Poll - Do you use Roundwound or Flatwound Strings?

**eblydian** · 03-18-2015, 05:31 AM

Originally Posted by Marwin Moody

I'd love to try TI strings, but I don't know of any retailer which offers them =(

If you are located in Norway, there's certainly a bunch of web shops that deliver to your door step. Try with:

amazon.de
musicstore.de
thomann.de

**snoskier63** · 03-18-2015, 10:03 AM

The easy answer is yes!

What I use (flats vs round) depends on the guitar. My X-500 and Aristocrat sound great with Chromes, but my Artist Award sounds best with rounds.

**mr quick** · 03-19-2015, 04:31 PM

I discovered that the awful music store in downtown Stavanger(20 minutes drive) from which I bought my faulty Starcaster has TI strings. Worth giving it a shot?

**HighSpeedSpoon** · 03-20-2015, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by Marwin Moody

I discovered that the awful music store in downtown Stavanger(20 minutes drive) from which I bought my faulty Starcaster has TI strings. Worth giving it a shot?

I seem to always come back to the TIs. -- Hate the price; love the strings.

The rest of this post may be confusing, because I've recently I've tried both rounds versus flats and Pyramids versus TIs. One thing that I've noticed over the years is that I strongly prefer nickel strings, and the Pyramids and TIs both fill that bill. I've been using the TI George Benson flats on my archtop and the TI Swing 110s on my flattop guitar. I tried Pyramid Pyramid Pure Nickel Flats, Pure Nickel rounds, and TI Bebops on the archtop, and Pyramid Pure Nickel Flats on the flattop.

Every set of TIs I've ever got looks fresh out of the package and free of rust (if rust is what it is). It may be just random, but the Pyramids were not all "rust" free, although they were very good. Rust aside, I still prefer the TI flats by a wide margin. I'm not so sure about the rounds, and the Pyramid rounds are a lot cheaper than the TIs, so I may try the Pyramid rounds again.

**Wemedge** · 03-20-2015, 10:13 PM

Flatwounds on 6-string archtop (Thomastiks), tapewounds on 7-string archtop (La Bella).

**rickshapiro** · 03-20-2015, 10:52 PM

Hey, no love for nylon tape wound, very addictive.

**vinlander** · 03-21-2015, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by rickshapiro

Hey, no love for nylon tape wound, very addictive.

I had Labella 800M for a while on my Joe Pass, very smooth and warm tone.

**wildschwein** · 03-25-2015, 04:56 AM

I've been using 12-52 flats and dig those but I have just checked out a set of D'Addario half round 11-49s. They really do fall between rounds and flats sonically and feel wise. I like them, especially for rockier fusion styles.

**Marty Grass** · 03-25-2015, 02:00 PM

Bill, what polished rounds do you use? Thanks.

Originally Posted by Bill C

polished rounds (similar to half rounds) - fairly bright but less squeak than rounds

**hans halmackenreuter** · 03-25-2015, 06:55 PM

Today I tried Pyramid flatwounds (12) on my p90 archtop and it I like them a lot. Been using rounds exclusively the last 1 or 2 years but these strings feel and sound very great. On any other guitar I put rounds (12) on.

**NY-London** · 04-17-2015, 04:38 PM

Wow, this thread is still going after several years. I've recently acquired a 7-string carved arch top that came with flats. I don't care for the flats much thus far. I've just taken it for a setup and will probably have them switch out the strings while they're at it. While I think I should give the flats a chance, I'm also thinking of giving these Newtone 12-72 strings a try: Newtone Archtop Nickel Wound, .012 - .072, AM-ML7

It's a floating pickup, by the way. Thus far, I've tried it through my Fender Vibrolux and have not got a sound I like. The amp is part of the problem (great amp, but not the sound I want for this guitar). I read in this thread, I think, that a closed cabinet helps.

**monkmiles** · 04-24-2015, 08:59 PM

Can some of you guys recommend wound strings to try for someone coming from flats? I've been using TI Swing 13s for a while and Daddario chromes 12 before that on my Eastman ar403. Thinking about trying roundqound on it next. But looking for roundwounds that are not super bright...brighter than flats have you, but not bright for rounds if you follow. I have tried the Daddaio half wounds before and didn't love them.

Right now I'm thinking about TI bebop, maybe Pearse strings or D'Addario EJ21.

**kenbennett** · 04-24-2015, 09:02 PM

Both

**rio** · 04-24-2015, 11:03 PM

The Bebop strings are good. They are double wound, which allows a much finer round wrap. Newtone strings also do this.

