Sadowsky/Tapered DR Hi Beam observation

[Steve Clark]

Hi,

I had installed a set of tapered DR strings and got this nasty chorus/oscillation on the D above the 12th fret. Also present on other strings but not the G.

I did a search here and lowered the pups, even popped the neck off an on with no improvement. Tried a new set of same strings thinking maybe I had a bad string or two in the first set. Same problem. Then noticed the G is NOT tapered and grabbed an old NON tapered string and the oscillation went away.

So that was the fix: don't use tapered strings on this Sadowsky. Can anyone explain why this happens? It's a piece of wire going from a fixed point to another so why does the tapered string sound like I'm playing two notes at once?

Just glad I solved it.

[lowfreq33]

Going to taperwound requires a new setup.

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by lowfreq33

Going to taperwound requires a new setup.

Yup, I'm comfortable doing set ups. I had just finished a fret dress on the bass as well. No amount of adjustment with either the truss rod or string height would get rid of the oscillation on the D. Switch to non taper core and the problem disappeared even before setting up with the non taper string.

[mikeyswood]

The LC for this?

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by mikeyswood

The LC for this?

LC?

[lowfreq33]

That is odd then. I've tried taperwounds in the past, and didn't like the feel. Never had any wolf tones though. My guess would be that they're contacting another fret, producing a harmonic, but I'm no expert.

[mikeyswood]

Luthier's Corner.

My hypothesis is the tapered core of the string is hitting a resonant harmonic and vibration in the saddle.

[pickles]

DR tapered strings (long-necks) have a really long run from the ball to the taper, and the sadowsky has a short run from bridge base to saddle, so you've probably got a ton of taper sticking past the saddle. That is NOT what you want and will cause the problems you're describing. Ideally the taper would happen just past the saddle. If you used tapered strings like the Pedulla steels or nickels, you would not have this problem.

Then there is the other factor that DR's tapered strings are kindof odd, IMHO. The low-b isn't any better than any other DR set even when you use it on a bass they are designed for (string through on a lakland 5 for instance). So long necks are just lo riders that are a tiny bit more flexible at the base.

What made you want a tapered string in the first place? Curiosity or were you looking for more flexibility?

[Steve Clark]

Thanks everyone. Great information pickles. I don't have a good reason for using the taper. A bit of a costly experiment. But good experience nevertheless. So you might use a taper core on a two part bridge like a Warwick or a bass where the strings load thru the body but on a short run like many basses it might be a bad idea? I'll hang on to the strings in case I get a chance to try them on a different bass.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by pickles

DR tapered strings (long-necks) have a really long run from the ball to the taper, and the sadowsky has a short run from bridge base to saddle, so you've probably got a ton of taper sticking past the saddle. That is NOT what you want and will cause the problems you're describing. Ideally the taper would happen just past the saddle. If you used tapered strings like the Pedulla steels or nickels, you would not have this problem.

Then there is the other factor that DR's tapered strings are kindof odd, IMHO. The low-b isn't any better than any other DR set even when you use it on a bass they are designed for (string through on a lakland 5 for instance). So long necks are just lo riders that are a tiny bit more flexible at the base.

What made you want a tapered string in the first place? Curiosity or were you looking for more flexibility?

+1 The whole 'taper' thing seems more of a 'marketing idea gone bad' to me. It's one of those things that 'seems' to make sense, but can result in intonation issues and all sorts of funky stuff. I use the Sadowsky strings with the tapered B 'in spite of' the tapered B, since I dig the strings.

There is no reason that any bass with a decent bridge can't be made to set-up identically with tapered versus non tapered strings.

The DR tapered sets get particularly bad reviews on intonation, etc.

[Deep]

The DR Long Necks which are their taperwound strings are really made to be used thru-body. This way the taper is where it's suppose to be over the saddle. If you use them thru-bridge the long taper is too close or sometimes over the rear p/u causing weird stuff to happen. Thru-body allows them to fit properly like other tapered strings. They intonate fine thru-body. There are a number of threads about this.