I thought I hated half rounds

[Flatwound]

I've tried various half rounds over the years, and, in my opinion, they've never lived up to the idea of being in between round and flat in sound. Actually, they still don't, but they can have a pleasing sound nonetheless. Recently, when the ProSteels on my '90 Jazz Plus died, I decided to try some .040-.095 D'Addario half rounds since I hadn't tried them in a while. I was once again somewhat non-plussed by their tone, but I decided to leave them on for a while.

First, they are plenty stiff for the gauge. I recently used some Roto 66LC's on a couple of basses, and they felt much lighter. After a bit of breaking in, these sound to me more-or-less like flatwounds, but with their own vibe. So I've tried to appreciate them as their own thing, and not a combination of the sound of flats and rounds. Yes, they were sticky at first, but now they feel much smoother, again like somewhat coarse flatwounds. I think they'll stay on this bass for a while.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I used to play half rounds. I no longer do so. Lessons learned (although "love" and "hate" might be equally strong!):

Five Reasons to Love Half-Wound Strings

1. Reduced Finger Noise: Half-wound strings significantly decrease the scratchy noise created when sliding fingers across the strings.

2. Versatile Tone: They offer a compromise between the brightness of round-wound and the warmth of flat-wound strings, providing a balanced sound.

3. Smoother Playing Experience: The ground-down surface makes the strings feel smoother and more comfortable to play compared to traditional round-wound strings.

4. Longer String Life: Half-wound strings tend to accumulate less grime and dead skin, potentially extending their usable lifespan.

5. Flexibility for Different Genres: They work well across multiple musical styles, from funk to jazz, offering a more adaptable tone.

Five Reasons to Hate Half-Wound Strings

1. Diminishing Brightness: The strings lose their initial brightness relatively quickly, becoming duller after about two months of regular playing.

2. Potentially Expensive: Half-wound strings are typically more costly than standard round-wound strings.

3. Inconsistent Quality: I hear that half-wound strings can sound "dead" or lack definition, especially on lower strings.

4. Limited String Techniques: Unlike round-wound strings, you can't drag the pick down the string for certain sound effects.

5. Restricted Availability: There are fewer options in the half-wound string market compared to round-wound or flat-wound strings.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I have tried -- and hated -- a wide variety of "half-round" strings over the years.

Finally realized, nearly 40 years on, that I needed to make the distinction between PressureWound half-rounds (the ones where the outer winding is squeezed flat) and GroundWound half-rounds (the ones where the outer winding is ground/polished flat).

I still hate PressureWound half-rounds. But, at least for a particular purpose, I love GroundWound half-rounds!

 

[KenD]

In my experience half rounds just can't compare in tone or feel to pressure wounds, SIT Silencers being my favourites.

 

[GMC]

I think that every bassist picks up a set of half wounds at some point in their bass journey. Everyone seesm to come to the same conclusion...one string type really doesn't do it all and half wounds are a very specific compromise. They don't excel in any one area, they don't combine the strenghts of other string types but bring a bunch of worse features of both round wounds and flat wounds.
In my opinion, I'd rather have a dedicated bass with flat wound strings and another for round wound strings and one bass with half wounds.

 

[2F/2F]

I like their tone just fine, but I have two problems with them:

1. Imbalanced feel/tension from string to string. Low strings are too floppy, and the strings aren't available in a wide variety of gauges, which would allow one to correct this).

2. Extremely "grabby" on the fingers. The edges of the windings "snag" my callouses something fierce on both hands.

I say this as someone who plays almost exclusively only on flats or tapes, not rounds (and I always have). I have lots and lots of basses...but only three of them have rounds: a VI (stock strings), one of my several Mustangs (LaBella Beatle Bass rounds), and one of my many G&Ls (Pure Blues). So that's my point of reference.

I have tried half wounds just to experiment, and perhaps mix things up a bit from my normal flats and tapes. In the end, they sound no different than flats to me, but they feel a lot worse, and they aren't available in the kind of variety I'd need to make them feel better. I can get flats plenty bright and/or twangy if I want, and they feel perfect.

 

[GrapeBass]

I've tried various half rounds over the years, and, in my opinion, they've never lived up to the idea of being in between round and flat in sound. Actually, they still don't, but they can have a pleasing sound nonetheless. Recently, when the ProSteels on my '90 Jazz Plus died, I decided to try some .040-.095 D'Addario half rounds since I hadn't tried them in a while. I was once again somewhat non-plussed by their tone, but I decided to leave them on for a while.

