Jazz Guitar Strings Flatwound
Flatwound Guitar Strings?
I just switched to a much thicker gauge guitar string. Plus, these new strings are Gretsch flatwounds as opposed to my old roundwounds.
The new sound is great, just what I want for my Jazz sounds. However, the strings are “much” harder to press down on the fretboard.
I’m wondering if I need to try to lower the action a little more (it was low in the first place) and/or restraighten the neck with the truss rod (it did seem to bow a tiny bit more, because the new strings are pulling more I would guess).
Or should I leave the guitar alone and just hope that my hands and fingers get stronger as time goes by?
I would appreciate comments by some of the experienced people reading this. I’ve been playing for over 40 years but I haven’t used flatwounds since 1969, I think.
Sounds like your new strings are much higher tension than the old ones. That is causing them to be harder to press down and bows the neck more.
I used to like heavy gauge strings, especially for Big-Band Jazz. But switched to medium gauge because I wanted a brighter sound later. It also wasn’t worth the wear and tear on my fingers and guitars.
Are those flatwounds available in a lighter gauge ? If so, lighter strings will solve your problem. (From physics: less string mass -> lower tension to produce a given note.) That may give a reasonable compromise in tone versus usabilty.
GHS Flatwound Strings Overview