I put a set of these on my short scale squier bronco bass and it has a really low output pickup and I feel like having the metal core wrapped in a non-magnetic/ non-conducive material kind of lowers the sound. But instead of changing back to round wounds I’m gonna change the pickup to a higher output because I’m absolutely in love with these strings
I play a Fender American Standard P-Bass and have always been a die hard LaBella Deep Talkin flatwound player. You've actually given me good cause to try these out, thanks mate.
As a newer bass player, I almost immediately gravitated towards black nylon tapewounds (I use La Bella, but this video has me willing to try D'Addario). Not only because I prefer black strings, but also because it reduced my finger noise, and greatly reduced finger soreness. The warmer tone was for me just a nice by-product. Self-proclaimed experts may decry these reasons as "crutches" that exacerbate bad habits, but I found them to be very useful to keep up my motivation while my skills developed. I still can't slap tho'... :(
Years ago my late bass player friend put black tape wound strings on his bass after seeing them on McCartney's Hofner in the "Let It Be' film. Kept them on for years.
Another bonus in using tapewound strings is that they tend to really spare the fingerboard on a fretless bass and have more of a warm sound than either flatwounds or half-wound strings. I use them on both my Rob Allen five and on a T-40 that I had changed over to a fretless. It also sounds a bit more even than the half-wounds on the Allen, which is a 35" scale. I think that the Urge he uses in this video is a 32" scale, and it sounded fine.
Forgot to mention that I've found the Labella strings to be really great and the Fender strings decent, but really fast wearing and uneven after a few hours of playing.
I don't know why your bass content never comes up in my suggested videos....I like this even better than the regular guitar stuff Great bass playing Philip
I put Fender nylons on my 78 P-Bass. The problem I had was a ground buzz. When I touched the strings it didn't go away because there is no metal, no cancelation. I shielded the bass completely and I could not believe how great the strings sounded. No buzz/hum. Silence. I like to record with that bass on more mellower songs. However, Graham Maby claims he used nylons on an Ibanez Jazz Bass on the Look Sharp album. Listen to that tone. Very aggressive. There is an interview somewhere on the Internet where he talks about it.
I personally like the metallic string noise of the nickel-wound strings, but the nylons definitely have a place, especially for any time the bass track has to be in the background and a little less audible in the treble and mid ranges.
I have been curious about tape wounds strings and after this great video I am going to put some on my Sire V7. So far, I have used the XL and NYXL D'Addario strings nearly exclusively. I picked up a short-scale Ibanez Lefty MikroBass and it came with some terrible strings that were cloth wrapped in black on the ends. I don't know what brand they were but as soon as I moved over to D'Addario XL short-scale strings the bass came alive. As always, thank you!
Interesting.....I just bought a Short Scale Bass, and ordered some La Bella Flats for it. Didn't know what tape wound strings were, thought they were like nylon guitar strings. After these flats, I'm gonna give these D'addario taped wound a shot. Thanks Phil, very informative!
I play acid jazz/funk/latin rock style and these strings are the best for me!! No finger noise, very warm/mellow sound and you are right: they work great also with slap (contrary to flatwounds...), absolutely perfect for me! I dont feel good with roundwounds...too much noise, too much high ends, the fingers dont silde easily on the fingerboard...
great demo, Phil. Thanks for getting to the point without a lot of useless commentary. I like Tapewounds on my fretless acoustic bass (Michael Kelly Custom Club) and am looking to change the strings to a new set, so you have cast the deciding vote. Thank you for being so kind as to share your expertise.
1:10 He couldn't break the tape so he made it look like his intention was to stretch it instead and do a demonstration of how they made the strings!! Thanks man I am buying those because of you!
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT MODEL FENDER WAS USED IN THE TAPE WOUND STRINGS VIDEO. IT LOOKS KILLER, AND NO ONE HAS ASKED FOR INFORMATION ON THE GUITAR. I ALWAYS FIND YOUR VIDEOS INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING. I THINK YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB COVERING THE MANY ASPECTS OF PLAYING GUITAR AND BASS.
