i now get the hate for half rounds

[shoulderpet]

Having been a Rotosound user for a long time I thought I would try something different, the idea of a little bit less treble sounded good and the nickel wrap would presumably mean more mids.

Took the strings out of the pack and noticed that the half round smoothing appeared to stop between the bridge and the bridge pickup, strange but I figured I don't play right by the bridge so no real issue

Began fitting the strings and immediately was struck by how dead the E string sounded, literally sounded like a flatwound, I thought maybe it was a faulty E string but all the others sounded just as dead, lots of thump but no definition, I expected some nice mids and maybe something approaching a broken in nickel roundwound but no, just dead thump, then I checked the action on my bass and it had raised a half mm so they obviously have a fair amount of tension 

All in all half rounds are a real disappointment, if you are looking for something in between a round and a flat you are much better served looking at pressure wounds I think

[nilebodgers]

Which strings were they?

[hooky_lowdown]

31 minutes ago, nilebodgers said:

Which strings were they?

D'Addario are the only brand who do half wounds. Pressure wounds are pretty much the same, just under a different name. Therefore will sound the same as half wounds.

For a string which sounds in-between rounds and flats you want pure nickels.

 

[PaulThePlug]

Some time back @Old Man Riva was kind enough to send me some Rotosound Pressurewounds that were surplus to his requirement... https://www.rotosound.com/product/rs55ld/

Lighter tension than the Standard Rotobass 45... https://www.rotosound.com/product/rb45/

If ya a Rotosound guy... maybe the strings you are looking for?

Edited February 27, 2021 by PaulThePlug

[shoulderpet]

1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

Some time back @Old Man Riva was kind enough to send me some Rotosound Pressurewounds that were surplus to his requirement... https://www.rotosound.com/product/rs55ld/

Lighter tension than the Standard Rotobass 45... https://www.rotosound.com/product/rb45/

If ya a Rotosound guy... maybe the strings you are looking for?

Yeah I kind of wish I had gone with the Rotosound pressure wounds now

[PaulThePlug]

Take some pics and contact the seller (or manufacturer web site) just in case they are not as should be... Sounds strange they are not uniform the whole length? although some stings only have the core going over the bridge, with the main wind starting after - forget the technical name for it...

If Duff... maybe a return and swap for the Rotosound? Bass strings aint cheap....

Edited February 27, 2021 by PaulThePlug

[Maude]

I wasn't aware there was a "hate for half rounds". 

So you tried one set of strings and wrote off an entire style of string? 

On the flip side to that I have D'Addario half rounds on all my gigging basses and love them, they do exactly what want from a string. 

Generalising, I like the high tension of flats but they're too dull, I like the tone of old rounds but they're too low in tension and if you fit a new set it's months before they sound how I like. Enter D'Addario half rounds, high tension and sound like an old round straight out of the packet, the tone control moves them between flats and rounds, perfection. 

🙂

[hooky_lowdown]

4 minutes ago, Maude said:

I like the tone of old rounds but they're too low in tension and if you fit a new set it's months 

🙂

You want Fender pure nickel 7150, vintage tone right out the box (a la old rounds) and high tension.

[Reggaebass]

Something doesn’t sound right there , I’ve got D’addario half rounds on one of my jazzes,  and they are considerably brighter than all my flats , even the fender flats , and they have been on for over 5 years , they could be a faulty set 

[dannybuoy]

19 hours ago, hooky_lowdown said:

D'Addario are the only brand who do half wounds.

 

GHS Brite Flats are half rounds too, Status used to make them also but looks like they've stopped.

[Maude]

10 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

You want Fender pure nickel 7150, vintage tone right out the box (a la old rounds) and high tension.

I'm completely happy with the D'Addario's to be honest but I might give them a try. 

[ped]

I’ve got an old set of EB Cobalt flats on my stingray which I love. I bought a new set and they just don’t sound the same (compared to the old set when they were new), I don’t know if the manufacturing has changed (they look a bit different too) but I dug the old strings out of the bin and put them back on. 

Normally I like super bright strings but on the stingray it just sounds really ‘clicky’ and chunky with these old flats. 

Now I know the cobalt flats sound totally different to actual flats, which has got me wondering about trying some half/pressurewound strings at some point on the stingray. 

They have to be super light (40-100 ish) and although I like the deadened sound I don’t want them as dull as actual flats. You know how dead steel strings still sound ‘metallic’ compared to flats? 

So far I’m considering Roto pressure wound and d’addario half wound. Any others? Do these retain their edge or do they go fully dead, as in past the dead round wound stage over time? I don’t think I’ve actually ever tried half/pressure wounds strings in my life! 

