TapeWound Club~Anyone?

[KevinDBassist]

I will gladly join the club . I just put a new set of Labella Black Nylon tapewounds on my new Höfner and love the feel and tone on this bass . It is my first time using tapewounds and man they are fantastic with my amp running clean .

.

 

[cangaroo]

I'd like to try a black nylon set on my hollowbody bass, cause the current set (TI Flats Short Scale) E and A strings still sounds zingy after years of use.

Keeping in mind the following must haves :

- length between ball end and silk end between 33.5" and 34"
- tension/gauge low as possible (the bass is very old and i dont want to put too much tension on it)

what black nylons brand would you suggest ?

Thank you

 

[HaphAsSard]

low as possible

Judging from gauge alone, this Warwick set (34210 ML MS 4; .040", .060", .080", .100", medium scale, 34" winding length) is probably the lowest-tension in the market.
[For North American prospective buyers: it's not currently in stock at their online USA store
Warwick Strings
but one could try shooting them an email, see if it can be ordered.]

 

[FullumMusic]

I have La Bella Gold White Tapes on a bass. Love them. They’re the strings I’ve always dreamed of. (Tried the La Bella black tapes prior and loved them too but they were a skosh too dark.) Either way, I noticed with both tapes a tiny bit of stick/slip at the nut when I’m tuning. I’ll tighten the string slightly, it won’t get any sharper, I’ll hear a ping, and then it’ll jump up in pitch. I am speaking in terms of minutia. It’s not jumping up a quarter tone or anything. It’s a few cents, but it’s noticeable and I’m painfully nit-picky when tuning.

I’m wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue with their tapes and if they have a preferred method dealing with it? I’ve heard coloring the nut notch with soft graphite pencil will give it just enough lubrication. Or is there another preferred nut lubrication method for tapes as opposed to nickel/steel strings?

 

[cangaroo]

this Warwick set (34210 ML MS 4; .040", .060", .080", .100", medium scale, 34" winding length) is probably the lowest-tension in the market

Thanks, never heard of Warwick's black nylons before.

Judging by the only clip i can find on youtube



those strings sound rather bright, but they seem to be on the cheaper side, i might give them a try.

 

[Loring]

I have La Bella Gold White Tapes on a bass. Love them. They’re the strings I’ve always dreamed of. (Tried the La Bella black tapes prior and loved them too but they were a skosh too dark.) Either way, I noticed with both tapes a tiny bit of stick/slip at the nut when I’m tuning. I’ll tighten the string slightly, it won’t get any sharper, I’ll hear a ping, and then it’ll jump up in pitch. I am speaking in terms of minutia. It’s not jumping up a quarter tone or anything. It’s a few cents, but it’s noticeable and I’m painfully nit-picky when tuning.

I’m wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue with their tapes and if they have a preferred method dealing with it? I’ve heard coloring the nut notch with soft graphite pencil will give it just enough lubrication. Or is there another preferred nut lubrication method for tapes as opposed to nickel/steel strings?

tapes tend to be thicker so your nut might be too tight - other than that - yes use graphite.

 

[FullumMusic]

tapes tend to be thicker so your nut might be too tight - other than that - yes use graphite.

Brilliant. Thanks! I’ve had thicker gauge roundwounds on this bass over the years than these tapes so I’m betting the graphite should be enough.

 

[KLINCOLNS]

I have La Bella Gold White Tapes on a bass. Love them. They’re the strings I’ve always dreamed of. (Tried the La Bella black tapes prior and loved them too but they were a skosh too dark.) Either way, I noticed with both tapes a tiny bit of stick/slip at the nut when I’m tuning. I’ll tighten the string slightly, it won’t get any sharper, I’ll hear a ping, and then it’ll jump up in pitch. I am speaking in terms of minutia. It’s not jumping up a quarter tone or anything. It’s a few cents, but it’s noticeable and I’m painfully nit-picky when tuning.

