The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

View Poll Results: Do you use roundwound or flatwound strings?

Voters
640. You may not vote on this poll
  • Flatwound

    363 56.72%
  • Roundwound

    257 40.16%
  • I'm a trombonist

    20 3.13%
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Posts 176 to 200 of 211
  1. #176

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    been a few years since my last post here, so I need to revise my position and preference... Coated rounds on everything. A jazz guitarist I really respect came into the store while I was working the register, and got a million sets of Elixirs, and I said to him "Wait, no flats?" and he said "I use rounds, and you should too" before he took off. Glad I listened to him, because the sound and feel of rounds are a part of my expression today (or so I hope..!). Slidey legato stuff on the wound strings really capture that "reed"-like feel in a jazz sax player. It just feels a bit more dirty, and I'm into it.

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  3. #177

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    Ref. above post ^, at around 4 changes a year per guitar, a million sets of Elixirs should last him a while. I had actually ruled out this brand when I tried their Polywebs due to weird fraying going on at the pick attack area. I did like the lowered finger noise until that started happening.

    Recently I came across some very positive comments on the Nanowebs and gave them a go. So far they're holding up really well with no fraying, lots of round wound sparkle etc, and squeaks on my archtop are just within tolerable limits for me. I really dislike squeaks

  4. #178

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    Yeah, I wasn't a fan either until they released the Optiweb strings in 2016 or 2017. Never looked back!

  5. #179

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr quick View Post
    been a few years since my last post here, so I need to revise my position and preference... Coated rounds on everything. A jazz guitarist I really respect came into the store while I was working the register, and got a million sets of Elixirs, and I said to him "Wait, no flats?" and he said "I use rounds, and you should too" before he took off. Glad I listened to him, because the sound and feel of rounds are a part of my expression today (or so I hope..!). Slidey legato stuff on the wound strings really capture that "reed"-like feel in a jazz sax player. It just feels a bit more dirty, and I'm into it.
    Yes! Elixir nanoweb 11s for me as well. Gives me the sound of rounds but the smooth feel, lifespan and no string noise of flatwounds.

  6. #180

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    The results correlate with a survey I did a couple of years ago.

    The results then where 59% flatwound, 33% roundwound, and 8% halfwound.

    The Best Jazz Guitar Strings (Top 30) + Best Gauges/Wound

  7. #181

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    Here's an old thread for sure!

    I'm sure I commented earlier, but I have no idea what I answered.

    These days, my answer would be "YES." I like having a guitar with flats and a guitar with rounds hanging around.

  8. #182

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    Mostly preferred roundwounds for the richer harmonics. But I'm considering switching to flatwounds to reduce fret wear and just explore something a little different. If I can keep playing at all with the worsening pain in my left thumb and index finger.

  9. #183

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    No option for BOTH? I have more than one guitar. My 5th Avenue has D’Addario Flatwound Chromes and my Hamer has Ernie Ball Pure Nickel Slinkies.

  10. #184

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    I went from Thomastik Bebop .013s round to Swing flat .013s and I'm back to rounds and think I like them better for clearness.

    Question: Are the B and high E unwound strings the same in Bebops and Swings?

  11. #185

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    I would think they are the same string other.manufacturers ask if you want a wound third.

  12. #186

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    .013 sets have a wound third.. which I like. The round wound strings (i.e. BeBop) have a better blend with the unwound ones. That's why I prefer them. I was just wondering...

  13. #187

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    Well, I can’t vote because I use both.

    I use these flats for electric hollowbodies and semi-s, 12 - 48:

    Poll - Do you use Roundwound or Flatwound Strings?-a9fdff29-5533-4d9b-9310-51de1fa54822-jpeg

    I use these round monels for solidbodies, also 12 - 48:

    Poll - Do you use Roundwound or Flatwound Strings?-506b17d3-9ed9-4bcd-ad8f-a8212c5eb8e2-jpeg

    I replace the E and B with .012 and .015

    Acoustics get a variety of brands and materials but all roundwound.

  14. #188
    Both; I use TI JS 13 flats on my WesMo, on my solid bodies, I use Dean Markley Signature Series rounds 10-46, with 10-52 on one of my Les Pauls and on my acoustics, I use either Dean Markely or Martin 12 rounds.

  15. #189

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    I tend to oscillate between flats and roundwounds on my ES 330. IMHO flats have a punchier tone (more fundamental, less overtones, less sustain) which seems to fit very nicely in our soul-jazz organ trio. They give low notes the needed authority while still sounding mellow. From time to time I try roundwounds thinking they would make the guitar more "versatile". They usually stay no more than a week. ;-)
    OTOH the tele will always have roundwounds, they are just made for the twang.

  16. #190

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    I like flat wound strings because they make less noise than regular wound. Many years ago I got a set of flat wound strings , the E,A and D strings were coated with Black teflon. I think they were made by DeAdario. They were the best strings. But I never was able to find them again. Has anybody heard of Teflon Coated strings?
    Kevin Hagen

  17. #191

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    Quote Originally Posted by ikusan View Post
    Yes! Elixir nanoweb 11s for me as well. Gives me the sound of rounds but the smooth feel, lifespan and no string noise of flatwounds.
    I have been using Elixir *webs for years now. I never liked the feel of flatwounds. The slight reduction (over normal roundwounds) in brightness of a nanoweb, especially after it ages a bit, sounds just right for me, and they feel good to play.

  18. #192

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    IME, definitely give the Nanowebs a try if finger noise is your main issue with roundwounds.

  19. #193

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    I have been using flat wounds on my 2 Eastman archtops. Yesterday, for the first time in a while, I picked up my Eastman with the Lollar CC pickup, and it just sounded plinky. After some time fiddling with EQ on the Bud, I realized that I had put monels to try them out.

    The carved Eastman archtops, IME, have a very good acoustic sound, and with the monels this guitar sounded really good acoustically, but I disliked the sound through the CC pickup pretty intensely. I put on a set of Dogal R40 strings, and... there was the amplified sound I was looking for.

  20. #194

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    Considering very seriously to move to tape-wounds if I can find a full set that intonates correctly everywhere on every string.

  21. #195

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    It always takes a few hours of playing before roundwounds lose that horrible zingyness they have at first, so I prefer flatwounds.

  22. #196

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    Roundwound!

  23. #197

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    Rounds won't let you down, the others will leave you flat

  24. #198

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    Flatwounds, roundounds? Long hair, short hair? Yes and no to all. Like cropped hair, roundwounds are generally more practical, but that doesn't deter one at times from just letting one's hair grow à la Gandalf and slinging on some fat flatties, not that there's necessarily any correlation. Just because.

  25. #199
    I tried flat wounds a while ago and used them for around a year, but it didn't work for me, so I went back to round wounds.

  26. #200

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    I have thomastik flats on my Jazz. They are a real nice combination.