What kind of Tapewound on my Schecter stiletto?

Atomisk · #1 06-07-2010, 11:34 PM

Hey talkbass, i currently play a schecter stiletto studio 5 fretted bass and Im trying to get the closest to a dark upright tone without having to go fretless. I hear tapewounds will do the job but which ones and why? Do tapewounds still let me get good harmonics? and i heard that certain tapewounds arent designed for neck thru basses. Let me know what all of you think

gm2_in_co · #2 06-08-2010, 12:08 AM

LaBella Tapewounds are the standard by which all others are measured. The idea behind tapewounds are to kill harmonics I think. Oh and the LaBella's aren't recommended for neck through.

queevil · #3 06-08-2010, 12:14 AM

Hey gm2 how is the tension on the LaBella's. I use the Fender 9120 tapes and the tension is stupid low.

gm2_in_co · #4 06-08-2010, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by queevil

Hey gm2 how is the tension on the LaBella's. I use the Fender 9120 tapes and the tension is stupid low.

Hmm... sounds like maybe we should trade strings. I happen to like low tension.

But I think of LaBellas as fairly high tension... at least in comparison to TI Jazz Flats which is now my preferred "naked" string. Looking them up right now, the LaBellas are a little heavier gauge so I suspect that suggests they would have more tension.

Get ready for sticker shock: The LaBellas are almost TWICE the price. I'll be trying some Fenders and get back to you.

Atomisk · #5 06-08-2010, 01:34 AM

Why aren't they recommended for neck thru? Im really looking for a "mellow DARK and Smooth" tone if anyone has any suggestions

SMILEYSIXX · #6 06-08-2010, 01:43 AM

I would go with Rotosound 88's, but that's just my preference. They'd run you around 50 bucks though, so the cost builds up fairly quickly.

queevil · #7 06-08-2010, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gm2_in_co

Hmm... sounds like maybe we should trade strings. I happen to like low tension.

But I think of LaBellas as fairly high tension... at least in comparison to TI Jazz Flats which is now my preferred "naked" string. Looking them up right now, the LaBellas are a little heavier gauge so I suspect that suggests they would have more tension.

Get ready for sticker shock: The LaBellas are almost TWICE the price. I'll be trying some Fenders and get back to you.

Oh don't get me wrong I love the Fenders. I was just curious. The Fenders are really a roundwound string wrapped in black nylon tape. They are dark and thumpy but with a bit of brightness to them. I have them on my fretless J bass. The fenders are probably the lightest tension string I've ever used even over rounds. I mean you can bend them like they are guitar strings no problem. Be warned that the tension is so low that you will need to use a bit lighter touch if you like the action really low like I have my J bass set up. If you like tapes and low tension then I think you'll like them. It's the Fender Nylon Tapewound 9120. They're cheap enough that if you don't like them it's not that big of a loss. I'm thrilled with them and I think they're one of the best kept secrets in the business of bass strings. Yeah, let me know how you like them.

**TheMutt** · #8 06-08-2010, 04:17 AM

I've got a set of Rotosound Tru-Bass 88's strung up on my Carvin fretless. They're strung through the body (my bass has a through-body or top-load bridge) and I haven't had a problem with them. Great upright like tones to be had with this setup. I can't recommend them enough if you are looking for tapewounds. However, I have not tried them on any of my fretted basses, so I cannot comment on how they would sound. I can say that they do have a great tension, especially through the body (my low B string is nice and tight without a lot of floppyness).

Late Boomer · #9 06-08-2010, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMILEYSIXX

They'd run you around 50 bucks though, so the cost builds up fairly quickly.

