Silk String Wraps

[thebrig]

[b]Does anyone out there hate silk string wraps as much as I do?[/b]

I suppose they are there to add some protection to the tuning pegs, but why do the strings you happen to like, always have the most horrible colour?

I have always been a big fan of Fender 9050s stainless steel flats, and fortunately, they had no silk wraps, but now they have decided to put a horrible green wrap on them, which look awful!

I know it is only a cosmetic thing, but when you have a nice guitar made from beautiful wood etc, the last thing you want, is to spoil the affect with some brightly coloured silk wraps, and as time goes by they start to fray and look even worse.

I tried to take the wraps off once, but it's an impossible task, and I have thought about dyeing them, at least if they were black or silver coloured they would not look so bad.

[b]Is it just me?[/b]

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

go over them with a black sharpie?

I don't mind mine - TI JF344 / 324 have a red silk which looks good with sunburst basses. My LaBella 'danelectro' flats look good on my longhorn with black silks but he blue silks of the Rotosound short scale jazz flats I had on before matched the colour of the bass much better.

[Cat Burrito]

I used to hate them but I quite like them now. I like the green on the Fender 9050s stainless steel flats as it happens.

[spinynorman]

I bet I hate them more than you.

The only purpose they serve is to fray when you take the strings off, so you can't re-use them on another bass. I really hate it when they extend over the bridge saddle. Also hate the dust they create as you pull them through the bridge. The hideous colour is just the sh*te on the cake.

I don't like Christmas much this year either.

[thebrig]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1067164' date='Dec 22 2010, 08:14 PM']I used to hate them but I quite like them now. I like the green on the Fender 9050s stainless steel flats as it happens.[/quote]
It's a good job we all have different tastes, but I still preferred them without the green wraps.

Edited December 22, 2010 by thebrig

[thebrig]

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1067185' date='Dec 22 2010, 08:30 PM']I bet I hate them more than you.

The only purpose they serve is to fray when you take the strings off, so you can't re-use them on another bass. I really hate it when they extend over the bridge saddle. Also hate the dust they create as you pull them through the bridge. The hideous colour is just the sh*te on the cake.

I don't like Christmas much this year either.

[/quote]
I've got a plain silver christmas tree with no silly coloured tinsel on it!

[Cat Burrito]

I think it depends on the colour of the bass. The red ones on my Rotosound flats clash more but I have the strings you mention on a Mocha Brown 1978 P-bass and the colour kind of works there. Perhaps with a different colour bass they'd be more of an issue for me?

[Roland Rock]

Steve Harris RS flats have a different colour on each end (Red and Blue to reflect Steve's West Ham allegiance)
Good job I have a bridge cover to hide one end

[thebrig]

[quote name='Roland Rock' post='1067572' date='Dec 23 2010, 10:52 AM']Steve Harris RS flats have a different colour on each end (Red and Blue to reflect Steve's West Ham allegiance)
Good job I have a bridge cover to hide one end[/quote]
Being a 'gooner' I wont be rushing out to buy them!

[Bassassin]

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1067185' date='Dec 22 2010, 08:30 PM']I bet I hate them more than you.

The only purpose they serve is to fray when you take the strings off, so you can't re-use them on another bass. I really hate it when they extend over the bridge saddle. Also hate the dust they create as you pull them through the bridge. The hideous colour is just the sh*te on the cake.[/quote]
+100. Bloody useless stuff, I love the way that if you trim the ends of the strings before fitting them (as I do because sometimes I really don't want 25 winds around the post) this crap immediately starts to unravel & fray & fall off before the strings are even on. God forbid you should ever want to remove the strings to do something outlandish like clean your bass - unless you like your strings hairy with bald patches.

However I have found you can use a little bit of Vaseline or grease to stick the hairy frayed bits back down if it's not too far gone though. Just had a thought - wonder if you could burn it all off?

Jon.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1067164' date='Dec 22 2010, 08:14 PM']I used to hate them but I quite like them now. I like the green on the Fender 9050s stainless steel flats as it happens.[/quote]

Green = great. looks marvellous on my old green P, and goes with the fireglo on my rickenbastard as well.

[EssentialTension]

I like the silk wraps but I do think some colours don't look good on some coloured basses.

For example, red silks look fine on a sunburst bass but bad on translucent burgundy. IMO

[bassace]

Oh dear................

[PauBass]

You are not alone

[Telebass]

Don't like them either. For rounds, I use Rotosound Rotobass, and they are unsilked. My split-coil P currently wears TI JF344s, so is lumbered with red silks. However, the TIs are so nice, I'll overlook the silks!

[Chris2112]

They're a right pain in the arse. It was particularly irritating when I had my first Kubicki bass, as the silk would fray inside the bridge and I had to use pipe cleaners to clean the bridge unit out. Luckily, I discovered Fodera strings, which have no stupid silk wrap. I'm always on the lookout for unwrapped strings.

[Clarky]

I predict you would hate Pyramid Gold flats which have a lilac or pale violet colour to the silks. Even the metrosexual Happy Jack thought they looked camp on my Precision!

[thebrig]

So String Makers, take note!

We don't want those fancy colours on our strings!

[b]Just concentrate on making a Great Sounding String![/b]

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Clarky' post='1068080' date='Dec 23 2010, 06:38 PM']I predict you would hate Pyramid Gold flats which have a lilac or pale violet colour to the silks. Even the metrosexual Happy Jack thought they looked camp on my Precision![/quote]
They look good on my translucent burgundy Decade though - I must take a pic.

[Hobbayne]

I remember when I first started playing in the early 80's, I used Rotosound R66 roundwounds. They had red silk wraps, in fact most bass strings did in those days! Theres a lot more choice of colours now.
Having said that, I prefer to have no windings at all like the Elites I recently put on the old Fender, they look much better dont you think?

[spinynorman]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1067590' date='Dec 23 2010, 11:05 AM']+100. Bloody useless stuff, I love the way that if you trim the ends of the strings before fitting them (as I do because sometimes I really don't want 25 winds around the post) this crap immediately starts to unravel & fray & fall off before the strings are even on. God forbid you should ever want to remove the strings to do something outlandish like clean your bass - unless you like your strings hairy with bald patches.

However I have found you can use a little bit of Vaseline or grease to stick the hairy frayed bits back down if it's not too far gone though. Just had a thought - wonder if you could burn it all off?

Jon.[/quote]

Dead right. The headstock end frays at the slightest touch into clumps which jam in the string tree so the string breaks when you try to tune it. But can you get the silks off at the bridge end? No way, I hacked at it with a Stanley knife till the blade broke and did try burning it off, but it just melts into a gooey nylon mess.

Super glue works on the frayed bits if you're careful, though it doesn't look good close up. However that's another of my pet hates, super glue. The only thing it sticks reliably every time without fail is human skin.

Did I mention I'm not feeling that much peace on earth and goodwill to all men this "holiday season" (bloody yanks).