TapeWound Club~Anyone?

[J.Wolf]

Hey Jake, most people that I know use the LaBella black tapes for exactly that. They're wonderful.

thats what I'm leaning towards. I have some Daddarios on an ABG. Theyre.....OK.

Trying to decide between the light and medium gauge labella black tapes, for a 5er

 

[HaphAsSard]

without sifting through 59 pages, is there a quick and dirty comparison of tone and feel between the more popular tapewound sets (Labella, Daddario Roto etc..)? Looking to get a set for my 5 string P with maximum woody thud. thx.

Paging @iiipopes.

 

[BEADG63]

thats what I'm leaning towards. I have some Daddarios on an ABG. Theyre.....OK.

Trying to decide between the light and medium gauge labella black tapes, for a 5er

Give the Roto RS88's a try, too...I use them and love them.

 

[J.Wolf]

Are the Roto's much shinier in appearance than the D Addario's or Labellas? I think I had a set on an SX along time ago.

 

[iiipopes]

Paging @iiipopes.

Maximum woody thud? GHS Precision Flats.

 

[J.Wolf]

Maximum woody thud? GHS Precision Flats.

Hmm interesting. That set isn't anywhere on my radar. Might give them a shot.

how do pyramids compare?

 

[iiipopes]

Hmm interesting. That set isn't anywhere on my radar. Might give them a shot. How do pyramids compare?

Pyramids are more on the La Bella side of the spectrum with more even tone and sustain and a few overtones. The original guys of GHS, I believe, were either Fender or V. C. Squier string company guys, and that is why GHS Precision Flats are both named as they are and why they are close, but not identical, to the famous woody tone of "golden era" flats made by the V. C. Squier company for Fender.

 

[J.Wolf]

Right now I have DR flats on this bass. I like them at first and now, not so much. The "B" String is also pretty much unusable

 

[Greywoulf]

My Rogue fretless came new around 2 or 3 years ago with a set of flatwounds on it, which I appreciated 'cause I dislike roundwounds, and especially not on a fretless, chewing up the plank! But eventually I thought the flats on it were a little dull, a little 'flat'. Don't know what brand they are, but they have a black winding thread, if that's any clue?
Anyway I'm now playing a bit more, and I've just installed a set of LaBella white tapewounds on the Rogue fretless. And wow, what a difference! It's like I bought a new bass..! These strings really sing! Great sustain, and less tension than the flats also. -Which I had to get used to, they're certainly a lot more flexible than those previous flats, -so much so that I had to adjust the E saddle to raise the string's low action some to keep it from clicking on the plank.
Getting back more into bass now is really helping me get thru this pandemic crisis and lockdown with some badly needed occasional joy.............. ;>)}
Greywoulf

 

[Sam Dingle]

can anyone give advice on how to mount these strings? I have a mexican P bass that i wanna put tapes on and the tuning pegs are a little too thin for the E to fit, the slit is not as wide as my American p bass. anyone have luck with this/advice?

 

[Greywoulf]

can anyone give advice on how to mount these strings? I have a mexican P bass that i wanna put tapes on and the tuning pegs are a little too thin for the E to fit, the slit is not as wide as my American p bass. anyone have luck with this/advice?

Only things I can think of are to maybe file out the peg's slit a little wider? Or, if you don't want to modify the bass, perhaps you could get another set of tape wounds with a lesser diameter? -Maybe someone else will have a better solution for you...
Greywoulf

 

[subdude67]

can anyone give advice on how to mount these strings? I have a mexican P bass that i wanna put tapes on and the tuning pegs are a little too thin for the E to fit, the slit is not as wide as my American p bass. anyone have luck with this/advice?

What brand and type of strings are you dealing with?

 

[iiipopes]

can anyone give advice on how to mount these strings? I have a mexican P bass that i wanna put tapes on and the tuning pegs are a little too thin for the E to fit, the slit is not as wide as my American p bass. anyone have luck with this/advice?

Is only the leader going into the tuning post, or are you trying to use too long strings that the main speaking portion of the string is either in the slot of the tuning post or going around it? If the ADG string leaders are going into the tuners just fine, then it may be the wrong length E string; you need an E string so only the leader goes in the slot or hole in the middle of the tuner post.

See my PM

 

[iiipopes]

And now for something completely different: As we all know, the tapewounds are larger diameter, generally for "regular" sets (D'Addario is the exception). But as we also all know, the tape has negligible mass, so the overall tension on a set of tapewounds is comparable to a set of light or extra light gauge conventional round wounds. Over the last couple of years, as the tapewounds I had died (divots in the nylon, lost ability to hold tune and sustain), I dissected a couple of sets. Here are my findings:

La Bella White Tapes C G D A E B
Nominal (on package) 43 60 70 94 115 135
Actual measurements 43 62 74 95 115 135
String core without nylon 26 43 56 74 95 118

Fender Tapewound G D A E
Nominal (on package) 58 72 92 110
Actual measurements 58 74 94 110
String core without nylon 37 50 69 88

The La Bella's are what I expected. The Fenders are so light, I had to remeasure them a couple of times and double-check my micrometer.

Later today, I'm posting a set of NOS never opened Fender Tapewound in the classifieds. Thanks.

 

[MichelD]

Any opinions on D'Addario Nylon Tapewound Bass Strings?

A luthier buddy has modified an acoustic guitar into a bass and was asking what I thought of them. I don't have a clue.

 

[Nebula24]

Any opinions on D'Addario Nylon Tapewound Bass Strings?

I liked them on my epi eb0 (shortscale version) but haven't tried others. Tamed some clang and fretbuzz I couldn't get rid of. Felt nice too. Recently put on low tension flats after digging them on my Eastwood jetson. Randomly get fretz buzz guessing due to OK temp changes so might switch back.

 

[iiipopes]

Any opinions on D'Addario Nylon Tapewound Bass Strings?

A luthier buddy has modified an acoustic guitar into a bass and was asking what I thought of them. I don't have a clue.

Too light. They flop all over the place. They are that light so a player does not need to redo nut slots for them to fit without binding. They have the usual D'Addario signature mid scoop tone, but at a feel that is like a 35-90 set of conventional roundwounds.

 

[west al]

Any opinions on D'Addario Nylon Tapewound Bass Strings?

A luthier buddy has modified an acoustic guitar into a bass and was asking what I thought of them. I don't have a clue.

D'Addario ETB92 Nylons are the only Nylons I use. ETB92S Nylons strung on my Epi EB-0. I had a set of ETB92 Nylons on a Fender USA Geddy Lee Jazz for 4.5 years when I sold the bass with the Nylons still on. Gauges, (.50, .65, .85, .105)

 

[basss]

Can anyone compare the tone of the La Bella steel white tapes with the coppers? I have the steel white tapes on a piezo equipped bass now and really like them. It sounds like the coppers are darker? Not sure I want that.

 

[iiipopes]

Can anyone compare the tone of the La Bella steel white tapes with the coppers? I have the steel white tapes on a piezo equipped bass now and really like them. It sounds like the coppers are darker? Not sure I want that.

I've played all the La Bella tapewounds over the years. My take on the tonal differences:
White tapes - brightest (well, in the context of nylon tape)
Gold tapes - well seated nickel plated steel rounds with the top end rounded off
Black tapes - darkest
Copper tapes - between black and white in brightness, but a different midrange characteristic; some folks really like them for jazz - smooth mid presence.

I surmise, but can't be sure because I haven't tried the coppers on a piezo or AEB, but they may react similarly to bronze AEB strings, but without the edge.