I tried Tape wounds and keep one bass with them for special recording, however the best of both worlds except price are Thomastik Infield flatwounds. Silky smooth and give you bite when you want it but clean up like a upright bass when you want that. In between you have sweet articulate blossoming tone. They also last like crazy and just get better until a year or so later with daily playing they finally go dead. They cost more upfront but they save 4-5 changes a year on my main 4 string bass.
If there is a guitar string with this wrapped construction available (and I assume that you're not referring to Elixirs), I'd love to hear a comparative display of both the standard and the nylon wrapped guitar string, side by side.
Would like to see a vid on the guitar version. Also how durable is the nylon? Over time or heavy use does it start to fray/degrade and cause fret buzz?
Funky Monkey1886 Only La Bella make tapewound electric guitar strings as far as I know. And from previous experience they make good strings but not for cheap. Nylon Strings on acoustic guitars refers to the core rather than the wrapping, and is a whole new kettle of fish. I have the d'addario tapewound strings, the nylon is very durable and should not fray unless you are bending on frets with burrs etc. They work great for fretless too as they remove less fretboard material as you play.
Not only La Bella. Pyramid also make them, they call them Black Tape Nylon. Would also love to see a video that shows them off. The existing demos on YT are painfully amateurish.
I was recommended these strings by Michael Charles music in Rochester nh a few years back. I will never play anything but them. they are more versatile and comfortable on your fingers. great tone and overall the best strings I have played.
Phil, I must admit that I've always loved the clanking tone of Rotosound RS-66's or the complete smoothness of Pyramids Flatwounds. I tried some of those taped strings years ago, ok - decades ago, and they sounded sorta DOA so I went straight back to the Rotosounds. I'm guessing they may have improved since the 70's so if Guitar Center is ever feeling magnanimous and starts giving them away as door prizes, I'll try them again.
Definitely like a video on the guitar version of these. You should also do a video with ground wounds or half rounds ( depending on the manufacturer). Most of the snap and clank of rounds with out finger noise.
This has to be my favorite review for bass guitar! New information, tasty demo and hip application of string theory to performance. This video connects all the dots for me. I am ordering these strings for my new ESP LTD B204 SMFL fretless, when the bass is set up I will let you know how it goes. Kudos
Just going to say Thomastik Infeld makes an absolutely stunning flatwound. Pricey but they made my old Guild Pilot 5 sound perfect. I use the normal D’Addario flats on my P bass, and I’ll pick up a set of the nylons but if you get the chance try those TI strings Phillip!!!
I used to have a short-scale fretless that I put tapewounds on. I sold it in the end because I was barely playing bass at the time and mostly playing guitar instead but that thing sounded amazing.
So i had never used tapewounds until i tried LaBella's tapewounds because they were already on a used Schecter Stiletto Studio 4 that i purchased. I'm keeping them on! Really nice tone, kinda warm and dark but you can pull the brightness out by changing your string attack. Great video!
OK...thanks. Really glad I saw this. My sole experience with Tapewounds was with Fender brand strings. They felt weird and the tone was disappointing. I really like the sound of the D'Addario tapewounds here. I already think that D'Addario "Chromes" are the best flatwound strings out there now.
Hey Phil. Love your work. Have you ever done a sharpen my bass? I was given a cheap Washburn bass and would like to upgrade to make it halfway decent. I feel like there are a ton of crappy basses out there that people would like to sharpen up a little. Please think about it. I’ll send mine to you if you want
Thank you for your time, explanation of strings, and making this video. I’ve wondered about different bass strings like these and flatwounds because I want a warmer sound for worship without the fret scratch from moving my hands. The mixing crew at my church are not pros, will not take suggestions and turn me up too loud in the mix and I’m not a expert like you and others so it is annoying hearing my unintentional scratches even over the in ears on stage which should not happen in a mix. These I think will sit nicely in the mix and still give me some high end clarity on the high frets and strings as well. Thanks
I would love to see you do a video of the guitar vesion of those strings. I roll back on my tone knob to cut harshness quite a bit and those might just work.
I don’t play bass but can see how those strings can be good if you don’t like the brighter steel wound sound. I didn’t know they had the equivalent in guitar strings so it would be interesting to hear the difference in sound and how they perform when bending notes.
