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D'Addario Half Rounds

#2
i don't think they feel like flats at all. I use chromes and love them, they are very smooth. If you "LOVE" your flats I don't think you will like the half rounds. To me they feel rougher than D'Addario XL rounds.
 
#3
I use them on my fretless for the same reason. I wanted a bit of the brightness of rounds, plus to get a little more mwah, but I like the flatwound sound a bit too. The best of both worlds. They sound to me a bit more low middy than rounds, but with more top end than flats. They are pretty smooth to play, but a little more flexible than flats. They are just as kind to the fingerboard as flats IME. I say try em out, I think you'll find they aren't really a compromise, but rather a synergy.
 
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#4
lokikallas said:
I use them on my fretless for the same reason. I wanted a bit of the brightness of rounds, plus to get a little more mwah, but I like the flatwound sound a bit too. The best of both worlds. They sound to me a bit more low middy than rounds, but with more top end than flats. They are pretty smooth to play, but a little more flexible than flats. They are just as kind to the fingerboard as flats IME. I say try em out, I think you'll find they aren't really a compromise, but rather a synergy.
Click to expand...


+1 I think this is a pretty good assessment on the half-rounds. They are worth a try, as the set is pretty inexpensive.
 
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#5
I've got a fretless Bongo shipping back to me that will have D'Addario half-rounds installed.

I normally use Chromes, or Ernie Ball flats (basically Chromes), but since I have two fretless basses, I thought I'd throw the half-rounds on the Bongo for something different. The Bongo has piezos, so roundwounds were out of the question.

I'm sure I'll be making some recordings in the near future when it shows up.
 
#6
I had them and hated them. D'Addario halfs sound much more similar to rounds than flats. And, as BassBob1 said, they feel rougher and sharper than rounds. If you want a bit brighter string than "typical" flats, try D'Addario chromes.
 
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#7
Skabasskid said:
Has anybody played on these strings?
Are they flat to the touch?

I play a fretless, and don't want to hurt my fingerboard, plus I absolutely LOVE my flatwound strings. Do these feel like flats in that sense?
Click to expand...

Yes, I use these for the same reason, but agree with OP; they feel closer to rounds than flats. Still, a good compromise between the two.
 
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#8
I have had a(the same) set of medium halfwounds on my fretless P since 1980 or 1981. They have not chewed up the maple board.
I spent a long time and many different sets searching for the ideal strings for that bass.
I like them on that bass and encourage you try them.

They are "slightly" rougher than most flatwound strings.
 
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#10
D'Addario half rounds manage to combine the worst of both types of strings without getting any of their positive qualities. Don't waste your money.

PS: Round wound wear on fretless is GREATLY over exaggerated. Use whatever strings you like. If it wears your board, just have it touched up. It is really not a big deal.
 
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#11
I tried the half rounds and agree with Kael, they manged to be the worst of both worlds. Very rough. Didn't have enough of the roundwound brightness, and had none of the thump of flats.

There are obviously people who like them though, or they wouldn't keep selling them. So YMMV.
 
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#14
I've not tried D'Addario halfs but I have the Status version on my fretless J. To me the feel and tone is more like flats than rounds, but they just don't sounds as good as rounds. They are a bit rougher than flats but after a week of playing that soon goes and they feel quite smooth.
I soon went back to flats and think if you love the sounds of flats then stick with them.
 
#15
If you like the playability of round wounds, but want the smoothness of a flatwounds, you would want to give half rounds / ground wounds / slick rounds a try.

If you want something in between a flat and a round, look into some pressure wounds / compression wounds. They feel tighter than round wound strings, but the outer wrappings are oval shaped so have a smoother feel on the outer wrapping and will be less aggressive on the fingerboard.
 
#16
I think something is missing here.
I have D'Addario Half Rounds on 2 basses but noticed a difference right away. I have Steels on a P Pass which are terrific, warm and feel more like flats with a retained punch and clarity to the E string and on the other bass, which is a Gibson EB 2D, I have nickel Half Rounds.

They are a little mroe abrassive to the touch and the tone is a little different but exactly what I wanted the EB to sound like so I am happy with both choices.
 
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#17
I used them when they first came out around '76. Used them off and on for years, and also used Dean Markely's Ground Round Wounds and GHS Brite-Flats. All three are a modified round wound, not flat wound at all. They make a round wound string and polish or grind the outer surface. The idea is that it will vibrate like a round but feel like a flat. In my opinion after 30+ years of playing, they all tend to combine the worst features of both worlds, not the best. The never sound at all like a good settled set of rounds but always sound a little like a round about to go dead. They're (especially the D'Addario) never as smooth as a flat, and I decided I'd go with having rounds on some basses and flats on others rather than trying to compromise.

If you "love" flats, put real flats on your fretless. If you want a more vibrant singing sound, put rounds on it. Do NOT be anal about strings causing wear. Yes, they will. But the "problem" is highly over-rated. IF you use good technique (which means putting the least amount of pressure on the string to get a clear note, don't bend the strings, and don't pluck any harder than you need to), keep the strings and the fingerboard clean, and periodically dress the fingerboard with 0000 steel wool (or better, the equivalent hardware sponge), even a cheap rosewood board will last a good many years without needing major surgery. My MIM Jazz Bass Special wore D'Addario stainless strings (50-105 mostly) for many years before I resurfaced it.

John
 
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#18
+1 to Kael and others. Worst sounding AND feeling string I've ever used, and I recorded basics to an entire record with them (no idea why, hated em on all fronts them from the get-go), and the recorded tone is just wretched to work with in the mix, no thump of flats or cut of rounds. They just sounds like, very, very, very dead roundwounds to me with an added 400-500hz 'boxiness' element, and are kind of stiff and rough to the touch. Live and learn...
 
#19
I'm just trying them for the first time because a friend gave me some he had sitting around for over 10 years. I'm using them on a fretted bass so I can't help with the fretboard concerns, but compared to rounds they sound almost dead with just a little metallic tone (maybe because they're old :hmm: ), but they have a tight sound that cuts through well in the mid range, which I like. They are smoother than the rounds on my other bass with noticeably less finger noise. The tension definitely feels higher than rounds.
 
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