Definite more "ring" with the roundwounds. I have to say that is the sound that is most pleasing to my brain. I use Phosphor Bronze D'Addario EXP17s on my HD28. That is the sound that I have gravitated towards in my 60 years of acoustic guitar playing. Your videos are tops! Thanks for all your work. TT
Absolutely great playing and wonderful demonstration of the two. The traditionalist: "The rounds don't sound right. They don't sound like an acoustic guitar should!" No, they sound more like a professional recorded acoustic. If you want to record regulars and then compress and EQ them to sound like the rounds, do so. 😄
Magma Flat Phosphor Bronze Strings are a more refined Version of the D'addario Flat Top Strings because they go a step further & flatten the windings all the way.
Wow, you went to great length for this demo.They do both sound great.The 'normal' strings sounded more alive and dynamic.Although ,the flat-tops still sounded sweet on the fingerpicking and classical examples.I like 80/20 too.
The bronze Flat tops sound amazing with an all mahogany acoustic. It really complements the warm a deep woody tones. Especially with something like a 000-15M.
Very interesting. With the flat-tops, as I expected, you certainly lose some high-end shimmer and high-mids that you get on the roundwounds. But they seem to also provide an audible hump somewhere a little lower in the mids register. I liked the sound, and I think I'll give them a try.
I want to say some of the reason for the lower highs are a simple matter of a larger diameter core string. This can be overcome with an equalizer of course. Also the thicker core will increase the amount of tension to achieve the proper tuning. So you may find you will need to adjust your truss rod tension as well. The strings will also last longer because of the core size being larger. I put Magma 10s on my electric and 12s on my acoustic.
Thank you for the video. I usually go for 80/20 on my Martin, but since I’ll be recording it with mics, I decided to try the flat tops. They sound great and almost no squeak. I still prefer the 80/20, but it is what is. For a recording setting and my way of playing, I’ll be recording with the flat tops to avoid any headaches during the mixing process.
You are very talented and I enjoyed this thorough demonstration very much, thank you for posting it and I hope to see more. I dislike any string squeak and in search for a squeak free string set for acoustic guitar I tried D'Addario Flat Top. I thought they helped reduce string squeak but didn't eliminate it. Even with your talented playing I did noticed some Flat Top string squeak during the jazz demo. I think the Flat Tops do a better job reducing string squeak than Elixir coated strings. As previously mentioned, Magma Flat Phosphor Bronze are a more refined than D'Addario Flat Tops, the string surface on the Magma strings have a much smoother polished feel. I don't get any string squeak with Magma Flat like did with D'Addario Flat Top.
Thanks for the recommendation! I would also say you should check out the Thomastik Infeld plectrum string set too, but at least one of the strings in that set are round wound, the others flat. Very interesting sound.
Thank you for the suggestion Alex. Yes I know about the round wound string/strings in the Plectrum string sets. I prefer all my acoustic guitar wound strings to be flattened polished or flat wound. I'd love to see Thomastik Infeld offer such a string set for acoustic guitar, I would definitely give them a try. I hope you get an opportunity to try the Magma Flat Phosphor Bronze strings. @@AlexPriceMusician
This is where I start when I buy a new acoustic. My mahogany Martin 000 sounds best with Elixir nanoweb (11-52). Went through a ton of strings for that and assumed they would brighten up the J45, nope, not nearly the same. PB seems the most popular choice. But I thought, maybe I'll try flats... Here I am. It's that feel & tone that fits and you'll be hard pressed to change.
First off, beautiful playing, very nice sounding guitar, good miking, and unbiased comparison. I don't like squeaky, and overly bright strings. So, I tend to leave strings on my guitars for a long time and EQ their brightness to my taste. I preferred the tone of the Round Wounds, and silence of the Flat Tops, probably like most people. I'd stick to using Round Wounds for now, as the Flat Tops sounded unbalanced, weak in the bass, and inspiring.
I have an Hd28 and use the ej17. I like them on your video. they seem brighter which i prefer. I have been hearing from a friend to try the new XS which he switched too. I’ve played them on his hd28 and they felt really good and sounded good but are pricey. Nice video. Reminds me I should change strings. Nice playing.
I might try those next. I tried the XT set on my electric a year or two ago but I preferred just the regular XL nickel set that I've been using for years.
