Flatwound strings

[eyesore]

Hi ; i was just reading one of the threads here about flatwounds. Anyway; just wondering if any of you guys put flats on an acoustic guitar ,ya know .like an OM body style... I probably know most answers I'll get here, but just curious ,never tried them.thanks.... Actually ;I'd be amplifying that guitar too.

[Earl49]

Flat wounds are on my "to try" list as I attempt to tame excess brightness on a recent new guitar. But I have not yet gotten to my local store to pick up a set or two.

[Dadzmad]

I stayed out of the recent thread about flats. But here goes

I really like flatwound strings and use Rotosound Monel Top Tapes on my Telecaster or other solid body Fender Guitars. They are punchy and bring out the single coil snap.

On acoustic guitars to me they just sound just ok and kinda dull.

I do like round wound Phos Bronze strings on flat tops and have used them for many years, but if you want a punchy sound with less ring than bronze try Martin Retro Monels, Black Diamond Silver Plated or LaBella Silver Plated.

I've got a set of the Black Diamonds on my O size Seagull right now and they are working well for me. The LaBella strings sound good and are much less expensive but I found they have a short life.

I've used the Martin Retros on my Kingpin for several years now. They sound good unplugged and are magnetic enough to work with the neck p90.

Go ahead and try a set of flats - you might just like them if you are going for a punchy straight up sound.

As much as I like to patronize local shops, I would mail order flats as most stores will not have a decent selection and I can't expect them to stock anything that does not have a decent turnover these days. I compensate by buying a handful of overprice thumb picks when I go in to browse the used rack.

[mawmow]

I once tried D'Addario flat top : muffled sound.

In fact, these strings are devoted to jazz if I remember well.
But I wanted them for slide to avoid the rattling of regular strings.

I would say they left in my memory quite the same feeling
as the Martin Retro Monel I tried on an archtop (Loar LH-700 VS)
compared to d'Addario EJ.

[121]

I use flat wound strings on all my acoustic guitars.
Dogal and Galli are 2 string manufactures that I believe offer the better choice for 80/20 Bronze acoustic flat wound strings.
I've tried the Dogal Nightclub V25 80/20 Bronze flat wounds and have tried all 3 of the Galli's 80/20 Bronze flat wounds
(AF1047, AJF1150 and AJF1252).
IMHO the best flat wounds for acoustic guitar are from Dogal.

It's hard to find any sound bites or videos of either the Dogal or Galli strings.
I did find a youtube video (in Italian) for Dogal strings.
He demonstrates Dogal RC148B round wound strings and Dogal Nightclub flat wound strings.

The Dogal Nightclub flat wound string demo starts at 06.47 in the video.
He is using a Dogal Nightclub V24 string set but he replaced
the .012 & .016w with .011 & .014.

The standard Dogal Nightclub V24 string set is...
.012 ------- .016w ----.020w ----.028 ----- .034 ----.046
PlainSteel --Bronze -- Bronze -- Bronze -- Bronze --Bronze

The custom Dogal Nightclub V24 string set he is using in the video is....
.011 ---------.014 ---------.020w ----.028 ----- .034 ------.046
PlainSteel -- PlainSteel --- Bronze -- Bronze --- Bronze -- Bronze

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49DUkSx17uM

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by 121

I did find a youtube video (in Italian) for Dogal strings.

Thanks for posting this. I will probably try these after I go through my current stock of Martin Lifespans, which could be about a year! Being somewhat thrifty, it's a bit difficult for me to spend $35+ to try a set of strings, but I will likely do it, since the flatwounds on my Gretsch electric have kind of spoiled me.

I do wish the Italian-to-English subtitle translation on YouTube worked better. On the other hand, the translations were pretty humorous at times!

[121]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

Thanks for posting this. I will probably try these after I go through my current stock of Martin Lifespans, which could be about a year! Being somewhat thrifty, it's a bit difficult for me to spend $35+ to try a set of strings, but I will likely do it, since the flatwounds on my Gretsch electric have kind of spoiled me.

I do wish the Italian-to-English subtitle translation on YouTube worked better. On the other hand, the translations were pretty humorous at times!

$35+ ? ?
I get my Dogal Nightclub V25 for $26.99 at Strings by Mail.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by 121

$35+ ? ?
I get my Dogal Nightclub V25 for $26.99 at Strings by Mail.

Now $31.49 plus $3.95 shipping for V24s.

[121]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

Now $31.49 plus $3.95 shipping for V24s.

I've tried the Dogal Nightclub V25 but not the V24.
The flat wound B string in the V24 string set concerns me because of possible intonation issues.

Going from a flat wound G to a plain G can cause intonation issues,
seems the same could be expected going from a plain B to a flat wound B.

I think the Dogal Nightclub V25 are great sounding strings.
Even though they are low tension, I've tuned them down to Eb-eb tuning with out any issue, but I'm not a heavy strummer.

[Kimb55]

Having tried many different kinds of strings for my Martin 000-18 12 fret, I decided to try out a set of Thomastik-Infeld Plectrums. The A, D and G strings are flat wound, low E is round wound. It positively blossomed in sound. I have tried them before on other guitars but generally shied away due to price- $21.95. They Are longer lasting than my go to brand and will now continue getting them for this particular guitar. Also got a set for my Taylor 12 string with similar result- but that was definitely a splurge!

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by Kimb55

Having tried many different kinds of strings for my Martin 000-18 12 fret, I decided to try out a set of Thomastik-Infeld Plectrums. The A, D and G strings are flat wound, low E is round wound. It positively blossomed in sound. I have tried them before on other guitars but generally shied away due to price- $21.95. They Are longer lasting than my go to brand and will now continue getting them for this particular guitar. Also got a set for my Taylor 12 string with similar result- but that was definitely a splurge!

I have used these as well. I like them. They are lower tension than equivalent gauge strings, and have a nice feel.
My preference is for the 12s. Only the G is a flat.

[beatcomber]

I used to use TI flats on a (modern, x-braced, solid wood) Gibson J-160E, and they sounded quite nice.

I also use them on several of my electrics.

A word of advice... if you want to get a feel for what flatwounds sound like, start with D'Addario Chromes, which are fairly affordable. If you like them, switch to the Thomastik Infelds, which have round cores and are easier on the fingers, and they also have superior tone. They are not cheap, but I've gotten 12 months or more out of a set, so they are actually a good value.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by beatcomber

A word of advice... if you want to get a feel for what flatwounds sound like, start with D'Addario Chromes...

I have D'Addario Chromes on my Gretsch electric, and I love them.

[beatcomber]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

I have D'Addario Chromes on my Gretsch electric, and I love them.

The Chromes are OK, but if you were to try the TI Jazz Swing flats, I bet you would switch permanently.

[lar]

Originally Posted by cliff_the_stiff

Only the G is a flat.

Are you sure only the G is flat wound? The TI webstite says: "flatwounds (A, D, G) with roundwound low E"

And if that isn't confusing enough, the Strings-by-Mail website contradicts itself, saying they are round AND flatwound.

The low E on the Plectrum Mediums are 61 gauge, which is quite a bit thicker than the typical 56 for other mediums (EJ17). Nut slots may require some adjusting.

Also, The TI website says they have a "SILK INLAY". Does that mean a silk core, or a silk winding along-side a bronze winding?