Flatwound strings on a guitar?

[Low End Lover]

I am a total flatwound convert. I have TI Flats on all my Ric guitars (620/12, 330/6, 610/6). I just like how full and substantial they sound and I really find the overtones you get when playing rounds annoying. Also, I think it lets the unique character of each guitar come out more clearly and I really like that and I like being a little bit different and so that figures into it for me as well.

My .2 cents,

LEL

[Hotzenplotz]

+1 well said!

[Rickissippi]

So you have to set up your guitar specially for FW's? Hmm...
I LOVE the sound I get on my pure nickel strings, so idk if I'll be changing any time soon. Just thought it'd be worth exploring as my grlfriend only uses flat-wounds on her bass and swears by them. Honestly I didn't even know they made them for guitar! Also the wound G string is good to know. Didn't really notice it as a drawback on a short scale 325, but with all the tension on my 620 it would probably make some leads a bit difficult.

Yeah, the string length has to be slightly longer, but I just followed the manual on that and it was no problem. I moved the bridge baseplate all the way back, tightened it up, and it literally didn't require any more adjustment - no individual saddles or anything - somehow, with that one adjustment, I had perfect intonation. Love how RIC had already considered and accommodated the desire to play flats.

Pure nickels are great - I've tried them, too.

[Hotzenplotz]

It's the same with all different strings: different gauges, different tensions.

But an adjustment guided by the RIC manual delivers a perfect set up guitar.
Just be careful with pre 1984 necks. There is some different maintenance work necessary.

[padraigwhelan]

I'm really picking up a lot of stuff on here, thanks guys...

[Rhythmer]

I used rounds on my '79 320 (with Hi gains) until a couple of years ago when I tried TI flats. LOVE 'em!

[iiipopes]

I played a 325 with flat-wounds the other day. Really liked the feel, but the tone through the toasters and amp seemed a bit weak to me. Does anyone play with these strings on their Rickenbacker? What are the advantages/disadvantages and characteristics?

Gotta ask:
1) How was the setup on the guitar: good action, pickups fairly close to the strings, etc., bridge intonated properly, etc? If any of these things are out of adjustment, the entire guitar can sound thin.
2) What kind of flats? Due to the difference in the magnetic qualities of different wraps, they will sound different: pure nickel is the least magnetic, followed by chrome and then the solid steel that is in something like the new Fender 9050 bass strings, or the now discontinued Gibson flats. A corollary to this is that the heavier the gauge, the more mass, and therefore the more interaction with the pickup's magnetic field, and the more output and sustain. Especially with a 320/325 short scale guitar, they really need to be strung with 12's or even 13's to get the most out of the guitar.
3) In relation to #2, the setup does have to be slightly different, depending on your strings. There is no "one-size-fits-all" setup for strings. That's one reason why you should settle on a particular brand, model and gauge of strings, and string the guitar up with a new set when setting it up.
4) Finally, was it a "Hamburg" reissue, or a "Miami" reissue? The "Hamburg" reissue (I can't recall the exact number model designations off the top of my head right now, so bear with me) had the late-'50's toasters that only have @ 5.5 kohms' worth of wire on them, so the tone is a little thinner than on a "Miami" reissue, which has the now-standard 7.4kohm reissue toasters.

[stsang]

My Ric 12-string ALWAYS has flatwounds on it. Pete Townshend said flatwounds on a 12-string is "important", and our own Todd Bradshaw concurred with a theory about why flats are essential for a 12-string, something about the main strings being dull enough to emphasize the chime of the octaves. He knows better than me, it's his theory!

I feel flats are best for a hollowbody and rounds are best for a solid-body. You'll never see *my* Strat with flats!

Agree with that!

[remstar]

Yep personally id go pyramids

[electrofaro]

I just put trade-product D'Addarios on my 360. .010 roundwound brights. My 360 just is not the same - my .011 TI flats were much brighter and chimed much more. Unfortunately I ran out of them, waiting for them to come in

[stsang]

I just put trade-product D'Addarios on my 360. .010 roundwound brights. My 360 just is not the same - my .011 TI flats were much brighter and chimed much more. Unfortunately I ran out of them, waiting for them to come in

Sorry to hear that! I hate the sound of D'Addarios on my Ric 12-string - too clangy sounding and too many harmonics. The cleaner sound of flatwounds is much nicer.

[electrofaro]

Thanks, Simon - don't worry, I found spare .010 TI roundwounds, they're more to my liking, although still not my fav .011 TI flats!

Some people's guitars seem to like D'As roundwound brights as I found out on FB

[Folkie]

How about this: TI Flats for my 360/12 and Curt Mangan Nickelwounds for my 330/12.

[stsang]

How about this: TI Flats for my 360/12 and Curt Mangan Nickelwounds for my 330/12.

Robert, that's very interesting... I'm really curious why that works, and it leads to me to wonder about the sonic differences between the 360/12 and 330/12 (and if I must also get a 330/12 too!)... Do you have the same kind of pickups on both your 360/12 and 330/12?

[Folkie]

How about this: TI Flats for my 360/12 and Curt Mangan Nickelwounds for my 330/12.

Robert, that's very interesting... I'm really curious why that works, and it leads to me to wonder about the sonic differences between the 360/12 and 330/12 (and if I must also get a 330/12 too!)... Do you have the same kind of pickups on both your 360/12 and 330/12?

Very good question, Simon. The 330/12 currently has hi gains, while the 360/12 has 7.4K toasters. I say "currently" because I just ordered up a new pair of scatterwounds (and black covers to match the black hardware) from POTR, and am planning to swap the pickups on the 330. It may very well be that the toasters will give the guitar too much brightness, even harshness, with the roundwound strings, although when I reach treble overload on my 360, I usually just back down on the small fifth knob, and that tempers things a little. The nickelwounds do have one advantage, in my experience, and that's that they're more comfortable to play at very low action. But I've been spoiled by the sound of the scatterwounds, so I just HAD to try them on my 330!

Robert