Really helpful. I’m definitely trying the flat tops for my finger picking. I think if you strum or need sustained notes then round wound do the job, but… I play mainly arpeggios and ostinatos so all that sustain sometimes kinda gets in the way, and the flats had more definition in the mids I thought. Don’t get me wrong, I love my HD28V and don’t laugh , 😉 but I’ve also fallen in love with my son’s half size Harley Benton Travel. £90 🤷🏻♂️ it is what it is, but capoed from the 2nd to the 5th or even 7th fret and played finger style it has a sound all its own. Steel string, yes but also hints of Dobro, classical, even Ukulele and harp. Especially when the strings are old. I believe Nick Drake used to play his strings to death before recording because he liked that shortened, more rounded sound. Wondering if there are completely flat wound strings for acoustic and how they would sound. 🤷🏻♂️ I certainly wouldn’t miss the squeak. 🤷🏻♂️ Great A/B video, thanks. 🙏😎☯️
Very interesting film, my pet hate is squeaky string noises, not so much finger squeak but pick squeak, I'm trying all sorts to reduce it and these strings certainly do seem make a difference. When amplified it gets worse and when you try to EQ the squeak out you tend to loose valuable top end frequencies. will definitely give them a whirl.
I just tried out the lights, the whole point is when you slide a chord up or down and there is much less squeak. I liked these a lot just for that reason.
Thank you for posting this. The difference is very clear. I like the idea of reducing string squeak, and my duo partner (who plays a harp) would really appreciate it, but to me it's as though you are playing a very much inferior guitar when those flats are on it.
Definitely the case that having a very rich full spectrum sound isn't necessarily appropriate for a microphone. The more controlled sound of the flats is much more even and smooth, although the narrowed range might not be as satisfying in person
Well looks like I'm getting some flat tops! I'll be sure to keep the affiliate link. I have a weird tactile issue with roundwound strings (the texture feels very bad to my fingers) and I'm only now realizing that there's viable alternatives. Thanks!
The roundwounds sound better; more fuller and more lows and highs. But the flats have a nicer mids but lacking in the lows. If I'm honest, I prefer the sound of the roundwound strings.
wouldn't the flat top strings need to start thicker just for them to be the same gauge as the phosphor bronze after grinding down the strings? It would make sense to me that the flat tops would have more tension because of that, but I could be wrong
Flatwound strings are physically more dense than rounds, so they have more mass per unit length. More mass per unit length means a lower note for the same tension. Therefore, a string that is heavier per unit length needs to be pulled tighter for the same pitch. Even if the core was the same diameter it would have to be tighter because of the extra mass.
Best? Just different.... You're used it for sure.... Flat wound had a really cool sound.... Not only that... I don't even like rounds For the first 24 to 48 hours.... After which I'd be curious to compare them with the flats... Which seem a lot less offensive to my sensibilities fresh like this....
I kinda hate the feel of these, they feel super chalky and have a TON of friction against my fingers for any sort of sliding up frets, somehow feel more sandpapery than my round wounds. Its like the worst of both worlds. LOVE flatwounds on my teles, but these are just crap IMO and restrict my playing
Almost negligible after listening twice through, but can hear the slight differences. To me the difference is noticeable in the feel of the PB compared to FT strings. Great demo as always. 🎧 🎙️
Played so good! Got shivers from the classical part. Flat tops sound much clearer for me. Gonna try it.
Definite more "ring" with the roundwounds. I have to say that is the sound that is most pleasing to my brain. I use Phosphor Bronze D'Addario EXP17s on my HD28. That is the sound that I have gravitated towards in my 60 years of acoustic guitar playing. Your videos are tops! Thanks for all your work. TT
Absolutely great playing and wonderful demonstration of the two. The traditionalist: "The rounds don't sound right. They don't sound like an acoustic guitar should!" No, they sound more like a professional recorded acoustic. If you want to record regulars and then compress and EQ them to sound like the rounds, do so. 😄
Magma Flat Phosphor Bronze Strings are a more refined Version of the D'addario Flat Top Strings because they go a step further & flatten the windings all the way.
Wow, you went to great length for this demo.They do both sound great.The 'normal' strings sounded more alive and dynamic.Although ,the flat-tops still sounded sweet on the fingerpicking and classical examples.I like 80/20 too.
