Fender tapewound silks not fitting through bridge

[JimmyM]

Hey, just tried to put a nylon .110 Fender through an SX bridge, and the hole's too small. I don't want to widen out the hole or replace the bridge, but I'm sure I can get it in there if I get rid of the silks. Can you get rid of the silks and still use them safely? If so, what's the best method for getting rid of them? I would think cutting would be a little dangerous, but I also read on here that you can pass them quickly through the flame of a lighter so they crunch down a little and not damage the string. Thought I'd get a second opinion about these methods before I go off half cocked, though. This is my first set of nylons and I want it to be a special night, not an ugly one

[markdavid]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Hey, just tried to put a nylon .110 Fender through an SX bridge, and the hole's too small. I don't want to widen out the hole or replace the bridge, but I'm sure I can get it in there if I get rid of the silks. Can you get rid of the silks and still use them safely? If so, what's the best method for getting rid of them? I would think cutting would be a little dangerous, but I also read on here that you can pass them quickly through the flame of a lighter so they crunch down a little and not damage the string. Thought I'd get a second opinion about these methods before I go off half cocked, though. This is my first set of nylons and I want it to be a special night, not an ugly one

Try and keep the silk on there if possible, I had a similar issue with some Roto tapes, I trimmed the silk a little and the tape started unwinding , so be very careful as this will cause all sorts of problems if it happens , so best to try and avoid cutting the silks imo

[JimmyM]

Well, I fiddled with it a little, and ended up working a thread loose and managed to unravel the silk without cutting or burning. Didn't want to remove it all, but that's the only way it would fit. Got it strung up and it seems OK. Hopefully it'll stay that way for a while...

Anyway, I was kind of surprised that they sound so metallic right out of the box. You'd be hard pressed to tell them from a new set of stainless flats. Very zingy. Hopefully they'll mellow out soon...I could just use roundwounds if I wanted zingy!

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Well, I fiddled with it a little, and ended up working a thread loose and managed to unravel the silk without cutting or burning. Didn't want to remove it all, but that's the only way it would fit. Got it strung up and it seems OK. Hopefully it'll stay that way for a while...

Anyway, I was kind of surprised that they sound so metallic right out of the box. You'd be hard pressed to tell them from a new set of stainless flats. Very zingy. Hopefully they'll mellow out soon...I could just use roundwounds if I wanted zingy!

are you serious? "metallic"? "zingy"? wow...this not my experience at ALL with the LaBella Nylon tapes...I wonder what's different about the Fenders???

the LaBellas do have a "plastic" click on the fret that's easily dealt with...but I'd hardly call them "zingy"...

I'll stay clear of the Fender tapes...(but I DO like their stainless rounds )

[BloozBass]

I think the difference is the sting inside the nylon. I know that the Fenders are roundwounds, whereas the LaBellas and Rotosounds are flats. GHS also makes a tapewound, but I don't know whether it's round or flat inside. I'm not sure why Fender would nylon wrap a roundwound - it seems to defeat the purpose of what you are trying to achieve. I had one set of them a few years ago on my fretless, and replaced them after one gig - I just couldn't stand the sound.


Blooz

[BloozBass]

oops....7th word should have been 'string'. Morning fingers!!!

[wurmhole]

I had the same problem and just drilled the hole out slightly. It makes no difference in tone as the bridge saddles are responsible for holding the string still. Glad you got it worked out regardless.

[JimmyM]

Ya, I have to say that I'm not really digging them. I'll give them a chance for another day, but they're not at all what I was hoping for.

[markdavid]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Well, I fiddled with it a little, and ended up working a thread loose and managed to unravel the silk without cutting or burning. Didn't want to remove it all, but that's the only way it would fit. Got it strung up and it seems OK. Hopefully it'll stay that way for a while...

Anyway, I was kind of surprised that they sound so metallic right out of the box. You'd be hard pressed to tell them from a new set of stainless flats. Very zingy. Hopefully they'll mellow out soon...I could just use roundwounds if I wanted zingy!

Maybe worth trying a different brand of tapes , ive used tapes and metallic is the complete opposite of how i would describe tapewounds , whenever I have used tapewounds I have found the tone to be very fat and kind of Mccartney ish

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by markdavid

Maybe worth trying a different brand of tapes , ive used tapes and metallic is the complete opposite of how i would describe tapewounds , whenever I have used tapewounds I have found the tone to be very fat and kind of Mccartney ish

Yeah, that's what I thought they'd be. I never owned a set but I've played them before. Oh well, I got them cheap enough. But now I understand why Larry Graham still had some clangy attack on his bass on all the Sly stuff he did.

[JimmyM]

Just checked out the Bobby Vega vids on bassplayer.tv where he uses a Jazz Bass with tapewounds, and it sounds almost identical to my bass...a lot of clang with a sort of plastic-y thump. That and the higher action I need for them means I'll be putting the rounds back on shortly.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Just checked out the Bobby Vega vids on bassplayer.tv where he uses a Jazz Bass with tapewounds, and it sounds almost identical to my bass...a lot of clang with a sort of plastic-y thump. That and the higher action I need for them means I'll be putting the rounds back on shortly.

I actually like Bobby's tapewound sound on that vid...

Jimmy, word of advice...before you take off the strings...take the bass with you to a rehearsal...dial off the highs a tad and just play normally...

what you will find with these strings is that they really work well in a mix, particularly when you are looking for the percussive thing happening...

IMO, they don't work with all music...but if you have a bass to spare, keeping one strung with nylons for that odd occasion is a cool weapon to have in your arsenal

[scootron]

I went to Fender tapewounds from stainless flats recently. It took a little while to get the sound I wanted. I had to raise the action a tad and roll off the highs, let the strings break in a touch, and voila! They sound great now. I'm sticking with them.