Members Jim-Bass Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 I'm going to put flatwounds on my Rick soon ...it's only every had rounds since I've had it (10 years), maybe all of it's 29 years. The flats are the same guage as the rounds I use. Will they be any different in terms of tenions or pull on the neck .....I don't know why but I have this idea that flats have a tighter pull ....am I wrong ( again ) ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members michaelfpearce Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 Hi, i think that flats do have more tension than their round counterparts. I am also not 100% on that - I heard it somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassplayinguy Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 I put half rounds on my fretless not too long ago and they seem to have roughly the same tension as the rounds that I had on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bassopotamus Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 People often say that flats have more tension, but guage and length equal, I don't see how this could be the case. My suspicion is that they feel like they are higher tension because they are stiffer laterally. You get this across brands of rounds too. DIfferent construction methods fell different, but I would be surprised if they had any different tension on the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mytola Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 There is a very noticable difference between the flats that I use (Rotosound RS 77) and the rounds I use (Rotosound RS 66) Even though I use sets with the same gauge for both flats and rounds, the flats have more tension, and they feel like they have more mass as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JanVanHove Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 yup, flats do have more tension than rounds, because they have slightly more mass: the grooves between the wrapping wire on a roundwound are filled in a flatwound string which is smooth... And the fact that they are stiffer adds to the feeling of more tension as well... PJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Adrenochrome Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 I don't believe that flats do put more tension on the neck than rounds for the same gauge/core size etc. But they do feel stiffer under the fingers as has already been noted. I had a set of Rotosound flats gauge 45-105 and they felt pretty stiff particularly for the A string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jim-Bass Posted March 10, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 ..interseting...I still put 'em on ...last time I used flatwounds was when I was learing to play, I didn't even realise I had flats! But when I put rounds on they had more give Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JanVanHove Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 From the D'Addario Tension Chart: A-string, .80 gauge, roundwound, tension: 42 pounds... A-string, .80 gauge, half-round, tension: 43 pounds... A-string, .80 gauge, Flatwound, tension: 43.7 pounds... Just tought I'd mention it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz Ad Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 People often say that flats have more tension, but guage and length equal, I don't see how this could be the case.Easy. The core is thicker on flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members johnnybassman Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 It really depends on the brand. For instance, TI flats have a lower tension then Rotosound roundwounds from what I've seen. Rotosound flats have more tension then their roundwound counterparts for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bholder Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 People often say that flats have more tension, but guage and length equal, I don't see how this could be the case. My suspicion is that they feel like they are higher tension because they are stiffer laterally. You get this across brands of rounds too. DIfferent construction methods fell different, but I would be surprised if they had any different tension on the neck. There's more metal in flats than rounds, for the same gauge - the flats have none of the gaps caused by the round windings. More metal = more strength = more tension when tuned to the same pitch. How much of a difference it really make, I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted March 10, 2007 Moderators Share Posted March 10, 2007 It's never that simple. The absolute answer is it varies by brand and product within brands. However, generally, flats have slightly higher tension than rounds and I believe (though am not certain) it is usually for the reason noted by JazzAd, the thicker core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leepmeister Posted March 10, 2007 Members Share Posted March 10, 2007 Here's what physics has to say about it: The frequency of a wave on a string is proportional to the velocity, which is: velocity= SQRT( Tension * Length / mass) So, if you increase the mass of the string, you must also increase the tension to keep the velocity (and therefore frequency) the same. If we are correct in assuming that flatwounds have more mass for the same gauge, then I think we have to conclude that the tension needs to be higher, but like others have said, it may vary by brand and construction (eg. A hex core may provide enough airspace to cancel out the "filled in" outer surface of a flatwound). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.