Do Tapewounds Ever Die?

[Martybass]

Hi all,

I've got a set of Roto tapewounds on my fretless Dragonfly ABG, love the sound, but I was just wondering if, given their thick nylon outer windings, if they ever dull. I mean, they're not the brightest sounding strings in the first place (part of why I put them on), but I was just wondering if the nylon makes the metal cores impenetrable.

Has anyone ever changed a set of tapewounds (other than for wanting a change from tapewounds themselves)?

Cheers all,

Marty.

[Lokire]

From what I understand, it takes a long long time for tapewounds to change/lose their tone quality. Since, like you said, the nylon wrapping keeps dirt and stuff from getting to the windings of the string underneath. I've heard that someone had one set for over 3 years and it was just a little more dull sounding than a fresh set. Though that would probably suit the sound you're going for anyways.