PlayJazzGuitar.com Forum

[Felixthejazzcat]

Hi,

Has anyone tried flatwound strings on a solidbody? I'm thinking of "jazzing up" my strat. Any suggestions? What has worked, or hasn't worked for you?

[jwdavis101]

Oh, yeah... no problem here... they sound great... if you like that deep tone. I've recently put 11's on my Stratosonic and they sound very good.

[antique_dream]

Same here, I use 11-65 (daddario chromes) on an ibanez S-series 7 string and it sounds great.

[Greg Roth]

Maybe I'm showing my age but back in the early 60's when I started playing guitar everybody used flatwounds. Roundwounds only became widely used in the late 60's. They installed on Strats, Jazzmasters, Jaguars, etc. etc.

[rassi]

in the early 50's when I started playing guitar everybody used flatwounds
on El guitar.

Then skol give lessons on accustik guitar. Roundwound!

Afterwards people buyer anything the get in the shop.

Flatwound for anyboddy on everything. Just carry out a test.

[Tom]

Hello!
Wow I never thought to do that!
It's a strange but really nice idea!
I wonder how my SG would sound with it.
Do you think that may cause tuning problems or damage the wood? I use actualy 10-46 strings.
Tom

[awedmusic]

On my 67 SG Custom, I only used flatwound Gibson strings. It sounded great! Had a nice mello tone & very little sleeve noise. Played it thru a 60's Super Reverb. Nice for jazz & blues.

Awedmusic

[sunny]

i never even heard of that before, sounds great
how do you think theyed sound on a les paul.
ohh yea, what make of flat wound string should i buy.

[jazz_guitarist]

I have always used flat wounds on my '56 ES 175, but never on my ASAT. I just bought a Taylor acoustic, the first acoustic I've owned since I started playin in the early 60's, and found the bronze strings TOO bright with lots of noise, so I put on flatwounds and WOW!!! What a tone... This makes a great jazz axe. I guess it's up to your personal needs, but I'll keep the round wounds on my ASAT. I need to play the blues too! Blues is the roots... Jazz is the fruits!
_________________
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." Mark Twain

Keep on

Steve Groves

[Smooth]

Steve, l've always loved that Mark Twain qoute!!!

l love flatwounds - they are just great to play! Sometimes people prefer Roundwound as they cut through but l don't agree. It's more a matter of tweaking the EQ George Benson uses Flat and always cuts through and newish guitarist Johnny A uses flatwounds on his guitar but still has the twang many prefer. One word of warning though..try and avoid Thomastik strings as they are very inconsistent and don't last, also the intonation always seems to be all over the place with their strings.

[D'Amico]

I disagree. I put 13-gauge flatwounds on my stratocaster and I didn't like it at all - they sounded very dead. I think it's because they're higher tension (maybe not all of them) and my guitar is set up for different strings. It definately didn't achieve the jazz box sound, if that's what you're looking for.

My recommendation with a solid body guitar is to get it set up for really heavy strings and if it has a tremelo bridge, have it blocked off. I use 13s on my strat and it sounds fantastic. I play it through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and it has a very rich bluesy sound which I think is a good option to have.