Round core Flatwounds quest. Who makes them?

[Aidil]

Now I haven’t tried all flats...Dunlop, Galli, Optima, Pyramid are still ones I haven’t tried...but of those the only ones I’m really interested in checking out is the Dunlops. That said they would have to be really amazing to beat these Dogals. I give the Dogal Jaco flats my full endorsement.

If you still care to try the Dunlop flat wound, you may want to make a special order on their 40/120 set (assumed you are on a 5 string), cause most stores only sell Dunlop flat wound in 40/105 & 45/125 gauges, which actually are already quite flexible due to the usage of smaller hex core, but if you aimed for even easier on the left fretting fingers, then it should be the 40/100 or 40/120 set.

 

[speyer]

I just started a project where most if not all the cover tunes are best suited to the sound of flats on a p. Being primarily a rounds guy on electric, I've tried quite a few different flats over the years and could never comfortably settle into any of them. Too stiff, too slinky, too thick, to thin etc. So, today on a whim I bought a set of D'addario black nylon tapes and I'm really blown away! They feel almost identical in flex/tension as the sunbeams or pure blues Ive used for years, maybe a little suffer but they sound RAD. Plenty of lows, mids are all there and nice subdued highs... nice responsive and detailed tone. They are silky smooth and look pretty cool too. I NEVER thought I would find a set of flats that were so similar in feel to my rounds... these are the ticket! Same gauges at 45-105, tension feels very similar with great tone and great feel. I read somewhere that these have a round wound core (not 100% certain) but if that is the case then I attribute all their similarities to that factor alone.

All in all I'm stoked. I'll report back in a few weeks after I get a fews miles on them... see I can get an Idea how they perform over time. Cheers

 

[woodyng2]

I just started a project where most if not all the cover tunes are best suited to the sound of flats on a p. Being primarily a rounds guy on electric, I've tried quite a few different flats over the years and could never comfortably settle into any of them. Too stiff, too slinky, too thick, to thin etc. So, today on a whim I bought a set of D'addario black nylon tapes and I'm really blown away! They feel almost identical in flex/tension as the sunbeams or pure blues Ive used for years, maybe a little suffer but they sound RAD. Plenty of lows, mids are all there and nice subdued highs... nice responsive and detailed tone. They are silky smooth and look pretty cool too. I NEVER thought I would find a set of flats that were so similar in feel to my rounds... these are the ticket! Same gauges at 45-105, tension feels very similar with great tone and great feel. I read somewhere that these have a round wound core (not 100% certain) but if that is the case then I attribute all their similarities to that factor alone.

All in all I'm stoked. I'll report back in a few weeks after I get a fews miles on them... see I can get an Idea how they perform over time. Cheers

I’ve been using a set of Labella White/copper tapewounds on my Cheyenne for several years now. They’re a great tonal cross between the thumpiness of “soft” flatwounds, with a metallic “twang” thrown in. Plus, they look cool....

 

[e-flat]

I just started a project where most if not all the cover tunes are best suited to the sound of flats on a p. Being primarily a rounds guy on electric, I've tried quite a few different flats over the years and could never comfortably settle into any of them. Too stiff, too slinky, too thick, to thin etc. So, today on a whim I bought a set of D'addario black nylon tapes and I'm really blown away! They feel almost identical in flex/tension as the sunbeams or pure blues Ive used for years, maybe a little suffer but they sound RAD. Plenty of lows, mids are all there and nice subdued highs... nice responsive and detailed tone. They are silky smooth and look pretty cool too. I NEVER thought I would find a set of flats that were so similar in feel to my rounds... these are the ticket! Same gauges at 45-105, tension feels very similar with great tone and great feel. I read somewhere that these have a round wound core (not 100% certain) but if that is the case then I attribute all their similarities to that factor alone.

All in all I'm stoked. I'll report back in a few weeks after I get a fews miles on them... see I can get an Idea how they perform over time. Cheers

View attachment 3543027
I’ve been using a set of Labella White/copper tapewounds on my Cheyenne for several years now. They’re a great tonal cross between the thumpiness of “soft” flatwounds, with a metallic “twang” thrown in. Plus, they look cool....