They lose some of the bite, but they also lose some of the harmonics. So it's a bit of a compromise. You can still get a good attack from them if you're snapping or plucking them, or if you use a thick, hard pick.
I love tapewounds but the issue is that they cause issues with grounding. Your fingers are no longer in contact with metal and the metal (strings) is not in direct contact with the hardware and electronics in the bass. I think they really only work well on certain active instruments. I think your Hamm is active, right? On the string brand, LaBella's are the tapewounds for me!
I tried those exact strings on my Ibanez. It sounded much worse. I expect flat-wounds to be mellow (but I love my Thomastik JS111 flatwounds on my AS93), and I expect round-wounds to ring out. Unfortunately, the tape-wounds sounded worse than either one to me. Yes, they were easier to play than the flat-wounds (slightly), but - for me - they affect the tone too much.
I don't understand your comment about not being able to bend the tape wounds. I use GHS tape wound 3025 set (45-95's) on my J Bass and I have no problem bending the high 2 strings if I want to. Maybe the lighter gauge makes that possible? I still like the bright sound of round wound for some pieces.
I like rotosound monel flatwound strings for my guitar, but as you mentioned flatwounds are a bit stiff. I would be very interested in seeing a guitar nylon tape flat wound string comparison. I do have rotos' nylon wound on my 30 inch scale bass and they tame the humbucker bridge pickup nicely (had too much top end). These strings are also nicely wound and feel very smooth.
Hi, Phil! I have a Stu Hamm Urge Bass too and I was wondering if there are any problems putting tape- or flatwound strings on it given that it's a string-through instrument.
good to see some bass stuff here. Those strings sound muted but that might be by dint of my computers playback. Interesting nonetheless. I assume theyre easier on the frets too
But do they djent? Jokes aside, I wonder if they'd work well in a metal context. Maybe doom or sludge, but I'm unsure about death metal. Never knew there was a guitar version, would love a demo of those!
Cheers, mate! Was thinking that they might not cut through too well due to a lack of certain presence (in an Obscura or Beyond Creation-like setting). Also: only thing worse you can do to a bass other than slap is Bartok-pizziccati imho.
I'd definitely stick to round wounds for metal. Unless you're playing bluesy based or maybe some stoner where a more mellow tone would work. But if you're talking thrash, or anything modern sounding really, then rounds are the way to go. I love a metal bassist who cuts through a mix and stands out. Thinking Ryan Martine, Justin Chancellor, Duff Mckagan.... all really bright biting tones.
When I picked the bass last year, after an adulthood as frustrated guitarist. I knew I wanted to use black nylon strings so I would be like every other bassist in the game!
I have the fender nylon tape wounds 9120M the ones on the other box. What is the difference. I can’t really notice it. I’ve only had them on a 06 Mexican fender Jazz bass. Curious if I could understand it more besides the wrapping part. Thanks.
Used rounds exclusively for years. Playing in a variety band which we do rock, country, soul, pop, oldies, etc, I am tired of the twangy pop of rounds which doesn't fit every genre we play. I'm looking into the chrome flats, ground wounds or these. Any suggestions?
I'd love to know why it seems like most of the time Bass Players are pretty good at playing guitars too, while most of Guitar Players just suck at playing bass?? (Is there any reason, or is it just an impression?)
ive definitely seen it the other way too, but maybe it's because the bassist actually listen for bass lines, but of course, listen to the guitar too. guitarists often times could care less about bass, so maybe thats the reason. hope i helped!
+iancarter2 +Toxic Potato Thanks guys, it's good to know. So it's maybe just an impression I had then... I know few bass player around me and they all play guitar pretty well, while I rarely seen a guitar player that didn't suck at bass... that's why I had this impression. But of course, my very small "circle" can't be a generalisation, that's why I wanted to know and was asking in the first place. Thanks for the feedback!!
