Do all tapewound strings cause hum?

[Makten]

That is eliminated by a ground cable touchin the bridge or a copper strip.

Not if you use tapewound strings, which this thread is about. They are not conductive.

 

[maturanesa]

Not if you use tapewound strings, which this thread is about. They are not conductive.

The ground is the bridge. Thats why even without strings on it the bass doesnt hum either. You being the ground when playing is not normal. If its grounded the string are not part of the equation

 

[ChristoMephisto]

is your tail piece grounded? it would be the only place all the strings could be conductive, at the ball end. Usually just the bridge is grounded as most use metal strings

 

[Makten]

The ground is the bridge. Thats why even without strings on it the bass doesnt hum either. You being the ground when playing is not normal. If its grounded the string are not part of the equation

You are not understanding the problem here.

 

[maturanesa]

You are not understanding the problem here.

Because i had no problem using tapes. The problem is the circuit not the string.
So you think every tapewound player is suffering from a no solution hum in their basses? Just realize it. The problem are not the strings.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Do they hum because they don't know the lyrics?

 

[andare]

One thing is the hum that single coil produce, it is present always even when you touch the strings. Other is the hum that goes away by touching the string. That is eliminated by a ground cable touchin the bridge or a copper strip. None of my basses are shielded and they dont produce any noise because there is a cable touching the bridge. They hum in single coil mode but is the hum that is always there even when you are playing, thats how single coils work

I'm not gonna repeat what I wrote. My guitars all buzzed until I shielded them.

 

[maturanesa]

I'm not gonna repeat what I wrote. My guitars all buzzed until I shielded them.

Did your basses buzz with regular strings? If the answer is yes, tapewounds are not the reason that make your bass to buzz

 

[maturanesa]

Ok guys.. lot of good information in this thread!
Im going to open up my bass and check the shielding. Someone mentioned to check the bridge ground.. does anyone know how to check that? I have a Gibson EB-13..

Take out the bridge and see if copper from a cable is below the area where the bridge was placed. That is a ground cable that makes contact with the bridge

 

[ctmullins]

Take out the bridge and see if copper from a cable is below the area where the bridge was placed. That is a ground cable that makes contact with the bridge

It's much easier to just check for continuity between the bridge and the jack.

 

[Makten]

Because i had no problem using tapes. The problem is the circuit not the string.
So you think every tapewound player is suffering from a no solution hum in their basses? Just realize it. The problem are not the strings.

If there is no point in the bassist being grounded to the strings, why do you think the bridge is grounded on virtually ALL basses? No, it's not needed to make the pickup work. Sorry, but you have no idea of what you are talking about.

This is about antennas, not a "circuit".

 

[maturanesa]

It's much easier to just check for continuity between the bridge and the jack.

Yeah but if the guy had electronics knowledge and the tools he would not ask the question in first place

 

[maturanesa]

If there is no point in the bassist being grounded to the strings, why do you think the bridge is grounded on virtually ALL basses? No, it's not needed to make the pickup work. Sorry, but you have no idea of what you are talking about.

This is about antennas, not a "circuit".

Is it impossible for you to understand that tapewounds strings are not the problem? Call it antena, shielding or grounding, the strings are NOT the issue contrary to OPs belief

 

[Makten]

Is it impossible for you to understand that tapewounds strings are not the problem? Call it antena, shielding or grounding, the strings are NOT the issue contrary to OPs belief

Please don't confuse me with the OP. I've never said that tapewound strings is the root of the issue. But you can solve it by grounding the bridge if you don't have tapewound strings, and that is exactly why all basses do this. It's not just for fun or to add cost.

 

[maturanesa]

Please don't confuse me with the OP. I've never said that tapewound strings is the root of the issue. But you can solve it by grounding the bridge if you don't have tapewound strings, and that is exactly why all basses do this. It's not just for fun or to add cost.

So why do you think most of the players dont have any hum issues using tapes? A person who hate the op made black magic so anywhere he goes there is noise that he have to tame touching the metal parts of his bass. Or maybe his circuit have issues.

 

[Clark W]

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 use D'Addario Tapewounds on an American Performer Precision PJ and I swear by 'em. Some of the best strings I've ever used.

Now when I bought the bass, it had Fender US nickel roundwounds and Fender's stock Yosemite pickups and greasebucket tone circuit. It was a 60hz hum generating machine!

But I knew going in I didn't like the pups or tone circuit. Didn't matter cause I had a plan. New tone circuit & control set using CTS, Switchcraft, & Vitamin Q components, Aguilar's hum canceling PJ pup set, a copper shielded pickguard and D'Addario Tapewound strings. That was in 2021. I have had nothing but dead silence when it comes to 60hz hum out of that bass. Pickups, bridge, pots, and output jack are all properly grounded. No problems using tapewounds at all.

 

[andare]

Did your basses buzz with regular strings? If the answer is yes, tapewounds are not the reason that make your bass to buzz

My basses didn't buzz with regular strings. They buzz with tapes for the reasons I explained in detail in post #99. Refer to it.