The Chetboard

Thinking of going with d addario flat wound warm/mellow gauge 11- 50 gauge wondering if the flat wound will take away from that sweet gretsch sound I have with Round wound. Figured I'd try something new.

In one word . . . .YES!

A funny quote here; Paul Yandell used to say, "well, they're easy on your fingers, but they make your amp sound like you've got a blanket over it". I'll use 'em sometimes on a jazz guitar I have but honestly I don't like the tone near as well as the round wound.

Gayle Moseley

I don't know if any of you have ever tried this but a few years back I tried this as an experiment. Before putting on a new set of either round wounds or ground rounds, I pulled the 3 or 4 wound strings through a piece of fine steel wool between my fingers several times and found that it gave them a noticeably smoother feel without losing the ring of a new set of strings. Not as smooth as flat wounds but definitely an improvement.

Jerry Makela

I use Elixir strings on my Gretsch and my acoustic, and they are less noisy.

Bill B.

Try D'Addario half rounds.Called bright semi-flats gauge 11 -49. Guitar Center carries them.Stan.

On the albums "Mister Guitar" and "Chet Atkins at Home," listen to the riffs where the bass strings are involved. Do they sound like roundwounds? LMark

Back when I only knew three of the five kords I now know - I liked the old Gibson "flat wounds." After 25 years of not playing I got back into Chet style when I met Terry Efaw up here in Columbus, OH (about 16 years ago.) So, I went out looking for those strings I used to like - and, found three old dusty sets of them in a guitar store - and, bought them all. As the young clerk was putting them in a bag with the receipt he remarked with a smirk on his face, "Oh, you like them dead when you buy them!" LOL It didn't take me long a realize what he was talking about and Craig Phillips (great player/luthier/Phillips Guitars) has been a good friend every since.

As Paul suggested, I know they don't have the same bright sound, but I still like flat wounds - D'addario - Chromes - 11s. Cuz, "well, they're easy on your fingers."

Palmer

Palmer, you said "dead strings". When I feel it´s time to change strings I remove the old ones and wash them thorougly in soap and hot water. When reinstalling them they sound almost as new, but without noise of any kind, exepting the noise coming out of the amplifer of course. I´ve done that for years.