A tale of 4 flatwound brands

[sgosnell]

I tried some Pyramids some years ago, and as I recall they didn't last very long before going dead and losing intonation.

[rob taft]

I've tried a number of flat wound sets and have always come back to TIs. I haven't had any bad sets although the set I put on last week seemed to be a little less polished than my previous set. And playing a couple of hours every day, I generally change the two plain strings after a couple of months and get about 6 months on the wound strings.

[lammie200]

a couple guys didn't recommend them on the fb modern jazz guitar page

I saw one post on fb about the Pyramid Fusion Flats. I also did not like them. I like the Pyramid Golds. I have not had any issues intonation or otherwise with them. If you are hunting for alternatives to TIs I think they are worth a try.

[Vihar]

What's your opinion on Rotosound Top Tape?

[SOLR]

After a few weeks of playing the T-I swings 013 -53 set, I noticed wear patterns on the brass from 0 fret to about the 17th and at the picking area.....Essentially no more brass where I play . So then does the brass actually make a difference in the sound in the first place?

I guess I'll be looking for some plain Elixir.....

S

[RJVB]

I guess you mean the 1st two strings? Indeed, the plating wears off. Happens to all "brass trebles" (and even the Optima gold trebles) that I've tried. I understand the same thing happens to whatever coating Elixir put on their trebles.

[bluenote61]

After a few weeks of playing the T-I swings 013 -53 set, I noticed wear patterns on the brass from 0 fret to about the 17th and at the picking area.....Essentially no more brass where I play . So then does the brass actually make a difference in the sound in the first place?
S

No, there is no difference in tone. The brass is only a small layer on the E and B string like the tin plating on the same strings of other brands.
It oxidises after some time due to the hand perspiration. It depends on the individual chemical composition of the hand perspiration how long the plating will last.

[SOLR]

I guess you mean the 1st two strings? Indeed, the plating wears off. Happens to all "brass trebles" (and even the Optima gold trebles) that I've tried. I understand the same thing happens to whatever coating Elixir put on their trebles.

Yes I meant the trebles B and E ..

S

[SOLR]

No, there is no difference in tone. The brass is only a small layer on the E and B string like the tin plating on the same strings of other brands.
It oxidises after some time due to the hand perspiration. It depends on the individual chemical composition of the hand perspiration how long the plating will last.

No perspiration at the pick area above or near the neck pick up though, it's just worn off....I usually keep my strings on a looong time (think a year and then some) .I did read on this forum that some players don't like the way the brass plain B and E sound...I've not really noticed a difference yet and was wondering , if they sound the same why "plate" them with brass in the first place?....

S

[jzucker]

No perspiration at the pick area above or near the neck pick up though, it's just worn off....I usually keep my strings on a looong time (think a year and then some) .I did read on this forum that some players don't like the way the brass plain B and E sound...I've not really noticed a difference yet and was wondering , if they sound the same why "plate" them with brass in the first place?....

S

because the brass doesn't oxidize as quickly as the steel strings

[SOLR]

because the brass doesn't oxidize as quickly as the steel strings

People throw these 2 strings away and replace them with Elixirs (non brass) ...so, in the end we all have 2 steel strings??

S

[sgosnell]

The strings have normal tin plating underneath the brass, which is so thin that it doesn't seem to affect anything other than visually. If the strings were just carbon steel under the brass, they would rust very quickly after the brass wears off, but they don't, because of the tin plating. The brass coating is just a gimmick to convince players to buy them. AFAICT it does nothing, and doesn't last very long at all.

[RJVB]

You'd wonder if it wouldn't be possible to use brass instead of tin for plating. Too stiff, maybe, or an alloy that doesn't adhere well enough to steel?

I've posted about it before; I do have the impression that the brass coating affects the string's intonation when it starts wearing off unevenly. Maybe that's just my imagination but at the theoretical level that effect should definitely be there

[SOLR]

The strings have normal tin plating underneath the brass, which is so thin that it doesn't seem to affect anything other than visually. If the strings were just carbon steel under the brass, they would rust very quickly after the brass wears off, but they don't, because of the tin plating. The brass coating is just a gimmick to convince players to buy them. AFAICT it does nothing, and doesn't last very long at all.

I see , thank you for that explanation ,

S

You'd wonder if it wouldn't be possible to use brass instead of tin for plating. Too stiff, maybe, or an alloy that doesn't adhere well enough to steel?

I've posted about it before; I do have the impression that the brass coating affects the string's intonation when it starts wearing off unevenly. Maybe that's just my imagination but at the theoretical level that effect should definitely be there

Also interesting, I will verify the intonation more regularly as the brass keeps wearing off.

Thank you


S

[sgosnell]

TI does use brass plating, but use tin underneath it, probably because the brass wears away so quickly. Perhaps a thicker brass plate would last longer, but I've done no experimentation, not even a thought experiment. But I suspect there are good reasons why every string maker plates steel strings with tin.

[RJVB]

That reason could be that this is what is used in the plants that make the actual wire, of which there are just a handful.

Pyramid do make bronze trebles, for citterns. I have never yet been able to figure out if those would resist to the tensions we need, nor if they'd need different tuners (e.g. without the hourglass shape). Evidently they wouldn't work for electric playing, but I'm guessing there is little reason or even justification to look for a rounder sounding string design/material in that case.