Ball end and peg end simultaneously. Just to see which method I preferred. I have had a big juicy Chrome 132 on my Mikro now for months with no ill effects that I have noticed.
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Guitar Scale Acoustic Basses
- Thread starter SBassman
- Start date
My bad, I said Dunlop tapewounds but I meant D'Addario tapewounds. Not flats of either. Tapewounds.
Only reason I ask is because I have a set of tapewounds at home already. I didn't want to try and install them if it would potentially damage the bass.
Thanks!
Steel-core flatwounds, and likely to intonate wrong as well. I'd only (actually, I habitually do) recommend the MBLS for
- solid body basslets, with adjustable bridges
- fretless guitar-scale acoustic bass guitars, provided one's OK with learning to ignore the lines
- one of those few GSABGs which come with steel-core rounds, which means their bridge saddles have been positioned accordingly.
OK, gotcha.
First off, the intonation caveat still stands.
This said, I don't believe the bass itself is in any danger, but the strings themselves may be. You need to read up on how to shorten strings at either the ball-end or the headstock, but also secure the tape from unravelling, ahead of the cut, with a short tourniquet of heat-shrink tubing.
I should add that Goldtone says the
Regarding shortening. Sometimes you will have to shorten at the peg end of the string for 2 reasons. 1/ winding length reasons and you don't want non tapered string wound on the post. And 2/ the taper might not even fit down the tuning peg hole or in the slot.
There are occasions at the ball end for shortening if you don't want the knarly windings of a non tapered ball end string on your saddle. You could of course use a few washers or metal tubing to move the ball further back from the back of the plate. Preferable to cutting the ball off completely above the knarly winding. Though the OP of the thread I posted only did his method with rounds, my experience is that is fine doing it on flats. The proviso is , as you mentioned, a collar of some sort to stop flat outer wrap unravelling ( and inner round wraps too for that matter). I used super glue and bicarb to set really quick to make a collar to prevent the unravel.
I forgot to mention that Goldtone says the La Bella set are not for the strictly acoustic version of their 23" micro bass. I guess for the reason you said. Intonation.
Regarding shortening. Sometimes you will have to shorten at the peg end of the string for 2 reasons. 1/ winding length reasons and you don't want non tapered string wound on the post. And 2/ the taper might not even fit down the tuning peg hole or in the slot.
There are occasions at the ball end for shortening if you don't want the knarly windings of a non tapered ball end string on your saddle. You could of course use a few washers or metal tubing to move the ball further back from the back of the plate. Preferable to cutting the ball off completely above the knarly winding. Though the OP of the thread I posted only did his method with rounds, my experience is that is fine doing it on flats. The proviso is , as you mentioned, a collar of some sort to stop flat outer wrap unravelling ( and inner round wraps too for that matter). I used super glue and bicarb to set really quick to make a collar to prevent the unravel.
What do you use now or do you have a preference? That's what I would consider first. I can't answer your other questions.
Apologies. I did owe an update.
The rounds are great. They are actually much closer to the stock gauges. Intonation is excellent, and the tone is beautiful - warmth index is in between stock and the Aquila flats. I love them. I will keep a set of flats on one of my minis and a set of rounds on the other.
Very positive results. Good info. I'm a rounds guy. Flats just bring me down. Tapes would be interesting if I had a 2nd ABG to try/use them on.
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This discussion raises a question for me. The guitar scale basses are all (to my limited knowledge) piezo pickup-powered and rely on synthetic core strings to deliver standard bass frequencies at that scale length.
If so, what, if any, effect would the wrapping have on a piezo? It obviously counts with magnetic pickups but does it have an effect on a system that converts vibrations non-magnetically to sound?
I have two GSB/piezos with round wound strings and one 30"/piezo with tapes. All sound fine and the only difference is the wear and tear on my fingers.
If the windings do cause a difference then I am stumped on how. Not denying they do, just unsure on how.
If so, what, if any, effect would the wrapping have on a piezo? It obviously counts with magnetic pickups but does it have an effect on a system that converts vibrations non-magnetically to sound?