Great Review, I sub'd.. Bass player for 40 yrs... I played RotoSound Swing Bass for most of those years. I got a set of DR "Black Beauty's" a year ago.. And haven't turned back.. Nickel Round Wound Round Cores with a Light Coating.. They feel , Bend, Respond like nothing I've ever played..like Catgut, but stretchy.. They have a Deep Pronounced Low end with Sizzling High end clarity. Imagine a Beautiful Sounding Double Bass, mixed with a Baby Grand Piano..Tone and Clarity...🤙 You really should try them on that Stu Hamm..i play an Active 5 String..p'up config is a High Output Pb&MMb ... Diff but still similar to the Jb/Pb/Jb. I was wanting for a more flatwound sound on my second bass, so I've been torn between the La Bella Tapewound and the Daddario Tape wounds ..your bass selection for your vid let Me hear what I needed to hear. Im going with the Daddario.. The Dr's are more Crispy and have more pronounced Low end, without loosing the Low end... low tension core ...that is where you get that Deep Low End. Sorry 4 the long comment , I will check out more of your vids tonight. Heading to an 8 HR Band Practice in Studio.. 💯⚡🎸🖤🤠⚡
I personally don't like the tone of these strings. I've played Tomastik flatwound strings for years, and they do provide the warm, mellow tone, but they do not sacrifice volume or growl. These strings, however, sacrifice both volume and growl. I don't have experience with the D'Addario brand, but they are noticeably quieter in this video than the standard strings. Still a great video, and I'm sure there are plenty of players who'll enjoy these strings, just not my thing personally. Thanks for the videos, Phil!
Could you please review Round, half-round and flat wounds guitar strings with distortion on a normal humbucker style body guitar (not hollow body)? Every video on youtube es a demonstration of jazzy licks like those strings are no good for any other style. Love your channel!
From D'Addario's website, "Da-Dairy-O" 😉 LOL! Stu Hamm Urge bass. Been a long time. 🎸 Great to see you doing some bass stuff. Keep it up! Good stuff. 😎
Help... My dad is 81 and has to go to a Taylor gs mini bass. (Its the right size and weight for him) But he misses his upright tone for Bluegrass. These tapes seem to mellow the high tones some, but also loses bottom end. Is there a pedal he can get for making a gs mini sound like a full size upright?
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Finally a bass video. I'm a bass player and never tried those before. Now I will. Thank you so much Phil.
I put a set of these on my short scale squier bronco bass and it has a really low output pickup and I feel like having the metal core wrapped in a non-magnetic/ non-conducive material kind of lowers the sound. But instead of changing back to round wounds I’m gonna change the pickup to a higher output because I’m absolutely in love with these strings
Hearing good vibrations made my day
I used the 9120s for 15 years. I recently switched to the D'addario tapes for my fretless jazz and and very satisfied.
I play a Fender American Standard P-Bass and have always been a die hard LaBella Deep Talkin flatwound player.
You've actually given me good cause to try these out, thanks mate.
As a newer bass player, I almost immediately gravitated towards black nylon tapewounds (I use La Bella, but this video has me willing to try D'Addario). Not only because I prefer black strings, but also because it reduced my finger noise, and greatly reduced finger soreness. The warmer tone was for me just a nice by-product. Self-proclaimed experts may decry these reasons as "crutches" that exacerbate bad habits, but I found them to be very useful to keep up my motivation while my skills developed. I still can't slap tho'... :(
I continuously learn new stuff from you Phil! Awesome! ... and you're a killer bass player.
Michael Nielsen You and Phil are the 2 best channels on RUclips.
Thank you brother!
Years ago my late bass player friend put black tape wound strings on his bass after seeing them on McCartney's Hofner in the "Let It Be' film. Kept them on for years.
Darn it Phil you are giving away my secret...lol...been playing tapes since I started Bass
Tried these out after watching the video and I'm hooked! I love the sound and feel of these strings!!
Another bonus in using tapewound strings is that they tend to really spare the fingerboard on a fretless bass and have more of a warm sound than either flatwounds or half-wound strings. I use them on both my Rob Allen five and on a T-40 that I had changed over to a fretless. It also sounds a bit more even than the half-wounds on the Allen, which is a 35" scale. I think that the Urge he uses in this video is a 32" scale, and it sounded fine.
Forgot to mention that I've found the Labella strings to be really great and the Fender strings decent, but really fast wearing and uneven after a few hours of playing.
bcrich581 Tapewounds on a fretless are one of the great bass experiences. Every fretless player should try them sometime imo.
