Half Rounds and the "worst of both worlds" comments

[Just Wrong]

I've been reading about D'Addario's XL Half Rounds (and GHS's Brite Flats), and the comment that they're the "worst of both worlds" is often repeated without much explanation.

But flats and rounds differ in a lot of ways. For example, I know a lot of people are looking for flat strings with the sound of rounds. What I like about flats is not so much how they feel, but how they sound. In my world, the perfect string would be one that sounds like La Bella's Deep Talkin' with the tension of 40-100 rounds. I don't care if they're rounds or flats.

So, what do people mean when they say they're the worst of both worlds?

 

[ardgedee]

I use GHS Brite Flats on my fretless. They're groundwounds rather than half-rounds but IMO the difference is slight.

If you want a bright tone, use roundwounds. If you don't, use flats. If you want the tone of roundwounds and the feel of flats, groundwounds and half-rounds are going to disappoint you because they provide neither.

On the other hand if you want something between rounds and flats in terms of tone or feel, try them. They're actually pretty good for what they are.

 

[michael_t]

I use GHS Brite Flats on my fretless. They're groundwounds rather than half-rounds but IMO the difference is slight.

For all intents and purposes, the terms "half-rounds" and "groundwound" can be used interchangeably. When a outer round wire is "ground down" to a flat surface, what's left is "half round".

 

[michael_t]

I've been reading about D'Addario's XL Half Rounds (and GHS's Brite Flats), and the comment that they're the "worst of both worlds" is often repeated without much explanation.

But flats and rounds differ in a lot of ways. For example, I know a lot of people are looking for flat strings with the sound of rounds. What I like about flats is not so much how they feel, but how they sound. In my world, the perfect string would be one that sounds like La Bella's Deep Talkin' with the tension of 40-100 rounds. I don't care if they're rounds or flats.

So, what do people mean when they say they're the worst of both worlds?

My experiences (four tries) with GHS Brite Flats have been a mixed bag. While I liked their tonal quality as "semi-flat", I didn't care for the sticky feel. They sounded almost like Fender 9050 flats or Ernie Ball Stainless Steel Flats, but were not nearly as smooth and slick in terms of surface feel as true flatwound. I wouldn't exactly call them "worst of both worlds", but their uniqueness both in tone and feel didn't appeal enough to my senses.

 

[michael_t]

I should add I've tried the Brite Flats 45-98 and the Ernie Ball Group IV Flats (40-95) on my P bass and found them to be similar in their tonal character. The biggest difference is Ernie Ball flats were much smoother in surface feel. No contest.

 

[trothwell]

Honestly not sure. What's the worst of flats? What's the worst of rounds? Are those elements really both in half-rounds? I kind of doubt it. Regrettably, when I was younger and less informed, I probably repeated the "worst of both worlds" phrase myself without understanding it.

I do think that, perhaps more than most other strings, half-rounds really need to be paired with the right bass. And perhaps also with the right hands, right sound system, right tonal goals.

Also, in my opinion, GHS Brite Flats sound markedly better than D'Addario Half Rounds, but I imagine most people who try half-round strings try D'Addario, as they are probably a bit easier to find.

 

[GrapeBass]

I use flats, I use rounds, I use tape wounds and I use half-wounds (ground-wound rounds) and the conclusion I have found is that it the bass they're wrapped on dictates what works best. Basically, it's what you hear, what's in your head. In any case, that's my personal take.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I've been reading about D'Addario's XL Half Rounds (and GHS's Brite Flats), and the comment that they're the "worst of both worlds" is often repeated without much explanation.

But flats and rounds differ in a lot of ways. For example, I know a lot of people are looking for flat strings with the sound of rounds. What I like about flats is not so much how they feel, but how they sound. In my world, the perfect string would be one that sounds like La Bella's Deep Talkin' with the tension of 40-100 rounds. I don't care if they're rounds or flats.

So, what do people mean when they say they're the worst of both worlds?

it’s been 25 year since I’ve tried a set of half rounds. My recollection was they were a tweener where you still got the audible rasp of fingers sliding on the strings, and strings that would not vibrate in an earthquake. Those steing were deader than King Tut after 15 minutes of play.

Hope this helps.

 

[klattman]

I tried the LaBella Super Polished and they are fine, but no real tonal or feel advantage over a brighter flat (say EB Cobalts). Don’t know about longevity yet.

 

[ardgedee]

For all intents and purposes, the terms "half-rounds" and "groundwound" can be used interchangeably. When a outer round wire is "ground down" to a flat surface, what's left is "half round".

