Curt Mangan strings

[Cliff Bordwell]

Any opinions on Curt Mangan flatwound strings?

 

[blastoff99]

Ahhh, strings. Not Basses. Moving.

 

[michael_t]

I doubt you will get too many responses. Discussions on Curt Mangan Flats are few and far in between.

Curt Mangan Flat wound Bass Strings - Anybody?

The only thing I can tell you is there is one set in stock at Strings By Mail:

Curt Mangan Flat wound Bass Strings - Anybody?

 

[bholder]

I like their flat guitar strings. I think I have a set on one of my Bass VIs.

 

[Cliff Bordwell]

Ahhh, strings. Not Basses. Moving.

Woops... thanks.

 

[Snaxster]

Any opinions on Curt Mangan flatwound strings?

another good surprise for me was Curt Mangan flatwound bass strings. I tried some on a several-year-old Custom Shop Precision Bass and really dug them. Then I tried a second set on a handmade J of similar age that I was using to test sets of pickups. The Mangan flatwounds were great for J bass (I kept trying to cop old Bootsy Collins lines). When I decided I needed roundwounds on that J instead, for testing pickups, I swapped its Curt Mangan flatwound set onto a 1969 Precision Bass. Wow. With those strings on it, I heard that bass's voice completely for the first time. Expansive, open air surrounding thick, holographic low end. Huge. Pure, solid pitch. So nice. To quote Sarah Silverman, "So yeah... that's a good cheese."

Steve, Thank you for mentioning the Pyramid Gold strings' "dead E".

Recently I strung a nice Fender Precision Bass with Curt Mangan flatwounds and noticed the set's relatively dead E string, amplified or not. But I liked the strings very much overall, so I stuck with them. I had heard bad strings (that were truly dead and/or could not be intonated) and this was not that. This sounded different, but natural.

A few days ago I plugged that bass, with its Curtis Novak pickup and the Curt Mangan flatwounds (yes, two Curts), into my Kern preamp and just started playing. A few minutes later I stopped and smiled: I had achieved one of the classic Precision Bass sounds. It was as if I was listening to someone else playing. Fingerstyle or palm muted thumb picking, the sound was so canonical that it felt hyperreal as I heard myself play it.

Though I started playing bass guitar in 1979, after my first bass (a clean 1967 Standel hollowbody), I think I had almost no basses strung with flats. Halfwounds, yes, but not flats. So I never learned the nuances of flatwound strings.

Now I am completely into it. Not that all makes and models of flatwound string sets feature normally relatively dead E strings, but I am even into those that do. These Curt Mangan flatwounds are keepers.

My lightly personalized Monarch-P is a Fodera, but it is not fancy.

Its alder body has a plain wood veneer. Its bolt-on maple neck has a rosewood fingerboard with nickel frets.

The personalization was moving the controls for its passive electronics; and the use of a non-stock, but traditional P pickup (initially Klein, then Flying Mojo).

When they did the last pickup swap, Fodera also swapped on Curt Mangan flatwounds, replacing the stock Fodera roundwounds. Curt Mangan flatwound bass strings feature an E string that sounds more muted than the higher strings.

I like the sound and feel of these flatwound strings on this Monarch-P, especially with the deep voice of the Flying Mojo pickup.

 

[calypsocoral302]

Any opinions on Curt Mangan flatwound strings?

Not firsthand, as of yet. My tech is a big fan of them, and I ordered a couple sets for my P-style bass. I'll post something when they come in, but a lot of their stuff looks like it's backordered pretty extensively.

 

[Riff Ranger]

I can’t speak to their flatwound strings, but their overall quality and customer service have really impressed me. I’ve had custom gauge nickel rounds on basses and guitars; they sound great, feel great, and they last. I imagine their flats would be worth a try.

 

[bholder]

I like their flat guitar strings. I think I have a set on one of my Bass VIs.

I looked it up, I have a set of flatwounds on one of my electric 12s. Pretty happy with them fww.

 

[Element Zero]

Tried a set of rounds. I gave em a few weeks and tossed em in the recycling bin. Not my cup of tea.

edit… hours later I realize you’re looking for opinion on their flatwounds. My bad.

Carry on.

 

[Gizmot]

I’ve tried their electric guitar strings and initially was very impressed with the build quality and I liked how they sounded and felt. The strings I bought had a round core and because of that, they required a bit different installation procedure (they even have YouTube videos to show how to do it). A couple of weeks after I put them on, one of the strings was dead, which I attributed to incorrect installation. I still have a few sets of these waiting to be used and I need to give them another try. I’d be willing to give their bass strings a try.

 

[tindrum]

I’ve tried their electric guitar strings and initially was very impressed with the build quality and I liked how they sounded and felt. The strings I bought had a round core and because of that, they required a bit different installation procedure (they even have YouTube videos to show how to do it). A couple of weeks after I put them on, one of the strings was dead, which I attributed to incorrect installation. I still have a few sets of these waiting to be used and I need to give them another try. I’d be willing to give their bass strings a try.

I recently switched over to Mangan’s for my guitars, though I use the hex cores. Really nice strings.

 

[Brad Easley]

I really like Curt Mangan strings. Have tried them on every instrument I play (bass, electric & acoustic guitar, mandolin, and steel guitar). I still use them on mandolin and steel. On bass, I love their roundwounds but I rarely play rounds. Their flats, to me, are similar to D'Addario Chromes. I've come to prefer Dunlop flats for their feel (a little more flexible), so I don't use Mangan bass strings most of the time unless I want rounds. If you like Chromes, you'll probably like the Mangans though.

 

[ScotJam Bassie]

I just put some Curt Mangan 45-105 Nickels on my 60th Anniversary US Jazz, I’m digging them so far. I had NYXLs on it, which were nice, but the Mangans feel a bit smoother, less ‘clanky’ in the highs, and they feel like they have less tension than the NYXLs. Let’s see how ling they last. About to put a mangan piccolo 5 string set on my G&L...

 

[Zirilan]

Curt Mangan FusionMatched Flatwounds - 45-105
I'd give this set an A
I've loved this set on every bass I've owned. Great tone with a little higher tension than the Chromes. No silk (which was interesting) with a very smooth feel. Very slick!. I loved the tone because after a few months, they broke in to a beautiful thump with a defined tone. Highly recommended!

Taken from oiginal post by Thibby here:
How would you rate the flats you've tried?

I have no experience with flats yet, but CM stainless rounds have been my go-to string for the last decade. I vouch for their solid tone and reliable quality, and I can only imagine their flatwounds are everything you want out of a flat and then some!