But i think i want to get some round wound strings to replace them. A famous example would be ernie balls slinky cobalt series strings, such as the 2736 cobalt regular slinky 5 string electric bass strings for extendedrange bass guitars. Find great deals on ebay for bass strings and bass strings 4. The birth of the roundwound bass string important moments in bass history. Browse our listing of guitar history books, then pick up a few for yourself or that special guitarist in your life. The history of the instrument, the performers, the music its all full of lessons for today.
There will be more bass related books added here in the near future. Around the core string another smaller string is tightly wound in a spiral all the way up the length of the core string. Roundwound 4 string sets for electric bass musicians friend. Anyway the reason i prefer round wound strings is that i like my tone to have some higher frequency bite and zing with rich harmonic content vs. Ground wound strings are manufactured in the same basic manner as round wound strings. We do not currently supply the major chain stores like sam ash or guitar center. Daddarios exclusive heat treating process ensures that half rounds retain their round wound brightness and sustain. There are still some varieties of gut core bass strings available for players looking for that historical. Half round guitar strings have a warmer sound due to the strings being round wound, then ground down for a smoother feel.
Roundwound, halfwound and flatwound strings and beyond. Daddario etb92 tapewound bass guitar strings, medium, 50105. Feb 17, 2011 flat wound vs round wound strings stick for me. Rotosound nickel medium gauge roundwound bass strings 40 60. I feel like i have to use extra effort fretting notes because i am not getting any traction on the smooth flat wounds. Jan 15, 2018 looking for the right strings for our fretless bass without damaging that beautiful fretboard. Guitar string buyers guide american musical supply. The difference is the shape of each string s steel core. Daddario exl1705 xl nickel round wound 5string long bass. When dealing with guitar strings, ground wound is a type of string most commonly associated with bass guitars. Software and plugins instruments and cases books cards and gift.
Paul tutmarc invented the first solid body electric bass guitar about 1936. I love the round wounds on got on my guitar but i have no idea what brand they are or the thickness because they came with the bass at. Paul brun, a new history of the double bass string emporium. Rotosounds trademark swing bass string set was first produced in 1966. These popular double bass strings offer a large, nonmetallic tone. Daddario exl1705 xl 5string round wound long bass strings strings are wound with nickelplated steel, known for its distinctive bright tone, excellent intonation and reduced fret wear. Online shopping for bass guitar strings from a great selection at musical instruments store. In 1962 they brought out the first roundwound bass strings. Daddario half round bass strings are wound with pure nickel, then precision ground, leaving the outer surface smooth and semiflat while retaining the flexibility of round wound strings. Rotosound, a british string manufacturers, developed the first roundwound strings for electric bass guitars in 1962 the swing bass 66 set. In this issue, we will take a look back at the birth of the roundwound bass string and how a small british company and john entwistle changed the sound of the bass guitar in the early days of the electric bass, if you wanted to buy new strings for. Paul brun, in his book a new history of the double bass. This fully illustrated book charts the complete history of the violin bass, beginning with the rebirth of.
What is the difference between roundwound and flatwound. Those strings, the rs66 sets, were the first that vibrated properly. Halfwound strings, ground wound strings, or pressure wound strings are a cross between roundwound and flatwound. Roundwound acoustic guitar strings musicians friend. Bill black wasnt the only person to play electric bass on. These are designed for use on the me bass and may have intonation issues on the acoustic microbass 23 or 25. The idea behind any compression wound string, especially for fretless, is to give you the growl of a round wound without any damage being done to the fretboard. Open quick view dialog for ernie ball 2834 super slinky round wound bass strings 2 pack. Considering the companys long history manufacturing strings for. These longlasting, wellbalanced strings are expertly engineered to provide optimal tension and are gauged to fit properly on standard bass saddles and nuts. Funk players who slapped and rock players who liked the growl soon switcher over. We have many different types of 4 and 5 string bass guitar strings for different tastes, preferences and styles of playing. Roto sound from england started marketing round wound bass strings some time in the 70s.
Strings by mail talks about the variety of bass strings for double. These round wound strings provide a warm booming sound that the ubass is known for. Our popular roundwound bass strings have a bright tone made for rock and funk musicians. The strings on your electric bass have a powerful influence on its tone and playability. In this issue, we will take a look back at the birth of the roundwound bass string. I guess we have to rewrite all the strat history books posted by.
