Half Round Strings

[dmc79]

Just wondering if there is much love out there for half round strings. I've always played rounds (long scale P bass), but a Mustang I briefly tried came with flats (D'Addario Chromes I think) and whilst they didn't stay on for long, I was fascinated by the smooth feel of them, and it made me wonder about trying flats on my P bass. I'd never even considered flats before, so have since tried to educate myself on different types of string. It seems that flats are expensive, but last longer and don't eat your frets like rounds do.

 

When I tried the flats on that Mustang, I think the smooth feel of the Chromes was highlighted more than usual, as I'd recently put some stainless Roto rounds on a Squier PJ bass briefly, so obviously going back and forth running my hands over both sets of strings, they were like chalk and cheese, it felt a relief to go back to my usual nickel plated rounds, but I still keep thinking about how nice those flats felt and am curious about trying them on the P bass. 

 

Now, whilst I've always been happy with rounds, over time I'm finding that finger noise/squeaks can really irritate me, especially on newer strings. Of course I can wear them in and this will disappear a bit, but then when new strings go on, there it is all over again. So, then research then led me to half rounds (I think pressurewounds / groundwounds are different names for what is essentially the same thing, right?). Given that I am a tone fully open player who likes a fairly bright sound, I'm now wondering if half rounds are a good kind of middle ground between the feel and playability of flats and a bit more brightness / zing that rounds give (minus the finger noise)? I'm not sure I want to go full on flats, I want a more punchy sound, not a mellow/motown kind of thing, which is why I shy away from all out flats. But I'm really interested in a string that lessens finger noise, and I guess lessens fret wear too as a bonus.

 

So, I'm interested in half round recommendations. I've seen mixed reports on Cobalts, with some loving them, whilst others reported rust issues / fret wear / sticky feeling strings. Am I right in thinking they are technically flats which are meant to sound like rounds? I will read some reviews, but am interested in general opinions on half rounds, and on these in particular, or any others I should investigate:

 

GHS Pressurewound 

Rotosound Solo Bass 55 (pressurewound) 

D'Addario ENR72 half rounds 

Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt 

 

Thanks 

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by dmc79

[PaulThePlug]

I've a set of Roto Solo Bass 45-105 that are on my Ibby SR600 thanks to @Old Man Riva ...

Nice Strings, I would like another set but at £35ish i'll stick with the Adagio Flats @ £15ish...

[Reggaebass]

16 minutes ago, dmc79 said:

Am I right in thinking they are technically flats which are meant to sound like rounds

I don’t have any rounds at all but I’ve got D’addario half rounds on my Yamaha, they have very little finger noise and feel good to me because I’m used to flats and they are pretty bright, but I’d also say they have good lows, I play heavy reggae and dub and they certainly don’t lack any bass, I can’t comment on any of the others as I haven’t tried them 

[dmc79]

Thanks for replies so far. I read a bunch of stuff on TB earlier and GHS Pressurewounds get a lot of love. Just reading some of the comments on them makes them sound exactly what I’m after. I’d still love some more thoughts here though 

[Little Dragon]

Another one for the list is Bass Centre Groundwound, cheaper than the Rotosound but I much prefer those.

[ikay]

I tried GHS pressurewounds some time ago. Liked how the sounded but they felt stiffer/higher tension than rounds of the same gauge (which I didn't like).

[dmc79]

5 hours ago, ikay said:

I tried GHS pressurewounds some time ago. Liked how the sounded but they felt stiffer/higher tension than rounds of the same gauge (which I didn't like).

 

Consensus on TB posts I'm wading through is that the Medium Light GHS Pressurewounds (ML7200, 44-102) have a "near-perfect balance both in tone and tension" and are a good choice for a 45-105 rounds equivalent, being less stiff than the Medium gauge 44-106 PWs. I think I'm gonna have to try these strings. 

 

[fretmeister]

I've had Pressurewounds in the past and I quite liked them. Except on a 5 string. The B just didn't work at all for some reason.

 

Ti Flats are my favourite but I can't use them anymore due to a nickel allergy so I now have different ones for different basses

 

La Bella Deep Talking Flats - thumpy old tone

Ernie Ball Group 4 flats - quite modern but still flat sounding, not trying to be a roundwound

Fender 9050L - actually quite similar in tone to the Ti Flats. Plenty of mids, less pronounced lows, no flub at all.

[Pow_22]

The Elites half/ground wounds are really good in my opinion.  Had them on a MIJ Jazz and sounded great

[Daz39]

I have D'addario halfwounds on my Peavey and they are lovely - smooth to play, but not totally thumpy. They last ages too.

Edit: had a look to see which ones: ENR71 45-100. Crikey: £51 from D'addario website. I think I've had mine on 5+ years - they def. weren't that much! *grumble, cost of living, moan*

Edited June 2, 2023 by Daz39

[JellyKnees]

I love the sound of the D'addarios but always find them just too damn stiff for me. Currently have my fretless strung with the GHS pressurewounds which are very nice indeed

[Maude]

ENR72s are my go to string. I like the combination of low string noise, solid bottom and 'worn round' top end, decent amount of tension and last a long time, in fact I've only ever changed them if I've broken one.