If you change them as often as roundwound, sure. In my experience, the cost of tapewounds is a lot less over time than the cost of roundwounds. When I played exclusively roundwounds, I was changing strings every 2 to 3 months. I tried tapewounds (Fender 9120s) on a bass I used to own, and they lasted 18 months before I sold it. The tape cuts down on the "bright" harmonics, but it also protects the string from dust, grime, corrosion, and chicken grease. I play only fingerstyle, though. If you're taking a pick to those tapewounds I suspect the tape might not hold up nearly as long. As always, YMMV. Even the expensive La Bella tapewounds don't cost even twice as much as a good set of roundwounds, though, so if I get six months out of them I'll be breaking even on the costs.

jasper383 · #10 06-08-2010, 05:43 AM

The Carvin tapes are made my La Bella (same exact strings), and are much cheaper, even with shipping.

PSPookie · #11 06-08-2010, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasper383

The Carvin tapes are made my La Bella (same exact strings), and are much cheaper, even with shipping.

This. I love the LaBella tapewounds but they recommend you don't string through the body. However, you could probably get away with it. I used a set of Status tapeswounds strung through the body and they were great albeit fairly low tension.

Tapewounds are probably the way to go if you want to get a more upright sound and they are fine for playing harmonics. Tapewounds, like flatwounds, have lesss harmonic overtone content (especiallly past the 2nd harmonic) than rounds. That's why they sound the way they do.

If you want to go with flats instead of tapes, the TI flats are great. I also like the LaBellas (but you run into that string through body thing again), Ernie Ball and Sadowsky flats. From the reviews I've read and my experience with their other strings I would wager that the DR flats are worth checking out as well. I'm not a big fan of D'Addario Chromes or the new Fender (9050) flats which I suspect are rebranded chromes.

FunkMetalBass · #12 06-08-2010, 07:11 AM

Strings not recommended for neck-thru basses? Who came up with that nonsense?

Surely you're confused with thru-body stringing.

Atomisk · #13 06-08-2010, 01:09 PM

I found this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d6lb0-VZ5Y

This is more or less the tone im looking for, i love how his G and D string sound. He says hes using GHS nylon flatwounds but those dont exist. No ones suggested the GHS tapewounds im assuming because the ones you have suggested are even better than the tapewounds this guys using. Is that true? if it is im definetely looking into all those strings =)

Also, id like a string i can occasionally slap on without breaking

**TheMutt** · #14 06-08-2010, 01:24 PM

I've tried the GHS tapewounds (same thing as "nylon flatwounds" if I'm not mistaken). Personally, I found that they had a slightly darker tone than what I was looking for in a nylon string. I'm sure that you could get that tone very easily on Tru-Bass 88's with some tone knob rolloff.

I'll also vouch for the long life of the Tru-Bass strings and all flatwound/tapewound strings in general. The prices may be slightly (depending on your string brand and style of choice) more expensive than roundwounds, but they last a lot longer too. Back when I was using roundwounds (I haven't used them in over 3 years now) I used to change them out every 2-3 months to keep their brightness. Now that I use flatwounds and tapewounds, I tend to change those out maybe once a year or longer. It depends on when they stop holding tune, if a string breaks, or the character changes (D'Addario Chromes are surprisingly bright flats that remain so for very long periods of time).

gm2_in_co · #15 06-08-2010, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Strings not recommended for neck-thru basses? Who came up with that nonsense?

Surely you're confused with thru-body stringing.

Yeah, its through body that's the issue.

Atomisk · #16 06-08-2010, 03:53 PM

So what is thru body if i may ask? Does a schecter stiletto studio have a thru body?

jasper383 · #17 06-08-2010, 06:17 PM

Do the strings end at the bridge, or do they go through the back of the bridge, then through the body of the bass?

The Youtube clip is of a set of GHS 3060 Tapewound strings. Nice strings, and they sound pretty much like the clip, and they last forever.
http://cgi.ebay.com/GHS-3060-Black-T...#ht_1053wt_911

I have found that all tapewound strings sound pretty much the same, to my ears. I suggest the GHS tapes, because you have a Youtube clip you love, the GHS tapes aren't really expensive, and they will fit through the nut of your bass without filing (some tapes are in such big gauges that the nut has to be widened).

Atomisk · #18 06-08-2010, 06:22 PM

Thank you Jasper =) your absolutely right, and thank you talkbass i shall order the GHS tapes then