Which do you prefer? Flat wounds or Round wounds? Also, what did the original surf players use?
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
Flat wounds vs. Round wounds
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Joined: Mar 28, 2017 Posts: 11 |
Posted on May 12 2017 01:35 PM
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Joined: May 09, 2008 Posts: 1252 Isle of Kent, MD 
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Posted on May 12 2017 02:07 PM
Flats, but I am thinking of switching, so I'll be watching this post. —Surfcat 2023 SG101 Compilation - Tribute to Noel From Atlantis with Love - Released - July 2023 Surf, the most dangerous of all musical genres... |
Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4052 Nashville, TN.
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Posted on May 12 2017 02:41 PM
I use both. Cheers, Jeff —http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on May 12 2017 05:43 PM
Both. I would use rounds if I only had one guitar. |
Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 1674 Georgia
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Posted on May 12 2017 06:07 PM
Can one of the mods change the title of this thread to "Rosewood vs. Maple"? Seriously, there's no right answer, but I use flats on my offsets and rounds on everything else. I've probably been brain-washed to do it this way, but I suspect no one in the audience cares. —The Mystery Men? |
Joined: Jan 09, 2014 Posts: 600 Vancouver BC 
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Posted on May 12 2017 06:07 PM
When I use my Jag, it is exclusively for surf >> 12 flats Lorne |
Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1013 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on May 12 2017 07:50 PM
CrazyAces wrote:
Likewise, and I also use ground-flat D'Addario strings on some guitars. Their tone is in between flat wounds and round wounds. IMO flatwounds go dull sooner than roundwound strings. Also strings go dull faster on some guitars than others, which I find puzzling. —Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com |
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Joined: Jan 09, 2014 Posts: 600 Vancouver BC
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Posted on May 12 2017 08:11 PM
Squid wrote:
I am fairly new to flats and my local shops only stock TI, D'Addario Chromes and the Half Rounds. For regular rounds on my Strat, I use NYXL 11-52 but their Chromes and Half Rounds are disappointing. The tension across the 6 strings with the Chromes and Halfs is inexplicably unbalanced and they don't sound particularly great. I don't see any advantage with the Halfs to normal rounds. The TIs are much more balanced in tension and tone and are most consistent over time. Of course, the TIs are very expensive. And something that I am not certain of that I need to investigate: the D'Addarios are stainless steel which I suspect contributes to faster fret wear. Not sure. —Lorne |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on May 12 2017 08:26 PM
Stainless Steel eats frets alive, will never put on a guitar again. Thomastik or Pyramid are worth the price of admission if you need flats. Expensive, but they also last longer, sound better, and don't eat your frets. They are lower tension as well, but that isn't always a selling point. |
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Joined: Mar 28, 2017 Posts: 11 |
Posted on May 12 2017 10:08 PM
So the majority of you prefer round wounds on strats? That's currently what I am using for surf. I actually just got this American strat at a garage sale for $400. I'm really enjoying it so far. |
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Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4052 Nashville, TN.
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Posted on May 12 2017 10:13 PM
JakeDobner wrote:
While this totally makes sense to me, especially considering the different hardness factors of the materials, strings vs. frets, I personally have never encountered this problem using the D'Addarios and I do not play with a super light touch. Cheers, http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic |
Joined: Jul 17, 2016 Posts: 98 Sacramento
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Posted on May 12 2017 10:21 PM
Round wounds, though I have played flats. Recommend trying different brands, gauges, etc in either round or flat and see what creates the sound you are looking for. —The Me Gustas |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on May 12 2017 10:23 PM
It was my AVRI that was eaten alive, looked like a guitar from the 60s and the one owner only played cowboy chords. I used Rotosound and Gibson stainless flats at that time. Jeff, you play at all the frets! I owned one guitar at the time and was more or less only chunkin' away at cowboy chords! |
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Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4052 Nashville, TN.
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Posted on May 12 2017 10:30 PM
JakeDobner wrote:
That's because I'm still trying to find the right notes! LOL. Onedin Giraldo wrote: Recommend trying different brands, gauges, etc in either round or flat and see what creates the sound you are looking for. Well said sir. When I finished building my Jag I was dead set on round wounds so that I could use it all the time for all styles of music. Then one day for a recording I put flats on and that was it. Flat will always be on THAT particular guitar. Cheers, http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic |
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Joined: Jan 09, 2014 Posts: 600 Vancouver BC
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Posted on May 12 2017 10:31 PM
ShaneHarkins wrote:
Judging from multiple thread posts that I have seen over the course of time, rounds on Strats seems to be in the significant majority. —Lorne |
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Joined: Apr 01, 2016 Posts: 89
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Posted on May 12 2017 10:50 PM
Flats on Jazzmaster & 1 Strat. Rounds on other Strat and everything else. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 2062 Virginia, USA
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Posted on May 13 2017 12:32 AM
Half Rounds!
Seriously, these strings are absolutely perfecto for my Mosrite. Paul |
Joined: Apr 08, 2016 Posts: 35 London 
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Posted on May 13 2017 02:59 AM
Pyramid Gold 11 flats on my Jaguar - but rounds on my strat - rounds but always pure nickel (i.e. DR or Pyramid). |
Joined: Mar 27, 2006 Posts: 197 Newington, CT USA
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Posted on May 13 2017 07:20 AM
When I first started playing, I used Gibson flats on guitar and bass. These days, I use D'Addario EXL110W (10's with a wound G) on my Hallmark 65 Custom and Les Paul, and D'Addario EXL170M on my Hallmark 65 Custom bass. |
Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan 
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Posted on May 13 2017 11:11 PM
skeeter wrote:
I like halfs on my Mosrite and my Tele too, but I won't go above 10s on either because Im afraid of warping the Mosrite neck and not being able to do bendy country stuff on the Tele (with semi-baseball bat neck). — |
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