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Bass String Taper on basses explain please

B

Bluestar

Dec 22, 2017
224
188
#1
So I got this message from dadarrio when I asked them about the length of there strings for bass between long and super long and this was the reply. I looked up bass taper and how it fits on the bridge but i dont understand and dont see any videos that talk or show this. So if any of you can explain this please that would be great.

Hello,
Thank you for your message.

The SL are no longer than the long scale.

It's about where the taper sits and with a SL set the taper would be too far up the string.



Please hold onto these specifications as well for future reference.
Of course, you can always reach out to me with any questions regarding them.


Bass
All string lengths are wound & trimmed at 48”
Scale Lengths:
Short = Taper happens at the 32” mark.
Medium = Taper happens at the 34” mark.
Long = Taper happens at the 36 7/8” mark
Super Long = Taper happens at the 38” mark.

Those distances are from where the wire material meets the ball end up to the taper.
Top Mount:
Please always determine the distance from where the ball end (please do not include the ball end as part of that measurement) sits on the bass, to the top of the nut, on the headstock side.

Then reference the specifications listed above since you always want the taper north of the nut but south of the closest tuning post.


Bridge pin scenario:
Mark the lowest pitched string on your bass (while installed) at the nut (on the headstock side) with a marker. Take the string off the bass and measure from the inner edge of the ball end to the mark you just made. Record this length and compare to the chart above to find the proper string length for your bass.

Thru -body :
Same process as the bridge pin scenario.
 
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#2
Bluestar said:
So I got this message from dadarrio when I asked them about the length of there strings for bass between long and super long and this was the reply. I looked up bass taper and how it fits on the bridge but i dont understand and dont see any videos that talk or show this. So if any of you can explain this please that would be great.

Hello,
Thank you for your message.

The SL are no longer than the long scale.

It's about where the taper sits and with a SL set the taper would be too far up the string.



Please hold onto these specifications as well for future reference.
Of course, you can always reach out to me with any questions regarding them.


Bass
All string lengths are wound & trimmed at 48”
Scale Lengths:
Short = Taper happens at the 32” mark.
Medium = Taper happens at the 34” mark.
Long = Taper happens at the 36 7/8” mark
Super Long = Taper happens at the 38” mark.

Those distances are from where the wire material meets the ball end up to the taper.
Top Mount:
Please always determine the distance from where the ball end (please do not include the ball end as part of that measurement) sits on the bass, to the top of the nut, on the headstock side.

Then reference the specifications listed above since you always want the taper north of the nut but south of the closest tuning post.


Bridge pin scenario:
Mark the lowest pitched string on your bass (while installed) at the nut (on the headstock side) with a marker. Take the string off the bass and measure from the inner edge of the ball end to the mark you just made. Record this length and compare to the chart above to find the proper string length for your bass.

Thru -body :
Same process as the bridge pin scenario.
Click to expand...
The email is actually very detailed, and a cool piece of customer service. However, let's try and break it down further.

First off: do you have a guitar background?
Until you get to heavy-gauge baritone guitar strings, wound guitar strings are single-wrap: the winding simply ends at a certain distance from the end of the string (say, 38" of length out of 42" overall).
This is also true of high C and G strings on bass guitar, but starting from D strings and larger, bass strings have both at least 2 layers of winding, and a taper (one of the two stops before the other, so the string gets thinner before the core actually being exposed at the very end).
Now, as regards D and most A strings, the above is no more than an interesting tidbit for all intents and purposes.
Things change with heavy (especially flatwound) A strings, and crucially with low E and B strings. In these, the taper is actually necessary. The string should keep its gauge past the fingerboard-edge of the nut, in order for it to vibrate properly across its entire vibrating length including when open; but taper before the tuning post, because winding it on the latter at full thickness may - it's no inexorable certainty, but it is a risk, and a more probable one the thicker/stiffer the string is - cause it to break, because of the relatively narrow turn.

So the *overall*, end-to-end length of superlong D'Addarios is the same as that of standard, long-scale ones, but the former taper at a further distance from the bridge, because they need to be of uniform diameter all the way up to the nut on estended-scale instruments (35" scale plus through-body or bridge-to-separate tailpiece; or 36" scale, or similar). At the same time, this makes SL strings unsuitable for instruments with regular length requirements (good ol' 34" scale, or top-loading 35"), because the lowest string(s) would end up onto the post(s) untapered, and risk breakage as said.
 
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#3
"Taper" = the end of the full winding at the tuner end, where the string gets thinner.
"String Winding Length" = the length of the string from the ball end to the "taper" (= end of the full winding).

In order for a string to fit properly on any given bass, the "winding length" needs to be at least long enough for the full winding to go past the nut. But ideally, the "taper" comes short of the tuner post so only the thinner end of the string wraps around the post.

D'Addario "long scale" = 37" in "winding length" (ball end to taper), which is long enough on most 34" scale basses and even some 35" scale basses with top-load bridges.

D'Addario "super long scale" = 38" in "winding length" (ball end to taper), which may be needed on basses 35" scale and longer.
 
