The B was one of the worst. I have used taper core B and E strings with great success, but I'm sure disappointed in the exposed cores. The B and E strings were the deadest. They sounded like the strings were muted.
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Holy cow, just discovered exposed cores
- Thread starter Thumpin6string
- Start date
Sadly, I don't think these are available anymore. Someone gave me a set a few years ago with a bass I bought. I put them on my G.Gould and loved them! I just went looking for a new set and, well, I didn't find a new set.
However, thanks to this thread, I'll be trying the La Bella Super Steps.
My take on the exposed or taper core strings has changed since I first discovered them in the 1990's. I first tried LaBella Super Steps ( (similar to the F Bass exposed) on my 1994 Modulus. I loved the tone but had trouble with intonation, warbling B syndrome, and didn't like the feel of the steel wrap.
Fast-forward to the present: I began experimenting with B strings that would be a better fit on my bass, which depended on the length of winding past the nut, and (if tapered) the length of taper when top loaded through the bridge or strung through the body. My favorite sounding B's included: Sadowsky Blue Label .125 tapered, Fodera/DR 125, Pure Blues 125, and Dunlop SB nickel .125 tapered.
The Dunlop SB tapered B ended up being my favorite- but not until I swapped it out a second time with either a spacer or stringing it through the body.
Because the Dunlop taper is longer than most, it was pretty wonky at first. The key to eliminating the warble/chorusing sound was to get the beginning of the taper to be as close as possible to the bridge saddle. BINGO! I can't believe I had never tried this before. The pitch center was brought into focus, the intonation improved, and the sound of the B was perfect at last weekend's concert.
Fast-forward to the present: I began experimenting with B strings that would be a better fit on my bass, which depended on the length of winding past the nut, and (if tapered) the length of taper when top loaded through the bridge or strung through the body. My favorite sounding B's included: Sadowsky Blue Label .125 tapered, Fodera/DR 125, Pure Blues 125, and Dunlop SB nickel .125 tapered.
The Dunlop SB tapered B ended up being my favorite- but not until I swapped it out a second time with either a spacer or stringing it through the body.
Because the Dunlop taper is longer than most, it was pretty wonky at first. The key to eliminating the warble/chorusing sound was to get the beginning of the taper to be as close as possible to the bridge saddle. BINGO! I can't believe I had never tried this before. The pitch center was brought into focus, the intonation improved, and the sound of the B was perfect at last weekend's concert.
I just took the tapered .120 B off one of my basses because it was a massive pain trying to tune and intonate it (needle kept oscillating). And when I did get 'close enough', above the 12th fret sounded massively sharp. Maybe it was a dud string? Was a custom-made set too...
I can find them on Amazon or eBay but I know the brand overall is struggling to hang on. They might be history soon. I would like to try super steps. I like the RX steels that labella has.
I just installed the Super Steps; sorry I didn't grab a picture with the SR2000s on there. I had to adjust the intonation on the G and B strings, but not by much. I would prefer these with a bit less (1/4" maybe?) exposed core. But they play and sound fine for now. I have practice tonight and we'll see how I feel after that.