First, they are plenty stiff for the gauge. I recently used some Roto 66LC's on a couple of basses, and they felt much lighter. After a bit of breaking in, these sound to me more-or-less like flatwounds, but with their own vibe. So I've tried to appreciate them as their own thing, and not a combination of the sound of flats and rounds. Yes, they were sticky at first, but now they feel much smoother, again like somewhat coarse flatwounds. I think they'll stay on this bass for a while.

I found it really depends on the particular bass, half-wounds aren't suited for all.

 

[Zazie Moondust]

As far as the D'Addario half rounds, I can't believe how dark and thuddy they sounded compared to the D'Addario Tape Wound sand teie Chromes (Flats) It was to the point where I thought I must be losing my mind of they had to be duds. (Can strings be defective in a way that kills are treble/mids and sustain) But in all the YouTube comparisons I heard they sounded darker too.

I am curious about the GHS Brite Flats, they are made from Alloy 52 instead of Nickel which may change things but after my D'Addario Half Rounds experience I don't know if I want to risk money of half rounds again.

 

[2strings2frets]

I spend a lot of time practicing alone and try to mix things up to stay fresh. After playing rounds for years on many basses I have gone to flats, DDT,s and half rounds, enjoying the differences of each type. Each bass responds differently to each type of string so it keeps my ball rolling.

 

[Flatwound]

I played this bass yesterday at church, and since our church live-streams our services, I can later see how things sound on Youtube. That way I can get a different perspective than just an IEM mix. I found the sound to be reasonably thumpy with adequate sustain. Very much like flatwound strings. Not Pyramid-like (Pyramids are cool in their own way), more like Chromes. Hearing your bass sound in a recorded mix really helps to understand what's happening. In any case, no point in changing them at this point. In the cover band, we do one slap tune, Thank You by Sly etc., and I don't need super bright strings for that one.

 

[Altitude]

I have a set of half rounds that have been on and off my 6-string for years. I like them. They’re one of those strings that sound better with a band than in the bedroom though.

I like Pressurewounds too and have a set of those on my J. Those are the obvious comparison to half rounds, but I don’t find they sound or feel similar at all. To my ears (and hands), Pressurewounds are a species of roundwound that have certain tone characteristics from the treatment the winding gets. Half rounds are a species of flatwound string though substantially brighter than most.

Patitucci uses half rounds and he sounds fantastic. You can certainly hear the high end attenuation versus the XLs he used back in the day.

 

[ClassicJazz]

I have tried many "half rounds" and hated the feel and tone of every set. IMHO the best alternative to half rounds are pressure wounds. I have been using the GHS pressure wound strings for years and absolutely love them! They give you the punch of round wound strings without the high end zing you get from round wound strings and a nice smooth feel. I nice smooth tone. I also like the Rotosound pressure wound strings. I recently tried the SIT Silencer pressure wound strings but did not like them, have a very sticky feel to them.

 

[Iristone]

Isn't the Roto 66 normal roundwounds? The Roto 55's are pressurewound. I've tried Roto 55's and SIT Silencers, and both seem brighter to me than regular roundwounds with a bit of "sheen".
I actually quite like D'Addario Half Rounds. Thanks to the pure nickel outer wrap, they sound like flatwound-lite to me. Unfortunately I have to write off the D'Addario brand entirely, due to issues I've found with their percussion products.
Now I wonder if La Bella Super Polished will sound similar? The construction is very similar, but the stainless steel outer wrap seems brighter and more similar to normal roundwounds. But there's also the 760T white tapewounds that also feel and sound halfway between rounds and flats.

 

[Flatwound]

Isn't the Roto 66 normal roundwounds? The Roto 55's are pressurewound. I've tried Roto 55's and SIT Silencers, and both seem brighter to me than regular roundwounds with a bit of "sheen".
I actually quite like D'Addario Half Rounds. Thanks to the pure nickel outer wrap, they sound like flatwound-lite to me. Unfortunately I have to write off the D'Addario brand entirely, due to issues I've found with their percussion products.
Now I wonder if La Bella Super Polished will sound similar? The construction is very similar, but the stainless steel outer wrap seems brighter and more similar to normal roundwounds. But there's also the 760T white tapewounds that also feel and sound halfway between rounds and flats.

Yes, the Roto 66 are stainless roundwounds. They are the thumpiest stainless roundwounds I've tried. I tried the 55's, but during a gig, I had a core problem with the D string, and for the price, no thanks. They sounded great until then. I'll probably end up with flatwounds on everything (everything being 3 basses) eventually, but I'm in no hurry to change these half-rounds at this point.

 

[Mike Marshall]

I often use GHS brite Flats on the G and D strings and Boomers on the E and A. I find that using them on the G and D helps being heard in heavy guitar mixes. I have had engineers tell me that They did not need to compress my signal because of this choice.