TapeWound Club~Anyone?

[trseal]

I haven't played GHS nylons, but my understanding is that they're the only tapewounds where the core is an actual flatwound, as opposed to a roundwound on La Bella, D'Addario etc. I'd presume that the new string would sound quite differently from the rest of the set. Whether that would yield a good or a bad result I have no idea.

My $0.02 only...

Good luck.

This may not be worth much, but I just installed La Bella tapes on my Mod Shop Jazz. They appear to me to be flats. I can't be sure but they are quite smooth and at a close look they look like their winding is flat. I have Fender tapes on a fretless Jazz and they are quite obvious round wound beneath the tape. The LaBellas are still new and I don't know how they will sound in a month or 2 but right now they are fairly zingy for tapes.

Tim

 

[dlmarquez]

uhh… give the 760s a 90 degree bend then cut. Kink should help with slippage…

I haven’t tried anything other than labella tapes after loving them….

I guess what I should have asked is what tapewound strings definitely have hexagonal cores?

 

[HaphAsSard]

This may not be worth much, but I just installed La Bella tapes on my Mod Shop Jazz. They appear to me to be flats. I can't be sure but they are quite smooth and at a close look they look like their winding is flat. I have Fender tapes on a fretless Jazz and they are quite obvious round wound beneath the tape. The LaBellas are still new and I don't know how they will sound in a month or 2 but right now they are fairly zingy for tapes.

Tim

Under the tape La Bellas are round, too; it's just that Fenders aren't ground smooth.

 

[mrperkolator]

This may not be worth much, but I just installed La Bella tapes on my Mod Shop Jazz. They appear to me to be flats. I can't be sure but they are quite smooth and at a close look they look like their winding is flat. I have Fender tapes on a fretless Jazz and they are quite obvious round wound beneath the tape. The LaBellas are still new and I don't know how they will sound in a month or 2 but right now they are fairly zingy for tapes.

Tim

They are super smooth. I do have an email somewhere where I asked customer service, and they are rounds with nylon wrap. You can actually see the rounds on the white tapes.

I guess what I should have asked is what tapewound strings definitely have hexagonal cores?

I’m not sure if Labella is or not. I mentioned the bend idea because the 760n’s just sound so good. I’d hate to not have that option.

 

[dlmarquez]

They are super smooth. I do have an email somewhere where I asked customer service, and they are rounds with nylon wrap. You can actually see the rounds on the white tapes.



I’m not sure if Labella is or not. I mentioned the bend idea because the 760n’s just sound so good. I’d hate to not have that option.

me too! I will probably try a set just to see, at $50 Or so I can live with that

 

[pipeman]

i recommend the Galli. the tension and output is higher than most and the price is right.

 

[dlmarquez]

i recommend the Galli. the tension and output is higher than most and the price is right.

Do they have a hexagonal core?

 

[trseal]

Under the tape La Bellas are round, too; it's just that Fenders aren't ground smooth.

They are super smooth. I do have an email somewhere where I asked customer service, and they are rounds with nylon wrap. You can actually see the rounds on the white tapes.

AH..! Thanks for that. That never even crossed my mind.

Tim

 

[trseal]

i recommend the Galli. the tension and output is higher than most and the price is right.

I read here somewhere that some didn't like the LaBellas due to their low tension. I'm seeing that on the one's I installed. They are quite "flabby." I had to make some significant changes in my setup--action and relief-- to make them playable. They sound really nice--just the sound I was looking for--but I had to go to the limits I was willing to go to, to make them playable. Any more and I was just going to go to "plan B" on strings...

Tim

 

[bassnyc1]

I have also used the Galli tapes. Nice strings. More tension than the GHS set I tried, but not too much.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I guess what I should have asked is what tapewound strings definitely have hexagonal cores?

My working hypothesis is all of them. A round core is usually a big selling point - because less perceived tension, and smoother tone, that kind of stuff. Also, it's an added cost in terms of quality control (I remember reading hex core strings come out more consistent) that has to be passed onto the customer willing to pay it, in exchange for the bonuses it comes with.
So yeah, those that got it tend to flaunt it, and again, never heard of a nylon tapewound having it. NOS sets made in the Sixties, probably (AFAIK hex core is a Seventies rediscovery of a 1930s innovation), but other than that, never heard of it in tapedom.

 

[dlmarquez]

So far, the only tape wounds I know for sure are Hex cores are Daddario

 

[winegamd]

All of the LaBella tapes are hex core.

 

[dlmarquez]

Glad to hear that, i have looked all over LaBellas website and could not find any mention of the actual core type, only the winding type. Thanks!

 

[Just Wrong]

My working hypothesis is all of them. A round core is usually a big selling point - because less perceived tension, and smoother tone, that kind of stuff. Also, it's an added cost in terms of quality control (I remember reading hex core strings come out more consistent) that has to be passed onto the customer willing to pay it, in exchange for the bonuses it comes with.
So yeah, those that got it tend to flaunt it, and again, never heard of a nylon tapewound having it. NOS sets made in the Sixties, probably (AFAIK hex core is a Seventies rediscovery of a 1930s innovation), but other than that, never heard of it in tapedom.

