Thomastik JS112

After my first discouraging encounter with flatwound guitar strings that were made by another well-known manufacturer (they were as dull and uninspiring as soaking-wet ropes), I decided to give these a try. I have no idea how those Austrians are able to make them this great, but I know that I will never use anything else but these 12s! Not only do they sound amazing, but they also do not seem to need much (if any at all) stretching out before playing because they hold their tuning really well right from the start. Personally, I like them even better after two to three weeks of daily playing because then they seem to become a little bit more flexible and mellow.
Finally, despite the packaging claiming that the ends are silk-wrapped, the wrapping is not actually made of real silk (according to the manufacturer), so these strings are suitable for vegans!

Been playing guitar for more than 30 years and tried all sorts of strings. I bought these because another reviewer recommended them for any kind of music, and I can honestly say this is the best strings I have ever tried. In fact, I was mildly shocked over the quality of these strings. -And I am no jazz player. I usually use heavier strings, so based on all the string tension warnings for flatwounds, I decided to order lighter strings than I normally do. I think maybe I could have ordered JS113 after all, because these had a slinkier feel than what I am used to. Both my guitar and I now sound much more refined, being able to project more nuances and dynamics in to my playing. They are extremely comfortable, with way less string squeal and noise in general. That said, all this comes at the cost of reduced bass response, loudness and overtones. But I found I could adjust my playing style to compensate for some of this. So in my opinion the benefits outweighs the disadvantages by a good margin. I would recommend anyone to try these. I would say they are worth it for the insight in the benefits of flatwounds alone.

I was looking for some jazz strings, and tried a lot of other brands, but those suits it best! For a long time i was using the D'addario Chromes, but the sound was always a bit unbalanced. The bottom strings were too big in relation with the others in the set, and when playing a chord results in heavy bottom but the high strings were barely hearable. So i thought to try those out, and i'm just staying with them!

Pros:
-The sound is super smooth and "creamy" as you hear it in your head, when you think "jazz sound"
-The strings last a lot, they don't detune as fast as the others i tried(i play the guitar every day and those strings last at least 2 months)
-Cheaper and better than the others

Cons:
-I don't really have any

So, if you're looking for a smooth, balanced jazz sound look no further!

I'm experimenting with different brands and guages of string for my archtop guitars. So far these are my preferred strings, having had roundwound and half wound versions, as well as D'Addario chromes.

These are the .012 to .050 set and are very full sounding on a vintage Yamaha archtop. I also have a set of TI Jazz Swings on my vintage Gibson ES-175 and they are also good with .011 - .047 but the JS112 set do feel that bit 'fatter' in my opinion.

So in summary, a great set of jazz flatwounds, with a full tone, no string noise when you slide from one position to another, so recommended for jazz styles. As you probably know, these are not good for rock / blues if you want to do much string bending.

I plan to try some other flatwounds, such as the George Benson sets, but so far these are giving excellent results!

Put these on my pre-Joe Pass Emperor and was negatively surprised. The gearing of the tension was very weird, where the two regular strings had a much harder tension than the wound strings. It seems they have focused too much on numbers than feeling in their gearing of the gauges. The wound strings felt very floppy and loose for their gauge, which is what I want to avoid when I go flatwound. Vibration should be controlled and tension as even as possible across the strings. I also find the surface annoying, providing a subtle frizz to the touch when moving up and down the neck. I'm trying Pyramid next but my guess is I'll land at D'addario flatwounds in the end.

Alright, to put things into perspective, I have an Eastman AR503CE and it sounds great, but it has a very bright sound for a Jim Hall worshipper like me.
I discovered that it was due to the solid top that is an imminent feature of the guitar unlikely to change. Well, I considered my options and went for the Thomastik JS 112 and it worked well.
Instead of giving me the perfect Jim Hall tone, it offered me a compensation, a middle ground if I may.
But you know what it else, it gave me the push I needed to end my obsession with my heroes and it gave me a lesson to long for my own voice to manifest!

Thomastik JS112 in my opinion are the best flat wound Archtop strings available on the market. These strings are designed for archtop guitars and get that sweet Jazz sound. Thomastik always produce high quality products, I have never had a duff string, what you would expect for the price. You can also buy these strings in 10-44, 11-47 and 13-53. I have only had good experiences with these strings, and having tried many other brands looking for the right strings, Thomastik JS112 are them. I would defiantly recommend purchasing these strings, especially from Thomman. Delivery and customer service here is standard I wish all music stores provided.

Pros:
- Smooth consistent sound with the wound 3rd (G) string and true round core
- Long life, especially with the silk-wrapped ends
- Individual packets for each string, so changing one broken string in a hurry doesn't require searching for the right string.

Cons:
- Have to use string cleaner to achieve the brightest sound, but that's only preference.
- They're not the best for bending, but thats not what they're designed for.