I don't know why your bass content never comes up in my suggested videos....I like this even better than the regular guitar stuff
Great bass playing Philip
I put Fender nylons on my 78 P-Bass. The problem I had was a ground buzz. When I touched the strings it didn't go away because there is no metal, no cancelation. I shielded the bass completely and I could not believe how great the strings sounded. No buzz/hum. Silence. I like to record with that bass on more mellower songs. However, Graham Maby claims he used nylons on an Ibanez Jazz Bass on the Look Sharp album. Listen to that tone. Very aggressive. There is an interview somewhere on the Internet where he talks about it.
I love the sound of the tape wounds on my fretless. Nice to see the demo from Phil.
I personally like the metallic string noise of the nickel-wound strings, but the nylons definitely have a place, especially for any time the bass track has to be in the background and a little less audible in the treble and mid ranges.
I have been curious about tape wounds strings and after this great video I am going to put some on my Sire V7. So far, I have used the XL and NYXL D'Addario strings nearly exclusively. I picked up a short-scale Ibanez Lefty MikroBass and it came with some terrible strings that were cloth wrapped in black on the ends. I don't know what brand they were but as soon as I moved over to D'Addario XL short-scale strings the bass came alive. As always, thank you!
Interesting.....I just bought a Short Scale Bass, and ordered some La Bella Flats for it. Didn't know what tape wound strings were, thought they were like nylon guitar strings. After these flats, I'm gonna give these D'addario taped wound a shot. Thanks Phil, very informative!
Thank you. Nice, short, direct and to the point.
I like that they don’t emphasis the sliding string noise so much.
I play acid jazz/funk/latin rock style and these strings are the best for me!! No finger noise, very warm/mellow sound and you are right: they work great also with slap (contrary to flatwounds...), absolutely perfect for me!
I dont feel good with roundwounds...too much noise, too much high ends, the fingers dont silde easily on the fingerboard...
great demo, Phil. Thanks for getting to the point without a lot of useless commentary. I like Tapewounds on my fretless acoustic bass (Michael Kelly Custom Club) and am looking to change the strings to a new set, so you have cast the deciding vote. Thank you for being so kind as to share your expertise.
I have heard and felt these strings. They are AWESOME!!!
Cool a video about bass!
I've been playing tape wound for years. I love them.
can't wait to try them next!
1:10 He couldn't break the tape so he made it look like his intention was to stretch it instead and do a demonstration of how they made the strings!! Thanks man I am buying those because of you!
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT MODEL FENDER WAS USED IN THE TAPE WOUND STRINGS VIDEO. IT LOOKS KILLER, AND NO ONE HAS ASKED FOR INFORMATION ON THE GUITAR.
I ALWAYS FIND YOUR VIDEOS INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING. I THINK YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB COVERING THE MANY ASPECTS OF PLAYING GUITAR AND BASS.
I tried Tape wounds and keep one bass with them for special recording, however the best of both worlds except price are Thomastik Infield flatwounds. Silky smooth and give you bite when you want it but clean up like a upright bass when you want that. In between you have sweet articulate blossoming tone. They also last like crazy and just get better until a year or so later with daily playing they finally go dead. They cost more upfront but they save 4-5 changes a year on my main 4 string bass.
That green Paul Reed Smith over your shoulder is just ridiculously beautiful.
If there is a guitar string with this wrapped construction available (and I assume that you're not referring to Elixirs), I'd love to hear a comparative display of both the standard and the nylon wrapped guitar string, side by side.
awesome review
Would like to see a vid on the guitar version. Also how durable is the nylon? Over time or heavy use does it start to fray/degrade and cause fret buzz?
Funky Monkey1886
Only La Bella make tapewound electric guitar strings as far as I know. And from previous experience they make good strings but not for cheap.
Nylon Strings on acoustic guitars refers to the core rather than the wrapping, and is a whole new kettle of fish.
I have the d'addario tapewound strings, the nylon is very durable and should not fray unless you are bending on frets with burrs etc.
They work great for fretless too as they remove less fretboard material as you play.
Not only La Bella. Pyramid also make them, they call them Black Tape Nylon.
Would also love to see a video that shows them off. The existing demos on YT are painfully amateurish.
Martin Krauser I stand corrected Galli too apparently!
