was muting the personality of the guitar. Immediately went back to .011 rounds.

You string your acoustic archtops with flats?

[GNAPPI]

Round wound strings are brighter and livelier for me, their downfall is the string squeal from fingers sliding up or down them. I find myself able to control the noise with concentration in quieter passages but it's a pain.

Flats are too dead / dull and lifeless for me but their lack of string squeal and somewhat mellow tone are very attractive. I wish someone could point me to a string that has all the best attributes of both.

[Runepune]

Flatwound on one archtop for old school sounds. Else, roundwound.

At the moment:

09-42 on the tele
09-46 on the strat
10-46 on a Godin 25.5" scale
11-48 on a Gibson SG
13-53 flatwound on the archtop (24.75")
13-56 on the steel acoustic (25.5")

String gauges are subject to change without notice.

Concerning the string squeel on roundwounds...I find the Elixir Nanowebs to be very smooth and silent in that regard.

I actually find just about any type of guitar good for yer typical "jazz"....as long as strings are 011 or thicker (depends a bit on neck scale and action though). But I digress

[Flyin' Brian]

Round wound strings are brighter and livelier for me, their downfall is the string squeal from fingers sliding up or down them. I find myself able to control the noise with concentration in quieter passages but it's a pain.

Flats are too dead / dull and lifeless for me but their lack of string squeal and somewhat mellow tone are very attractive. I wish someone could point me to a string that has all the best attributes of both.

Try either some coated round wounds which I use, or half rounds made by several manufacturers.

[jazzuki]

Me too.D'Addario half roundsNo squeaks.

[Dirk]

Flatwounds here...

[JSanta]

I've been using D'addario flats since I started playing jazz about a year ago. Having recently picked up a 7 string, I am going to give them a shot on that guitar as well. If the A sounds dead then I will probably move to Elixirs.

[zigzag]

T-I Swings on all semi and hollow bodies, D'Addario round 10s with a wound third on all solid bodies. I'm not much on twang and squeal.

[jzucker]

yes

[Vladan]

Good answer. Have to add, for couple of weeks already, I have half rounds, or whatever you name them, on Tele. They're 11s, and so far, I quite like them.

[pantz]

It depends on the guitar. I like flats on my es175 and Jim Hall, rounds on my Soloways and heritage semi.

[AlainJazz]

I use both. I keep changing my mind as to what I like better.

[jzucker]

i'd like to switch to rounds on my archtop but I like the TI flats on there. I use rounds for semi-hollow, pop, fusion though.

[Boston Joe]

Flats on the Archtop, rounds on the Strat.

[doctordub]

I use 11 DA flats on my Gibson Midtown Kalamazoo, and DA 10 rounds on my Les Paul Standard.

[bob dullam]

flat. thomistik

[iim7V7IM7]

TI Bebops .013s for years

[Scotto]

For octaves I prefer big fat flats on my jazz guitar...
Rounds on my Rickenbacker when I want some crunch.

[GodinFan]

I have flats on my 7-string...except for the 7th string! It's a roundwound.

[bluemood]

I play a Tele now only with 10's so rounds do it all for me Jazz, Blues ,rock I just ride my tone control and volume.
Guitar,cord,amp.

[Maxxx]

Both..

Infact all three. I have a classical with nylon strings, solid bodies with round-wounds, and a simi-hollow with flat-wounds.

[kenbennett]

Both

[SuperFour00]

Both.

But on the subject of archtops and string squeek ... I saw Anthony Wilson with Diana Krall a few years ago; he was playing what looked like a handmade (?) archtop in natural finish through a tweed amp (Victoria?). He was using roundwound strings and his string squeal was epic. It was so distracting, I could barely listen to his chordal work and it destroyed any attempts at octave solo licks. I propose perhaps he had a piezo pick-up in addition to his magnetic pick-up ... whatever it was, I cringed through the whole gig, and I noticed similar responses around me in the crowd. With his pick-ups, amp, and technique, the liveliness of the strings was overshadowed by the brutal string squeal. I never want that to happen again, it was like broken glass dragged across a chalkboard. Too bad, he's a good player.

[docbop]

Both.

But on the subject of archtops and string squeek ... I saw Anthony Wilson with Diana Krall a few years ago; he was playing what looked like a handmade (?) archtop in natural finish through a tweed amp (Victoria?). He was using roundwound strings and his string squeal was epic. It was so distracting, I could barely listen to his chordal work and it destroyed any attempts at octave solo licks. I propose perhaps he had a piezo pick-up in addition to his magnetic pick-up ... whatever it was, I cringed through the whole gig, and I noticed similar responses around me in the crowd. With his pick-ups, amp, and technique, the liveliness of the strings was overshadowed by the brutal string squeal. I never want that to happen again, it was like broken glass dragged across a chalkboard. Too bad, he's a good player.

At a Frank Vignola clinic I went to recently the subject of string squeak came up, Frank quoted Segovia "it's part of the music".