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D'Addario Half Rounds - Please explain the love!

stringthrough

stringthrough

Supporting Member
Nov 26, 2011
3,034
5,496
The great state of New York
#1
Just put on a set and I don't get it.

They're nowhere near as smooth as flatwounds, in fact they feel stickier than roundwounds.

The sound is nothing special. You can dull rounds by using tone/ EQ controls and brighten flats by dialing in the other direction.

Not looking for "to each his/ her own replies" but for the case made for using them, and if you love them, why?

Thanks!
 
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#2
stringthrough said:
Just put on a set and I don't get it.

They're nowhere near as smooth as flatwounds, in fact they feel stickier than roundwounds.

The sound is nothing special. You can dull rounds by using tone/ EQ controls and brighten flats by dialing in the other direction.

Not looking for "to each his/ her own replies" but for the case made for using them, and if you love them, why?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Hi
I tried them years ago and found the same observations as you. Really the only string that I’ve tried that was actually uncomfortable for me to play. I think it was a 45-100 gauge as well. Nothing too heavy.
Stay healthy!
Brent
 
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#6
michael_t said:
I tried GHS Brite Flats (Alloy 52 half-rounds) three times on two basses in the last couple of years. NO GO! While I liked their tonal quality, I just couldn't get on with their sticky feel. No more half-rounds for me. I would much prefer the smooth, non-sticky feel of GHS Pressurewounds (Alloy 52 rollerwound).
Click to expand...
Now that’s funny! See my post above. :) I wonder if guitarists are as picky about strings as we bassists! :)
I am a through and through roundwound player…well…99.9% of the time. ;)
 
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#7
I used the D'Addario ones for a long time starting in 1976 (HR-72, nickel the only choice), one or two sets of the stainless ones when they came out, the GHS Brite-Flats for a good while (my brand new StingRay came from the factory with a set on 1979), and thebDean Markley Ground Round Wounds. Ultimately decided the had the worst of both worlds rather than the best.
 
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#10
Never used the D'Ad's, but I've used the GHS Pressurewound and liked them.

For some players, their touch, the settings on their bass or amp, they just wind up with too much 'raspy finger noise' which all of us encountered the first time you slapped some Rotosounds or aggressive stainless roundwounds on an axe. Most of us fine-tuned our touch, did a little shuffling in the EQ, and we were good to go. But for other guys, they always still hear that and it bugs them.

So these types of strings are roundwounds that have been swaged or had the diameter slightly reduced by a grinding process, and you keep some of the roundwound tone without the noise, and way more tone than straight-up flats. And for the other guys they're just right.

Me, I can take the clankiest, rudest strings, and kill 'em quick, so it doesn't much matter. I'm the Living Example of 'Take Good Care of Your Strings, and They'll Die Anyway', though not nearly so fast today as I don't gig any more.
 
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#13
I installed the D'Addario half rounds on an Ibanez SR to try them out (I play both flats and rounds). Hated them with passion for the first few months. Sticky and rough. Finally broke in and now I like them. Not sure I will buy them again but plan to leave them on until something else gets my attention.
 
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#15
I like mine. But I didn't like the feel of the strings, like they didn't make it through the polishing process. Or else they got corrosion on them. So I got one of those Scotch Brite type pads (no chemicals in the pad) and polished them. It took a while, but a lot of what looked like plain old corrosion came off the strings. Much better.
 
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#16
matante said:
The ones I regret never trying are the LaBella quarter rounds. They had some diehard fans, among pro players as well, but La Bella did nothing to market them and they're sadly discontinued.
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They are fantastic strings! LaBella will still make them, but the minimum order is 36 sets. I had hoped to find enough people who want a few sets to have LaBella make a batch, but no one expressed any interest.
Anyone interested in getting some LaBella Quarter Rounds?
 
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#17
To me, they quickly settle into the sound of dead rounds, but with less finger noise and a smoother feel (the stickiness goes away). They stay that way for a long time. If rounds are too zingy in your mix, but flats are too dark, they might be just ticket. Turning down the tone knob can muffle the fret clank and right-hand attack or articulation, especially for slap or pick techniques.

My fretless was wearing well-seasoned LaBella flats - the darkest strings I've tried. With a new group, I wanted a little more presence, without getting anywhere near the Jaco sound. I had a spare set of Half Rounds in the drawer, and they're doing the trick for now.

They're definitely not for everyone.
 
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#19
stringthrough said:
Just put on a set and I don't get it.

They're nowhere near as smooth as flatwounds, in fact they feel stickier than roundwounds.

The sound is nothing special. You can dull rounds by using tone/ EQ controls and brighten flats by dialing in the other direction.

Not looking for "to each his/ her own replies" but for the case made for using them, and if you love them, why?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I tried them back in the mid-80s and didn’t care for them. New strings were hard to pay for back then so I ended up using them longer than I would have wanted to.
 
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