The bronze Flat tops sound amazing with an all mahogany acoustic. It really complements the warm a deep woody tones. Especially with something like a 000-15M.
Very interesting. With the flat-tops, as I expected, you certainly lose some high-end shimmer and high-mids that you get on the roundwounds. But they seem to also provide an audible hump somewhere a little lower in the mids register. I liked the sound, and I think I'll give them a try.
I want to say some of the reason for the lower highs are a simple matter of a larger diameter core string. This can be overcome with an equalizer of course. Also the thicker core will increase the amount of tension to achieve the proper tuning. So you may find you will need to adjust your truss rod tension as well. The strings will also last longer because of the core size being larger. I put Magma 10s on my electric and 12s on my acoustic.
Thank you for the video. I usually go for 80/20 on my Martin, but since I’ll be recording it with mics, I decided to try the flat tops. They sound great and almost no squeak. I still prefer the 80/20, but it is what is. For a recording setting and my way of playing, I’ll be recording with the flat tops to avoid any headaches during the mixing process.
You are very talented and I enjoyed this thorough demonstration very much, thank you for posting it and I hope to see more.
I dislike any string squeak and in search for a squeak free string set for acoustic guitar I tried D'Addario Flat Top.
I thought they helped reduce string squeak but didn't eliminate it.
Even with your talented playing I did noticed some Flat Top string squeak during the jazz demo.
I think the Flat Tops do a better job reducing string squeak than Elixir coated strings.
As previously mentioned, Magma Flat Phosphor Bronze are a more refined than D'Addario Flat Tops, the string surface on the Magma strings have a much smoother polished feel. I don't get any string squeak with Magma Flat
like did with D'Addario Flat Top.
Thanks for the recommendation! I would also say you should check out the Thomastik Infeld plectrum string set too, but at least one of the strings in that set are round wound, the others flat. Very interesting sound.
Thank you for the suggestion Alex.
Yes I know about the round wound string/strings in the Plectrum string sets.
I prefer all my acoustic guitar wound strings to be flattened polished or flat wound.
I'd love to see Thomastik Infeld offer such a string set for acoustic guitar, I would definitely give them a try.
I hope you get an opportunity to try the Magma Flat Phosphor Bronze strings.
@@AlexPriceMusician
This is where I start when I buy a new acoustic.
My mahogany Martin 000 sounds best with Elixir nanoweb (11-52). Went through a ton of strings for that and assumed they would brighten up the J45, nope, not nearly the same.
PB seems the most popular choice. But I thought, maybe I'll try flats... Here I am.
It's that feel & tone that fits and you'll be hard pressed to change.
First off, beautiful playing, very nice sounding guitar, good miking, and unbiased comparison.
I don't like squeaky, and overly bright strings. So, I tend to leave strings on my guitars for a long time and EQ their brightness to my taste. I preferred the tone of the Round Wounds, and silence of the Flat Tops, probably like most people. I'd stick to using Round Wounds for now, as the Flat Tops sounded unbalanced, weak in the bass, and inspiring.
I have an Hd28 and use the ej17. I like them on your video. they seem brighter which i prefer. I have been hearing from a friend to try the new XS which he switched too. I’ve played them on his hd28 and they felt really good and sounded good but are pricey.
Nice video. Reminds me I should change strings. Nice playing.
I might try those next. I tried the XT set on my electric a year or two ago but I preferred just the regular XL nickel set that I've been using for years.
Wow, you are super versatile! I've got to get some flat wounds or flattops for my fingerstyle jazz playing. Thank you!
Really helpful.
I’m definitely trying the flat tops for my finger picking. I think if you strum or need sustained notes then round wound do the job, but… I play mainly arpeggios and ostinatos so all that sustain sometimes kinda gets in the way, and the flats had more definition in the mids I thought.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my HD28V and don’t laugh , 😉 but I’ve also fallen in love with my son’s half size Harley Benton Travel. £90 🤷🏻♂️ it is what it is, but capoed from the 2nd to the 5th or even 7th fret and played finger style it has a sound all its own. Steel string, yes but also hints of Dobro, classical, even Ukulele and harp. Especially when the strings are old. I believe Nick Drake used to play his strings to death before recording because he liked that shortened, more rounded sound.
