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D’Addario half round string review

#24
The D'Ads are sort of the middle ground between rounds and flats, but a different manner from tapewounds. It doesn't "zing" like rounds or exactly "thump" like flats, but it gets the vocal "growly" midrange of rounds and the smooth but chewy attack of flats. Output-wise it's a bit quiet, could be due to the pure nickel? The closest alternative should be Rotosound 77, which retains a bit more thump but slightly less growl being true flats.
For some reason I couldn't name a lot of groundwounds. The only other "big name" models seems to be GHS Brite Flats and La Bella Super Polished. Although my avatar is La Bella flats, I've got no faith in La Bella (half-)rounds due to their unbalanced, thuddy E and A strings. Fortunately, my local brand Alice is making a new line of nickel groundwounds, and I'll definitely check it out on my fretless.
 
#26
I like D’Addario Half Rounds very much. I wipe them with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and they become silky, almost flat wound like. They have a deep fundamental I like and they can handle many genres.

An added bonus is D’Addario is great to deal with. They stand behind their products and customers.
 
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#27
Reading all the negative comments on here almost makes me feel weird about kind of liking these. I put a set on one of my J basses a week ago and I’m kind of digging them.

I seem to be in the minority of players who likes really well played in round wounds, but simultaneously has the most string friendly body chemistry of anyone on the planet. These do a great job of getting that sound fresh out of the pack. They were a little abrasive for maybe the first hour or so, but felt fine after that.
 
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#28
JTE said:
Neither D'Addario Half-Rounds nor GHS Brite-Flats are flatwound strings. Rather, they are modified rounds. The start with a round wrap wire just like regular rounds, and polish it grind the outer surface so the string feels flat to the touch, but vibrates like a round. I used both brands, and Dean Markley Ground Round Wounds a lot from '77 until about '89 when I decided they weren't the best of both types, but (for me) a combination of the things I liked least in both rounds and flats.

I did like the GHS Brite-Flats better than the D'Addario, due to the more balanced tension feel and sound string-to-string. I used the same gauges the Abe Laboriel used on his fretless MM Saber, the bass that he used for most of his movie and TV work. That was the sound of those chase scenes on the "CHiPS" TV show. The D'Addario ones I used were the HR-72 set (both the nickel and stainless versions) 55/65/85/105.
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What was an amazing tone he had!

 
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#29
After tinkering with different strings on one particular J bass, I’m back to the DA Half Rounds. Tried GHS Pressurewounds and Boomers as well as TI Flats on this bass. The Half Rounds just seem to be the closest to the “well broken in round wound sound fresh out of the pack” that I’ve tried so far.

I may still try the GHS Brite Flats at some point, though I’m also considering trying the Half Rounds on one of my Yamaha BB434’s.
 
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#30
PBandJazzBass said:
The Half Rounds just seem to be the closest to the “well broken in round wound sound fresh out of the pack” that I’ve tried so far.
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This was my initial expectation when I tried half-rounds (GHS Brite Flats) for the first time. They turned out to be a little too far into the flatwound territory in their tonal character for what I needed, not to mention I couldn't get over their unpleasantly sticky feel out of the package.

For "well broken in roundwound sound fresh out of the pack" the Pressurewounds are still my #1 go-to.
 
#31
michael_t said:
This was my initial expectation when I tried half-rounds (GHS Brite Flats) for the first time. They turned out to be a little too far into the flatwound territory in their tonal character for what I needed, not to mention I couldn't get over their unpleasantly sticky feel out of the package.

For "well broken in roundwound sound fresh out of the pack" the Pressurewounds are still my #1 go-to.
Click to expand...

Tried the Pressurewounds. They were pretty good, but not quite what I was looking for. I found that, while certainly darker than rounds, the little brightness they did have stays with them longer.
 
#32
PBandJazzBass said:
Tried the Pressurewounds. They were pretty good, but not quite what I was looking for. I found that, while certainly darker than rounds, the little brightness they did have stays with them longer.
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Fair enough...

There were a couple of things I did like about the Brite Flats. The Alloy 52 outer wrap (same alloy as PW) did give them a nice full-bodied punch with very good definition without the typical flatwound thud. Also, the light set I tried was very nicely balanced both in tension and tone, and their natural stiffness kept them from feeling too loose despite the relatively small gauges.

G 045 - 38.3 lbs.
D 056 - 35.9
A 077 - 39.3
E 098 - 38.8
 
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#38
Glad to see that the half round concept is still alive. Rounds are generally too bright for me and flats too dull.
Having a hard time finding some short scale half rounds and I guess I'll go to their website to see what's is available.
 
#40
Sorry its been a Minute!

Brite Flats are my favorite now on my Acinonyx V2 from Nordstrand. Their stiffness counteracts short-scale floopiness, the E is just great, not blurry at all. Theyre a bit grindy actually, and the alloy 52 helps keep up with my Cutlass which is louder. Grippyness not bothering me much at this point.

For reference i play finger and pick. These are great under a pick!
 
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