Flatwound Strings for an Epiphone ES-175

[Oneofthe]

Hi, thanks everyone for the advice on here.

I've been looking up information on strings online for my new Epiphone ES-175 Premium which I love. Now, for background I've played mainly Tele's with regular D'addario 9's on them so adjusting to the stock 10's on my Epiphone is new. Fine so far, the only problem is my pinky doesn't have the callouses yet but will.

Here is the question I have. I've looked online at Flatwound strings; I was never familiar with Flatwound Strings. Here are the questions:

1) What are Flatwound Strings, are they exclusively for archtop?
2) Do you use Flatwound Strings to get that Jazz tone? Why?
3) People online recommend Flatwound 12's, is Flatwound a different metric where a 12 is not the same as some thing like regular D'addario 12's?
4) Is going to 12's something more for advanced players where someone like me can get used to 10's and be fine.?
5) What brand and size Flatwounds do you recommend?

Thanks for this. The ES-175 is perfect, plays the chords smoothly and beautifully but if I need better strings to get even a more beautiful tone I will do it.

Thanks!

[Longways to Go]

I own the Epi ES175 Premium.
My string of choice is Elixir 12 roundwounds.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

1) What are Flatwound Strings, are they exclusively for archtop?

* They are strings that are wound with a flat ribbon instead of round wire.

* No. I believe the original Fender Telecaster came with flatwounds, for example, but they are most often associated with archtops and jazz today.

2) Do you use Flatwound Strings to get that Jazz tone? Why?

Yes, but your mileage may vary.

* There is less squeaking when you slide or maneuver around the fretboard.

* They are a bit darker sounding with less emphasis on the higher overtones. Some people say they sound like old strings, but in a good way, I hope.

3) People online recommend Flatwound 12's, is Flatwound a different metric where a 12 is not the same as some thing like regular D'addario 12's?

12 is 12. namely, 0.012" (12 thousandths of an inch). 13s and 14s are used, too.

4) Is going to 12's something more for advanced players where someone like me can get used to 10's and be fine.?

I don't see a distinction for advanced players.

The string tension will be higher, at least in the plain strings. Bending will be harder, but you will be able to lower your action slightly. Flat wounds are also easier on your fingers because they are smoother.

5) What brand and size Flatwounds do you recommend?

I think you should split your string experiments into two: varying the gauge and round-versus-flatwound. For cheaper strings, D'Addario is fine. Around here, the most popular flat wound brand is Thomastik-Infeld, but they are Austrian, so you pay steep Euro prices for them. On the plus side, they last a long time. In general I find flatwound last longer than round wounds. Just remember to wipe them down after you play.

I play with T-I George Benson 14s on my Tele. This makes me the odd man out!

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I own the Epi ES175 Premium.
My string of choice is Elixir 12 roundwounds.

I'm not familiar with coated strings. I bought a set of I think it was teflon coated strings years ago and they shed like anything.

[GNAPPI]

1) What are Flatwound Strings, are they exclusively for archtop?

* They are strings that are wound with a flat ribbon instead of round wire.

* No. I believe the original Fender Telecaster came with flatwounds, for example, but they are most often associated with archtops and jazz today.

2) Do you use Flatwound Strings to get that Jazz tone? Why?

Yes, but your mileage may vary.

* There is less squeaking when you slide or maneuver around the fretboard.

* They are a bit darker sounding with less emphasis on the higher overtones. Some people say they sound like old strings, but in a good way, I hope.

3) People online recommend Flatwound 12's, is Flatwound a different metric where a 12 is not the same as some thing like regular D'addario 12's?

12 is 12. namely, 0.012" (12 thousandths of an inch). 13s and 14s are used, too.

4) Is going to 12's something more for advanced players where someone like me can get used to 10's and be fine.?

I don't see a distinction for advanced players.

The string tension will be higher, at least in the plain strings. Bending will be harder, but you will be able to lower your action slightly. Flat wounds are also easier on your fingers because they are smoother.

5) What brand and size Flatwounds do you recommend?

I think you should split your string experiments into two: varying the gauge and round-versus-flatwound. For cheaper strings, D'Addario is fine. Around here, the most popular flat wound brand is Thomastik-Infeld, but they are Austrian, so you pay steep Euro prices for them. On the plus side, they last a long time. In general I find flatwound last longer than round wounds. Just remember to wipe them down after you play.

