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At the risk of sounding like the village idiot here's my question: Has anyone ever used flat wounds on their dreadnought? If so, how did it turn out?
Flat Wounds on a Dreadnought?
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Br1ck
Senior Member
No, but usually no one wants to mellow out a dread. But there is no reason you shouldn't try if you want to. The reason you don't see them on dreads is most don't care for the sound.
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Thanks. Actually, I posted this thinking about how to get an archtop acoustic sound out of a dread, but then it occurred to me that that sound is usually from round wounds on the archtop.
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
D'addario makes flats, as well as Pyramid, and others more oriented to Jazz = heavier.
I currently have flats on one of my acoustics, and want to try a set on a D35. I can totally live without the screeching, I like the smoothness.
If you've not trying to impress anyone with volume, try them.
If you like the sound of dead strings, try them ;]
They also make groundwound, rounds ground flat, brighter than real flats.
I currently have flats on one of my acoustics, and want to try a set on a D35. I can totally live without the screeching, I like the smoothness.
If you've not trying to impress anyone with volume, try them.
If you like the sound of dead strings, try them ;]
They also make groundwound, rounds ground flat, brighter than real flats.
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
The way you do this is gradual. You lose the PB strings and learn to live with Silk n' Steel, like a gateway drug. Then you can segue into flats.
There's nothing wrong with having a very quiet guitar if no one but you is listening to it.
A Strat with flats is like a guitar you almost can't hear acoustically. Play it, and just hear the amp in your head. I guarantee it will be better than what you really sound like in real life ;]
If you're Bluegrassing, don't do it. Bluegrassing is all about ring.
If you like mellow Jazz, want to explore more, try flats and see if you can stand being that quiet.
There's nothing wrong with having a very quiet guitar if no one but you is listening to it.
A Strat with flats is like a guitar you almost can't hear acoustically. Play it, and just hear the amp in your head. I guarantee it will be better than what you really sound like in real life ;]
If you're Bluegrassing, don't do it. Bluegrassing is all about ring.
If you like mellow Jazz, want to explore more, try flats and see if you can stand being that quiet.
Nuuska
Enlightened Member
I have been seriously considering putting flatwounds on my Songbird next time I change strings. I have a set ready - just not executed as of yet. I'm looking forward to hear if there's any big difference in the piezo-pup sound. Obviously the already "Not like F50R" non-amplified acoustic sound does not improve . . .
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Did that one time -- won't ever do that again!
Not a dread but.Mr. Burrell pulls off acoustic guitar with flats.
Also from his Tenderly live record where he plays some numbers acoustic with flatwounds..
Also from his Tenderly live record where he plays some numbers acoustic with flatwounds..
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Not a dread but.Mr. Burrell pulls off acoustic guitar with flats...
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Also from his Tenderly live record where he plays some numbers acoustic with flatwounds..
I am a bit surprised -- this actually does have a bit of an archtop sound. Thanks for putting this video up!
Canard
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There is also the half-rounds, for people who can't make up their minds, flat or round, flat or round?
I can not often find them in shops and usually have to order them online. I have used them (and heavy gauge rounds) on an archtop where they were pretty good at reducing finger noise on the strings while still having a bit more brightness than flats - gives the tone controls something to do.
I have not tried a new set of the half-rounds on a flat-top acoustic but did try a used set taken off the archtop.
As an experiment, it wasn't entirely successful because sound-wise the strings were old and because play-wise they felt so different than the bronze strings I am used to. It just felt wrong.
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I can not often find them in shops and usually have to order them online. I have used them (and heavy gauge rounds) on an archtop where they were pretty good at reducing finger noise on the strings while still having a bit more brightness than flats - gives the tone controls something to do.
I have not tried a new set of the half-rounds on a flat-top acoustic but did try a used set taken off the archtop.
As an experiment, it wasn't entirely successful because sound-wise the strings were old and because play-wise they felt so different than the bronze strings I am used to. It just felt wrong.
Neal
Senior Member
Might monel strings serve as a nice middle ground? Warmer and less zingy tha 80/20’s or PB, but a lot louder than flats.
Westerly Wood
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Particularly the Tony Rice Monels.
Yoko Oh No
Member
Wow...I’m tired...I read the title and thought this thread was about dings on the soundboard
Russell Letson
Member
I've never cared at all for the sound of flatwounds on any acoustic guitar, including my archtops--they start out dull and get even deader fast. Semi-flat or "ground-wound" sets address the string-squeak issue, and they're not as dull as flats--and they still don't wear as well as standard round-wounds.