Ernie ball 2834 super slinky roundwound bass strings open quick. A round core string has a vibration when plucked that does not necessarily last as long as hexcore, but for some is more controllable in sound to the ear. Rotosound string factory looking for an evensounding, heavy roundwound bass string. During the 30s companies like black diamond made very heavy steel and bronze round wound strings for all guitars. It helps take out some of the mysteries and myths surrounded with the evolution of the upright bass and performance practices. Kala ubass first thoughts and the weird slidey tuning. Designed to produce a deep, warm tone with smooth feel, daddario tapewound bass strings are wound using a flattened black nylon which is polished to an ultrasmooth finish. When they appeared round wound strings were just cheaper to make so we avoided them as flats meant quality. Yet most guitarists overlook the basic principles of how to select the best strings for their playing style. This includes acoustic and electric guitar strings, bass strings, banjo strings, cello strings, double bass strings, fiddle strings, mandolin strings, ukulele strings, viola strings as well as strings. Not sure when nickel plated roundwounds came on the scene.
Find great deals on bass strings from brands like earnie ball, warwick, daddario and more. Guitar history books books about guitars strings by mail. The first known wound string was noted in the later half of the seventeenth century. The jazz bass that i just recently got has flat wound strings on it. In the beginning it was gut strings, then as instruments evolved, pianoviolin, steel strings were the standard, plain ones were solid and the larger ones were a solid core with copper or brassbronze wound tightly over the core. Round by ernie ball on september 12, 2019 in strings when it comes to bass guitar strings, there are a number of options to choose from. You can choose from coated or uncoated, nickel flat wound, round wound, half rounds, phosphor bronze, stainless steel and more. Round wound strings were around a long time before flat wounds. After the external wraps are put around the string core, the wraps are ground smooth. Whereas with round wound strings you can actually feel and hear your fingers pass over the windings, flatwound strings are smooth to the touch and emit none of the familiar squeak associated with round wound strings. Available in 4 or 5 string sets, the kala metal round wound strings offer ubassists the familiar feel of metal strings. John entwistle of the who came to the rotosound string factory looking for an evensounding, heavy roundwound bass string. Rotosound 4, and 5 string solo bass 55 stainless steel pressure wound roundwound bass strings another first designed in 1977 by james how is the stainless steel bass string with his patented linea pressurewound finish.
Eventually roundwound electric bass strings became available. Roundwound, halfwound and flatwound the profile of the wrap wire affects tone and feel of guitar strings. The invention of wound strings, such as nylon covered in wound metal, was a crucial step in string instrument technology, because a metal wound string can produce a lower pitch than a catgut string of similar thickness. Dont feel bad if you dont, theyre very similar both roundwound and nickelwound strings use nickelplated steel wire to wrap around a steel core. If youve explored musicians friends huge selection of bass guitar strings and come away a little confused, this guides for you. This enabled stringed instruments to be made with less thick bass strings.
Like most of the bassplaying world, you probably use roundwound. This machine was made lovingly from stainless steel, black ebony, with ivory fittings, and would produce any string from violin, viola, cello, double bass, clavichord, harpsichord, piano strings, cymbalum, herdygerdy, zither strings from prim zithers, concert zithers, elege zithers, lyon zithers, mandolin zithers and the many many ranges of. This core type has less tension when tuned to pitch, and fingers can bend it easier. Bass guitar strings ernie ball 2824 super slinky gauge round wound bass 5. Get the guaranteed lowest prices on roundwound 4 string sets for electric bass instruments at musicians friend. Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of roundwound bass guitar strings at guitar center. How started manufacturing music strings for many famous artists across the world. These round wound strings provide a warm booming sound that the u bass is known for. All sounds made by your guitar or bass start with the vibration of a string. Since 1964, ghs strings has been winding electric guitar strings in the southwestern corner of michigan. James made some enquiries for zither strings and for this particular zither, the concert zither, strings for this instrument in london was practically unknown, so substitute strings were used to make up a complete set of strings, using some violin strings, some guitar strings, some cello strings, until a reasonable balance was completed.
Strings, instrument strings, music strings for guitar. Whether you need strings for your fender stratocaster, telecaster, jazz bass, precision bass, or acoustic instrument, theres a set of fender strings thats right for you. Roundwound strings were a key element in the trend toward louder, more. Heres a roundwound string kinda looks like one of mine when it breaks all that stuff unravels and makes a huge mess. The earliest illustration in the history of the string bass dates from 1516, but written accounts record instances of viols as large as a person, and the deep register tuning is notably found first among the viol family. This new technology forever changed and helped to shape the modern music we hear today. The world famous rotosound swing bass guitar strings are sold to over 70 countries and exported in tons, used by every famous group in the world, and are the result of this initial design. In this issue, we will take a look back at the birth of the roundwound bass string and how a small british company and john entwistle changed the sound of the bass guitar. Rotosound is a british guitar and bass string manufacturing company based in england. Look no further that the sit silencers semiflat compression wound strings.
