Tim Lerch - Have I Been Wrong About Flat Wound Strings for Jazz Blues Telecaster Sounds?
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- I'm still not convinced but I may leave them on a little while to see how it goes.
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Here is a new video with a better more fair comparison ruclips.net/video/FHxURCrgjwA/видео.html
I only play tele with flats and in Dadgad! But I always enjoy a TL video no matter what.
Flats and Charlie Christians is my idea of a perfect Tele. Please try the Thomastik flats if you haven’t. Warmer and more flexible. Nickel, not chrome steel.
I like the flat wound sound for the style I play which is instrumental Surf. It gives it that extra punch on the tank reverb.
Tim, Thomastiks and Pyramids cost a lot more but they are worth it. They are round core which makes them feel a lot better than hex core Chromes. If you can spend more but Thomastik or Pyramids. They feel and tone make a big difference. Also they are pure nickle.
Agreed! Round core flats just sound beautiful to me, regardless of style. I use Thomastik Swing 10s on everything; my solid body, my arch top and my acoustic. Great feel, great, even, articulate sound and they last forever. Totally worth it!
Last forever, like years.
Thomastiks all the way. You ain't played flats till you've tried these.
I used flats for 20 years till Tim told me "I never use flats! Harmonic content is a terrible thing to waste!" about 2 years ago. I put rounds on my '50 L-7C and I'm really enjoying them. I miss the zero squeaks with the flats, but playing the guitar unplugged (which is how I often practice on this guitar) is a real joy now. Plugged in, flats sound fine, and feel great. For now, Tim created a round wound monster out of me, despite the occasional squeak.
"Ever since I was a little baby, I would ALWAYS be dribblin'!" - Tyrone Shoelaces
Roundwounds are better for rock blues and distorted muddy tones despite the similarity in sound between the two types of strings. My solid body roundwound stringed squier jazz bass is very quiet unplugged almost inaudible compared to a hofner beatle bass I had strung with labella flatwounds, a zero fret, and hofner nut that i like playing as acoustic hollow body which actually had some very nice sounding natural harmonics and pizzacato thing Goin on.
I think you sound better with roundwounds………sounds kinda strange with flatwoords
35 years of guitar abuse and I've never tried flats. Maybe I'll throw a set on my semi hollow.
GREATLY prefer the flatwound sound
I love flatwounds. I use them on everything; Tele, Les Paul, flattop acoustic, archtop acoustic. I Chromes on all of them.
Ddadario chromes are the WORST flatwounds
I keep a set of flat wounds on my Asher T and a Gretsch 5120 I can't hear them any differently.
I greatly prefer the flat wounds in this video... thanks for the comparison
Flatwound, when you want your Telecaster to sound similar to a Gibson E335
I’ve been playing GHS NICKEL ROCKERS for 30 years … 12/52 on everything
Flat wound strings don't "tell on" my sloppy technique as much as round wound.
ehi Tim, I'm you fan, you're the incredible muscian.The guir...aaaah is incredible, the telecaster remember a guitar semihollowbody, great sound for play the jazz with the pickups from the neck, the middle incredible. but your guitar is a fender telecaster vintage or custom? from lihuteria?.Thanck you very much for the incredible video and good music,You are the bible, bibbia, for me
When I'm playing jazzy stuff I always use flats. Love that traditional tone. Less string noise esp. when recording the quieter stuff. When I'm rocking or country it always rounds. I want the twang.
I put them on everything.. mostly my acoustic guitars.. but also halfrounds on my Les Paul. finger feel improves. piezo pickups lose noise. taking out piezo on acoustics they actually retain high end.. I use a 7k a5 dual rail at the neck end on acoustics and love it. i add a 500k and I use the D'addario..
you want the Half rounds man
I thought Telecasters were designed with flatwounds in mind. Telecasters with standard saddles are more in tune with flatwounds and a wound G.
I used to use Thomastic Infield nickel flatwounds, so much nice than Chromes but sooo expensive.
I prefer your tone with round wound, Tim.
But, they're both "kinda fine" which is maybe not a "very guitarist" thing to say, but there, I said it.
Campilongo plays 9-42 roundwounds! To each our own
Lately i cant seem to decide between a wound or unwound g string. On my 6119. Seems like trading one problem for anouther.
Flats make a nicer sound for that style of playing. I have flats on my Tele thin-line, enables rushing up and down the fretboard with impunity; smooth and no squeaking.
