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Post by Stevie on Sept 28, 2021 10:13:40 GMT
I use D'Addario "Flat Tops" which I think have the outside of the windings ground down after manufacture to a flat profile on my mandolin and the sound has a beautiful aural shimmer far richer than the ex-works strings. I wouldn't swap them for any others. I had to widen one or two of the nut slots and when I subsequently spoke to him about this, Roger Bucknall dismissively told me the instrument was never designed for such strings. Hmm. That company thought it OK to put a junk pressed tailpiece on a (then) £600. instrument. I've used those type of strings for all but twenty years now. Of course a mandolin is not a guitar- apples and oranges etc.- but my point is that flat wound strings not only have their place in the right context, they can actually be preferable for some applications.
e&oe ...
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Post by pete1951 on Sept 28, 2021 10:42:47 GMT
Flat Tops are flat, but not tapewound , a better description would be ground wound. Yet another type of string to try. Pete
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Post by Stevie on Sept 28, 2021 16:14:08 GMT
Thank you for confirming that for me Pete. I wasn't sure enough to state as much. I guess my mandolin strings are ground too then? I think they're the dog's on my mandolin.
e&oe ...
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bdeivert
Serious MM Forum Member
Posts: 33
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Post by bdeivert on Jan 5, 2022 17:56:53 GMT
Personally, I use Thomastik flat wounds on most of my resonators, and all my mandolins, and they get the sound that I want and no string squawk. The Thomastik strings last a long time if you wipe them off after playing. They are expensive but considering the length of use well-worth it. I change my flat wound mandolin strings once a year and they still sound really good! The 20's wooden Triolian I had actually sounded much better with flatwounds than with other strings. When recording, the flat wounds are really great. greetings from Sweden, Bert
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Post by jromano23 on Jan 30, 2022 4:24:25 GMT
This last post gave me some inspiration to try a set of Thomastik flats on a tricone tonight, and I am surprised. I usually use 13-56 PB (and really like them), but this particular tricone has been acting up in standard tuning recently (sounds great in lower tension open tunings) and I was curious how the lower tension flats would work out. In some ways, the reduced sustain of the flats counteracts the sustain in the tricone but not necessarily in a bad way. If I closed my eyes, it almost sounds like an L-00 flattop. Definitely less volume, but the cones on this one seem to do ok with the lighter tension and deliver a nice tone. All that said, a tricone with flats in standard tuning might be the ultimate if your genre is couch noodling at parlor volumes (which mine is most of the time). I’d probably stick to the 13-56 for most other stuff but will have some fun on the couch with this one.
Anyone else ever run into a situation where the cones responded better to less tension?
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bdeivert
Serious MM Forum Member
Posts: 33
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Post by bdeivert on Feb 13, 2022 17:03:00 GMT
I was wondering if you have tried the flatwounds now on any other guitars jromano23? My El Trovador has settled in very well with them.
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Post by jromano23 on Feb 13, 2022 22:51:11 GMT
I haven’t tried on other Nationals but really like them on a Kay Thin Twin and Kay Upbeat. I would imagine a nice sound on a wood body single cone.
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