Choosing Strings - Roundwound or Flatwound?

Author: Admin   Date Posted:4 February 2014 

Are you playing the right strings for the instrument you're using? It's important to choose the right strings for your guitar. Whether you're a straight up rock and roller or jazz player, you need the correct style of strings to help you get the most out of your instrument and the best performance possible. Here's a quick overview of the three types of steel strings you'll use on an electric or acoustic guitar as well as bass. Roundwound

Roundwound strings consist of a round wire (usually steel) wrapped in a tight spiral around either a round or hexagonal core. Roundwounds are the most popular choice for guitarists, providing a bright, clear and aggressive tone that's great for rock, pop, funk, blues - pretty much anything.

Check out our massive range of roundwound strings for both electric guitar and bass.

Flatwound

Flatwound strings use a round wire as well but  the winding wire has a rounded square cross-section with a shallower profile when tightly wound.

Flatwounds are favoured by jazz players for their mellower tone but also have a longer playable life because of smaller grooves for dirt and oil to build up in. The only downside is they don't sound as bright as roundwounds and are usually more expensive. D'Addario make a good pack of Chrome Flat Wound Strings available in both electric guitar and bass. Halfwound Halfwound strings are a cross between roundwound and flatwound, made by winding round wire around a round or hex core first and then polishing or grinding the exterior part of the winding until it is practically flat. This results in the flat, comfortable playing feel of flatwounds, along with less squeaking, with a brightness generally between roundwounds and flatwounds. Kosmic has a range of halfwounds including D'Addario Half Round Electric Guitar Strings and Rotosound Solo 55 Stainless Steel Pressurewound Bass Strings.