Deep Talkin Flat Question

[geddyfan]

Hey guys,just bought a set of 760 fsb labella's and the winding on the B string is tapered at the end and looks like its wound in 3 stages. The part of the string that goes over the bridge is the smalllest part .that can't be normal for this string can it.

[FretlessMainly]

That's a standard tapered B. I'm not sure whether LaBella has both a non-tapered and a tapered B, but it isn't anything to worry about. Granted, it looks a bit funky on a bass with a short run from the back of the tailpiece to the bridge (e.g., Fender style), but in a perfect world, the largest of the tapered sections (the one right next to the actual normal string gauge) will fit right into the saddle of many bridge/tailpiece combinations (Warwick is one example).

There's no reason you can't play normally with some of the tapered portion within your active string length, unless of course you pluck or pick within an inch of your bridge.

[geddyfan]

it does look quite strange. Haven't noticed it on any other strings.

[FretlessMainly]

Well, I bought a set of Sadowsky flats for my 5-stringer and I had the same question a month or two ago. My 5-string has a very short run from the tailpiece to the bridge saddles, so the result would be a significant portion of the tapered B being within the active string length. The responses I got here indicated that this would be no problem, but I couldn't deal with the oddness, so I restrung my Warwick Corvette fretless in 'cello tuning using the tapered B as a low C and it fit like a glove. I grabbed other strings out of the old string drawer to complete the set.

I'd been meaning to try 'cello tuning for a while, so this was the perfect impetus for me. I'm not suggesting that you go to such lengths, but do what works for you. There's always a solution.