I play with T-I George Benson 14s on my Tele. This makes me the odd man out!

THIS reply should be a sticky!!!

[neatomic]

great responses..but, i recommend a newbie get the thomastik jazz swing 10's...they will give a decent flat tone without much tension..a new player used to 09 rounds is not going to take to 12 flats too easily...probably never use flats again!! haha

try a light low tension flat..thomastik jazz swings 10-44 pure nickel..they cost a bit more but last a long time..sound great..and are easy to play!

Thomastik-Infeld Electric Guitar Steel/Nickel Flat Wound Extra Light, .010 - .044, JS110


cheers

ps- they are great on teles too..for those that want a bit of flat thunk but still want clarence white style bending

[rio]

1) Flatwounds are wound with a flat metal ribbon rather than a round wire. If you have ever played any orchestral strings (violin etc.) they feel the same since they are all flatwound.

2) I use flatwounds because I like the tone and the feel, but it is the stereotypical jazz guitar sound just because so many of the big jazz guitarists used them (roundwounds were not around and then not that popular and then just preferred due to the tone and the lack of finger noise)

3) The plain steel strings are the same as roundwound sets so as stated above a 12 is a 12 regardless of the set. Different sets have different gauges on the E A D an G strings and they vary from brand to brand but the high E and B strings are standardized and usually the same between sets.

4) 10s can be fine, as can 14s. It depends on preference but 12 is a good place to start because it not heavy enough that it will affect your technique much (if your guitar is set up with good action). 10s will bend too easily and can put your chords out of tune and also don't have as much meat to the sound as heavier gauges. 11s can also do just fine (Pat Metheny uses 11 gauge Chromes) but I would usually recommend starting with 12 and then you can go down or up from there after getting used to them. Again, having your guitar set up well is key because a lot of the time you see 9 and 10 guage strings put on guitars from the factory to make up for a poor setup and high string action.

5) Again, as above, Thomastik Infeld strings are the go to around here and with most guitarists I know. They are wrapped with nickel (which is not common and hard to find from other string manufacturers, particularly just walking into a guitar store and going off of that selection) - they are not as loud as steel wrapped strings so the output is less and you might have to do some adjusting to make them balance with the E and B strings which are always plain steel. On my D'Agostino (which is a ES-175 copy) the best sound I can get is using a 14 and 18 for the E and B (strings 1 and 2 from a 14 set) and the rest TI flatwounds from a 12 gauge set. I find that having the top two strings as heavy as possible gives the best sound, lets me get my strings as low as possible without buzzing and the bottom 4 strings are easier to play being from the 12 gauge set. The ES-175 is short scale so that in particular makes heavier strings easier to play than a full scale instrument like and L5 or a telecaster. I would order a set of 12 gauge TI Swings and see how you like them. They last a very, very long time which offsets the expensive price.

Hi, thanks everyone for the advice on here.

I've been looking up information on strings online for my new Epiphone ES-175 Premium which I love. Now, for background I've played mainly Tele's with regular D'addario 9's on them so adjusting to the stock 10's on my Epiphone is new. Fine so far, the only problem is my pinky doesn't have the callouses yet but will.

Here is the question I have. I've looked online at Flatwound strings; I was never familiar with Flatwound Strings. Here are the questions:

1) What are Flatwound Strings, are they exclusively for archtop?
2) Do you use Flatwound Strings to get that Jazz tone? Why?
3) People online recommend Flatwound 12's, is Flatwound a different metric where a 12 is not the same as some thing like regular D'addario 12's?
4) Is going to 12's something more for advanced players where someone like me can get used to 10's and be fine.?
5) What brand and size Flatwounds do you recommend?

Thanks for this. The ES-175 is perfect, plays the chords smoothly and beautifully but if I need better strings to get even a more beautiful tone I will do it.

Thanks!

