D'Addario Half Rounds

[Skip Ellis]

Anybody tried the D'Addario Half Rounds or have any thoughts on them? I'm thinking of trying them (12-52 w/wound G) on my incoming GB10. Or should I just bite the bullet and go with the TI 12s? Will be doing solo chord melody and some standards with very light backing tracks in assisted living venues and maybe some 'behind the fern' gigs if I can scare some up.

[mr. beaumont]

Half rounds are fucking awful.

Just my opinion. But worst strings I ever tried. Best of no worlds.

[murrayatuptown]

I tried some kind of half-wound (half-ground?) phosphor bronze strings and don't exactly understand what went wrong. I think the wound string diameters resulted in different spacing of the the steel cores that I thought would be adequate for driving a pickup. The volume was unbalanced, but so was I.

[Jimmy Smith]

Half rounds are fucking awful.

Just my opinion. But worst strings I ever tried. Best of no worlds.

That's what I felt also. I thought it was more the disadvantages of both than the advantages of both lol. Also, they were still dirty. I dunno if they fixed that.

[bluenote61]

I had D'Addario 12s half rounds for a while on my main archtop and changed them after some weeks again. I was looking for a fatter, more mellow sound like flats but with a better separation of the strings while strumming chords for FG style.
I was ok with the sound, just ok but that was not the reason for the change.
I felt uncomfortable with the stiffness of the strings. I had the feeling of having cables strung up on the guitar.
I went back to my TIs, currently 12s round wound with the g changed to a wound one.

[StefanoGhirardo]

I tried them as an alternative to the Thomastik Jazz Swing 13-53, but I quickly returned to the TI, which I prefer in terms of feel and sound.

[deacon Mark]

I had 2 very polar opposite experiences with them. The first set a tried a few years back were bad. They did not intonate, and it seemed like they were all ground uneven and just sloppy. D'addario did replace them, and I tried them again later. This time they actually were nice. They do not have the string noise and are just exactly what they claim to be half wound. Not a flat wound in sound and not a round wound. To me they sound more like round wound string and on some guitars, I like them quite well. On the whole though my go to strings a TI 13-.53 bebops. They feel good and last forever it seems. They are a round core and therefore the tension is easier.

To tell the truth though at times I just try different strings because they are much cheaper than a new guitar. Sometimes I am quite surprised in what happens and other times I think it did not make a huge difference. In my case the D'addario half-wounds are on my Vestax 18 inch D'angelico New Yorker and they shine on that guitar. It has a lot of acoustic pop but I mostly play it plugged in and the half's seem to work fine.

[skiboyny]

Some people like em I'm not one of them. GB10 sounds great with thomistik. If you want a bit more ring for cord melodies you can try pyramid fusion flats they have a flat flavor but a little more on the round wound side. pyramid nickel hand polished are nice warm low tension little less finger squeak.

[Jimmy blue note]

I use them almost exclusively now since LaBella stopped making pressed wound strings. They give me the liveliness and response so I can articulate a wide range of expressions without the bright and squeak of round wounds. For me, they're the perfect combination of quiet shift and responsive attack. But that's the performance parameters that shape my instruments, the way I play and the strings I choose.
Not for everyone, but perfect for me. I need about two weeks break in when I'm using half rounds. I string them up fresh, apply a coat of Fret Ease and play them in. In about two weeks, they come alive and show a wide range of sounds.
I like them because I can play classical type chordal and melodic music and still have a very classic jazz harmony based music and all voices are clear. On strictly sound, they don't have an inherently pretty sound, but they are the strings that allow me to find and make beautiful music; that's all a string is to me. They're a part of what I need to play in an engaging way.
If they made the perfect string for everyone, the guitar world would be a lot less diverse.

[ESCC]

If you're not sure you want TI flat wounds, try TI Bebop. Round wound, decent for jazz. However, I prefer TI flats.

What Jeff said regarding D'Addario half rounds.

