Are flatwounds really that much easier on the frets?

Boombass76 · #1 09-12-2010, 01:59 PM

Hi,

I have read that flatwounds should make less damage to the frets than roundwounds. In fact, I searched for the topic in here, and someone stated that flats equals ZERO fret wear (but didn't elaborate).

I have no experience with flats, but what do you guys say? Is it true - and if it is, how come there is such a big difference in terms of fret wear?

Jim Nazium · #2 09-12-2010, 02:08 PM

Maybe, but for me, that isn't a reason to change from rounds to flats. My experience is that it takes years for any significant fret wear to occur, no matter what strings I use (I only play fingerstyle - I don't slap - so that may be part of the reason). I choose strings for their feel and sound, and deal with fret wear when it happens.

bassdaddyfive · #3 09-12-2010, 02:18 PM

I don't know. I use flats for the sound. But I like flats on my fretless basses because of tone and finger board wear. I think there will be wear on frets no matter if flats or rounds.

**lowendfriend** · #4 09-12-2010, 02:35 PM

May be confusion wrt fretboard wear on a fretless......believe there is significant difference in fretboard wear with Rounds (i.e., more wear).

Not sure that the same argument applies to metal frets.

Boombass76 · #5 09-12-2010, 02:45 PM

I should note that i am not asking with regard to tone or feel. I am just curious why flats should wear less on frets. I don't see the logic.

MosGuy · #6 09-12-2010, 03:58 PM

There's no such thing as "zero wear" strings. Flats do wear down frets, but at a much slower rate vs rounds. As for the difference it comes down to string construction and how the wire is wrapped. Wikipedia isn't the most accurate source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strings_%28music%29. But it has a decent cross section pictures that help show why flats have reduced wear. If you think about the string being pushed down against the fret & the constant rubbing/vibrating. It's easier to see how flats are less wearing. Since a flatter surface typically won't dig in as much as a rounded jagged one.

trunkshope6 · #7 09-14-2010, 03:54 AM

yeah i feel like flats are very good on frets because there are no grooves to cut into the fret like rounds do,ever take off a pair of rounds and see the flat indents where they were being freeted at,imagine wat its doing to ur frets,flats on the other hand i think polish out the frets when their is fret wear ,just my opinion but for sure flats dont wear as much

blr2 · #8 09-14-2010, 06:22 AM

There are other factors that contribute to fret wear. Playing stile is one, setup is the other, particularly fret buzz. Buzzing means that the string hits the fret with the frequency of the tone played. You can easily see the damage this does on pure nickel wound strings. SS strings do not get damaged as visibly this way, but chew on the frets instead.

Playing stile is also important. Slapping or excessive use of vibrato also increases fret wear.

Fender32 · #9 09-14-2010, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimb76

Hi,

I have read that flatwounds should make less damage to the frets than roundwounds. In fact, I searched for the topic in here, and someone stated that flats equals ZERO fret wear (but didn't elaborate).

I have no experience with flats, but what do you guys say? Is it true - and if it is, how come there is such a big difference in terms of fret wear?

Absolutely no doubt in my mind that the first statement is true, although I would refute the second one.

Have you ever owned an old bass with significant fret wear? If you look closely, you're likely to see there are 'ridges' in marks in the fret. This is caused by the file-like action of the wraps on roundwound strings, rubbing up and down on the fret as you apply pressure. Further proof of this is that if you fit stainless steel strings (especially Rotosounds, which are very hard and 'rough' to the touch) to a bass, fret a note and then apply a lot of pressure whilst bending the note up and down, you should be able to see shiny marks appearing on the frets (possibly depending on the fret wire material

), but not on the strings. Nickel (round) strings will often develop grooves where they cross the frets, but a lot of s/s ones are made of harder metal than the frets themselves and they will abrade the frets ... eventually.

Probably the best example of the difference between round and flat wound string wear, would be to study an electric or acoustic guitar

. I've had a few vintage ones of those, with heavy fret wear and you can clearly see that the unwound strings will cause some wear, but not as much (or as deep) as the marks caused by the wound strings.

Still, bigger factors than round vs. flat would probably include how much pressure you apply when fretting and how often you bend strings

.

Boombass76 · #10 09-14-2010, 06:40 AM

Hey all, I now begin to see the logic ;-) It makes sense that flats wear less than rounds, but ZERO fretwear is probably a little over the top...!

JPSBassist · #11 09-14-2010, 06:51 AM

The first two responses you got to this post are both very accurate.

Flats are really better suited for fretless basses in my opinion.

They sound a lot different that rounds. And they are much easier on your fingers, unless you go crazy sliding up and down in which you can get friction burns on your calluses...

The fret material used these days takes years and years of hard playing to build any significant damage. And from there you can often resurface frets once, sometimes twice before replacing them (sanding and leveling the frets, then lowering your action).

I've owned two fretless basses. One was a vintage Steinberger the other is a vintage Spector. I put flats on both because they just sound better on a fretless.

If your fingerboard is sealed/finished correctly, rounds will take years to hurt the fingerboard as well. But eventually it will happen.

You could also choose to go with half-wounds or ground-wounds... two names for the same thing... a string that is roundwound but has tapered edges so to be smoother. Not completely flat but not completely round with a sound profile closer to rounds.

Chasarms · #12 09-14-2010, 07:20 AM

There are lots of reasons to choose flats or rounds, but wear on the instrument is NOT one of them -- whether the bass is fretted or fretless.

With reasonably normal playing conditions, it takes several thousand hours of playing to even begin to notice wear on the frets, and as stated, they can be leveled and re-crowned at least once if not twice before requiring replacement.

The same actually goes for fretless as well. Often people associate the visible evidence of rounds on a fretless as wear, but the truth is, it is not even close to being significant enough to effect playability in any way. I play rounds on everything, including fretless. If the FB is of good quality, you will get many, many hundreds of hours of play out of it before anything needs to be addressed. And, just as with the fretted, the fingerboard can be re-dressed as good as new.

Play the strings that give you the sound and feel that you prefer. Everything else is not relevant.