Ok, fellas, I love Tapewounds as much as the next guy... but to the best of my knowledge these are NEITHER flatwound NOR round core! You shall be banished to the Tapewound club for your transgressions!

(Your posts remind me that I need to buy another set of La Bella White Tapes and try the reissued GHS Black tapes )

 

[speyer]

Banished to the tape wound club it is then! lol

 

[woodyng2]

I love ALL string types....Please,no banish!
I did think the white/copper Labella’s had a round core, but i could be wrong about that.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

I’ve been running Dogal Vintage on my main P bass, and Dogal Jaco on my second P bass for most of this year and I love them. In depth review is here:
Dogal Traditional Vintage Flats review

These are pretty obscure strings, but I think a lot of folks who would like a cross between La Bella LTF and Ti Flats would dig the Dogal Vintage. For a low tension Chromes-style set with a warmer Vintage top end, Dogal Jacos are the ticket.

It may be the case, but their street price, even here in Italy, is unbearable .. buying them is like an act of faith .. but faith based on what?

 

[e-flat]

It may be the case, but their street price, even here in Italy, is unbearable .. buying them is like an act of faith .. but faith based on what?

So they're expensive in Italy, too, huh? Yikes! I thought the price in the US was just due to their import status.

 

[Phaidrus]

I'm on a quest to try all of the Flatwounds currently in production which use a round core.
EDIT: I'll update the list below as folks chime in with confirmed round core flats.

- Thomastik Jazz Flats (have a set on my P Bass)
- DR Legends (tested a set on my Jazz Bass)
- Pyramid Gold Flats
- La Bella Low Tension Flexible Flats
- Optima RB Flats (Maxima reproduction)
- Dogal Jaco System Flatwounds

So far , those are the only sets I know of. Any other suggestions?

On the DR website is explicitly stated that the Legend set is round core, it even says so on the pictured package of the set. Yet I have an unopened set, bought sometime in 2010 or so, where it is also explicitly stated, on the package, "Polished Stainless Steel Bass Strings Wound With Hexagonal Cores". Have they changed the string recipe in the meanwhile? Or is the information on the box of my set wrong?

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Check at the ball end. I think the core goes around the ball.

 

[Phaidrus]

Check at the ball end. I think the core goes around the ball.

I already have, even with a magnifying glass, but can't tell what it is.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Taking a high-res photo and zooming in would probably work.

EDIT: If you can get the camera to focus right.

 

[Phaidrus]

Taking a high-res photo and zooming in would probably work.

EDIT: If you can get the camera to focus right.

I'll see if I can do that. I find the contradicting information on the boxes intriguing...

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

So, I received the Optima RB set. Rather than installing all of the new strings at once, I did what I often do when comparing a new set to an installed set: I simply replace the E or A string, and then compare the character of the two sets. If I am intrigued enough by the character of the first string installed, I'll proceed to installing the full set. In this case, I swapped the E string from the Optima RB set onto my P Bass which is currently set up with TI Jazz Flats.

Based on the E string of the Optima set, I decided to stick with my beloved TIs. The Optima E is definitely more focused on the fundamental and didn't have the midrange voice that I love about the TIs (does any other set have this?). The Optima would be a set that I would place in the "old school" category, but with the caveat that the E was very focused and had great sustain ---- not tubby with a quick decay like some old-style flats. If I was going for a variation on La Bella / GHS Precision Flats with this bass, I would have installed the rest of the set and kept them on to let them settle in. The finish of the Optima RB is smooth, they are very nicely polished, and right out of the box there was no "grabiness" or sticky quality. The tension was a touch tighter than the TI Flats, and the E string was definitely less pliable / supple when trying to bend. These would be a great alternative for someone who is looking for traditional EQ of flats with better sustain and less "tubbiness"/better focus in the low end. Ultra high quality strings.

ASIDE: Maybe it's weird not to install the whole set, but there are certain tonal qualities I'm looking for currently and I'd rather save the set & pass them on to someone who will love them rather than install them all just to reinforce what I can already glean from installing a single string. Anyone else do this when trying new strings?

Difficult to properly assess the true properties of a strings set by just installing one; the neck response to this may not be the optimum one, affecting the judgement on the strings’ behaviour.
I understand your point, however, of not wrapping them on the tuning pegs, preserving them for being sold to other people ..