British bass players loved the brighter, more defined sound that these strings made, and it helped create the sound of the beat groups such as the kinks and the who, and later bands like pink floyd, yes, black sabbath and led zeppelin. With nickelwound strings, the steel core is hex shaped. Professor string has just published a book about one of the most misunderstood components of the guitar. Although wound strings or wrapped strings have been around for many years, their design represents one of the biggest breakthroughs in string design.
Fender 8250m nickel plated steel taperwound bass strings. Every bass string is comprised of two strings the core string and the winding string. How to choose the best strings for your bass guitar the hub. Entwistle spent the afternoon there, trying string after string. Smith strings are available at many fine music stores as well as some of the online string companies. Our flatwound bass guitar strings are the best bass strings for jazz and country musicians who prefer a smoother and more mellow feel. If smith strings are not available in your local area, please contact us via email or phone so we can direct you to the best source or our online string dealer. Feb 28, 2016 the jazz bass that i just recently got has flat wound strings on it.
Elixir strings offers a comprehensive line of coated, round wound bass strings in a variety of gauges, wrap metals and scale lengths. May 23, 2017 a 30 watt ampcabinet and flat wound strings and we build that city on rock and roll. This is a sequence of notes recorded all on the same bass. Kala metal round wound u bass strings this unique bass string set is specifically constructed of a nylon core with silver plated windings. As you probably guessed, round core uses a literal round core. As far as bass strings are concerned, im pretty certain that most of what you hear on all the classic recordings is flat wound. Tone is in the flats and twang is in the round strings. Expand your sound beyond roundwound with this fast bass string primer. This string is specifically made for the microelectronic bass. At, we offer the worlds largest selection of musical instrument strings. Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of ernie ball bass guitar strings at guitar center. The feel is identical to flatwound bass strings and the tone is more similar to a fender p bass.
Handmade using the finest silver plated copper drawn in the usa, this set of 5 roundwound strings for the ubass including high c improves. Well walk you through the ins and outs of choosing the bass strings that make sense for both your music and instrument. Dec 23, 2019 the birth of the roundwound bass string important moments in bass history. The flat wound strings still were used on upright bass instruments. Kala metal round wound ubass strings this unique bass string set is specifically constructed of a nylon core with silver plated windings. They feature lower tension compared to traditional built bass strings, making them easy on the fingers with a great. Flatwound strings provide a very different playing experience. Helicore by daddario for violin, viola, and cello are multistrand twisted steelcore strings having a relatively warm sound, for steelcore strings. The core string is a thick wire from one end of the string to the other.
Entwistle spent the afternoon there, trying string after string before settling on a set that would become known as swing bass 66. Such strings are usually made by winding round wire around a round or hex core first, then polishing, grinding thus the name, ground wound or pressing the exterior part of the winding until it. Fender super bass taperwound strings features at a glance. Guitar history books history holds many lessons, and the history of the guitar is no exception. This month begins the series, important moments in bass history. Ernie ball 2816 slinky flatwound 5string bass strings open quick view. As the electric guitar came about, strings got smaller and lighter guaged, my 1st rememberence of flat wounds on electrics was 1960 when the surf music craze hit so. Buy rotosound nickel medium gauge roundwound bass strings 40 60 80 100 at amazon uk.
The birth of the roundwound bass string bass musician. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. Roundwound on the fender jazz bass may 23, 2017 may 23, 2017 by best bass gear there are many bass players who go all in when it comes to string type. A great choice for a bass player used to playing traditional flatwound strings. Bass books the beatles 19651970 paul mccartney bass lines. Geddy lees big beautiful book of bass this lavishly produced volume large format and hardcover is a wondrous celebration of the instrument, including its origins and history, and the weird and wonderful shapes it has taken. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Another thing to keep an eye out for when selecting your bass guitar strings is the coating. Electric nickel plated steel and stainless steel acoustic 8020 bronze four and five string sets gauges ranging from super light to medium long and extra long scale single strings to customize your sound. Flexocor solo for double bass by pirastro have slightly more tension than the original flexocor bass strings. Of course, if you want to keep it traditional, there are lots of classic nickel wound strings to choose from including the rest of ernie balls slinky lineup. Ernie ball uses highquality nickel, stainless steel, chromeplated steel, cobalt, and copper for its bass guitar strings.
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