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#5
Bluestar said:
I have a usa peavey cirrus 5 string , so which do i need and does it make a difference in anyway what so ever?
Click to expand...

What's the actual measurement on that bass from where the ball end is seated on the B string to where it clears the nut? That would be the minimum "winding length" you need (1). Then measure the distance from the ball end to the B tuner post, which would be the maximum you want (2). Can you provide those two measurements?

If the measurement #1 is less than 37", then you can use the standard "long scale" with D'Addario.
If the measurement #1 is more than 37", then you will need "super long scale" with 38" winding length.
 
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#6
Bluestar said:
I have a usa peavey cirrus 5 string , so which do i need and does it make a difference in anyway what so ever?
Click to expand...
Uh, read my post above? You need whichever available length tapers between nut and low B tuning post.
So go and measure from where the ball-end sits at the bridge, till the nut (minimum length); and from said ball-end stopping spot to the low B post. If both the SL and the L fit (taper between those two measurements), get whichever is the cheapest; if only one fits, get that one.
 
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#7
HaphAsSard said:
Uh, read my post above? You need whichever available length tapers between nut and low B tuning post.
So go and measure from where the ball-end sits at the bridge, till the nut (minimum length); and from said ball-end stopping spot to the low B post. If both the SL and the L fit (taper between those two measurements), get whichever is the cheapest; if only one fits, get that one.
Click to expand...
So how many wraps around the tuner should I count on then for the b string?
 
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#8
Bluestar said:
So how many wraps around the tuner should I count on then for the b string?
Click to expand...
As many as you like, or physically fit on the post (I don't play a fiver so don't have experience to draw upon, but I'd say two or three should suffice);
the important thing is that the wraps are made with a thinner section of string, past the tapering point, not with turns of full-diameter string. This will only happen if the correct (for your specific bass) length is selected, after making those measurements we've been asking.
 
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#10
Nutshell is you want the length of string where the taper will sit between the nut and your tuning peg on the A/E. So, measure an installed string ball to nut. I grabbed my Ray34, it measures about 35.5" ball to nut, so "Long" puts the taper pretty much perfectly between the nut and the tuner at 36 7/8. "Extra Long" would cause the thicker part of the E to wind on the tuner which I don't want. Medium would put the taper above the fretboard which you definitely don't want.
 
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#11
Found this image that hopefully will clear things up:
71Pxt8XC3EL._UX250_.jpg


Oops!
[This invalid link has been removed]
 
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#14
Yeah, i am having an issue myself that i do not understand.....who comes up with this "industry standard"?

So the Fender Pbass has to be one of the most prevelant basses in the market. So why dont string manufactures consider the P or J when designing strings?

The standard 37.5" winding DOES NOT WORK for the E String on a P or J.

If you messure from back of bridge (ball end) to start of E tuning post, it is 36.75 inches.

Why in the hell is the "standard" winding length longer than the P or J bass? The taper ends above the E tuning post.

This makes zero sense to me.

I use GHS Pressurewound on all my basses, but now have an American Performer P. The E String "meat" of the string is wound..
It sounds weird to me and looks like garbage.

Might be in my head, but looking for something else for this bass. Cant find a 35" wind lenght. THAT SOULD BE easily available given the market share of the P and J basses.
 
#15
Hounddog409 said:
If you messure from back of bridge (ball end) to start of E tuning post, it is 36.75 inches.

Why in the hell is the "standard" winding length longer than the P or J bass? The taper ends above the E tuning post.

This makes zero sense to me.
Click to expand...

Most manufacturers used to make their "long scale" strings with 36.5" winding length (ball to taper).

Then came the thru-body design and 35" scale basses and people started to realize they needed strings longer than 36.5". That's when a lot of companies started adjusting their winding length for "long scale" to 37"-37.25" to accommodate the thru-body installation on 34" scale as well as for top-loading on 35" scale.

My Highway One J is top-load only with a BAII bridge. So, here's what I've done with the E string on the Fender 9050L flats...

Fender 9050L on J.jpg


Fender 9050L on HWJ 231112_2.jpg
 
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#17
michael_t said:
Most manufacturers used to make their "long scale" strings with 36.5" winding length (ball to taper).

Then came the thru-body design and 35" scale basses and people started to realize they needed strings longer than 36.5". That's when a lot of companies started adjusting their winding length for "long scale" to 37"-37.25" to accommodate the thru-body installation on 34" scale as well as for top-loading on 35" scale.

My Highway One J is top-load only with a BAII bridge. So, here's what I've done with the E string on the Fender 9050L flats...

View attachment 5309937

View attachment 5309938
Click to expand...

Yeah, no issue with my Elite Jazz since i just go through body.

Its just odd, given market share of J and P basses, they would change the standard.

I would think the additon of "extra long" to cover through body would have made more sence, especially since not all use that option even if present.

I thought business practice was to cover the majority of market as standard first, then others.

Maddening.

Good fix, but I cant do that. I would have holes in my walls, and someone would lose an eye. Lol
 

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