They sound phantastic under your fingers! Or is it the (fender)pickup...who knows, so many factors working together.
12s? Holy cow. I put 10 gauge flats on my semi hollow to solve some intonation issues and I find 10s are a little stiffer than I would like, so I can't even imagine 12 gauge flats.
Tried D'ddario half-rounds? Some of the best of both worlds - sqeak, easier bends.
To my ears, they sounded exactly the same. Without much further frequency analyzation, I cant say much more than that.
I have used chrome 10/48 flats for years but they only suite certain makes of guitar.
Flat wound strings feel very comfortable.
I've got a set I've been staring at for years now. Thought I'd bequeath them to my nephew when I die...in 30 or 40 years God willing. Maybe I'll give them a whirl.
Live the Tele with CC pickups what are the name of the brand Tele in this video?
Flats are great if you have a spare guitar to put them on so you can play them back to back If not don’t bother. The loss of harmonic’s. And if you’re not playing clean tone. Waste of time
no subs?
Are there flat wounds with coating like the new XS series? I have a nickel allergy..
It's funny how people who talk about gear the least have the most interesting opinions on it
I'll use a flatwound 3rd on a set of light roundwounds when I don't want a plain 3rd
Looking to set up telecaster also for jazz like the flat wound sound great. Vid
Ernie Ball bright flats! More full range than other brands.
Beautiful sound Tim!!! I’m also with you, I learned my lesson not to try to convince anyone about anything in this world unless asked. I use to never tell but only suggest but people don’t take it as educational they take offense. I’m one of those people that are always open to suggestions to make me a better person, player or what ever! Thanks so much for your suggestions and wonderful videos that I truly enjoy! Keep up the great work! 😊
No, you were right - stick with roundwounds.
The Telecaster is the guitar, which works best with flatwounds, i think they work on a tele even better than on most archtops!
I have the same gauge 12to 53 but what I did because I like bending, I threw it away the 53, and move them all down E -42. A-32 D24. G 16 B-12. And put a 10 for the High E it worked for me
Hey! that's a good idea! slap on a set on a 'spare' guitar. I've got one in mind.
I like flat wound strings when I’m using a flat pick but I find them difficult to play finger style.
Half round strings are good for me, nice in between sound
Have you ever used a stereo output so the E and A strings or separate from the rest and you can put different EQ or even octave on them
I played flats exclusively on my archtop for years. Decided to try rounds again a few years ago and I've never thought about touching flats again. It was so strange to hear how much better my guitar sounded with rounds, the benefits far outweigh a little string noise 😅
I'm a bassist , I do love flatwounds strings but I do have basses with both.
There is an immense difference between brands , round wounds not nearly as much.
Love flatwounds, even half rounds too
Thats the sound! Funny how the Tele just flowed into jazz, and the Strat sez OK but nope, except.
I’m amazed how much I like that sound! I have flats on a 335 style guitar and have it tuned B to B. Gives me a fun and different voice to play around with. I never would’ve guessed they’d sound so good on a Tele. With headphones I hear a clear distinction when you switch to the other Tele.
Pretty much the Yoda of musicians I first heard on RUclips.
I have flats on a Strat ... and I like it.
Flatwounds...no question!!
I have Thomastik George Bensons (lovely bright flats) on my tele + my archtop :)) Love em!
(which are miles ahead of Chromes in my estimation -- having used both for quite a while)
Please let me know what tele model you have.
Are flat wounds harder on hands?
Ok, now I want to hear flats with the Charlie Christian pickup!
You could make anything sound great!
Lovely playing, as always. I bought my first set of flat wounds recently and I’ve been hesitant to put them on my instrument, but you’re giving me courage with this.
I can do anything on rounds. Flats really sound good for Bop and Surf....not much else.
Suena a puro jazz 🙃
Hi Tim. I don't comment often but I sure visit you as much as i can and learn from your wonderful playing. The flat wounds sounds amazing under your fingers, specially the chords played with fingers! Knowing how skilful you are, I have no doubt you'd even get a rich jazz tone out of a stratocaster if you wanted to so definitely I want to hear more flat wound strings from you because you make them sound so unique and so better than anyone else. 🙂
I love pick slides too much
First time watching your channel, and I have a question (because I've been considering to try flatwounds on my D'Angelico semi-hollow): how does bending feel with those strings?
Regards, and you now have a new follower!