[sgosnell]

I've tried various and sundry flatwound strings on my Epi ES175 Premium, and I'm done with them. I'm using D'Addario Pure Nickel strings on everything. Well, not everything, yet. I have some Pearse Nickel roundwounds on my Benedetto, but they will be replaced with the D'Addarios when they need replacement. I keep trying new strings, and keep going back to the D'Addario Pure Nickel. I have no idea why I keep doing that. I just bought several sets of the D'A strings, and I hope I can quit the string hopping. At least it's cheaper than amp or guitar hopping. I've also quit pick hopping, and my Blue Chips should last for as long as I can play.

[plasticpigeon]

I use flats on my strat copy. I like the sound which is less jangly, and that there is little sound when sliding up and down due to the surace being flat rather than ribbed. Use any gauge nyou like. I don't like lighter strings, as I can't feel them and they bend around too easily. Try a set, rotosound are cheap in the UK, if you don't like them go back to what you know!!!

[Peter C]

Try D'Addario Chromes, say the 11-50 set rather than 12s if you're coming from 9s on a Tele. You will likely appreciate the cool, smooooth feel at first but if the novelty wears off quickly, slap on some good ol' EXL 11s with a wound third and get down to learning the music. Strings are strings. JMO and experience.

[rio]

Honestly chromes will turn people off quicker than other brand when trying flats - they just don't sound as good as a lot of the other options which is why I say give TI's a go first.


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[mr. beaumont]

Really? I've tried em all, I think...I use Chromes, going on 15 years...

[Peter C]

TIs are great quality strings but it was actually their gauges that put me off them. Go figure. I really think someone starting out should avoid getting bogged down too much in matters which are highly subjective even for seasoned players.

[rio]

The gauges are the other reason I recommend them to people not familiar with heavy strings. The lighter gauge bass strings make them more accessible to someone who isn't used to high tension strings. And Mr. Beaumont, I am using them now too on my L5 so I can't talk too much trash about them but I do think it is much easier to get the tone that people expect from flats from other brands than chromes just because they are really bright strings.


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[deselby]

To the OP. Do you have an acoustic? Really light strings on an acoustic don't cut it. If you do have one, move the guage up a degree. When you go electric you can step down a degree and feel much more comfy. It's all a matter of expectations.

[Alter]

but, i recommend a newbie get the thomastik jazz swing 10's...they will give a decent flat tone without much tension..

thomastic jazz swing are low tension strings. The 11 set is actually lower tension than many normal round wound 10s (or it sure does feel that way ). One more reason to try them i guess.

[pingu]

Yeah scale length is a factor on string tension
12's on an L5 , feel like 13's on a 175 ...

Just experiment around till you find what
you like ...
I can't handle string squeak at all so its got
to be flats ...
Also I can't keep light strings in tune ...
So when I discovered fat flats I was in heaven
Atmo I've got 13 jazz swings with a 16 top E
on a 175 scale guitar ... its working for me

[Jabberwocky]

D'Addario ECG24, 11-50. Plain steels are cheap and you can always bump up the plains to 12 and 16 when you feel like it. Keep the lower four flatwound strings.

D'add Chromes are all right to form your ears on. Available anywhere and everywhere. Don't buy them off ebay! Too many fake D'adds.

When you have gained enough experience with D'add Chromes you will be in a better position to evaluate the others. You will not understand why some use or eschew the Thomastik Infeld Jazz Swing or Bebop until you have had some experience with D'add Chromes. They are the baseline flatwound string for me. I compare all strings to D'addarios. In a pinch, I know I can always fall back on D'adds.

(I use John Pearse Pure Nickel rounds these days. Under $6 per set.)

[Jabberwocky]

TIs are great quality strings but it was actually their gauges that put me off them. Go figure. I really think someone starting out should avoid getting bogged down too much in matters which are highly subjective even for seasoned players.

I can't make up my mind about T-Is. I bought a used archtop with Bebops strung up, 12-50.

They are too expensive to experiment with. Right now, I am thinking about the T-I JS110 but throwing out the 10, moving the other strings one over and lashing up the JS53 string to make a more "conventionally" gauged set. I get an 18w B string. It comes up to about $30 a set then. Cheaper than the GB114 but still $30 a set!

Too much for me lean purse.

[oldane]

Some have mentioned the high price of TI flats and one poster referred to prices "here" , but that goes for US. In Europe (EU) they cost as D'A flats. So it depends on where your "here" are. This forum has many European users and its home is in Belgium.