I have two GSB/piezos with round wound strings and one 30"/piezo with tapes. All sound fine and the only difference is the wear and tear on my fingers.
If the windings do cause a difference then I am stumped on how. Not denying they do, just unsure on how.
Not sure why they wouldn't? Do your strings sound different when you don't play plugged in? Sure they do.
Strings of different types with a metal core sound different with just a piezo that converts vibrations non-magnetically to sound. Strings of different types with a nylon core will also sound different with just a piezo that converts vibrations non-magnetically to sound. (non-magnetically and vibrations are the key phrases here)
Nylon core won't work on any instrument that has magnetic pups. But any strings of any material will work on an instrument with a piezo because a piezo converts vibrations non-magnetically to sound. You pretty much answered your own question with your own statement.
Looking at it another way, windings are generally used to increase the mass of the string without running into the intonation problems you'd get with a larger-gauge unwound string.
If you think about an unwound low E string in steel, it would sound more like banging on a wrought-iron fence than a stringed instrument.
In that sense, nylon core is technically "better" than steel, because it has much lower stiffness. That brings it closer to the theoretically ideal string (infinite flexibility). It's also how Taylor were able to bring a guitar-scale bass to market that didn't have an odd, hollow sound on the A and E strings.
But sometimes we get used to technical imperfections- especially when it comes to stringed instruments. That's why electric bassists don't all play nylon-strung, fanned-fret headless basses with weird-shaped ergonomic bodies and optical sensors instead of pickups...
If you think about an unwound low E string in steel, it would sound more like banging on a wrought-iron fence than a stringed instrument.
In that sense, nylon core is technically "better" than steel, because it has much lower stiffness. That brings it closer to the theoretically ideal string (infinite flexibility). It's also how Taylor were able to bring a guitar-scale bass to market that didn't have an odd, hollow sound on the A and E strings.
But sometimes we get used to technical imperfections- especially when it comes to stringed instruments. That's why electric bassists don't all play nylon-strung, fanned-fret headless basses with weird-shaped ergonomic bodies and optical sensors instead of pickups...
Wanted to post one more time on the Aquila Copper Rounds:
They have become the #1 acoustic string for me, with the flats being #2.
The rounds are great. They are actually much closer to the stock gauges. Comparing these to the stock strings - it's a slam dunk for me. If you are interested in string alternatives, and you are not a flats person, check out the Aquila Copper Rounds. I think you will love them.
Soft, lower tension, with warmth. A really beautiful acoustic guitar string.
They have become the #1 acoustic string for me, with the flats being #2.
The rounds are great. They are actually much closer to the stock gauges. Comparing these to the stock strings - it's a slam dunk for me. If you are interested in string alternatives, and you are not a flats person, check out the Aquila Copper Rounds. I think you will love them.
Soft, lower tension, with warmth. A really beautiful acoustic guitar string.
Yeah - synthetic core like the flats. With copper roundwound on top. Soft, warm, and delicious.
What happens to them over time?
Silver wounds (ie: La Bella CB-40's) turn my fingers black occasionally when they tarnish. Do the Copperwounds turn green, or are they plated with something more tarnish resistant?
I just found this thread. I'll have to go back over the previous 90 pages.
Here's one I finished building a month ago. It has steel strings and I still might add a surface mount pick-up.
Here's one I finished building a month ago. It has steel strings and I still might add a surface mount pick-up.
Significant flaw with the CB-40s is that they age out quickly.
The Coppers do not turn green. They slowly, beautifully get darker red - and the tone keeps getting sweeter, IMO.
Interesting.
My acoustic gets played less than half the time, thanks to the new electric upright in the house, along with my Dingwall. Also, I have fairly dry hands, which probably affects my experience.
Whatever the cause, it takes a few days for a new set of CB-40's to stabilize, and then I get about 6 months out of a set. I run the treble on my Guild at about 50% at first, slowly opening up the treble control as they mellow.
I actually like them broken in- they get a nice vocal quality that I appreciate, which is an odd experience for me- I despise old, dead steel-core strings regardless of whether they're flats or rounds.
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