[Rich]

What I would really really like is a string that sounds exactly like a flat, but doesn't feel like one. I'd love some flat-sounding strings on my P bass -- I mean, what's not to love about the sound of a P with flats -- but I absolutely hate the feel of flats under my fingers. The smoothness is just ugh, it feels almost slimy and makes me want to wash my hands. 

[grandad]

13 minutes ago, Rich said:

What I would really really like is a string that sounds exactly like a flat, but doesn't feel like one. I'd love some flat-sounding strings on my P bass -- I mean, what's not to love about the sound of a P with flats -- but I absolutely hate the feel of flats under my fingers. The smoothness is just ugh, it feels almost slimy and makes me want to wash my hands. 

Just the opposite for me, I prefer the feel of flats rather than rounds. 

[hooky_lowdown]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

What I would really really like is a string that sounds exactly like a flat, but doesn't feel like one. I'd love some flat-sounding strings on my P bass -- I mean, what's not to love about the sound of a P with flats -- but I absolutely hate the feel of flats under my fingers. The smoothness is just ugh, it feels almost slimy and makes me want to wash my hands. 

Fender pure nickel 7150

[Maude]

@ped, my string of choice is the D'Addario half rounds. I'm not a regular  changer and the set that went on my gigging bass went on when I bought it just over two years ago. Admittedly it hasn't been played much with Covid but it was used for rehearsal every week and gigged every other week roughly, for the first 15 months until the first lockdown. I can't say I've noticed any real difference in tone from new to now, apart from a very slight settling in period where they lost a little bit of zing. The previous gigging bass had the same set rehearsed/gigged for three years with similar results.

They never get to the full flat tone and I'd say they are like a reasonably (but not totally) dead round out of the packet but don't really get much deader, at not for a long time.

Ive actually broken a string with these (heavy handed enthusiasm) and didn't notice a difference with the new set. Our soundman didn't notice or feel the need to change my EQ. 

They do feel a little rough when new but just play through it and it will go in about 10 to 15 hours of playing. 

I've never liked that new round topiness, but with the half rounds I lose that harsh top end but still retain plenty of definition. With a pick they're perfect for a Bruce Foxton tone so definitely not a dull thud, unless a dull thud is needed. 

[ped]

10 hours ago, Maude said:

@ped, my string of choice is the D'Addario half rounds. I'm not a regular  changer and the set that went on my gigging bass went on when I bought it just over two years ago. Admittedly it hasn't been played much with Covid but it was used for rehearsal every week and gigged every other week roughly, for the first 15 months until the first lockdown. I can't say I've noticed any real difference in tone from new to now, apart from a very slight settling in period where they lost a little bit of zing. The previous gigging bass had the same set rehearsed/gigged for three years with similar results.

They never get to the full flat tone and I'd say they are like a reasonably (but not totally) dead round out of the packet but don't really get much deader, at not for a long time.

Ive actually broken a string with these (heavy handed enthusiasm) and didn't notice a difference with the new set. Our soundman didn't notice or feel the need to change my EQ. 

They do feel a little rough when new but just play through it and it will go in about 10 to 15 hours of playing. 

I've never liked that new round topiness, but with the half rounds I lose that harsh top end but still retain plenty of definition. With a pick they're perfect for a Bruce Foxton tone so definitely not a dull thud, unless a dull thud is needed. 

Thanks, I think I'll give them a go when/if I have to change the Cobalts. 

[Paolo85]

On 10/03/2021 at 09:14, Rich said:

What I would really really like is a string that sounds exactly like a flat, but doesn't feel like one. I'd love some flat-sounding strings on my P bass -- I mean, what's not to love about the sound of a P with flats -- but I absolutely hate the feel of flats under my fingers. The smoothness is just ugh, it feels almost slimy and makes me want to wash my hands. 

Zombie thread, I know, but maybe you want to try D'Addario NYXL and let them age. I am not saying they sound like flats, but as far as rounds go, they are very dark and they age gracefully, getting somewhat thumpy over time. With the tone rolled off they give me enough of that vibe.

After trying I think eight different sets of flats on P basses and never being 100% satisfied for one reason or a other, I accidentally landed on the NYXL and for now it appears I am sticking with them (admittedly, the fact that they are "normal" tension but very low stifness is part of the reason I like them).

 

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

I've heard about people who love the tone of old dead roundwound strings rubbing fresh new roundwounds in hand lotion, letting it sit the night over, and then wiping them off before installing them, to obtain the desired effect of old dead roundwounds.

[Doctor J]

Each player's finger gunk would result in a different composition of bio-crud which, surely, would result in different tonal characteristics?

[Guest]

il faudrait se laver les mains avec du Fast fret?🙃