I’m wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue with their tapes and if they have a preferred method dealing with it? I’ve heard coloring the nut notch with soft graphite pencil will give it just enough lubrication. Or is there another preferred nut lubrication method for tapes as opposed to nickel/steel strings?

Get some nut files and open the gap a tad. Just remember that the slot should look like a trumpet bell with the opening expanding towards the string post.

 

[mrperkolator]

tapes tend to be thicker so your nut might be too tight - other than that - yes use graphite.

Brilliant. Thanks! I’ve had thicker gauge roundwounds on this bass over the years than these tapes so I’m betting the graphite should be enough.

Anyone with similar issue should try using graphite first. I have a UBass with those rubber strings and it is horrible about the exact same thing. The rubber doesn't slide through nut well. It's a common issue with that string type, and baby powder is often recommended.

Most nuts are designed to have metal strings slide through them. Other materials may not slide the same. putting a slight bit of graphite/lube on the nut should be cheap enough. And it's not going to cause issues like accidentally widening your nut too much.

funnily enough... I may try deoxit fader lube on my ubass nut. might be a better lube for rubber/plastic than graphite.

 

[FullumMusic]

Anyone with similar issue should try using graphite first. I have a UBass with those rubber strings and it is horrible about the exact same thing. The rubber doesn't slide through nut well. It's a common issue with that string type, and baby powder is often recommended.

Most nuts are designed to have metal strings slide through them. Other materials may not slide the same. putting a slight bit of graphite/lube on the nut should be cheap enough. And it's not going to cause issues like accidentally widening your nut too much.

funnily enough... I may try deoxit fader lube on my ubass nut. might be a better lube for rubber/plastic than graphite.

Oh yeah, i'm definitely trying all non-destructive techniques first before i try widening the nut.

Definitely update us on how the Deoxit experiment goes. I was contemplating some sort of powder dry-lube or a tiny drop of silicone lube as an experiment. Was having arguments with myself in my mind if there's such a thing as nuts that are too-slippery. (Stop laughing. Act your age. )

But if the graphite pencil works, i'm not gonna bother experimenting with the other methods. I already ordered a set of graphite pencils that go all the way down to 10B softness. So i'll see how that goes, and then draw a picture or something with the rest of the pencils in the set. (How many different art pencils hardnesses are necessary for stick figure drawings? Asking for a friend.)

 

[mrperkolator]

Oh yeah, i'm definitely trying all non-destructive techniques first before i try widening the nut.

Definitely update us on how the Deoxit experiment goes. I was contemplating some sort of powder dry-lube or a tiny drop of silicone lube as an experiment. Was having arguments with myself in my mind if there's such a thing as nuts that are too-slippery. (Stop laughing. Act your age. )

But if the graphite pencil works, i'm not gonna bother experimenting with the other methods. I already ordered a set of graphite pencils that go all the way down to 10B softness. So i'll see how that goes, and then draw a picture or something with the rest of the pencils in the set. (How many different art pencils hardnesses are necessary for stick figure drawings? Asking for a friend.)

Yeah I can. I'm not sure how applicable it will be to tapewounds, but I guess some of the nylon tape is plasticky so it may have similar results. Its Deoxit F5, and I'll probably use masking tape to tape off both sides of nut, then spray. Stuff doesn't smell as good as baby powder. and may leave a weird residue on wood, thus the masking.

Also, a new nut that's not cheap plastic may fix it too. most nuts are pretty cheap, and an easy upgrade to a graphtech or similar may fix a couple of issues. Perhaps I just showed my cards and outed myself as a player of cheaper basses....

 

[FullumMusic]

Yeah I can. I'm not sure how applicable it will be to tapewounds, but I guess some of the nylon tape is plasticky so it may have similar results. Its Deoxit F5, and I'll probably use masking tape to tape off both sides of nut, then spray. Stuff doesn't smell as good as baby powder. and may leave a weird residue on wood, thus the masking.

