Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I know this has been visited before, but I still have questions regarding the Flatwound/Roundwound string debate on the 4001s.

Rickenbacker continues to recommend the flats due to the "excessive tension" of roundwound strings.
I cannot find this to be true. All of my research indicates that flats have the greater tension in similar gauges. D'Addario and TI publish their tensions right on their websites.
Stainless or nickel Flats = greater tension than either stainless, nickel or half-round wound strings.

What's the deal here - I'm confused?
I like 035-090 nickel roundwounds on my 1980 4001. I have .012" relief and am blessed with being able to achieve 1/32" action from fret 12 on up. It plays and sounds beautiful. I want to keep it that way, but cannot for the life of me understand the tension debate between flats and rounds. Can you, or anyone in the know, offer an explanation that someone as simple minded as myself can understand?

Thanks.

Without stepping on anyones toes ...here is my point of view.

The flat wounds that Rickenbacker used into the 1980's were made by a German string maker ...they are no longer being made ....WHY? I have no idea.

These strings were based around flat wound strings made for Upright basses.
Those strings have a small core and the wraps make up the size ....they are very light tensioned strings.

In the 1950's ...there was no standard for the bass string for electrics as there really wasn't any basses before Leo Fender made his first model of Bass in 1951.He went thru Hell trying to get a supplier that was consistant.

After John Entwhistle of 'The Who' got Rotosound strings on his basses...history and bassstrings changed forever.
Alas ...Rickenbackers truss rod system that was designed for the limp German strings ,was not up to the torture of Rotosound string tension.

It can be made to work however .BUT...and this is a big butt...for the most part all the older basses can be tweeked (with some tricks) to make 'Modern Tension' strings work ,but to save face ,cover their rear end ,and to not have a public relations problem ...Rick has said for years ..."Use low tension strings on pre 1984 basses".
There is an official assumtion that
Round wound =high tension and
Flat wound = low tension .
As you have pointed out ,that is not necessarily the case.

But without putting words into Ricks mouth,'They' are trying to say ,"use low tension strings and you will have Zero problems with your old bass.

I have no trouble with this at all .

However...like I said ...with some trickery ,you can use modern tension strings .

yes...Santa Claus ,the tooth fairy ,Peter Pan,Utopia and others, are all made up tales to keep us all happy .

Strings are a product that keeps us from realizing that these things are not real .

The reality is marketing and a love of historical rhetoric.

Thanks for the reply, Mark. As a follow up, if the German strings that Rickenbacker used in the 80s are no longer available, what would be an example of a "low tension" string that is safe to use today? I want zero problems as well as maintaining my current setup. Is that possible?