I had a guy at the guitar center, tell me that flat wound strings sound better for everything. Also he told me that flats were less ware on fret the round strings. I use flats on my bass because I like the sound. I use to play Black Diamonds flats years ago on my ES335, but can't remember if I like them are not. Do you think flats are easier on frets.

flatwound strings.. better for everything? nah. if that were true everybody would be using flatwound strings all the time and the string manufacturers just wouldn't bother making roundwounds at all.

i personally like flatwounds better for clean sounds as they sound a bit more punchy, with a very strong fundamental frequency, but they can get very muddy sounding very easily once you start to drive the amp harder.

i can kind of see how flats could be easier on the frets since they have a smoother surface that could possibly produce less friction to scrape the surface of the frets, but i don't really know much about it so that could be completely wrong ;)

I just strung up the 5120 with T-I Swing 11's. I couldn't be happier. This is really the sound I have been wanting. Makes the 5120 sound lovely and gives me that very early Chuck Berry sound. I have read that flats are easier on the frets. As Blomp mentioned, it is easy to visualize why.

This is a great vid for watching Brian Jones with his Gretsch Anni. If anyone has a good enough ear to decipher, would you say Brian's Anni had flats? -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhFor6tZy9c

I'm a fingerpicker, and I prefer a jazzier tone on a lot of my stuff. I've tried flats, and really wanted to like them. But for me I couldn't get past the lack of balance between the wound and unwound strings. I use a wound G, so for me the unwound B and E strings just rang out over the others.

So, I've ended up with round wound nickel or some nickel variant...actually Gibson L5 strings (which are pure nickel) for my L5, and D'Addario EJ21s on everything else. The EJ21s are not overly bright, and they are well balanced.

Incidentally, I thought half-rounds (D'Addario) were more balanced than flats, they have kinda the same feel as flats (probably the same fret-sparing properties as flats) with an intermediate sound between flats and nickel. I used those for quite a while, but eventually came back to the EJ21s.

But, comparing my likes in strings to anybody else's is kinda like me telling you what underwear you'd be most comfortable in.

This is a great vid for watching Brian Jones with his Gretsch Anni. If anyone has a good enough ear to decipher, would you say Brian's Anni had flats?


I wouldn't wager my last dime on it but they sounded like flats to my ear.

FWIW, I use TI Swing 11s pretty much across the board, however I substitute plain 10, 13 & 17s on the top three. Actually, I buy just the bottom 3 strings from JustStrings.com and use D'Addario plain singles for the upper strings.

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I'm a fingerpicker, and I prefer a jazzier tone on a lot of my stuff. I've tried flats, and really wanted to like them. But for me I couldn't get past the lack of balance between the wound and unwound strings. I use a wound G, so for me the unwound B and E strings just rang out over the others.

So, I've ended up with round wound nickel or some nickel variant...actually Gibson L5 strings (which are pure nickel) for my L5, and D'Addario EJ21s on everything else. The EJ21s are not overly bright, and they are well balanced.

Incidentally, I thought half-rounds (D'Addario) were more balanced than flats, they have kinda the same feel as flats (probably the same fret-sparing properties as flats) with an intermediate sound between flats and nickel. I used those for quite a while, but eventually came back to the EJ21s.

But, comparing my likes in strings to anybody else's is kinda like me telling you what underwear you'd be most comfortable in.

I have just the opposite problem when playing finger style. The uppers tend to be drowned out and I found that F/Ws actually help. :)

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Sounds like they were all using flatwounds. Charlie even had some flatwound cymbals.

Great vid, Roosto. It was good seeing the early Stones again. Even if there was much discomfort at the end.

I wouldn't wager my last dime on it but they sounded like flats to my ear.

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Yeah, there is a stiff tightness to the chords that makes me think so, although that was Brian's style too. Also, in those days, he may have been simply doing what he knew the Beatles were doing. Everyone was following trends in those days, Charlie using the matched grip, etc.

Since using my TI 11's on my hotrod, I would say they defiantly opened up a new sound. Thanks to Synchro's suggestion in another post. I like them for what i am currently playing on that guitar, a form of jazz. I say form, cause if you heard it, you would ask "Is that some sought of jazz"? Anyway, If and when my other hollow body arch top arrives for only almost jazz lessons, I would switch the hotrod back to round wounds, or maybe half wounds. They are smoother on your fingers for sure, but if you want a rocking, string biting sound, I prefer the rounds. Whether or not they eat away at your frets more or less, I don know, i would guess slightly less do to less abrasion, but over time, its still metal on metal.

Sounds like they were all using flatwounds...

I wanted to say something clever and witty, but am unable.

I wouldn't wager my last dime on it but they sounded like flats to my ear.

FWIW, I use TI Swing 11s pretty much across the board, however I substitute plain 10, 13 & 17s on the top three. Actually, I buy just the bottom 3 strings from JustStrings.com and use D'Addario plain singles for the upper strings.

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Mark, rather than go on to figure if you should gamble that last dime, just give it to me, please....

Mark, rather than go on to figure if you should gamble that last dime, just give it to me, please....

It's already worn thin. :)

Those flatwounds that Brian was (cough cough) 'playing' sounded suspiciously like a 12-string when they switched from "Oh Carol" to "Tell Me You're Coming Back To me."

Versatile indeed!

Those flatwounds that Brian was (cough cough) 'playing' sounded suspiciously like a 12-string when they switched from "Oh Carol" to "Tell Me You're Coming Back To me."

Versatile indeed!

But it was live TV. Also, it was the Stones very first TV appearance in America. The Douglas show was out of Cleveland in those days.

Just be glad TV is on a almost flat screen, if it was on a round screen, you would have to go in circle's to watch it. So I guess sometimes flat could be better.