I know the physical differences, and I'm aware that there's a slight change in tone, but aside from that what's the difference? Are flat-wound strings better for certain styles of playing? Do they resonate more, do they have more sustain? Are they easier to bend or what?
I recently got some flat-wounds for my telecaster, and I like them a lot, but my friend said that they don't respond to palm-muting as well. Although that kind of makes sense (because flat-wounds don't seem to have that "bwoing" quality to them, at least not as much) I didn't really think it was accurate.
Any opinions about tone, playability, and styles? Thanks.
-lunchmeat
The big benefit to flatwound strings is that the noise you get sliding between frets is reduced.
The downside is rubbish tone.
You pays your money, you takes your choices
Best,
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
The downside is rubbish tone.
One man's rubbish is another's treasure ... ;)
Okay, I admit I hated the flatwounds on my Artcore. Dead tone. What does "dead" sound like? Yeah, that.
But I just put some D'addario Chromes on my bass and I love them. DEEP muscular tone, yet with surprisingly warm upper mids and good sustain. I've read that these are not like typical flatwounds (thuddy and lacking in sustain), and that may well be true. For jazz, R 'n B, some pop styles, even light rock, these are killer.
P.S. Another benefit of flats is that they last a long long long time. If you like the tone, that's great. If you don't, then it's not. YMMV.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Slej, that's exactly what I've got on the tele - D'Addarrio Chromes. I'm enjoying them...the tone is fine for me. (I'm using a shitty peavey practice amp, it's kinda messed up, so it isn't like I can really tell, anyway) The tone does sound "flatter" than it normally would, but I don't really think that's a bad thing - it's just a little different. More focused, more refined, or something. Can't explain it. Perhaps it has to do with the way the harmonics ring throughout the string, as compared to the round-wounds. I dunno.
If they last forever, though, I just might stick with them.
-lunchmeat
Flatwounds are accused of sounding dead, but what they have is a very different dynamic response -- much more of a midrange punch with a quick decay. So there's not a lot of sustain. But some types of music definitely benefit from this. If one is playing a lot of complex jazz chords, they will generally sound much better punched up in the midrange without too much sustain and a less prominent harmonic content. That way the listener gets to hear the flavor of the primary interval structure, but without uber-clashing harmonics or annoyingly over-sustained harmonic tension -- a little of this goes a long way.
Flats are good for trad jazz, surf, some types of country, blues and an older R&R sound.
-=tension & release=-
Yeah, all those artists using flatwounds have crappy tone. I mean, Joe Pass' tone just SUCKS. And don't get me started on Kenny Burrell!
/sarcasmoff
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
