Wow, a bass banjo? Great idea for me in my Jugband. The D'Adds would look and likely sound great on it.
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TapeWound Club~Anyone?
- Thread starter .BumeStik.
- Start date
I use them on my fretless basses but sometimes go back to nickel. I have a set I want to try on my P Bass but at the moment the flats are off and it's sporting some nickel rounds for a recording. After that's over I'll try the tape wounds because I feel they will impart some thumpy goodness to the sound. 
I just took off the TIJFs I've had on this bass since January and installed a Christmas gift! These are the strings that absolutely belong on this bass. Phenomenal!
I've also got ETB92M on my Ibanez AEB5E acoustic bass (going on six years with that set). I'm already in the club, of course.
I'M BACK!
So I made my way around the string choice rabbit hole and learned some things along the way. For the music I play (hardcore/thrash/metal), I need heavy gauges and a lot of tension. Tried stiff flats, and some of the stiffest balanced rounds I could get. Most recently... 50-120 BT D'Addarios. They got close to the sound in my head, and felt great. BUT... not enough focus, I hated the extra noise, and if I got 3 weeks out of them I considered myself lucky.
Man, I missed how tapes last basically forever, and how you know from day to day what you're gonna get sonically. No random overnight deaths, just a great, focused sound that goes on forever. But the tension...
Problem solved, and in a way I would probably not recommend for everyone. I remembered that when I ordered my D'Ad tapes back in the day, I was planning on eventually experimenting with BEAD tuning so I ordered a 5-string set. The low tension stopped me. BUT... if they're that low tension at BEAD, maybe they would be just right with the bottom 4 at EADG. Nailed it... man I'm glad this Rick has an indestructible neck. 65-135 tapes in EADG feel incredible... the stiffness I want, some extra effort from my left hand but every other benefit we all know and love from tapes. And the tone... I feel like the extra tension makes them even more focused. Through heavy drive they are magical.
TL/DR.... if the looseness of tapes puts you off, and you have a good strong neck on your bass... don't be afraid to think outside of the box!
So I made my way around the string choice rabbit hole and learned some things along the way. For the music I play (hardcore/thrash/metal), I need heavy gauges and a lot of tension. Tried stiff flats, and some of the stiffest balanced rounds I could get. Most recently... 50-120 BT D'Addarios. They got close to the sound in my head, and felt great. BUT... not enough focus, I hated the extra noise, and if I got 3 weeks out of them I considered myself lucky.
Man, I missed how tapes last basically forever, and how you know from day to day what you're gonna get sonically. No random overnight deaths, just a great, focused sound that goes on forever. But the tension...
Problem solved, and in a way I would probably not recommend for everyone. I remembered that when I ordered my D'Ad tapes back in the day, I was planning on eventually experimenting with BEAD tuning so I ordered a 5-string set. The low tension stopped me. BUT... if they're that low tension at BEAD, maybe they would be just right with the bottom 4 at EADG. Nailed it... man I'm glad this Rick has an indestructible neck. 65-135 tapes in EADG feel incredible... the stiffness I want, some extra effort from my left hand but every other benefit we all know and love from tapes. And the tone... I feel like the extra tension makes them even more focused. Through heavy drive they are magical.
TL/DR.... if the looseness of tapes puts you off, and you have a good strong neck on your bass... don't be afraid to think outside of the box!
i use labella black nylon tapewound 750n for my ibanez sr1400 mlg,....nordie big single has too aggresive when i play it with roundwound for old country music..,...and i am very satisfied with it,...
by the way what tipe of tapewound if one day i buy dingwall 5 string super p fretless? can you suggest me any product ?
by the way what tipe of tapewound if one day i buy dingwall 5 string super p fretless? can you suggest me any product ?
Dingwall Super P is only 32-35 inches fanned fret, top bridge stringing. So, it probably could also use La Bella 750N that you seem to like, but you might have to order the Extra Long set (all 38" winding).
I'v been playing the medium scale LaBella white tapes for the past week, and really dig them! For me, the tension is perfect. They are very flexible. They sound great just practicing by myself. Next week I have a rehearsal and then studio recording. So we'll see how it goes in those situations.
I have a question for those who have used tapes outside in hot weather... do they get grabby at all in the heat/humidity? My band played on outside stages a lot last summer, and I was constantly wiping down my TI Jazz rounds and DR Neons with axewipes before any song with slides, lol. (And in between sets, etc.) Do the tapes need anything like that, or are they good as is?
(I do have a soft cloth just for wiping down the whole bass including strings before putting away after playing. Just curious if the strings stay nice and smooth during outdoor shows.)
I have a question for those who have used tapes outside in hot weather... do they get grabby at all in the heat/humidity? My band played on outside stages a lot last summer, and I was constantly wiping down my TI Jazz rounds and DR Neons with axewipes before any song with slides, lol. (And in between sets, etc.) Do the tapes need anything like that, or are they good as is?
(I do have a soft cloth just for wiping down the whole bass including strings before putting away after playing. Just curious if the strings stay nice and smooth during outdoor shows.)
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,167
- 257,037
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
Played my D'Addario tapewounds in high heat and humidity without incident. The bass did need a good wipe down after the set.
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,167
- 257,037
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
And now have a set of Warwick tapes. But can't use them as 36 inch winding on the medium scale set is too long for my medium scale bass and too short for my through-body Stingray.
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I had no idea Warwick made tapes. I put D'Addario tapes on my Streamer LX once, and it was a remarkably unremarkable sound, totally different than putting them on a P bass, which I really enjoy.
Ay, I feared as much:
Is your medium-scaler a top-loader? Could you thread the E-string through a piece of tubing, as @kohanmike did here?
NBD, Jackson Dinky Minion neon pink conversion.
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,167
- 257,037
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
It's a trapeze tailpiece, and I'd need two inches that ain't there. I'm too OCD to have string on the tuning peg, and too OCD for bits of pipe on my bass.
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Finished recording some demos yesterday with the white tapes and they sound good! I think I'm set with these!
A bit late of a reply, but if you contact Pyramid they will do custom lengths for a set.
A question for the tapewound aficionados:
Does anyone make a tapewound string that has a NICKEL roundwound beneath the nylon? Pure nickel would be awesome, but I'd imagine NPS would be more likely.
Does anyone make a tapewound string that has a NICKEL roundwound beneath the nylon? Pure nickel would be awesome, but I'd imagine NPS would be more likely.
I'm confused about this because the La Bella Black and White tapes are described on various retailers' sites as using stainless steel strings beneath the nylon. (For example: La Bella 750N Black Nylon Tapewound Bass Strings - Light)
And Roto 88s are steel: TRU BASS 88 | ROTOSOUND
I'm unsure about the D'addario tapes, Pyramids, etc though.
And that's important for their sound. If You need more warmth, You need the gold white tapes which have brass windings.
AFAIK, Pyramids are steel, too. But their special and unusual winding style of the nylon layer gives them the warm sound You'd normally expect from pure nickel strings.
