Hi everyone, I know this has been discussed several times but I just saw this video from 1983 on his instagram: He says that he used flatwounds on the first two Chic LPs and then switched to rounds “for that slap sound”. He did those first two albums on a Fender right? His Musicman appears to have strings with black silks on the video (could be dark blue too), dunno what brand that would be, several people have stated that he didn’t change the factory strings and that GHS was Musicman’s supplier. Which would mean he never used flats at all on the stingray? Hope this info shines a light on a decade long debate.
GHS Brite Flats (Alloy 52 half-rounds/groundwound) were the original factory strings for the Music Man Stringray. They do come with dark blue silk.
Here's an interesting thread with a historical perspective on the GHS Brite Flats and Music Man: Anyone ever seen these strings!!??
Here’s a John Taylor video where he talks about Bernard’s Stingray, which he now owns. @ 6:55 he starts talking about the Stingray, @ 9:40 he starts talking about strings, and @ 11:15 he tells what happened to the original strings…
The first three StingRays I saw in '76 and '77 had flats, which in retrospect seem to have been GHS Precision Flats. When I bought mine ca. 1979 it had half-rounds, definitely NOT D'Addario HR-72s. Other Ray's and the two Sabers on the wall had assorted strings on them- rounds, half-rounds, and flats.
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