Taper-wound vs. Normal

BassMan7530 · #1 06-24-2009, 12:41 PM

I have heard that there may be slight differences in tonality between Taper-wound strings, and Normal strings. I have never let this quality influence my decision when buying strings simply because I never understood what difference it makes. If someone could clear up the difference for me between tapered and normal strings (weather it be a difference in tone, tension, or anything else), it would be appreciated. Thanks guys.

stflbn · #2 06-24-2009, 12:43 PM

In my understanding, the theory is that Taper Wound lower strings will ring clearer and not be as subdued or muddy as nonTapered strings.

I have to agree that the SIT PowerCore strings i've tried definitely seem to do that.

JTE · #3 06-24-2009, 02:01 PM

I had taper-wound B strings on my 5-string for a few years, then went to a non-tapered B. I like the non-tapered B a LOT better. Now the sets I was using (Lakland's stainless steel sets) only had the B tapered. What I didn't like about them was that the B string sounded differnt from the other strings.

It's been a good 21 years since a played a bass wtih all four strings tapered, but I do recall I didn't think they sounded that great to me.

John

BassMan7530 · #4 06-24-2009, 09:27 PM

Sorry for the confusion John, I was not referring to ALL strings being taperwound, just the Low B. Thanks for the input though, I appreciate it. And stflbn, thanks for your opinion as well. I suppose I will just have to experiment with various brands with a tapered and regular low B, though, and find out which is better for me.

Another thing, John, could you give me a comparison between tapered low B strings and regularly wound low B strings? What do you percieve to be different between the two types (concerning qualities such as tone, tension, etc.)?

Brian

Kwesi · #5 06-24-2009, 10:11 PM

As I understand it taper core strings are wound with the intention of having the core of The string vibrate more as opposed to the entire string to get a clearer, more resonant sound. I haven't done a even comparison (same brand, same string set, one tapered and one not, on one bass) but so far I'd be more than inclined to think the taper core business is the real deal especially for B and E strings.

The thicker the gauge the more violently the string vibrates which can lead to string buzz, clacking, and a bunch of other not so great sounds. Taper cores fix that problem and then some. I've also noticed that taper core strings handle mid frequencies better as well. Often taper core sets don't taper higher than the A string because as the gauge of the strings becomes lighter the problems that they are intended fix alleviate themselves. The tech that I go to here and there stays away from taper core because he says that the cause unwanted harmonics to ring out farther down on the fretboard (his J basses got weirdness a the 15th fret) and there may be some truth to that because I get some strange harmonic at the 19th fret (something between and E and Eb) as well but it only really noticeable on my 34" 4 string and they may be related to saddles exploding of the bridge because i did something I wasn't supposed to

.

I get my Ken Smith Burner sets with tapered B, E, A strings and they are the best strings I've ever used hands down. Though the strings are high quality stuff to begin with I'm convinced that the 3 extra dollars I spend on them is more than worth it. Aside from that one downside that I mentioned I think taper core strings are better than their non-tapered relatives in every way.

JTE · #6 06-25-2009, 08:23 AM

I found that the tapered B always sounded a bit off compared to the other four strings, the timbre was more "twangy" than the others. Tension was about the same, but that's hard to compare because I also went from a 0.125 to a 0.130 which I like a LOT better.

As for the few sets I had experience with where all four were taperwound, it's hard to recall. That was a LONG time ago (to late '80s) and they were Rotosound with their premature death problem. The concept of taper core came from the bass strings on pianos where only the core crosses the bridge. As Rotosound was known for "piano-like" tone, it's not a surprise they'd investigate that. But the difference is that the piano strings are always the same length, while bass strings are different lenghts for each note.

Anyway, I don't care for tapered strings myself. Curious thing is that for a long time Bass Player magazine always touted the tapered strings as being better until they did one of their string shoot-outs. They said that in the process of playing the same basses with so many different strings almost side-by-side, they found they actually liked non-tapered strings better.

jte

nysbob · #7 06-25-2009, 01:12 PM

I use Ken Smith SS taperwounds. They sound great and don't break as easily as non-tapers.

OK..I'll admit to being a little heavy-handed.

pdbass · #8 06-26-2009, 10:16 AM

+1.

I love tapered strings (although I don't use them on my main bass). The 'piano-string' effect is clearly more audible on these type of strings: more sustain, greater fundamental in the lower register, tighter-sounding overall IME. One of the downsides is that tapered strings are much harder to intonate (so I've been told), and there can be A LOT more harmonic debris floating around!

Be aware that there are many different kind of tapered type of strings, and I would suggest checking them all out. My Fender 5 lives with Dean Markley SR2000s--every string but the 'G' is tapered. It's a great string for 'bass' playing, and the tension feels just right to my hands for slapping. LaBella's verison, called 'Super Steps', are a totally different, but good string. Laklands have been mentioned already. Fodera makes a great string: the Anthony Jackson signature set. This is actually an exposed core string. The windings stop just short of the bridge and just the core goes over the bridge! Another cool spin on the 'tapered' idea--to the next level!

I've found that I can get the best effect (feel and sound) from a string on my main bass by using a regular-core string and bending the h*ll out of it at both the nut and the bridge--that is, using the back of a pair of string cutters, I really try to get a good 'witness point' at the nut and at the bridge. The string will last and sustain for me.

CElton · #9 06-26-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdbass

I've found that I can get the best effect (feel and sound) from a string on my main bass by using a regular-core string and bending the h*ll out of it at both the nut and the bridge--that is, using the back of a pair of string cutters, I really try to get a good 'witness point' at the nut and at the bridge. The string will last and sustain for me.

+1 to this. I believe a lot of players that experience some problems with dead/dull sounding B strings are not doing this. Of course, some could be a result of a bum string too.

Solarmist · #10 06-27-2009, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stflbn

In my understanding, the theory is that Taper Wound lower strings will ring clearer and not be as subdued or muddy as nonTapered strings.

I have to agree that the SIT PowerCore strings i've tried definitely seem to do that.

Agreed, and I think they have just a tad longer sustain than regular strings - I love them for low B

+1 on SIT Powerwound TW's