• From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Topic: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

Having played guitar for almost 50 years, I just installed and began playing some flat-wound strings for the very first time this week.

I put a set of 10-48 D'Addario XL Chromes on my Gretsch (a hollow body), and am really liking the warm tones they give, as compared to round-wound strings. There's almost no finger-squeak, and they're very silky on the fingers. Really nice for finger-picking Dire Straits, Steely Dan, etc. They won't grunt & growl like round-wounds, but I'll keep those on the Les Paul when I want to play that stuff.

Variety makes music even better!

  • From: Probably Somewhere
  • Registered: 2010-12-09
  • Posts: 2,446

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

Have you had any issues with your fingers rolling off them?

  • From: Almancil, Algarve, Portugal
  • Registered: 2006-09-02
  • Posts: 6,205

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

Back in the 50/60's, when I started playing, all electric guitar strings were flat-wound and acoustic wire-wound. Then guitarists started putting wire wound on electric guitars to give a 'twangier', brighter sound but you started getting the buzz as you slid up and down the fretboard.

Roher

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

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  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

Baldguitardude wrote:

Have you had any issues with your fingers rolling off them?

I haven't had that experience / problem, BGD. It may be because I tend to play with my fretting fingers at a right-angle to the strings. I've also got fairly large thick fingers, so there's lots of surface area at the tips to "trap" the strings under.

  • From: The Land Of Song
  • Registered: 2007-12-10
  • Posts: 5,704

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

all the beatles early recordings were with flat wounds. when i started playing around '66 round wounds were coming into favour. i tried flats once and hated them as they lost their tone very quickly. but i loved and still love the chunky sound on those early beatles tracks.

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

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  • From: Probably Somewhere
  • Registered: 2010-12-09
  • Posts: 2,446

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

I'm worried about not fragging notes and you are calculating finger angles. Well done sir!!!!!

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

Baldguitardude wrote:

I'm worried about not fragging notes and you are calculating finger angles. Well done sir!!!!!

Hahaha! Thanks for the compliment (I think). Seriously though, I've been getting along fine with the flatwounds.

  • From: massachusetts
  • Registered: 2010-10-18
  • Posts: 1,674

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

I have flat wounds on both of my Gretsches. Whenever I restring an electric, I use flats. I love the feel of them. I hate the feel of running my fingers across round wounds. Any sound loss is compensated for by turning up the amp.They cost a bit more, but well worth it.

Enjoy Every Sandwich
Nothing In Moderation  -- Live Fast. Love Hard. Die Young And Leave A Beautiful Corpse. -- Buy It Today. Cry About It Tomorrow.
  • From: Western Oregon,US
  • Registered: 2008-07-22
  • Posts: 2,498

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

joeyjoeyjoey wrote:

I have flat wounds on both of my Gretsches. Whenever I restring an electric, I use flats. I love the feel of them. I hate the feel of running my fingers across round wounds. Any sound loss is compensated for by turning up the amp.They cost a bit more, but well worth it.

I'm with you Joey, for me though it's not the feel but the "squeak".

That said, in the past I have extolled the virtues of Thomastik Infeld strings (especially for electric) but seeing as how my last set of Plectrums (acoustic flats) have finally gone so dead it was time to retire them after more than a year (I can hear the lectures already).  I decided to try something different and a bit more economical on my old AE "daily driver".  D'Addario "flat tops"...... round wound, but like they were pulled through a wire drawing die into a "D" profile.  The surface feels very much like a flat wound string, but without losing the brightness of a round wound.  So far I'm liking them pretty well and saved a few $$$.

Just another alternative for us "cross-over" folks.

"what is this quintessence of dust?"  - Shakespeare
  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2016-02-07
  • Posts: 923

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

Tenement Funster thank you for starting this. I had never heard of  Flat-Wound Strings before and have never played a steel string either. It is still nice to know the difference in these strings.

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Music is life, that why our hearts have beats.
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  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2007-06-27
  • Posts: 7,522

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

I use flat wounds on my fretless bass, but have never tried them on a guitar. thanks for the tip.

