Tapes users: Which gauges are you using?

[Just Wrong]

There seems to be two general categories of gauges of tapes:

Light:
La Bella 50-105
D'Addario 50-105
GHS 50-105
Magma 50-105

Standard:
La Bella 60-115
Pyramids 55-115
Galli 55-115
Rotosound 65-115
Fender 58-110
Magma 53-113

I've been using light sets, but noticed that La Bella's endorsees who use tapes all use standard gauges except for one.

Am I missing anything in using light gauges? Which gauge are you using?

 

[Karl Kaminski]

no. use what feels/sounds right in your hand.
(Played both, I prefer the 750s)

 

[BellaB]

I initially had the La Bella 050-1.00 but found the E in particular to be too floppy for my liking. Switched them out to 060-1.15 and never looked back. Love them on my P. I do think it’s a matter of preference.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Light:
La Bella 50-105
D'Addario 50-105
GHS 50-105
Magma 50-105

(You're interested in standards but, just for completeness' sake)
Warwick also has, in medium- and long-scale, a 45-105 tapewound bronze set, as well as a 40-100 one, which is the absolute lightest around.
The La Bella Beatle-bass nylon tape sets, black and white, are 50-100.

The discontinued Status tapes also reportedly came in light gauges.

Pyramids 55-115

Though a number of sites says so (which could even reflect older gauges), Pyramid tapes are 55-112, per their catalog (p. 17).

 

[Just Wrong]

(You're interested in standards but, just for completeness' sake)
Warwick also has, in medium- and long-scale, a 45-105 tapewound bronze set, as well as a 40-100 one, which is the absolute lightest around.
The La Bella Beatle-bass nylon tape sets, black and white, are 50-100.

The discontinued Status tapes also reportedly came in light gauges.


Though a number of sites says so (which could even reflect older gauges), Pyramid tapes are 55-112, per their catalog (p. 17).

Thanks! I didn’t know Warwick made tapes. I’ll update the post

 

[ajkula66]

FWIW, D'Addario tapes feel much firmer/stiffer than La Bella in the 105 gauge, at least to me.

no. use what feels/sounds right in your hand

This. If you're getting what you're looking for from lighter gauges, there's no need to change anything. Play & enjoy, that's all there is to it IMO.

 

[woodyng2]

I play with a light touch, and have been using the lighter gauge Labellas (black,white,copper),
on a variety of basses for about a decade now. I like that they vibrate more freely (i think) than the standard gauge.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

I started using (La'Bella) tapes for the first time a year ago.
I looked at the gauges only not realizing they were "light" guage.
At 1st, I wished I'd gotten the standard, but was able to adapt quickly to the lights, and was happy with the strings overall.
I'd probably try the standards next time.

 

[40Hz]

I use light gauge LaBella Copper White Nylons. I've played the heavier “standard” set and didn't think it gained anything by being bulkier.

 

[BadMonk]

LaBella White for me.

 

[Queue]

D'Addario light for my Kingman V2 short scale. I wanted lower tension.

 

[MCF]

There seems to be two general categories of gauges of tapes:

Light:
La Bella 50-105
D'Addario 50-105
GHS 50-105
Magma 50-105

Standard:
La Bella 60-115
Pyramids 55-115
Galli 55-115
Rotosound 65-115
Fender 58-110
Magma 53-113

I've been using light sets, but noticed that La Bella's endorsees who use tapes all use standard gauges except for one.

Am I missing anything in using light gauges? Which gauge are you using?

The DA 50-105s on an Epi Limited Edition Custom Shop TBird. I call it my Beatle Bass because I get a Hoffneresque tone through the Boogie Channel on my Mesa TT800.

 

[edencab]

I use the Dadd's.....been a while, but just priced them, wow!...with taxes, $80+ CDN

 

[iiipopes]

Underneath the tape:

the 50-105 sets are roughly equivalent to conventional rounds in 35-90; and
the 60-115 sets are roughly equivalent to conventional rounds in 45-100.

Because of this, I usually play conventional 45-105 sets, so I play the La Bella white tapes 60-115 set when I play tapes. The 50-105 sets are just too floppy for me.

 

[logdrum]

The standard LaBella ones because I put E-C on my 5-string and did not want to redo the nut

 

[Vodyanoi]

Light gauge, La Bella 750N — fretless player. I wasn't sure about their floppiness at first, since I've been using flatwounds for a while, but in the end they grew on me.

 

[MrAB4003]

I use light gauge La Bellas (whites and gold whites) because that's the only gauge that fits on my bass' nuts. They're a little floppy in D Standard, but they feel great in E Standard.

 

[GIBrat51]

I used the 4 heavy strings from a 5-string set of La Bella Black Tapes - 65-135, I think - for a while, on a bass that was strung BEAD. I replaced them with the 65-130's from a set of Roto RS775LDs. That B string 135 tapewound, to my fingers, was just a little too... flexible. As you can imagine, the Roto RS77's were not very flaxible at all...
Currently, the only tapewounds I'm still using are a set of medium scale Roto TruBass88 Tapes - 65-115 - on one of my violin basses. They've been on it for several years, and still sound very good. However... for what I like to play, in general? Tapewounds are a little too... "organic and woody"? For what I play on that violin bass, though, they work just fine...