My first bass was a mustang in 1980 and I wanted to be Entwistle or Squire, so I got a set of rotosounds.
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Ahem.. seasoned players, when did you first become aware of or start using roundwounds?
- Thread starter bobyoung53
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About 1974, maybe 2 years after I started playing. At the time, I was playing a bass with a single mudbucker p/u. Calling the sound "boomy" would be kind. The day's of inline equalization was still a ways off.
A salesman at Pete Jones music suggested rotosounds. I had never heard of them, but I gave them a try.
Wow!... Instant improvement.
Been rock'n them ever since.
A salesman at Pete Jones music suggested rotosounds. I had never heard of them, but I gave them a try.
Wow!... Instant improvement.
Been rock'n them ever since.
Yeah when I switched to them I had a Tele bass with the big humbucker on it, the rotos were an improvement, not a big one though.
- Jan 30, 2004
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I started playing bass in the summer of 1976 right before my 13th birthday. My bass came with flats, which was very common at that time, judging by the basses in my local music stores. I heard about rounds shortly after I started playing, but I didn't try a set until I was 15.
I used Rotosound Swing Bass 66's from the time I was 16 into my early 20's, but I tried sets of GHS Brite Flats and D'Addario Half Rounds somewhere in that time frame.
I switched to D'Addario XLs in my early 20's, a few years after that, I tried GHS Boomers, and I mainly used both brands after that for decades. I bought a MusicMan in the late 90's, and to my ears EB Slinkys sounded the best on it, so I've used plenty of sets since.
Thanks to TB, I found Bass Strings Online and tried a couple of different brands of strings, searching for the perfect set for my 6-string bass. I read the GHS Pressurewounds thread here, that was started by Linnin, and ordered a set.
So, these days for me, it's Pressurewounds and Boomers, and the next set I'm buying will be Precision Flats.
I used Rotosound Swing Bass 66's from the time I was 16 into my early 20's, but I tried sets of GHS Brite Flats and D'Addario Half Rounds somewhere in that time frame.
I switched to D'Addario XLs in my early 20's, a few years after that, I tried GHS Boomers, and I mainly used both brands after that for decades. I bought a MusicMan in the late 90's, and to my ears EB Slinkys sounded the best on it, so I've used plenty of sets since.
Thanks to TB, I found Bass Strings Online and tried a couple of different brands of strings, searching for the perfect set for my 6-string bass. I read the GHS Pressurewounds thread here, that was started by Linnin, and ordered a set.
So, these days for me, it's Pressurewounds and Boomers, and the next set I'm buying will be Precision Flats.
Hi Bob, how ya doing?
You can probably recall that one reason Ric brought out the 4003 was truss rod issues with Rotos on the 4001...in fact the warranty was voided if you used rounds!
When I got out of the army in 77 and hit the shops, basses like Kramer, Spector, Ibanez, BC Rich, SD Curlee, Alembic and Peavey were on the wall and all were strung with rounds as was my very first Fender, a Precision Elite (1983?). I agree that the 70s was the transition period.
What basses ship with flats today?
Good, how you doing Brian? I still got to get up to Johnstone's one of these days, most authentic blues jam around. I vaguely remember bringing that 4001 home and throwing Rotos on it and taking the cover off in 1977. I didn't know if the other basses had rounds on them or not, guess now I know, haha! I do remember them coming out with the 4003 for that reason though.
RotoSounds on my 1972 Rickenbacker.
I have used rounds since then.
I'm 64 and people tell me I look old.
F#$% them.
I have used rounds since then.
I'm 64 and people tell me I look old.
F#$% them.
In high school (15 or so), I had a Ventura bass and didn't think about rounds or flats, cheap flats came on the bass.
Not long after, I discovered Yes and Chris Squire and Larry Graham. I investigated Chris Squire's set-up and discovered Rotosound round wounds. I bought a set for that Ventura bass, but the neck really warped not long afterwards.
