Trimming long-scale tapewounds for short scale, small tuner basses

[Iristone]

Step 1: make a slight crease or kink at the length between the nut and tuner (see pic below), and cure the tapes there with a drop of super glue;
Step 2: cut and peel off the tapes from the tuner side until the crease;
Step 3: fix the tapes to the inner winding with another drop of superglue;
Step 4: cut off excessive tape;
Step 5 peel some of the inner winding if necessary (such as for a Höfner bass).

Voilà: I've fitted La Bella 760N onto my Höfner Ignition. If the 760N-M set is out of stock, this definitely works and sounds infinitely better than any tension-unbalanced 760xHBB set.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Step 1: make a slight crease or kink at the length between the nut and tuner (see pic below), and cure the tapes there with a drop of super glue;
Step 2: cut and peel off the tapes from the tuner side until the crease;
Step 3: fix the tapes to the inner winding with another drop of superglue;
Step 4: cut off excessive tape;
Step 5 peel some of the inner winding if necessary (such as for a Höfner bass).
View attachment 7125213
Voilà: I've fitted La Bella 760N onto my Höfner Ignition. If the 760N-M set is out of stock, this definitely works and sounds infinitely better than any tension-unbalanced 760xHBB set.

Done this with rounds and flats, but haven’t chanced it with tapes. Check out this thread https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diy-making-short-scale-strings-out-of-long-scale-strings.1549282/
I think the method with the small wheel collars is the easiest approach. You
may just be the first, on TB at least, who has shortened a tape

These are on Aussie Amazon, but you get the idea Model Aircraft Wheel Collars
The 4mm one would prob be a good size for a .135” Roto Trubass 88 for example.

I used to roll the string at the point the outer wrap was removed by rolling the string with a little super glue on it thru a little mound of bicarb. Sets of the glue immediately to stop any
potential unwrapping in its tracks

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Decided to do this to a .135 Roto 88 tape this morning. I’ve been using a spacer at the bridge to avoid wrapping full thickness of string around the E post. The spacer has prevented me from putting the bridge cover back on.

What I did a bit differently was put a small length of shrink wrap around the nylon at the point I wanted to strip it and the underlying first wrap of round wire back to. Keep things in place till I added a little super glue and sprinkle of bicarb to set. I removed this bit of shrink after glue set and sanded off any excess bulge of glue and blacked out the white glue/bicarb with black marker pen before running finished string back through bridge hole, as the extra girth would have meant enlarging bridge hole. After putting string back on, I then put a little shrink wrap back over the glued surgery point. So far so good

Can see the reasoning for this string surgery in this shot showing the spacer at the bridge and position of non tapered string at E post.

And Voila! bridge cover back on. Happy chappy

 

[Prodigus Filius]

 

[Iristone]

I believe that a steel lock or heat shrink tubing would make it more reliable. I'll try it when I get down to it.