I was recommended these strings by Michael Charles music in Rochester nh a few years back. I will never play anything but them. they are more versatile and comfortable on your fingers. great tone and overall the best strings I have played.
Phil, I must admit that I've always loved the clanking tone of Rotosound RS-66's or the complete smoothness of Pyramids Flatwounds.
I tried some of those taped strings years ago, ok - decades ago, and they sounded sorta DOA so I went straight back to the Rotosounds. I'm guessing they may have improved since the 70's so if Guitar Center is ever feeling magnanimous and starts giving them away as door prizes, I'll try them again.
Definitely like a video on the guitar version of these. You should also do a video with ground wounds or half rounds ( depending on the manufacturer). Most of the snap and clank of rounds with out finger noise.
This has to be my favorite review for bass guitar! New information, tasty demo and hip application of string theory to performance. This video connects all the dots for me. I am ordering these strings for my new ESP LTD B204 SMFL fretless, when the bass is set up I will let you know how it goes. Kudos
I appreciate the Good Vibrations Phil.
Yea, I'd like to see some silk acoustic strings too, been meaning to try a set.
Great video.
Just going to say Thomastik Infeld makes an absolutely stunning flatwound. Pricey but they made my old Guild Pilot 5 sound perfect. I use the normal D’Addario flats on my P bass, and I’ll pick up a set of the nylons but if you get the chance try those TI strings Phillip!!!
I stuck these on my fretless bass. Oh lawd, so dark and smooth
I used to have a short-scale fretless that I put tapewounds on. I sold it in the end because I was barely playing bass at the time and mostly playing guitar instead but that thing sounded amazing.
So i had never used tapewounds until i tried LaBella's tapewounds because they were already on a used Schecter Stiletto Studio 4 that i purchased. I'm keeping them on! Really nice tone, kinda warm and dark but you can pull the brightness out by changing your string attack. Great video!
Big cheers for that video.more bass content please Phil
I have found most of these have that plastic sound. Will definitely try the D'Addario strings. Great video!
OK...thanks. Really glad I saw this. My sole experience with Tapewounds was with Fender brand strings. They felt weird and the tone was disappointing. I really like the sound of the D'Addario tapewounds here. I already think that D'Addario "Chromes" are the best flatwound strings out there now.
Hey Phil. Love your work. Have you ever done a sharpen my bass? I was given a cheap Washburn bass and would like to upgrade to make it halfway decent. I feel like there are a ton of crappy basses out there that people would like to sharpen up a little. Please think about it. I’ll send mine to you if you want
Thank you for your time, explanation of strings, and making this video. I’ve wondered about different bass strings like these and flatwounds because I want a warmer sound for worship without the fret scratch from moving my hands. The mixing crew at my church are not pros, will not take suggestions and turn me up too loud in the mix and I’m not a expert like you and others so it is annoying hearing my unintentional scratches even over the in ears on stage which should not happen in a mix. These I think will sit nicely in the mix and still give me some high end clarity on the high frets and strings as well. Thanks
Would love to see the guitar version of those strings! Thx for the wonderful videos
I am currently using La Bella gold tapewound strings on my precision bass that has an audere preamp in it. The field, and the tone is incredible.
Thanks Phil... Yep, haven't really tried any new strings in the past year or so. Let us know what you think of them for guitar.
I would love to see you do a video of the guitar vesion of those strings.
I roll back on my tone knob to cut harshness quite a bit and those might just work.
I don’t play bass but can see how those strings can be good if you don’t like the brighter steel wound sound. I didn’t know they had the equivalent in guitar strings so it would be interesting to hear the difference in sound and how they perform when bending notes.
I use Daddario's almost exclusively but never tried nylon strings. If I wanted an upright sound, I would use those.
i would like to see how it works in a more aggressive scenario too, distortion, picking, etc
Nice! Diggin the use of Beach Boys, Good Vibrations to show the examples!
I didn't know that a guitar version of of those strings. I would enjoy a video about those.
have rotosound black nylon strings on my bass, sounds so much better. no weird noises anymore
So glad to see you do some bass-stuff! More please :)
As expected, the nylon-wrapped strings have a smoother attack than the metal wrapped ones. Remember Black Diamond strings?