I suppose it depends on the gauge, but remember a flat wound G string won’t bend like a plain G string.
Interesting... I liked the one with the Lace Sesor Blue better. Sounded rounder/sweeter to my ear. Thanks for uploading.
D'addario Chromes are perhaps the most popular flat wound strings in the affordable set range. As you play it, they do have a nice transition. Flats have a quicker decay than round wounds, I think. That may have something to do with your heavy gauge (those dimensions I use on my acoustics). If you tire of the flats, the next step is to use all nickel round wounds.
I’ve tried several brands of flats and chromes are putrid in all ways to my ears. Way too dead and stiff. Anyone who is looking for true flats, look at thomastik or pyramid. - they are superior and the extra cost can be justified by the super long life
I second the all nickle. I usually keep Chromes or DR Pure Blues on my guitars. I'm putting Pyramids on my Tele next time. Had the chance to play them this past summer for the first time and I'm in love.
@@sunsetjunior9313 This is my experience too! If anyone dislikes flatwounds after trying Chromes, they should definitely try any other brand. I love D'Addario for every other type of string.
Cleaner overtone structure
I used to play 13s on a Strat
You just planted a seed in my brain. Hmm - I may try flatwounds on my Telecaster now.
Really interesting comparison! I play flats on my archtop, and really love them there, but haven't thought to put them on my one-and-only Tele (a G&L ASAT). Thanks so much for the judgement-free comparison here.
Variety is the spice of life…..but familiarity is golden when you know what you like. I’ve tried them to….didn’t like the feel but I like the way you tweaked it. I might follow your recipe for spice.
Good to see you.
I think you're right i never thought about that before, makes a big difference, definitely 👍 trying it out on my 69 tele
My guitar teacher, who had often played with Barney Kessel, used Black Nylon Tape Wound Electric Guitar Strings.
Now THAT's mellow squared.
Tim man I'm digging the flats! A tele with rounds always sounds a tad bit more like a fusion sort of thing to me with all those harmonics where the rounds sound very rooted in the tradition, especially when dealing with solo guitar standards which you do so well. Bonus is that rounds on a tele you still get that very clear articulate tone. Rounds on a jazz box often sound a bit too lifeless to my ears but in a tele it's best of both worlds for me. Thinking I'll put a set on mine and maybe rounds on my archtop for a change.
I've installed flats of various makes (D'Addario Chromes, LaBella Jazz Flats, Thomastik Jazz Swing) on 6-7 different guitars, over the years, but they never seem to stay on longer than a week. I love the left-hand feel, and the utter silence under the left hand fingertips. I also really like the strong, even fundamental tone when using a pick. However, as I play almost exclusively Fingerstyle, I find the base notes (played by the flesh of the thumb) too weak and indistinct. Without a pick, there's just too little transient, or "attack," to the sound, and the bassline becomes textureless and hard to hear.
I also like chunks in my peanut butter, and croutons on my salad.
Ive been using Monel nickel on my acoustic guitar because they tend to have less overtones and tend to be more fundamental centered. I’m only playing solo guitar these days.
Hi Tim try also the Half Round DAdarios! The perfect compromise! They ar awesome!
My instinct says that jazz boxes have a more complex sound than solid bodies, thus flats work better on the semi-acoustics. I guess it needs to judged on a case by case basis though. I did like both sounds here. 🤷♂️😎👍
I have flats on a tele and it is amazing. Also use them on all my lap steels in various tunings and on a short scale guitar tuned to E for slide.
The flat wounds sound a little more hi fi to me if that makes sense. Thanks for the video Tim.
The Flatwounds sounded a bit stringier to me.
Flatwound strings were invented as early as 1874 by Hamilton. The Original Flatwound strings were originally designed to replace the Gut strings on Bowed stringed instruments cause they hold tune better, last many times as long, they're a fraction of the price, & the flat surface makes bowing on the string easier.
Oscar, thank you, here we are talking about flat wound strings as applied specifically to guitar. While your history may be correct as far as violin is concerned, and very interesting as well. I think my audience is specifically interested in guitars and from my research flat wound strings weren’t widely marketed to, or used by guitarists until the late 40’s early 50’s
@@TimLerchGuitar Yes Flatwound Strings go back a long time as a replacement for the Gut strings. It's much easier to play on a Flat Surface, & virtually all of the D'addario Orchestral Bowed Stringed instrument strings are in fact Flatwounds.