[RobbieAG]

I've tried them over the years and liked them. They're not as dead as flat wounds and not as noisy as round wounds. I mostly play round wounds and don't like the flat wounds I've tried (D'Addario). I've never tried TIs - I have a pair to try but haven't put them on yet.

[Archie]

Anybody tried the D'Addario Half Rounds or have any thoughts on them? I'm thinking of trying them (12-52 w/wound G) on my incoming GB10. Or should I just bite the bullet and go with the TI 12s? Will be doing solo chord melody and some standards with very light backing tracks in assisted living venues and maybe some 'behind the fern' gigs if I can scare some up.

Yep I love them. I put them on everything. 12’s on 24’3/4” and 11’s on 25’5”s. I just put a set on a D’angelico New Yorker (vestax) and the acoustic voice is much better. The top gets driven differently and can express itself more without loosing sweetness. I anything it increases it. Flats can often be like putting a blanket over your top plate.

They sound the same on the top 3 strings which are unwound but have more clarity and acoustic response in the lower 3.

I make no comment on D’addario as a brand, quality control could be better. I don’t know of other brands (in the UK) that a fairly priced and offer half rounds.

I’ve used Tomastik but cannot get on with them both in terms of price but they feel kinda fake. Hard to describe. Like a nylon string trying to be a metal one.

[Jazz4Four]

I felt uncomfortable with the stiffness of the strings. I had the feeling of having cables strung up on the guitar.

I tried GHS Half Rounds once and had the same experience. Is extra stiffness typical of Half Round strings?

[entresz]

Half rounds are fucking awful.

Just my opinion. But worst strings I ever tried. Best of no worlds.

I agree with this entirely.
Tried them once and couldn't get them off my guitar soon enough.

[Jimmy blue note]

I tried GHS Half Rounds once and had the same experience. Is extra stiffness typical of Half Round strings?

I don't know, but the fact that they begin as a heavier gauge and then have the diameter (gauge) of the string reduced to the actual gauge may have some bearing. So maybe a .58 gauge string and core ground down to an actual .54 string might have a larger core? Anyway, like any set of new strings, I do need to experiment. I never assume I can just switch strings and have the same tactile experience as the (flats or rounds) strings I had before. There's usually a reason I'll switch string types or gauges, and often it'll go with an action adjustment or need for clarity or articulation. On a longer scale guitar, I'll use a lower gauge string to work with the greater tension of the longer string, and that may allow for an adjustment on the action for a given amount of clarity or definition in the strings.
In the end, comes down to whether a string will allow me to play better. Sometimes I'll go with a string gauge of .011 strings and change the top to a .012 or maybe the other way around. Once I find the balance, I'll know. Chording will be easier and the lines will come easier at all speeds.
Half rounds are the strings that cover that sweet spot of clarity without the edge.

[Marty Grass]

I have used Half Rounds and Brite Flats. A long time ago someone taught me a trick that really helped. Stroke the wound strings just three times with fine steel wool. Squeeze the wool tightly at the top of the string and slowly pull it all the way down. That smooths the strings slightly. Once the guitar is strung, put a plastic protector under the strings and stroke the exposed (upper) parts of the wound strings a couple of times. Stroke toward the nut so no filings get on the pickup. This gets rid of the "stickiness" of the feel. The strings will be smooth where your fingers slide on them but will still be brighter than flat wounds.

This approach is a variant of what Johnny Smith used to do. He raised the strings above his fretboard with a bottle to get the same effect.

[frabarmus]

Half rounds: I've tried them and soon took them off. They sounded "neither beef nor fish", to me, so to speak.
Might try them again, never say never... although I'm happy with 3 out of my 5 guitars strung with flats and 2 with rounds, as I like both types.

[bluenote61]

I tried GHS Half Rounds once and had the same experience. Is extra stiffness typical of Half Round strings?

I don't know, regarding D'Addario the extra stiffness might be due to use of stainless steel for the strings.
Otherwise, the explanation of Jimmy blue note might be right, too.

[Raymond]

I use them on all my guitars. Love them. There in the middle of flat and round .
less noise but sounds warm.