They lose some of the bite, but they also lose some of the harmonics. So it's a bit of a compromise. You can still get a good attack from them if you're snapping or plucking them, or if you use a thick, hard pick.
Black Diamond strings sound a little.... cheeesy, to my ears.
I love tapewounds but the issue is that they cause issues with grounding. Your fingers are no longer in contact with metal and the metal (strings) is not in direct contact with the hardware and electronics in the bass. I think they really only work well on certain active instruments. I think your Hamm is active, right?
On the string brand, LaBella's are the tapewounds for me!
I have a set on a passive 6 string and I've never had any issues with hum. I'm not sure why active vs. Passive would make s difference for grounding.
And I just bought another set of Chrome's. Had tried the Fender nylons before and wasn't entirely happy. Wish I had seen this earlier
they sound forgiving... gotta get a set and try them out! Thanks for the tip!!!
Buying a set of these now to try them myself, sounds great! - I would definitely like to hear a comparison with the guitar version vs. Elixir Polywebs
I tried those exact strings on my Ibanez. It sounded much worse. I expect flat-wounds to be mellow (but I love my Thomastik JS111 flatwounds on my AS93), and I expect round-wounds to ring out. Unfortunately, the tape-wounds sounded worse than either one to me. Yes, they were easier to play than the flat-wounds (slightly), but - for me - they affect the tone too much.
I actually prefer the tone of the nickel wrapped strings. Nice video Phil, thanks!
I use the D'Addario tapewounds on an Ibanez AGB200(semi-hollow)-almost an upright sound for big band/concert band use. (No, I don't play upright.)
Been using La Bella black tapewounds on my bass for almost 5 years, really dig 'em.
I don't understand your comment about not being able to bend the tape wounds. I use GHS tape wound 3025 set (45-95's) on my J Bass and I have no problem bending the high 2 strings if I want to. Maybe the lighter gauge makes that possible? I still like the bright sound of round wound for some pieces.
I think it was regular metal flat wounds that he was saying would not bend.
I like rotosound monel flatwound strings for my guitar, but as you mentioned flatwounds are a bit stiff. I would be very interested in seeing a guitar nylon tape flat wound string comparison. I do have rotos' nylon wound on my 30 inch scale bass and they tame the humbucker bridge pickup nicely (had too much top end). These strings are also nicely wound and feel very smooth.
not sure if this question has been asked, but how are these strings when playing with effect pedals?
Cheers Phil your timing is excellent I was just looking to improve the tone on my cheep squire. Great as usual 😊👍
I learned a lot. Now I’m going to buy Dia Dario nylon Wrapped bass strings
Hi, Phil! I have a Stu Hamm Urge Bass too and I was wondering if there are any problems putting tape- or flatwound strings on it given that it's a string-through instrument.
Guitar version as well, please. (From a bass player that seems to be hooked on these guitar videos).
good to see some bass stuff here. Those strings sound muted but that might be by dint of my computers playback. Interesting nonetheless. I assume theyre easier on the frets too
But do they djent?
Jokes aside, I wonder if they'd work well in a metal context. Maybe doom or sludge, but I'm unsure about death metal.
Never knew there was a guitar version, would love a demo of those!
Cheers, mate! Was thinking that they might not cut through too well due to a lack of certain presence (in an Obscura or Beyond Creation-like setting).
Also: only thing worse you can do to a bass other than slap is Bartok-pizziccati imho.
I'd definitely stick to round wounds for metal. Unless you're playing bluesy based or maybe some stoner where a more mellow tone would work. But if you're talking thrash, or anything modern sounding really, then rounds are the way to go. I love a metal bassist who cuts through a mix and stands out. Thinking Ryan Martine, Justin Chancellor, Duff Mckagan.... all really bright biting tones.
When I picked the bass last year, after an adulthood as frustrated guitarist. I knew I wanted to use black nylon strings so I would be like every other bassist in the game!
I didn't even know that they had a guitar version of those strings. please make the vid to demonstrate it!
Could you please do a bass lesson: Playing the riffs you did in this demo.
Very curious to try them out for sure, thanks Phil!