[mrblues]

Hi Oneofthe!

I am an EPiphone fan. I have owned a few Epiphones including Joe Pass Emperor Regent, 2 Sheraton II's, a Japanese Broadway Elite, a Korean Broadway. At the moment I am playing a Korean 90's made Sheraton with massive upgrades. I can tell that I tried a lot of strin sets on these instruments, and the Thomastik Infeld strings were my only choices for my guitars after a while. Why? Because they are fantastic...

cheers,

MrBlues

[Jx30510]

I have been experimenting with the Epiphone Premium for a few weeks and tried D'addario roundwounds 11-49, and Pyramid flatwounds 11-50, and after swaping them a few times I've settled on the Pyramids.. BUT one thing that helped me find the tone I was searching for is installing an Ebony bridge.
If you come from 9's on a 25,5 scale guitar, you can try 11's without too much hassle on the 24,75 epiphone.
You will find the strings strange to bend, and it's not only because of the tension, but also the flats feel slippy, almost "greasy".
The ES175 Premium is a pretty bright sounding guitar in the first place, and I was a bit suprised because the neck pickup position, which is a little further away from the end of the neck as I'm used to, gives a quacky sound when the tone is way up.
It feels almost like the middle position of my AS200.
The wood bridge and flatwounds have tamed this impression a lot, but it's still there.
All this just to say that the Premium really needs flatwounds to sound like a pure jazz guitar (this is not true with my AS200 with Roundwounds, and even my humbucker mounted Telecaster).
I will certainly go up in gauge 12 or 13 at the next string change. The Epi is really easy to play.

[cmajor9]

You've gotten a lot of responses and information (hopefully not too much :>)

Flatwounds are 'traditional' for bebop-style jazz guitar, but not required. They essentially give you a 'darker' tone, and get rid of most of the 'squeak' of running your fingers up and down the fretboard.

I also bought an Epi ES-175 (Premium) recently. I use flatwounds on some guitars, but on this one I like Thomastik (TI) Bebops, which are roundwounds. You could try both flat and round, in sequence, and see which you like better. TIs aren't cheap, but are good quality, long-lasting strings (and usually a bit lower tension that others like D'Addario).

If you're used to using 09s, you might want to start with a set of 11s to get used to the thicker strings, then if those are comfortable try 12s. The shorter scale of the Epi neck will make the increased string tension a bit less than a Tele-sized neck would.

Hi, thanks everyone for the advice on here.

I've been looking up information on strings online for my new Epiphone ES-175 Premium which I love. Now, for background I've played mainly Tele's with regular D'addario 9's on them so adjusting to the stock 10's on my Epiphone is new. Fine so far, the only problem is my pinky doesn't have the callouses yet but will.

Here is the question I have. I've looked online at Flatwound strings; I was never familiar with Flatwound Strings. Here are the questions:

1) What are Flatwound Strings, are they exclusively for archtop?
2) Do you use Flatwound Strings to get that Jazz tone? Why?
3) People online recommend Flatwound 12's, is Flatwound a different metric where a 12 is not the same as some thing like regular D'addario 12's?
4) Is going to 12's something more for advanced players where someone like me can get used to 10's and be fine.?
5) What brand and size Flatwounds do you recommend?

Thanks for this. The ES-175 is perfect, plays the chords smoothly and beautifully but if I need better strings to get even a more beautiful tone I will do it.

Thanks!

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Some have mentioned the high price of TI flats and one poster referred to prices "here" , but that goes for US. In Europe (EU) they cost as D'A flats. So it depends on where your "here" are. This forum has many European users and its home is in Belgium.

You are absolutely right! I apologize for my North-American-centrism.

[pingu]

I can't make up my mind about T-Is. I bought a used archtop with Bebops strung up, 12-50.

They are too expensive to experiment with. Right now, I am thinking about the T-I JS110 but throwing out the 10, moving the other strings one over and lashing up the JS53 string to make a more "conventionally" gauged set. I get an 18w B string. It comes up to about $30 a set then. Cheaper than the GB114 but still $30 a set!

Too much for me lean purse.

Yeah but they'll last a year !