Strings in the 70's

[James Simonson]

Please correct me if I'm wrong. When Rotos were invented for the bass, how long was it before other companies had there version of a roundwound?

I'm a big fan of the 70's studio sound with passive jazz basses on records from that era. If they sound like rounds on these records, then they must be Rotosounds until 79'???

For example, Paul Jackson says he never used flats. Does that mean he was running older Rotosounds on a Precision or Tele bass during the Headhunters years?

Were there any choices beyond LaBella and Rotosound before, say, 79'?

[darkstorm]

Not sure of exact date. But when I was starting out in 1974, there where several roundwound strings available. Fender, Daddario, Rotosound, where all available in rounds. Gibson stock strings where rounds to.

[lmfreeman9]

I was told it was around 1970 that James How invented rounds. But that is only when they became popular. They've been around a lot longer than that. http://www.rotosound.com/history_scroll.html

[JTE]

I had a Kay bass from the late '60s with stock rounds on it. There was a set of Fender nickle rounds in the local guitar store around 1973, and I recall that the '69 catalog had some rounds listed in it too. And I recall a Chuck Rainey interview in Guitar Player ca. 1974 where he talked about Fender rounds.

They were there, just not popular.

John

[Rezdog]

Greetings from the North,

GHS were making rounds in the mid 70's. I had a preference for the Rotos though, because in my experience the GHS rounds went dull rather quickly.

Rezdog