In case anyone doesn't know there are also halfwounds. A mix of the two. I believe D'Addario makes some.
The flats sound SO much better in these styles, imo! I'm a little biased, because I have flats on my jazzmaster and hollowbody, and I can't go back to rounds. The feel and sound is addicting. Try to get accustomed to the flat G if you can, if you're not bending, you get used to it pretty quickly.
Another option to consider is half rounds, which, as the name suggests, are like half way between flats and rounds. I use those on 335s and it's like magic!
I like the flat wounds! Definitely a bit of a fatter and clearer sound. I also found the voice separation to be really pleasant, I feel I can appreciate the individual moving voices and their interplay all the more.
Clearer? Gimme a Break!
@@johnsieff2921 gimme a break
@@johnsieff2921 Break me off a piece of that Kit-kat bar!
flat sound good for your style 🎉
Every once in a blue moon I put flat wound strings on my guitar. I did this two days ago and took them off within 24 hours. I have used them briefly for jazz on a few guitars but ultimately they don’t work for me. They work great for Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Bruno. But even Barney Kessel and herb Ellis used nickel wrap round wound strings.
It won’t hurt to try them. The early fender guitars came out of the factory with flat wound strings.
I honestly started using flats when I played fender bass. I always seemed to have noisy fingers and flats improved that! When I started playing guitar full time and stopped playing bass, the flats made the transition with me. I do play jazz and bluesy jazz and I do love the feel and sound and how quiet my fingers are with them. I have rounds on my Gibson explorer, it may get flats too! Lol
Flats vs round is like Rhodes vs Steinway. different. Cutting down on the harmonic content of the individual notes allows the player to add harmonic content in a controlled way with chord voicings. It's one of the reasons traditional jazz players like clean amps and darker tones.
Def prefer flat wounds!
Next problem to overcome... Jazz on a tele.
Tim, a\was the player you went to see who had the flat wounds Kenny Vaughan?
No, although Kenny is great.
+1 for flats
GOOD STUFF
I describe flats as a physical compressor.
I've got a parts Tele I keep in D standard with a Filtertron in the neck and blues special in the bridge. I've added a thicker, high density steel neck plate and it has a Mastery bridge. I always have flats on it. Currently I have 12 gauge Chromes on it now. Considering using Pyramids next time after trying them on a 70s Telecaster at Carter's Vintage. I was blown away by the evenness of tone and super smooth finish.
It has medium/medium high action, similar to Carol Kaye's style. You can really bite into the strings and don't have to worry about buzz.
With the tone knob rolled off a bit, I can use it for a really convincing bass tone through a '67 Ampeg Gemini. I've used it to record a few tracks with a friend for both the guitar and bass parts and it does the trick great. With the neck pickup, you can get super smooth, flat tones. Despite being flats, a bright guitar and amp leave plenty of natural high end in the sound.
If anyone has a a bolt on neck guitar and likes the sound of it, but wants just a bit more of everything, the heavier neck plates are something to consider. I use the Greer Super Mass version and absolutely love it. My stock screws also work just fine. It's been on the guitar for about 6-7 years now and I've never had a problem with it. You have to like the existing sound, but it adds just enough sustain and low end that it's worth it if you want a cheap, easy to do or swap mod that can be undone with no harm.
Well, I certainly prefer the flats for a clean jazz sound. The attack on the rounds with the pick gives back a little more metallic sound. Of course, it all depends on what the player expects from his own sound. And also on the intensity of the attack with the pick or with fingers instead.
The flats sound good to me. Especially playing that jazz blues piece. Maybe not practical if you want to do some serious country bending licks on your tele.
So Cool!!
I went from flats to rounds on my Peerless & ES330 , following your advice , but I kept the flats on my R4 , to get that Bluenote sound. Do you still plan a transcription of your Rhumba blues ? around 2’15 I kind of get lost😅! Thanks. For all t.he things you do , take care Bernard.
I like flat wounds on my Archtop. I tried round wounds on it, and it lost the full round Jazz tone I liked, and the flat wounds are a lot of fun to slide chords around on without getting excess noise and squeaks. They sounded good on your Tele, and gave it a wide, warm tonal spectrum. Do you know what type of strings Scotty Anderson uses. I couldn't find out if he uses round wounds or not?
I wish I had Scotty's dexterity, he's awesome. Tim gets a great tone and plays so nice.
Flats