I have the fender nylon tape wounds 9120M the ones on the other box. What is the difference. I can’t really notice it. I’ve only had them on a 06 Mexican fender Jazz bass. Curious if I could understand it more besides the wrapping part. Thanks.
Used rounds exclusively for years. Playing in a variety band which we do rock, country, soul, pop, oldies, etc, I am tired of the twangy pop of rounds which doesn't fit every genre we play. I'm looking into the chrome flats, ground wounds or these. Any suggestions?
KJ Skip the groundwound/pressurewound/half-rounds phase and try a flat/tapewound set. Chromes are nice flats, give em a go
Rotosound Trubass. Warm beefy bottom yet poppy bright
I'd love to know why it seems like most of the time Bass Players are pretty good at playing guitars too, while most of Guitar Players just suck at playing bass?? (Is there any reason, or is it just an impression?)
ive definitely seen it the other way too, but maybe it's because the bassist actually listen for bass lines, but of course, listen to the guitar too. guitarists often times could care less about bass, so maybe thats the reason. hope i helped!
+iancarter2 +Toxic Potato Thanks guys, it's good to know. So it's maybe just an impression I had then... I know few bass player around me and they all play guitar pretty well, while I rarely seen a guitar player that didn't suck at bass... that's why I had this impression. But of course, my very small "circle" can't be a generalisation, that's why I wanted to know and was asking in the first place. Thanks for the feedback!!
Thank you for what you do Mr. McKnight
If it's I will like to know more about bass strings
This was all new to me. Thanks for the info.
Just ordered a set for my mustang P/J .. can't wait to try them out
Great Review, I sub'd.. Bass player for 40 yrs... I played RotoSound Swing Bass for most of those years. I got a set of DR "Black Beauty's" a year ago.. And haven't turned back.. Nickel Round Wound Round Cores with a Light Coating.. They feel , Bend, Respond like nothing I've ever played..like Catgut, but stretchy.. They have a Deep Pronounced Low end with Sizzling High end clarity. Imagine a Beautiful Sounding Double Bass, mixed with a Baby Grand Piano..Tone and Clarity...🤙 You really should try them on that Stu Hamm..i play an Active 5 String..p'up config is a High Output Pb&MMb ... Diff but still similar to the Jb/Pb/Jb.
I was wanting for a more flatwound sound on my second bass, so I've been torn between the La Bella Tapewound and the Daddario Tape wounds ..your bass selection for your vid let Me hear what I needed to hear. Im going with the Daddario.. The Dr's are more Crispy and have more pronounced Low end, without loosing the Low end... low tension core ...that is where you get that Deep Low End. Sorry 4 the long comment , I will check out more of your vids tonight. Heading to an 8 HR Band Practice in Studio..
💯⚡🎸🖤🤠⚡
I personally don't like the tone of these strings. I've played Tomastik flatwound strings for years, and they do provide the warm, mellow tone, but they do not sacrifice volume or growl. These strings, however, sacrifice both volume and growl. I don't have experience with the D'Addario brand, but they are noticeably quieter in this video than the standard strings. Still a great video, and I'm sure there are plenty of players who'll enjoy these strings, just not my thing personally. Thanks for the videos, Phil!
Could you please review Round, half-round and flat wounds guitar strings with distortion on a normal humbucker style body guitar (not hollow body)? Every video on youtube es a demonstration of jazzy licks like those strings are no good for any other style. Love your channel!
What kinda bass is that, I like the pu configuration?
Yay! Bass content!
Was that bro john by Victor wooten?
I would indeed like to hear a review of the guitar version
From D'Addario's website, "Da-Dairy-O" 😉
LOL! Stu Hamm Urge bass. Been a long time. 🎸
Great to see you doing some bass stuff. Keep it up! Good stuff. 😎
I heard it was not easy to bass slide with nylon coated strings. Is that true?
Is the tension equal to a roundwound set?
Yes I want to see a video with guitar strings!
Help... My dad is 81 and has to go to a Taylor gs mini bass. (Its the right size and weight for him)
But he misses his upright tone for Bluegrass.
These tapes seem to mellow the high tones some, but also loses bottom end.
Is there a pedal he can get for making a gs mini sound like a full size upright?
Kewl! I'd never heard of such a thing.