Printable View
Hello, Would someone know what the gauges of a set of medium Thomastik flatwounds are? People say they are very easy on the fingers, but I read that they were 10's, ( to 32's I think), which makes them a bit too light for me. However, maybe I've got this wrong. Many thanks
.01, .015, .021, .033
Thank you. Is that E a .010?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Logan
.010 = .01
go with "Heavy"
f-d
Depends on the instrument, but for archtops, yes I would go with heavy.Quote:
Originally Posted by fatt-dad
Remember though that they are a completely different construction from say PB round-wound J74's, so the gauges don't really match to tension in the same way. That said, the plain e strings should have much the same tension as any other brand of 10's, and like you, I would prefer 11's.
I agree, FATT-DAD. The heavy designation is the way to go if you are accustomed to the 11-40 gauge in wound strings.
Thank you all for the really helpful replies. I am just wondering if the much vaunted extreme playability and low tension of the Thomastik strings are primarily a function of the fact that the medium gauge are really light gauge - for non- classical /archtop players anyway, who would regard 10's as light and 11's as medium? Or have I got this wrong/ oversimplifying? It's just that they are a lot of money if playability is a key motivator for buying them. Why not get good quality flatwound Daddarios instead?
Just speculation here but I suspect the core and wrapping are different enough to make them more flexible. They certainly are easy on the fingers and very long lasting (if you like tone). Make sure you have them completely wound up to pitch before you cut off that red silk wrapping at the end of the windings.
I am an old violinist who loves the clarity and tonal qualities of really good strings. For my violins, I experimented until I found strings that sang to me. I have taken much the same approach with my mandolins. I really need all four courses to sing. I use Thomastik Infeld Medium on my Ellis, Eastman and even my campfire mandolin. The strings are not cheap, but neither is their sound. They have plenty of volume, when I need it, and they do last a long time. And, to me, they sound gorgeous.
That may be part of it, but for flatwounds in general, they are denser than a round wound string (which effectively has small air filled gaps created by the round nature of the winding). Therefore, to get a string that vibrates at a given frequency for a certain tension, you can use a thinner string overall. And thinner strings are easier to handle as we all know - which is to say - which would you rather fret - a .040 or a .033 if they both have the same tension when tuned to a G?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Roy
I love the EFW74 sets, and they're half the price of TI's (for me in the UK anyway).Quote:
Originally Posted by Mollina
But the sound is completely and utterly different: for me the TI's are just too dark/dead sounding, the FW74's are darker than the J74's that most folks are used too, but are certainly much closer in tone to J74's than the TI's. So... decide how you want your instrument to sound, and then go from there. The two sets are not at all interchangeable in terms of tone IMO.
Fascinating. Thank you all for that. I think I might take the plunge and invest in a set of TI's.
I have used the both the TI and Daddario flatwounds, in various weights, on mando and 'cello, and I can assure you they are not the same. The Daddarios are great strings -- but not the same sound. They sound sort of in-between PG and TIs. If you like the sound of TIs, you should definitely try the Daddarios. If you like the sound, you can definitely save some money.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mollina
Al
erQuote:
Originally Posted by Tavy
I haven't tried the TI's yet, but on my Collings MT2 I really like the FW74's. The A string could be a bit sweeter, but overall I like the tone. I like that they seem to take out the brashness of some of the bluegrass chord progressions and melodies while still making them sound like bluegrass. I find them much easier to play and without much finger noise, especially for slides. Not as much volume, but I don't have to compete with a banjo or fiddle, so no problem for me. I like them a lot. I had planned to try these and then go with TI's, but I may stay with the FW74's.
At one point in time, I used D'A J-74s on each of my mandolins which made them all sound nearly the same. This is on my F hole F-12 and a teens oval hole F-4. I have since migrated to EFT--74s (Flat Tops) but again, they all sounded nearly identical, including the oval hole teens F-4. When D'A introduced the EFW-74s (Flat Wounds) I decided to try them on the F-4 (voila!!), the sound difference I was looking for, not "too dark/dead sounding" like the TI's I had tried and disliked, but certainly much different tonally than the EFT-74s and much better suited to an oval hole F-4. The feel is lighter and more flexible under the fingers, a welcome change for these old hands, and they sound great for more classical and jazz styles. At 1/3 the price of TI's, I am totally sold on the EFW's for my F-4 and EFT's for my F hole mandolins.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rdeane
Len B.
Clearwater, FL