Black Flatwounds

[jlane72t]

Does anybody out there make black-colored flatwounds? I know there are a bunch of rounds that come in colors, and tapewounds are black, but I'm looking specifically for black flatwounds...

[Philbiker]

Have you considered nylon tapewound strings?

[jlane72t]

I love tapewounds on my fretlesses, but worry about their longevity over frets.

[jasper383]

I don't know of any black flats.

Tapewounds will last years and years on a fretted bass. Unless you do something really violent to the strings when playing.

[jlane72t]

Hmmmmmm....worth a try, I suppose. Thanks.

[playerunk]

found this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d6lb0-VZ5Y

on the ghs site i could find only black tapewounds

if you get them please post your opinions because a set of these would look killer on my all black bass

[GBassNorth]

Originally Posted by playerunk

found this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d6lb0-VZ5Y

on the ghs site i could find only black tapewounds

if you get them please post your opinions because a set of these would look killer on my all black bass

I use LaBella black Tapewounds on my fretted jazz bass. The strings have been on for about 3 years, no visible wear on the strings yet but I only play finger style (no pic, no slap, no pop). They were the best sounding of the tape wounds that I could find. More definition than the other tapes, crisper highs, deeper lows, tight mids. Good tension, no finger noise, very fast playing. Almost half way between a flat and a round sound. More thump and punch than any other string I've tried. Mine are on a rosewood board vintage cherry burst jazz bass and look great. I'm finishing up a new build right now that will be a black body, maple neck/board with black blocks, binding and headstock. I'm thinking the LaBella's will look and sound killer on the bass. Try em, you'll love em.

[playerunk]

i'll try them as soon as i can
i have a set of fender flats on the way-my first flats, and if i like those i'll get a set of black flats..but those LaBella seem high tension (the ones i can buy are 060/073/095/110 )

the ghs seem the deal for me.. although i'd try those LaBella or the rotosound

[lmfreeman9]

The Fender flats have more tension than the LaBella's.

[jasper383]

Don't worry about tension with tapewounds.

None of the tapewound sets have especially high tension, despite the thick gauges. There's a very light gauge round or flat under that plastic.

The only concern one should have about the heavy gauges is that it might mean the nut may have to be widened. I prefer the GHS set because the .105 E will fit on any bass.

[GBassNorth]

Originally Posted by jasper383

Don't worry about tension with tapewounds.

None of the tapewound sets have especially high tension, despite the thick gauges. There's a very light gauge round or flat under that plastic.

The only concern one should have about the heavy gauges is that it might mean the nut may have to be widened. I prefer the GHS set because the .105 E will fit on any bass.

Excellent point. I did have mine installed by a luthier because of this and my recollection was the B string was a tight fit with the thru body stringing at the bridge. On the nut end, he did have to file the grooves a little larger so the strings would sit right. All said and done the strings cost about $45 for a 5 string set and the set up cost another $35.

[GeneralElectric]

I've tried all the major tapewounds (Fender, GHS, LaBella, Rotosound)

The Fender ones have a poor life. I've found that Fender tapes, especially the rounds, tend to pull apart under heavy finger style playing. This usually happens at the bridge.

The GHS ones are pretty good, and they're cheap. They weren't anything special for me, although I like their regular Precision Flats a lot and I used them frequently.

The LaBellas are good, but I don't like the company customer service or quality control. Try getting a replacement string after you get craptacular strings that aren't made correctly and have the metal showing through. Not worth the $45 I paid for them by a long shot. That said, I've got a fretted 75 MIJ Jazz that has them and its a very sweet sounding bass. They've been on there for about 2 years.

My favorite ones are the Rotosound Trubass. Good tension on them and they can take abuse. Very clear sounding and can do the flatwound vibe extremely well. Can get thumpy if you want it to.

You can hear an old clip of the Rotosound Trubass on my myspace

myspace.com/andrewricemusic

The track is called Bunny

[dhagler]

Originally Posted by Philbiker

Have you considered nylon tapewound strings?

+1. I have a set, less than $30 shipped from GC. I put them on my Fender fretless Jazz.

[Eddue]

If I am remembering correctly, I once had a set of black flatwounds, not tapewounds but made of some type of metal. This is going back to the 1980's or early 1990's. Almost certain the name on the the strings was Sonar made by Rotorsound. I thought they had a good tone at the time but the E string broke when putting them on my Kawai, a common problem with some strings at that time on basses with thru the body type bridges.

[Eddue]

I came across an ad in an old copy of Bass Player from April 1992. The strings I was thinking of were by Rotosound called Spacer not Sonar. Ad copy says:

" SPACER black anodised bass strings

The most elegant bass strings you will ever use. Our special black surface finish is intergrated into deluxe steel, making them ultra resistant to perspiration whilst also enhancing feel. This, together with the unique nomamonic manufacturing formula, produces a much longer lasting string with extraordinary brilliance."

Not sure of the guage sizes and string tension and can't be certain they were flatwounds or if they are still being made.