That is my understanding as well.

 

[ADHD librarian]

A question for my tapewound bretheren...

I recently made a La Bella black tapewound go 'ping' (long story short, I was a distracted idiot)
It is a resonably new set & I don't feel like spending $AU99 on a new set just to get one string.

but I can get a single GHS 3060 Black Nylon string for $US15

My question is, how different are those strings?
Am I going to have a bass that looks like it has a set of strings but sounds like arse?

Well....

I now love the people at LaBella (not just their strings). I asked about a replacement, confessed with sadness I was to blame for the untimely demise of my poor black tape <sad music> and bemoaned the $99 a set I pay for a set in Australia.
And they are sending me a replacement for the cost of postage!! <such happy, very joy>

 

[mking]

LaBella's customer service is great!

 

[trseal]

I don't want to dis LaBella strings--I was warned here about their tape-wounds. But just so everybody had one more view, I'll give you my take on their tape wounds.

I had read that their tapes were brighter than typical tapes and I was looking for a warm tone with a touch of zing for my custom Jazz w/PV'74's. It was also reported that the LaBellas were pretty low tension. So I tho't I'd give 'em a go.

It has been a bit of an experience. They actually have the sound I think I was looking for. But man, are they FLABBY. They are so floppy I had to make pretty significant changes to the action height and relief. I started at my preferred settings which are incrementally lower than factory specs (that work well with my usual strings of choice) and relief set at factory spec min.

The E and A buzzed all up and down the neck. Not TOO bad on the D and G. I'll admit I can get pretty aggressive sometimes tho'.

After a few trial and error attempts (and a serious conversation with these strings that this was their last chance...) I ended up with action at 7/64 on the E and A and 6/64 on the D and G at the 17th and relief at .014.
All these are higher than I like and I'm settling for just some occasional buzz on the E. But they do sound good. So I'm giving them a whirl for awhile and see how they work out. I guess to some extent, the low tension compensates for the higher action.

Oh. And they are VERY slippery.

Tim

 

[SharpCat]

I don't want to dis LaBella strings--I was warned here about their tape-wounds. But just so everybody had one more view, I'll give you my take on their tape wounds.

I had read that their tapes were brighter than typical tapes and I was looking for a warm tone with a touch of zing for my custom Jazz w/PV'74's. It was also reported that the LaBellas were pretty low tension. So I tho't I'd give 'em a go.

It has been a bit of an experience. They actually have the sound I think I was looking for. But man, are they FLABBY. They are so floppy I had to make pretty significant changes to the action height and relief. I started at my preferred settings which are incrementally lower than factory specs (that work well with my usual strings of choice) and relief set at factory spec min.

The E and A buzzed all up and down the neck. Not TOO bad on the D and G. I'll admit I can get pretty aggressive sometimes tho'.

After a few trial and error attempts (and a serious conversation with these strings that this was their last chance...) I ended up with action at 7/64 on the E and A and 6/64 on the D and G at the 17th and relief at .014.
All these are higher than I like and I'm settling for just some occasional buzz on the E. But they do sound good. So I'm giving them a whirl for awhile and see how they work out. I guess to some extent, the low tension compensates for the higher action.

Oh. And they are VERY slippery.

Tim

Flabby. Excellent choice of words. Yeah, I couldn't deal with the flabby either. I had the same experience.

 

[ADHD librarian]

I don't want to dis LaBella strings--I was warned here about their tape-wounds. But just so everybody had one more view, I'll give you my take on their tape wounds.

I had read that their tapes were brighter than typical tapes and I was looking for a warm tone with a touch of zing for my custom Jazz w/PV'74's. It was also reported that the LaBellas were pretty low tension. So I tho't I'd give 'em a go.

It has been a bit of an experience. They actually have the sound I think I was looking for. But man, are they FLABBY. They are so floppy I had to make pretty significant changes to the action height and relief. I started at my preferred settings which are incrementally lower than factory specs (that work well with my usual strings of choice) and relief set at factory spec min.

The E and A buzzed all up and down the neck. Not TOO bad on the D and G. I'll admit I can get pretty aggressive sometimes tho'.

After a few trial and error attempts (and a serious conversation with these strings that this was their last chance...) I ended up with action at 7/64 on the E and A and 6/64 on the D and G at the 17th and relief at .014.
All these are higher than I like and I'm settling for just some occasional buzz on the E. But they do sound good. So I'm giving them a whirl for awhile and see how they work out. I guess to some extent, the low tension compensates for the higher action.

Oh. And they are VERY slippery.

Tim

What sort (and size) of tape are you playing?
I've played La Bella 760N and 750G (and 760-FL) and they feel quite different.
I wouldn't describe the 760N as floppy (or flabby) but I can understand that as a description of the 750G.
That said, I didn't need to change the saddle height when I put the golds on. They just 'clank' a little more when I get aggressive.