For a guitar that's going to be amplified via a magnetic pickup, flats are probably fine--they're preferred by my jazz-playing friends, whose first reaction on playing one of my guitars is often "Jeez, round-wounds--and heavies." They're actually mediums, usually bronze, on guitars set up to accommodate acoustic as well as amplified playing--though for an almost-always-amplfied archtop I also like Thomastik BeBops, which are long-wearing nickel round-wounds just a tad lighter than a phosphor-bronze medium set.
For a guitar that's going to be amplified via a magnetic pickup, flats are probably fine--they're preferred by my jazz-playing friends, whose first reaction on playing one of my guitars is often "Jeez, round-wounds--and heavies." They're actually mediums, usually bronze, on guitars set up to accommodate acoustic as well as amplified playing--though for an almost-always-amplfied archtop I also like Thomastik BeBops, which are long-wearing nickel round-wounds just a tad lighter than a phosphor-bronze medium set.
davismanLV
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Many years ago when I first started to play in open tunings, I had poor technique and hated the screeching sound of sliding up and down the strings. So I put a set of flatwounds on my D65S. It's such a nice guitar it still sounded good, but as I played more and more in open tunings and worked up and down the fretboard I realized I was just being sloppy and corrected my style a bit. Then went back to roundwounds. So if you're after a different sound from a dread or any flattop acoustic, you'll only know by trying them. Give it a whirl. Now that I lift my hands and fingers better I rarely make noise and like the sound of roundwounds better. But try it!! You might just like it!! No hard and fast rules, I don't think.
Br1ck
Senior Member
If what you want is an archtop, nothing else will do. Eastman makes "affordable" archtops.
Russell Letson
Member
Archtops from The Loar are even more affordable, though they are not as refined as Eastmans, which are every bit as good as any equivalent Gibson I've ever played. (Not counting really good 30s Gibsons and Epis, of course.)
A lot of the characteristic archtop sound can be found in a dreadnought, with the right technique. It won't quite replicate Freddy Green or Bucky Pizzarelli or Steve Jordan, but in a western swing band it can do the job.
A lot of the characteristic archtop sound can be found in a dreadnought, with the right technique. It won't quite replicate Freddy Green or Bucky Pizzarelli or Steve Jordan, but in a western swing band it can do the job.
Bill Ashton
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I tried flatwounds on my Gibson J-30 some years ago, after seeing the original Pyramid flatwound adverts as being the "strings of The Beatles."
Tried to order them but got no response. Not sure, may have been Marcus I reached out to, to see if he could find me some Pyramids in Austria, and got TI's at the his storekeeper's recommendation. Took a little truss rod adjust to make up for the tension, but then...yup, the sound of The Beatles rhythm guitar! Great for that sound, and maybe Gabor Szabo, but pretty much one-trick-ponies. Not "bad" at all once adjusted up, but you had to want that sound.
I tried the "new" Martin Monels on my then new Guild F47R and they were TERRIBLE. Really, sounded like electric guitar strings put on an acoustic. Let 'em break in for a while but they were a no-go as far as I was concerned. I never used them on a dread, but did try D'Addario Nickel-Bronze which is the competitor...horrible on my Guild D55 but close to magical on my H & D "Pilgrim." Obviously something different about the "Martin-style" build.
Tried to order them but got no response. Not sure, may have been Marcus I reached out to, to see if he could find me some Pyramids in Austria, and got TI's at the his storekeeper's recommendation. Took a little truss rod adjust to make up for the tension, but then...yup, the sound of The Beatles rhythm guitar! Great for that sound, and maybe Gabor Szabo, but pretty much one-trick-ponies. Not "bad" at all once adjusted up, but you had to want that sound.
I tried the "new" Martin Monels on my then new Guild F47R and they were TERRIBLE. Really, sounded like electric guitar strings put on an acoustic. Let 'em break in for a while but they were a no-go as far as I was concerned. I never used them on a dread, but did try D'Addario Nickel-Bronze which is the competitor...horrible on my Guild D55 but close to magical on my H & D "Pilgrim." Obviously something different about the "Martin-style" build.
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
Monels sounded good on a D25 Archback, and they still do. Good deep bass, loud.
On some instruments, flats do sound horrible and sound out of tune. I had GHS Brite Flats on my Dano for like 5 minutes, but GHS Burnished sound like magic on it.
On some instruments, flats do sound horrible and sound out of tune. I had GHS Brite Flats on my Dano for like 5 minutes, but GHS Burnished sound like magic on it.
davismanLV
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It's really about your ear, bro!! Flatwounds on the D65S were okay. Then (ten years later) I put those Aluminum Bronze from wherever and HATED THEM!! Couldn't get them off fast enough!! But @walrus uses them on the regular and thinks they're grand!! Which just goes to show.... what people say doesn't really matter that much. Try every effing string and see what you think!! No really. What your ears like is what's good for you!!