That's when I went to work at the music store and discovered Fender Precisions. Later, I bought a Mic, but sold it after several months. It was a good bass, but I never warmed up to it like I did the Fender.
From then on, I played round wounds and I've played nothing but rounds since.
Not long after, I discovered Yes and Chris Squire and Larry Graham. I investigated Chris Squire's set-up and discovered Rotosound round wounds. I bought a set for that Ventura bass, but the neck really warped not long afterwards.
That's when I went to work at the music store and discovered Fender Precisions. Later, I bought a Mic, but sold it after several months. It was a good bass, but I never warmed up to it like I did the Fender.
From then on, I played round wounds and I've played nothing but rounds since.
When were tape wounds first made available? I assume they came after round wounds since they're just round wounds with nylon tape over them.
I tried Fender black tape wound (over flats) in the late '60's. I don't recall that they sounded much different from regular flats, but I do recall the tape coming loose in its entirety and sproinging itself into a ball down near the bridge!
I started playing bass in early 1974. Borrowed a friend's Fender Mustang that was strung up with tapewounds. Later that year I got a long-term loan from a different friend of a Fender Precision Bass that was strung up with flatwounds. When I finally got my own bass (a cheap Korean knock-off of a Hofner Beatle Bass) I strung it up with flatwounds. After a while I realized there was no point in owning a bass of my own since I still had the long-term loan of the P-Bass, so I sold off my Hofner clone
...and then sure enough, almost immediately thereafter the P-Bass owner came out of nowhere to reclaim his bass! So I was stuck without an instrument for a couple weeks, until our singer got a new boyfriend who happened to also play bass. He loaned me his bass; I don't even remember what make/model it was. But I do remember there was something really unique about it, something very different and distinct compared to all the other basses I'd ever played. Those strings, they were...I dunno, serrated almost!
But man did they sound cool!
So that was the first time I ever encountered roundwound strings. Must've been late 1975 or very early '76.
...and then sure enough, almost immediately thereafter the P-Bass owner came out of nowhere to reclaim his bass! So I was stuck without an instrument for a couple weeks, until our singer got a new boyfriend who happened to also play bass. He loaned me his bass; I don't even remember what make/model it was. But I do remember there was something really unique about it, something very different and distinct compared to all the other basses I'd ever played. Those strings, they were...I dunno, serrated almost!
But man did they sound cool!So that was the first time I ever encountered roundwound strings. Must've been late 1975 or very early '76.
Round Wounds awareness?
First time I ever picked up a bass and I'd say it's a pretty safe bet this is true for almost all of us.
That said, I never heard of flat wounds until I bought a fretless.
I've also never seen any bass, new for sale, that had anything but round wounds on them.
(Excluding fretless)
Is this thread labeled correctly?
First time I ever picked up a bass and I'd say it's a pretty safe bet this is true for almost all of us.
That said, I never heard of flat wounds until I bought a fretless.
I've also never seen any bass, new for sale, that had anything but round wounds on them.
(Excluding fretless)
Is this thread labeled correctly?
Yes, it's labelled correctly, you might want to read through the thread if you don't understand why.
I started playing in '83. My first bass (Vantage X-77) came equipped with rounds. Used RS-66s on that and my second bass (Yamaha RBX550) until I discovered Dean Markley Blue Steels.
I first tried flats on my Samick AEB. Couldn't stand them.
I removed the frets from the Vantage and the Samick and stayed with Blue Steels. Kept the string like that for over 10 years, until I sold both.
Tried flats again on my Portamento. Still couldn't stand them.
The real revelation for me, were tapes. THAT was the fretless sound I wanted!
Today, my fretlii have tapes, and my fretted have rounds.
I first tried flats on my Samick AEB. Couldn't stand them.
I removed the frets from the Vantage and the Samick and stayed with Blue Steels. Kept the string like that for over 10 years, until I sold both.
Tried flats again on my Portamento. Still couldn't stand them.
The real revelation for me, were tapes. THAT was the fretless sound I wanted!
Today, my fretlii have tapes, and my fretted have rounds.