 

[Phaidrus]

Got word from DR Strings regarding my inquiry. Current DR Legend flatwound bass strings are indeed round core. Yet the set I have, bought sometime between 2009 and 2010, are hex core (as stated on the box) as they come from one of DR's very first runs before they switched to round core for the Legend bass strings. Given that the set is still unused it must be a collector's item! Or perhaps not.

 

[markjazzbassist]

no wonder the reviews are so varying. there are 2 different sets! and we didn't know it.

 

[Phaidrus]

no wonder the reviews are so varying. there are 2 different sets! and we didn't know it.

Yes, a historical bass string mystery solved!

 

[e-flat]

Difficult to properly assess the true properties of a strings set by just installing one; the neck response to this may not be the optimum one, affecting the judgement on the strings’ behaviour.
I understand your point, however, of not wrapping them on the tuning pegs, preserving them for being sold to other people ..

I picked up another set shortly thereafter...curiosity got the best of me. Great experience with these Optima RBs, and I've tried them on P Basses as well as my Jazz Bass.

 

[bararan]

On the DR website is explicitly stated that the Legend set is round core, it even says so on the pictured package of the set. Yet I have an unopened set, bought sometime in 2010 or so, where it is also explicitly stated, on the package, "Polished Stainless Steel Bass Strings Wound With Hexagonal Cores". Have they changed the string recipe in the meanwhile? Or is the information on the box of my set wrong?

View attachment 4018162View attachment 4018163

If you still have the package could you perhaps let us know if it says hex core on the front as well or it is exactly like the front of the package picture you posted (which to me looks like it was taken from the internet)?

I am curious to give these a try, but only if they are round core, so I wonder if there's a way to know whether a pack of DR Legends is round or hex core before purchasing it. Almost all online retailers post a picture of only the front of the package, which in almost all cases indicates that they're round core. I could find one listing which has a different front picture which has "LEGEND" written on the red strip at the bottom instead of "Stainless Steel/Round Core". One other listing I could find has a picture of the rear and that one does say hexagonal core with front that indicates they are round core. Go figure...

Or alternatively, if anyone has purchased a DR Legend set more recently and are absolutely sure that they are round core, could you maybe post pictures of both the front and the rear of the package or at least tell us how what front and rear of the package say about the core?

 

[Phaidrus]

If you still have the package could you perhaps let us know if it says hex core on the front as well or it is exactly like the front of the package picture you posted (which to me looks like it was taken from the internet)?

I am curious to give these a try, but only if they are round core, so I wonder if there's a way to know whether a pack of DR Legends is round or hex core before purchasing it. Almost all online retailers post a picture of only the front of the package, which in almost all cases indicates that they're round core. I could find one listing which has a different front picture which has "LEGEND" written on the red strip at the bottom instead of "Stainless Steel/Round Core". One other listing I could find has a picture of the rear and that one does say hexagonal core with front that indicates they are round core. Go figure...

Or alternatively, if anyone has purchased a DR Legend set more recently and are absolutely sure that they are round core, could you maybe post pictures of both the front and the rear of the package or at least tell us how what front and rear of the package say about the core?

Current DR Legend flatwound strings are with absolute certainty round core - DR have confirmed that when they replied to my inquiry per email a month ago. The confusion, as far as I'm concerned, was due to the fact that on the pack I bought some ten years ago it says "Polished Stainless Steel Bass Strings Wound With Hexagonal Cores" but also "HI-BEAM stainless steel strings are round wound and constructed upon a round core ...". Given that I have not used these strings (in general and also this particular pack of strings), I emailed DR like a month ago to ask what the case is with their core. They kindly replied that some initial runs (I suppose when they were first introduced - when was that?) of DR Legend strings were indeed hex core but since then they are round core and that the pack I have, where the info printed on it is somewhat contradictory, could be one of those early hex ones. Upon this email correspondence I took the strings out of the packaging and inspected their ends with a 25x magnifying glass and determined that they are, in fact, round core. As mentioned above, regardless of what my particular set of DR Legend are - or could have been - current production is definitely round core. I attach pics of the pack in question, which however is probably irrelevant as regards what can one currently buy.