Also, a new nut that's not cheap plastic may fix it too. most nuts are pretty cheap, and an easy upgrade to a graphtech or similar may fix a couple of issues. Perhaps I just showed my cards and outed myself as a player of cheaper basses....

Hey, nothing wrong with cheap basses. (Well, sometimes there's actually a lot wrong with them. But, you know what i'm sayin'.) And the nut on my 1994 Ibanez SR400 is definitely not fancy. (I can't remember if i replaced with with a teflon nut in the late 90s, or if that was on a different bass i sold. But if the Tapes are sticking, it's probably still the cheap nut.) And instead of replacing the nut on this old cheap bass, i'm just gonna buy some new basses. Seems way more reasonable.

Instead of taping off the nut and spraying, why not saturate a Q-Tip and then apply the deoxit with that?

 

[mrperkolator]

Instead of taping off the nut and spraying, why not saturate a Q-Tip and then apply the deoxit with that?

I like that idea a lot. I'm going with that method. perhaps later tonight. got some maintenance to do anyway

 

[jmlee]

I'd be wary of using any solvent-based agent like Deoxit on the nut in general, and with tapewound strings in particular. Polymer-based materials will often absorb solvents, softening them and even creating crazing as residual stresses are relieved. In the double bass world we just use a nice soft graphite pencil to coat the nut and bridge crossings, something on the B side of the hardness scale: softer than a standard HB pencil. You can get them easily at art and stationary stores, and I keep one around for that purpose. You can also use a dry graphite lubricant which is free of moisture and solvents that could damage plastics.

 

[Loring]

Get some nut files and open the gap a tad. Just remember that the slot should look like a trumpet bell with the opening expanding towards the string post.

You sure?

 

[mrperkolator]

I'd be wary of using any solvent-based agent like Deoxit on the nut in general, and with tapewound strings in particular. Polymer-based materials will often absorb solvents, softening them and even creating crazing as residual stresses are relieved. In the double bass world we just use a nice soft graphite pencil to coat the nut and bridge crossings, something on the B side of the hardness scale: softer than a standard HB pencil. You can get them easily at art and stationary stores, and I keep one around for that purpose. You can also use a dry graphite lubricant which is free of moisture and solvents that could damage plastics.

This is correct, except Deoxit F5 is fader lube, and specifically designed for plastic/polymer-based materials. The Deoxit website specifically states "Formulation safe on plastics"

For Reference: Deoixit Fader F5

Edit: thanks for the product recommendation! plenty of other areas where dry graphite is far superior.

Edit2: I will concede that this experiment with Deoxit F5 has not been tried afaik, so it would be better to try on a set you don't care about as much. I may have a set to experiment with.

Edit3: I should note... there are different versions of Deoxit, and several I specifically would not use on plastic. F5 happens to be fader lube.

 

[Salem6127]

What tapes would be best for two handed tapping? I can't do rounds anymore, but flats (even the brightest ones) don't seem like they'd cut it. I was thinking Daddario black nylons. Thoughts?

 

[MrAB4003]

I'd love to join the Tapewound Club please! I have a set of LaBella Nylon Gold White tapes on one of my Rickenbackers. And I want to get either another set of Nylon Gold White tapes or a set of the regular White Tapes for my Fender P Bass.

 

[mrperkolator]

What tapes would be best for two handed tapping? I can't do rounds anymore, but flats (even the brightest ones) don't seem like they'd cut it. I was thinking Daddario black nylons. Thoughts?

I haven't had experience with Daddario, but I've got some labella white tapes that sound real close to rounds. I'd check out the white tape (copper, gold, and white) at labella. I've got black tapes on my V3 and they sound great. As for tapping.... I'm unsure whether lower tension from light guage would help or not, but note that if you get the tapes that will not cause you to widen nut, they're probably going to be lights -- and will be a bit floppy. I personally like the full size tapes over the lights. I'm not heavy into tapping, so idk whether light or standard would be better.

 

[J.Wolf]

Labella E through high F looking pretty tasty on this Martin Keith.