View attachment 7154273

Except that GHS Brite Flats do not have the smooth outer surface your diagram shows. They're closer to the rollerwound illustration.

 

[Rocket Queen]

In my world, the perfect string would be one that sounds like La Bella's Deep Talkin' with the tension of 40-100 rounds. I don't care if they're rounds or flats.

La Bella Low Tension Flats?

 

[Robert Udell]

I stumbled upon GHS pressurewounds. They don’t eat up the frets and fingers, but sound similar to rounds. Give em a try

 

[Lo-E]

My experiences (four tries) with GHS Brite Flats have been a mixed bag. While I liked their tonal quality as "semi-flat", I didn't care for the sticky feel. They sounded almost like Fender 9050 flats or Ernie Ball Stainless Steel Flats, but were not nearly as smooth and slick in terms of surface feel as true flatwound. I wouldn't exactly call them "worst of both worlds", but their uniqueness both in tone and feel didn't appeal enough to my senses.

I should add I've tried the Brite Flats 45-98 and the Ernie Ball Group IV Flats (40-95) on my P bass and found them to be similar in their tonal character. The biggest difference is Ernie Ball flats were much smoother in surface feel. No contest.

This has been more or less my take on them as well. I was hoping they would be smooth like flats but bright like rounds and, instead, found ground wounds/half rounds to be the opposite; rough like rounds and dead like flats. So yes, for me they were the worst of both worlds. Emphasis on “for me.”

I stumbled upon GHS pressurewounds. They don’t eat up the frets and fingers, but sound similar to rounds. Give em a try

These, on the other hand (and their ‘sister’ string, Ken Smith Compressors - made by GHS to KS specs and gauges), were a best of both worlds. For me. These are, in fact, almost as bright as rounds and almost as smooth as flats. I find these rollerwound strings to be an altogether better compromise. For me.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

I have a set from the 70’s when they were still “patent pending”. Still in box. Tried them, yep, truly the worst lol. Super stiff with finger noise, solid “meh” tone, as if my bass wouldn’t make up its mind eq wise (it was a 1960 P bass). Just play rounds or flats. They sound good and are widely available.

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

Best thing to do is shell out the dough and try it for yourself. I LOVE the Ken Smith Slick Rounds (but be ware of their B-strings... They're notoriously iffy... So I only use them on 4-string basses). I think the D'Addario half-rounds are great too. They're not really much more than regular rounds. Just get a set and try them. Best way to know for sure if YOU like them instead of knowing if others like them.

 

[Kael]

They are the grabbiest things I have ever touched. They feel roughly comparable to trying to use a cheese grater to make music. Go pick up a set and give them a shot if you like but you couldn't pay me to use them.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I tried ground wounds once and it was probably in my head, but I felt like I could feel the flat parts rotating slightly as they were played. Didn't really like them. They seemed to be not quite round wounds, not quite flat wounds. I gave up and never tried them again. I'll use rounds if I want that sound and Dunlop SS flats if I want the flat sound and they still have some life to them.

 

[Altitude]

I stumbled upon GHS pressurewounds. They don’t eat up the frets and fingers, but sound similar to rounds. Give em a try

Pressurewounds are great strings. Totally different than half-rounds in my experience. They feel and sound to me like a mellower, mid-forward roundwound string. Half-rounds feel and sound like a species of flatwound, albeit a bright one.

I had Pressurewounds on my Jazz and Half Rounds on my 6 string for a lot of years. The Pressurewounds are still on the Jazz. I’m experimenting with some other 6 string options and have Pure Blues on it presently, but the Half-Rounds were very good on that bass as long as the tone goal was in the zip code of jazz and not rock. Patitucci uses them, for example, and for him they leave a lot of the zing but knock off the top X% of the sound spectrum which works well for what he does.

I found the stickiness goes away on the Half-Rounds; it must be tiny edge irregularities from the grinding process.

 

[Joe Basso]

I had some medium gage half rounds that someone gave me I forget what brand. I tried them on a jazz bass and they are surprisingly bright and aggressive sounding. I found them useful for loud rock settings, but not sure that they offered much different from a similar gage round wound set.

 

[MCS4]

I think it comes from a place where many people hope that half-rounds/groundwounds will feel mostly like flats but sound mostly like rounds, or a sort of "best of both worlds," but in reality they are really something different that falls somewhere in between... which can just make it feel like you are compromising on both fronts.