Nylon tapewound vs Chrome flats - guage question

[sandy_r]

I have a very specific question - grateful for any comments by people with a fretless bass, having direct experience of moving from either groundwound or chrome flats to nylon tapewound onto this same bass

 

Question:  Does the nylon tape contribute to the usual increase in tension in standard (or 'heavy') guage, compared to medium guage?

 

(or, to put it another way: Would a standard guage nylon tapewound need approximately the same tension as a medium guage metal flat?)

 

The reason I ask is because I want to transfer to nylon tapewounds but keep the lighter tension of medium guage - if standard guage tapewounds don't need greater tension then it gives me a greater choice

 

thanks in advance

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by sandy_r

[Hellzero]

Try the LaBella White Nylon's, they are lighter in tension than any other nylon taped strings and sound terrific on fretless basses with very good mids for that mwah we are almost all after.

 

In fact, these are totally alive strings compared to the other more dull sounding nylon taped strings, because inside are roundwound stainless strings.

[Soledad]

Agree re the LaBella white nylons. Re tension I have found that equivalent nylon tapes are lower tension than the same gauge flats - obviously there are a lot of variables but it's generally true in all my experience. I think there's some physics behind this - the nylon tape wrap is lower mass than the metal wrap of flats, hence for the given tuned pitch the tension will be lower. Again, variables like the core gauge which is where the tension comes from.

Anyways, LaBella white nylons seem to have been made for a fretless!

[sandy_r]

Ok, that's interesting, thanks folks!  I was tending to dismiss LaBella Whites after watching a fretless demo of them on YT and thinking they didn't sound much different to the groundwounds I use currently

 

I'll have a trawl thro YT some more and see if I can find a wider range of EQs for a better comparison

 

Yes, it's definitely more 'mwaaah' and less 'twwang' that I'm after

 

cheers

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by sandy_r

[sandy_r]

I found a much better demo of the LaBella Whites, than the one I found before, and I can see that they're something special, thanks

 

I checked the LaBella site and they give their recommended measuring process to check which of their string lengths are needed - my bass is headless, a ball to bridge length of 35.5", with the ball only about 1" from the nut and the nearest 2 tuning heads about 1.25" from the bridge 

 

This means I'd need their 38" 'Standard/Long' strings ('cause their medium is 34.25"), but then there would still be:

  38 - (35.5 + 1.25) = 1.25 of tapewound left needing to go round the 2 nearest tuning pegs

 

I believe I've seen another BChatter mention that their tapewounds split & started unravelling when they had to wind the tape part onto pegs, so I now have a follow-up question: Is it ok to wind an inch+ of the spare tapewound onto the pegs?  If not, then how to proceed?

 

Thanks if you can help

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by sandy_r

[Hellzero]

@sandy_r: What's your bass?

 

I've used White Nylon's on headless and headed basses without any issue at all.

 

My Leduc Masterpiece MP 628 SF (34 inches scale) is fitted with regular long scale White Nylon's since a year or two as they really last very long.

 

Check these photos made recently, no signs of wear and tear:

 

 

[sandy_r]

Lovely guitar!!

 

Thanks for the photos, incl closeup of headstock & strings - yes, I think my situation will be like your top string, which looks like the tape part has wound 1x on the peg

 

If the ball is only just hidden inside a string slot in your bridge, then I guess there is less than 1" of silk before the bridge (ie. before the nut, on my bass)

 

If you know it, what is the length between bridge and nut on that bass, please? (no rush)

 

many thanks for sharing

 

[Hellzero]

I guess you mean the far end of the bridge where the ball is anchoring?

[sandy_r]

41 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

I guess you mean the far end of the bridge where the ball is anchoring?

 

oops - missed this post - apologies!  No I meant the open string intonation length - no worries...

 

 

Thanks for your prompt and detailed help, @Hellzero and @Soledad - a set of shiny new LaBella white flats are flying their way to me, right now!

 

 I owe you folks a Leffe, Guinness, etc

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by sandy_r

[Hellzero]

The open string intonation is the scale and is as mentioned 34 inches, so a very standard one. 😉

[sandy_r]

11 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

The open string intonation is the scale and is as mentioned 34 inches, so a very standard one. 😉

 

ah ok - I read that as a nominal scale reference, rather than a measured distance (eg, I need Standard scale strings for my bass, but it measures 34.5")

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by sandy_r

[Hellzero]

@sandy_r : Is your bass a Kubicki Ex Factor?

[sandy_r]

2 hours ago, Hellzero said:

@sandy_r : Is your bass a Kubicki Ex Factor?

 

Ahhh -  nothing so grand 😞

Just an unremarkable Aria Sinsonido, now fretless

If I get on ok with the LaBellas then I may introduce them to my Yamaha & DIY fretless basses also

 

thanks again for the help with the guage/tension question