Wondering if there are completely flat wound strings for acoustic and how they would sound. 🤷🏻♂️ I certainly wouldn’t miss the squeak. 🤷🏻♂️
Great A/B video, thanks. 🙏😎☯️
great review. would love to hear these on fingerstyle jazz
Very interesting film, my pet hate is squeaky string noises, not so much finger squeak but pick squeak, I'm trying all sorts to reduce it and these strings certainly do seem make a difference. When amplified it gets worse and when you try to EQ the squeak out you tend to loose valuable top end frequencies. will definitely give them a whirl.
I like the flat tops. More mellow to me. Think I will try a set!
It would be cool to hear them in a mix. Since flat-wounds have more mids, it should sit nicely in a live/recorded setting.
I just tried out the lights, the whole point is when you slide a chord up or down and there is much less squeak. I liked these a lot just for that reason.
Really Great Job Man 🎸🎸🎸
Thank you for posting this. The difference is very clear. I like the idea of reducing string squeak, and my duo partner (who plays a harp) would really appreciate it, but to me it's as though you are playing a very much inferior guitar when those flats are on it.
Definitely the case that having a very rich full spectrum sound isn't necessarily appropriate for a microphone.
The more controlled sound of the flats is much more even and smooth, although the narrowed range might not be as satisfying in person
On the rounds The sound "blooms" with a heavy attack
Flats seem to hold their voice through the rougher playing
Man, I didn't even know these were a thing! Definitely gonna try them with my Baden
Well looks like I'm getting some flat tops! I'll be sure to keep the affiliate link. I have a weird tactile issue with roundwound strings (the texture feels very bad to my fingers) and I'm only now realizing that there's viable alternatives. Thanks!
I love my flat tops 😍
Great playing!!!! The flats sounded flat!!
What is the tune in the classical section? It was absolutely beautiful
Great episode
I don't know how people play 13 gauge strings, they are so hard to press. But very interesting test, I now want to try flat top.
The Flat Wound have more warmth overall and low end boom which I enjoy. Why Simi-Flat as opposed to entirely Flat Wound?
The roundwounds sound better; more fuller and more lows and highs. But the flats have a nicer mids but lacking in the lows. If I'm honest, I prefer the sound of the roundwound strings.
Alex Price
Try Magma Phosphor Bronze Flatwounds
Fabulous channel.
wouldn't the flat top strings need to start thicker just for them to be the same gauge as the phosphor bronze after grinding down the strings? It would make sense to me that the flat tops would have more tension because of that, but I could be wrong
Yeah, it makes sense. The inner core of the strings I'm sure is thicker than on a standard set.
Flatwound strings are physically more dense than rounds, so they have more mass per unit length. More mass per unit length means a lower note for the same tension. Therefore, a string that is heavier per unit length needs to be pulled tighter for the same pitch. Even if the core was the same diameter it would have to be tighter because of the extra mass.
How do the flat tops compare to the Martin Retro’s?
I use the flat tops
If there was the OOO (or smaller) shaped guitar, I would definitely prefer flatwound strings
The rounds sound the best on the D28. The flats seem to change the EQ to a flat line, like strings reaching the end end of their life.
Best? Just different.... You're used it for sure.... Flat wound had a really cool sound.... Not only that... I don't even like rounds For the first 24 to 48 hours.... After which I'd be curious to compare them with the flats... Which seem a lot less offensive to my sensibilities fresh like this....
How far is that mic away?
What’s the opening tune?
Last Thing on my Mind - Tony Rice
I kinda hate the feel of these, they feel super chalky and have a TON of friction against my fingers for any sort of sliding up frets, somehow feel more sandpapery than my round wounds. Its like the worst of both worlds. LOVE flatwounds on my teles, but these are just crap IMO and restrict my playing
I think if you EQ'd the flats you could get them to ring more like round
Almost negligible after listening twice through, but can hear the slight differences. To me the difference is noticeable in the feel of the PB compared to FT strings.
Great demo as always. 🎧 🎙️
Flat are woo
Id think the flat tops may sound better in an acoustic lelctric
actually the string whisps of round wound, make me sick to my stomach, like a rodent squeeking by 😮