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La Bella Nylon Tape -- Round-wound Core?

B

BajoConTumbao

Dec 12, 2017
6
1
#1
Hi Everybody,

I have been using La Bella 760N Black Nylon Tape strings on my 80s Guild Pilot (EMG pickups). I found they gave a nice round tone, but also there was plenty of snap left for playing slap, funk, dance tunes. Then one broke and it looks like the core was actually round wound?? (Would explain the pop!)

I was considering replacing because I don't like how the tape on the La Bellas gets rough after a lot of playing. Looking at the RotoSound 88 -- anyone have experience with those?

I use Tomastik on my other bass, mostly for Salsa and Latin Jazz. I use the Guild if I ever need to slap at all...
 
#7
michael_t said:
GHS Tapewounds WERE the Brite Flats (Alloy 52 half-rounds) under the tape.

I have no experience with them, except to let you know they were discontinued a while ago, so no point in you getting too excited about them at this point. ;)
Click to expand...

Actually, no. This isn't correct.

Our tapewounds were the only set of strings that we didn't make inhouse; we had an outside company make them for us. When they discontinued them, I spent a couple of months hunting to find the tape (so we could possibly bring them inhouse) as well as reverse-engineering them. This is where it got pretty interesting.

Our tapewounds weren't groundwounds; they were actual flats underneath the tape. Because you still run flatwounds and groundwounds through a grinding machine (just to polish the former instead of grinding away material on the latter), they look very similar until you pull them apart. So, they were much closer to Precision Flats than anything else.

This was a big surprise, for sure. But also explains the tonal difference a little better.


trothwell said:
If we get excited enough, maybe they will release Balanced Tapewounds over Round Core Brite Flats!
Click to expand...

Probably not, unfortunately.
 
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#8
Jon Moody said:
Our tapewounds weren't groundwounds; they were actual flats underneath the tape. Because you still run flatwounds and groundwounds through a grinding machine (just to polish the former instead of grinding away material on the latter), they look very similar until you pull them apart. So, they were much closer to Precision Flats than anything else.

This was a big surprise, for sure. But also explains the tonal difference a little better.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... interesting... I've never heard this before. It is a big surprise indeed.

So, what would be the point of having a flatwound under the tape? I always thought the point of tapewounds was to have a roundwound tone with a flatwound feel. More or less...
 
#9
michael_t said:
Hmmm... interesting... I've never heard this before. It is a big surprise indeed.

So, what would be the point of having a flatwound under the tape? I always thought the point of tapewounds was to have a roundwound tone with a flatwound feel. More or less...
Click to expand...

Honestly, no idea. I was never privy to that information as the tapewounds were here well before I was.
 
#12
BajoConTumbao said:
Hi Everybody,

I have been using La Bella 760N Black Nylon Tape strings on my 80s Guild Pilot (EMG pickups). I found they gave a nice round tone, but also there was plenty of snap left for playing slap, funk, dance tunes. Then one broke and it looks like the core was actually round wound?? (Would explain the pop!)

I was considering replacing because I don't like how the tape on the La Bellas gets rough after a lot of playing. Looking at the RotoSound 88 -- anyone have experience with those?

I use Tomastik on my other bass, mostly for Salsa and Latin Jazz. I use the Guild if I ever need to slap at all...
Click to expand...

I used Roto 88s on my P-bass and hollowbody for a long time. They feel amazing and of course have that thump, but I would not describe the tone as “snappy” in the highs. I also had some intonation issues, which is why I switched back to stainless flats. Just my experience.
 
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#13
I tend towards flats or tapes anyhow. But I love D'Addario black tapes on a full scale p/j bass. They growl like none other.

I guess it's a medium between rounds and half round or pressure wound. But I haven't explored that. I went from rounds to flats and then to tapes.
 
#14
For flats I’ve tried most of them. But I’ve had the best luck with: TI Jazz Flats, light gauge GHS Precisions, and light gauge Chromes.

If you’re going to play nylon tapewounds, Labella’s White Nylons are the only way to go IMO. (I prefer their copper set.)

Hey lookee what delivery man just dropped off five minutes ago! Haven’t bought a set of these babies in at least 10 years. And that set is still going strong on the bass they’re already on. :laugh:

ED21B61B-B3C1-40F4-8758-BE150F29A4C1.jpeg
 
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#15
DSCF4277.JPG

I have used Rotosound RS88s since 1982 and built this bass specifically for nylon wound in 1985. It presently has LaBella nylon wounds on it and I find them somewhat brighter. This bass has a curly maple one piece through neck with ebony and black walnut for the body wings. Ebony fingerboard and headstock overlay. Badass bridge, Grover tuners and most important are the Alembic pickups and preamp. If you didn't see me you wouldn't know I was playing a fretless with nylon strings.
 
#19
Jon Moody said:
Our tapewounds were the only set of strings that we didn't make inhouse; we had an outside company make them for us. When they discontinued them, I spent a couple of months hunting to find the tape (so we could possibly bring them inhouse) as well as reverse-engineering them. This is where it got pretty interesting.

Our tapewounds weren't groundwounds; they were actual flats underneath the tape. Because you still run flatwounds and groundwounds through a grinding machine (just to polish the former instead of grinding away material on the latter), they look very similar until you pull them apart. So, they were much closer to Precision Flats than anything else.

This was a big surprise, for sure. But also explains the tonal difference a little better.
Click to expand...
Jon, a recent post by a member mentioned Picato Strings of UK having gone out of business; (assuming it is true that they've closed shop,) if they happen to be the company that used to make black nylon tapewounds for GHS, are you at liberty to confirm or deny it now?
 

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