**vinlander** · 04-25-2015, 09:22 AM

Again in a tinkering phase with my Epis...
After years of using D'Addario Chromes ECG26 and Labella, I decided to try 2 other brands being curious if they would make my guitars sound warmer.
Also as much as I like heavy gauge for fast single note runs, extended chords are a bit more tough on the hand with 15-56. While I love the "doink" I get up to fret #9 I don't dig the tone of heavy tension on the lower strings past the 12th fret...
I suspect I slowly develop a condition called "golfer's elbow" and I suspect it might be related to high tension of the strings.
So I am gonna experiment with a bit lower tension and lighter gauge:
Rotosound Top Tape 12-52 Monel Flat wounds.
Thomastik-Infield Swing 13-53
Hopefully these might tame down a bit the natural brightness of the Epis.

**TedBPhx** · 04-25-2015, 08:38 PM

New to chasing archtop tone and jazz guitar in general. Switched the strings on my Washburn J600 from D'Addario chrome flat twelves to a set of Newtone Archtop 11s. Very different tone. I like both. The Newtones make this big archtop sound like the acoustic I expected. Amplified they go from folk rock to a nice dirty blues sound without too much string noise. That double wound design is noticeably quieter than traditional round wounds.

But the flat wounds are better at that smooth sound my ears associate with tradional jazz tone. Guess I'll just alternate style with the string changes. Probably go up to 12s with the next set of Newtones.

**monkmiles** · 07-03-2015, 02:11 PM

I realize I'm upping an old thread, but after years of using flats for jazz (Chromes to TI JS13's), I just changed to rounds. I got tired of the cost of TI and went with the D'Addario EJ21 with singles to up the top two strings to 18 and 14. So a set of 12s with thicker B and E strings. Really like it so far but I need more time with them, especially playing in the band.

**jazzuki** · 07-03-2015, 03:21 PM

Hallpass. Me too. I've always played Chromes but changed to TI's ,and while some players love them and think they the best thing since " sliced bread", they are not for me. For years I have had one of my guitars strung with D'Addario half rounds 11 /50's and when I tire of Chromes I play the H/Rnds. And also gone back to Chrome /Flats on my other archtop.
The cost of TI's for me are exorbitant and this I cannot justify.

**boatheelmusic** · 07-04-2015, 08:50 AM

D'Addario Chrome '12's on my ES-175
Roundwound '10's on my tele

**EpiJazz** · 07-07-2015, 11:45 AM

I'm still looking for the perfect strings (aren't we all?) but right now I've got Martin m550s (.13) on my acoustic and Thomastik JS111s on my electric. They're great for jazz (really good for playing basslines) but anything else...meh. I might try the Bebops or the Benson rounds next.

**stoneground** · 07-08-2015, 07:04 AM

I've mainly used D'addario Chrome 11's since found out 20 years ago that flatwounds were the only way to get the classic mellow jazzy (electric) sound I wanted. I use them on my 165 and also my old 345 which produces a great sound with flatwounds using the neck pickup and the Varitone in the bypass position. The bridge pickup, Varitone and Stereo wiring however are largely redundant for my purposes. On the odd occasion that I have used the guitar in non-jazz situations I still much prefer flatwounds. I don't quite understand why they are so expensive though. I also found that roundwounds lose their tone much more quickly than flats which last for ages if you occasionally change just the plain E and B.

**roegtr** · 02-02-2016, 09:30 AM

I voted flats but only because that is what I use on my main jazz guitar. I use rounds on my other guitars.

**docsteve** · 02-26-2016, 09:25 AM

I use Thomastik flatwounds .11 throughout, but I'm also a trombonist. What option should I choose?

Stephan

**Lionelsax** · 03-04-2016, 01:11 PM

I use flat wounds, Pyramid Gold 11-48 on a solid body (Gibson Nighthawk built in 1995), for me it's the best way to have a mellow sound without touching too much the amp and the tone control.
At first I used to turn down the tone but I realised it sounded better with quite everything open (volume 100 % - Tone 75 %), the 3 pickups and the other configurations are playable in a jazz style.
But if I had an arch top I think I would try round wounds.
A lot of people have a very nice tone on a solid body with round wounds but I guess they have to touch a lot the amp and just play on the neck pickup.

**davidBb** · 03-04-2016, 02:35 PM

Still finding my way as a jazz player. Flats nearly always are the sound of my favourite jazz guitar players on record but aside from the lack of squeak, and the ease of getting a classic jazz tone, I prefer the tone of rounds overall because until recently it's all I've played. Flats sound a bit dead and, well, flat. But I may change my mind as I get deeper into the genre as a player.