Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I read about flats and rounds but has anyone tried Half rounds or ground rounds (depending on the company) strings on their rics? How did they sound??

I use round grounds in my coffee pot. Tastes great, but haven't tested the sound yet. Oh, wait...that's not what you meant!

I use round grounds in my coffee pot. Tastes great, but haven't tested the sound yet. Oh, wait...that's not what you meant!


...It's Rick, but never bitter.Wait a minute, Mrs. Olson,that's ,"Rich, but never bitter".

Bassfog: I have been using D'Addario Half Rounds on my Model 4003 for the past several months and I am pleased with the results. I seem to alternate between these and Pyramid Flats. As you might expect they feel part way between Flats and Wound strings. I like the sustain better than the Pyramids particularly on the E, which is one of the reasons I tried them to begin with. Certainly more bark than the Pyramids.

I have used SIT Power Flats on my '89 4001V63 since I bought it a few months ago. These are nickel ground roundwounds, and they are GREAT! They have a very powerful sound that really cuts through the mix. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants the smoothness of flats, but likes a little brighter sound.

For those that prefer roundwounds, but don't like the finger noise. Rotosound has a model of string RS55 'Solo Bass'. This is a roundwound (stainless steel) string that the crown of the windings has been run through a roller & made smooth.

Unlike groundwounds no metal is removed from the string, thus preserving the harmonic content while considerably (compared to roundwounds)reducing finger & fret noise.

Having personally used this string on both my RIC & a fretless, I can attest to the above mentioned benefits.

By the way ,for those who like flatwounds also, I suggest you try Rotosound 77 Jazz Bass flats. These are the BEST flats I've ever used. I have them on my Fender now, and I just might put them on my RIC 4001V63 soon. They are very bright sounding at first but they settle down to a very nice punchy sound. I like them a lot.

The best flatwounds I've heard and the closest to the original RIC flats are the Thomastik Infeld strings. I have no idea whether they offer a half-round or ground-round string, however.

John: I think the strings to which you are referring may be here.

Yes, and the nice thing about these is that the set tension is only about 139 lbs compared to the typical round wound set which is usually around 200 lbs. It doesn't matter so much on a modern bass but the older 4001's will thank you! To my ear, lower tension also gives the "darker" tones often missing in brighter strings. I like bite in the sound but I also want to know it's a bass, not a low note on a piano.

I have thought about trying the TI's,but I was concerned whether I would like the lower tension,since I'm not really used to that. I've heard a lot of good things about them though.
While I'm thinking about it I would like to ask Mr. Hall what the differences are between the 4001V63(of which I am a proud owner) and the new C64 series, besides the reversed headstock. I am
curious.

Randy: I have been down this road and you will notice the difference in the lower tension with Thomastik-Infeld strings. This is not to say it is better or worse, just a different feel.

Yes, that's the reason I've been reluctant to try them, plus I don't want to shell out money for something that might not suit me. I'm very happy with the Rotosound flats. There not as thumpy as most flats, which I like. They are more modern sounding, but still silky smooth to the touch. It's just a sound and feel that I like. I'm looking forward to trying them on my 4001V63. If the work as good there as they do on my Jazz Bass,
I'll be thrilled!

I just put a set of Rotosound 77 Jazz Bass flats on my 4001V63,and they sound great! I am very pleased. I had been using ground roundwounds on the RIC,but no more! The Rotosounds suit my RIC beautifully.

I have since switched to SIT Power Flats on my basses. The Rotos I was getting were starting to go dead way too quickly considering their price. So I decided to change to the SIT's.