Do all tapewound strings cause hum?

[PyschRockLover]

I bought a gibson EB-13 last year and it came with D'addario tapewounds.. I've kept them on because they sounded fine but recently the E sounds dead. so i'm looking to change them. I also noticed that there was a significant hum that goes away when I touch the bridge. Apparently that has to do with the nature of the tapewounds and being unable to properly ground the strings.

Is there a company that makes tapewound strings that don't cause hum?

 

[bholder]

As far as I know, yes. Seems like conductive tape windings ought to be possible, though - I wonder why nobody has tried it...

 

[KaraQ]

I bought a gibson EB-13 last year and it came with D'addario tapewounds.. I've kept them on because they sounded fine but recently the E sounds dead. so i'm looking to change them. I also noticed that there was a significant hum that goes away when I touch the bridge. Apparently that has to do with the nature of the tapewounds and being unable to properly ground the strings.

Is there a company that makes tapewound strings that don't cause hum?

I have Fender tape-wounds on my sr1200 atm, and I've had the same set of strings on other basses prior to.
Never had any hum or other similar noises due to the strings.....

 

[PyschRockLover]

As far as I know, yes. Seems like conductive tape windings ought to be possible, though - I wonder why nobody has tried it...

Ahh shucks... I really love the feel of tapewounds but I can't stand the hum... guess im going back to roundwounds

 

[PyschRockLover]

I have Fender tape-wounds on my sr1200 atm, and I've had the same set of strings on other basses prior to.
Never had any hum or other similar noises due to the strings.....

Interesting.. maybe they have some kind of conductive tape winding lol..

 

[rwkeating]

If you use a pickup that doesn't require the strings to be grounded (like EMG active pickups) then you won't get any hum with tape wound strings. I have this combination on my bass and there is no hum. I don't know what other pickups don't require strings to be grounded. If someone knows, please post.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I bought a gibson EB-13 last year and it came with D'addario tapewounds.. I've kept them on because they sounded fine but recently the E sounds dead. so i'm looking to change them. I also noticed that there was a significant hum that goes away when I touch the bridge. Apparently that has to do with the nature of the tapewounds and being unable to properly ground the strings.

Is there a company that makes tapewound strings that don't cause hum?

They don't "cause hum' they are unable to complete the circuit to ground that is normally provided by your body, through fingers contacting the string.
Coated strings suffer from the same side effect.

 

[markjazzbassist]

Try flatwounds, they are metal so won’t hum and have a similar tone and feel.

 

[PyschRockLover]

They don't "cause hum' they are unable to complete the circuit to ground that is normally provided by your body, through fingers contacting the string.
Coated strings suffer from the same side effect.

well on my bass they certainly do!

 

[PyschRockLover]

If you use a pickup that doesn't require the strings to be grounded (like EMG active pickups) then you won't get any hum with tape wound strings. I have this combination on my bass and there is no hum. I don't know what other pickups don't require strings to be grounded. If someone knows, please post.

I would totally get a set of EMGs for my bass just to use tapewounds but they don't make a humbucker set that fits the Gibson eb13.. i don't think any manufacturer makes an aftermarket pickup for this bass lol

 

[devnulljp]

I took the tapewounds off for that very reason

 

[Biggbass]

hmmm...
I use tapes on one of my J basses and have no hum issues...even though J's often have hum by themselves, depending on how true to vintage config they can be.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

A well shielded bass , especially one with humbuckers as you have, should not have significant hum to start with. Try adding a fully connected copper tape "Faraday"
Cage , in the control, and pickup cavities ensuring that all of it is electrical connected.

This SHOULD tame the annoying hum even without the circuit being closed

 

[/\/\3phist0]

well on my bass they certainly do!

The hum exists in the bass (you touching the bridge eliminates the hum by completing the circuit) the tapewound strings don't "cause" the buzz, they remove the ability to complete the circuit, which eliminates the buzz, because the nylon wrapping is not conductive.
See my post above, shielding a bass is one of the first things I do once it is acquired, unless it has EMG's

 

[PyschRockLover]

hmmm...
I use tapes on one of my J basses and have no hum issues...even though J's often have hum by themselves, depending on how true to vintage config they can be.

Do you have active pick ups?

 

[PyschRockLover]

A well shielded bass , especially one with humbuckers as you have, should not have significant hum to start with. Try adding a fully connected copper tape "Faraday"
Cage , in the control, and pickup cavities ensuring that all of it is electrical connected.

This SHOULD tame the annoying hum even without the circuit being closed

yeh i think its because of the tapewound strings

 

[andare]

If you need to touch metal to make hum go away, your bass is not shielded so fix that asap. You deserve a silent bass.
If the bass is properly shielded, tapes shouldn't cause any issue but as always YMMV.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

yeh i think its because of the tapewound strings

If you put round wounds on it, and DONT touch the strings the hum will be the same.

 

[PyschRockLover]

If you put round wounds on it, and DONT touch the strings the hum will be the same.

Yes, thats true! The hum is still there even if I touch my tapewounds

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Yes, thats true! The hum is still there even if I touch my tapewounds

So,,, by process of elimination, as I posted earlier, a humbucker (note the name) dual coil per shell style SHOULD NOT have appreciable hum even when not touching the strings... you need to shield your bass .
The Buzz Killer: How To Shield Your Bass
Conductive paint.