Beer of the Bass Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I'm curious to hear some opinons on tapewound strings, and I know a few BCers will have experimented with them. I'm using Ernie Ball flatwounds at the moment, and I'm finding that flatwounds with the treble boosted slightly give me a sound with just the right amount of growl and edge which sits in the mix nicely, while sounding more "earthy" than roundwounds. I've seen a few posts on another bass forum saying that nylon tapewounds actually have slightly more of this sound than some flatwounds, but still with the interesting percussive attack when played with a pick. So, which ones are worth checking out? It's also worth mentioning that I play 5-string, which I think rules out trying Fender tapewounds, among others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 La Bella 760N Black Nylons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I really like the GHS best of all - [url="http://www.ghsstrings.com/strings/bass"]http://www.ghsstrings.com/strings/bass[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d6lb0-VZ5Y"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d6lb0-VZ5Y[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 LaBellas seem like a big investment though - even D'Addario come out a bit cheaper if ordered from the states. Anyone tried the Status tapewounds? Prices are very good, though I don't know if the conventional gauges mean that they'd be floppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstrike Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I love Roto tapes, but keep getting bum strings, so less of them. Daddario ones are nice too, I don't know have they started doing 5 strings yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstrike Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1347194792' post='1797859'] LaBellas seem like a big investment though - even D'Addario come out a bit cheaper if ordered from the states. Anyone tried the Status tapewounds? Prices are very good, though I don't know if the conventional gauges mean that they'd be floppy. [/quote] They shouldn't be, the Daddario and GHS ones use regular guages, and aren't floppy at all, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenitram Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I have some Fender tapewounds, and don't like them. They're not very smooth at all (though maybe they're not meant to be); it's a bit like having a roundwound version of tapes, rather than the flatwound versions, sadly of unknown make, that are on my electric fretted upright, and which I much prefer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 I used the Rotosound Steve Harris ones on my bass for years, but then changed to the Rotosound Tru Bass nylons to get more of a 'thump'. They are advertised as providing a 'jazzy upright sound' which may be the case on a fretless, but on my P it's just a mellow yet quite defined tone. Really nice and a lot more versatile than I had anticipated. Very smooth to the touch too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddawson2012 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 (edited) Don from D'Addario here - we are making a 5-string Nylonwound set - you can find more about it here--> [url="http://daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=206&productname=ETB92_5_Tapewound_5_String_Bass__Medium__50_135__Long_Scale"]http://daddario.com/...135__Long_Scale[/url] Don Dawson Product markeing specialist D'Addario / Planet Waves Edited September 10, 2012 by ddawson2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstrike Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Nice one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apa Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Ive tried GHS and Roto. The Roto's felt and sounded 'plasticy' and unnatural. The GHS's felt much better. They have a slightly roughened surface (Think paper as apposed to plastic) and were softer in sound. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 I've ordered some D'Addarios. I'll report back when they arrive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) Woohoo, I've got 'em! First impressions are quite favourable. The sound seems like a nice hybrid between flats and worn-in rounds. The attack is crisper than flats, but the sustain is shorter than rounds. I can get plenty of clank and growl but not zing, if that makes any sense, and they'll still do the thumpy thing if played fingerstyle with the right touch. It'll be interesting to see how much they change with playing. They feel softer than my 45 gauge Ernie Ball flats did, but not outrageously floppy - perhaps similar to 40 gauge rounds in terms of perceived tension. They also look very cool against a maple board. They have brought to light an odd grounding problem with my bass, but I'll bring that up in the Repairs and Tech section. Edited September 21, 2012 by Beer of the Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstrike Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 They shouldn't change much, if at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Glad they delight, I suppose as you're not touching the metal of the strings and its a Fender there'll be a little buzz. I had flats on my old P, it came with them, no idea what they are (green silk, Fender strings?), the tone was fine but the frequency, or note definition wasn't, sounded muddy. Put some Roto Trubass tapewounds and, sho' nuff they work, nicely define sound. They haven't noticeably changed since I've had them, many a sweaty gig. Very nice smooth feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee650 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1347192708' post='1797834'] La Bella 760N Black Nylons [/quote] +1 I have these on my electro acoustic bass , very warm and woody thump, but surprising clear in the high end, oh and great tension, if i ever get another P bass, ill put some of these on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaners Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 [font=times new roman,times,serif][size=5]Hi all[/size][/font] [font=times new roman,times,serif][size=5]Just tried my first set of tape wounds, was curious to see how they would sound and feel. OMG why had no one told me about these. I put them on my mustang. Love the way they feel and sound. I have the Picato custom bass 50-105s a slightly heavier gauge than i have used before, also they are standard scale strings so i did have to cut them down a bit, mustang strings are a pain for scale length with most short scale strings being to short thanks to the strung through the body designee. The sound is far more natural and less metallic than the rounds with slightly less output and more thump making the sound more percussive. I think its the feel of the string that impresses me most, no finger noise at all so slides sound fantastic.[/size][/font] [font=times new roman,times,serif][size=5]Think im guna have to go n get another set to try on my Landing L2, another short scale[/size][/font] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretlessguy Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I use both Fender and GHS and Fender tapes on my fretlesses. The Fenders have more of a bighter sound whereas the GHS sound smoother and slightly higher tensioned. The Fenders are some of the least tensioned bass strings I've played, comparable to TI Jazz flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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