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  • From: West Georgia
  • Registered: 2006-10-14
  • Posts: 2,557

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

I had flat-wounds on my Rogue Beatle Bass. I loved them!

Bill

Epiphone Les Paul Studio
Fender GDO300 Orchestral - a gift from Amy & Jim
Rogue Beatle Bass
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  • From: massachusetts
  • Registered: 2010-10-18
  • Posts: 1,674

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

my last set of Plectrums (acoustic flats) have finally gone so dead it was time to retire them after more than a year (I can hear the lectures  Doug. How arer acoustic flat wounds?? I would love to try them out. Are they flat?? It would be straight acoustic. No amp

Enjoy Every Sandwich
Nothing In Moderation  -- Live Fast. Love Hard. Die Young And Leave A Beautiful Corpse. -- Buy It Today. Cry About It Tomorrow.
  • From: Western Oregon,US
  • Registered: 2008-07-22
  • Posts: 2,498

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

Joey, your Plectrums were Thomastik correct?  I also had good results and long life from the sets I have used.  The Thomastik Enfeld strings are a bit spendy, so this last time around went for  D'Addario Flat-Tops in the FT .012 set.  I find them fairly quiet like true "flat wound" strings but with a bit brighter tone..... they seem to be holding up quite well so far as sound etc.  So you might consider them for a change.

"what is this quintessence of dust?"  - Shakespeare
  • From: massachusetts
  • Registered: 2010-10-18
  • Posts: 1,674

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

Doug_Smith wrote:

Joey, your Plectrums were Thomastik correct?  I also had good results and long life from the sets I have used.  The Thomastik Enfeld strings are a bit spendy, so this last time around went for  D'Addario Flat-Tops in the FT .012 set.  I find them fairly quiet like true "flat wound" strings but with a bit brighter tone..... they seem to be holding up quite well so far as sound etc.  So you might consider them for a change.

I was trying to copy and paste part of your comment. I have never used flat acoustic strings. They are all I use now on electrics. I was wondering about tone loss. They do sound enticing. If I find a set of strings I really like, I don`t care about the cost.

Enjoy Every Sandwich
Nothing In Moderation  -- Live Fast. Love Hard. Die Young And Leave A Beautiful Corpse. -- Buy It Today. Cry About It Tomorrow.

16 Reply by Doug_Smith (edited by Doug_Smith 2016-12-20 02:37:06)

  • From: Western Oregon,US
  • Registered: 2008-07-22
  • Posts: 2,498

Re: Flat-Wound Strings on a Gretsch

joeyjoeyjoey wrote:

. I have never used flat acoustic strings. They are all I use now on electrics. I was wondering about tone loss. They do sound enticing. If I find a set of strings I really like, I don`t care about the cost.

One thing I noticed about flat wound acoustic strings especially in the 80/20 Bronze, is that they sound kinda mellow compared to round wound (less bright).  Not much but a little, the Thomastik brand does come with the bass E string round wound, which was disappointing as I had expected the entire set to be flat wound..... meant that I had to make an effort to fully "unload" my barre chords when changing frets to totally avoid all squeaking.  Thus this time around I made the change to D'Addario FT117s. In my earlier post I said they were .012, but the set I'm using is .013.  They start out as a regular round wound string that is then drawn and polished so the outer surface is very smooth and quiet like a coated string without losing the brightness of a standard string set.  "Almost Flat Wound" but not.... good value and I personally like the tone and longevity they seem to be giving.  I have them on both my shallow bodied Ovation A/E. and an EJ200 Epi, & liking the sound.  Still have Earthwoods on my 12 though which is what it's been happily running for something like 30 years now (not the same set just the same Brand ).  smile

ETA:  My solid body electric still has a set of flat wound Thomastik Jazz-Swing .012s on it and they sound just as good as the day I put them on over a year ago..... it does get less mileage than any acoustic in the house !!

"what is this quintessence of dust?"  - Shakespeare