XL Tapewounds

These are my favorite flat-wound strings. I use them on my P bass and my fretless Jazz. The steel core is covered by a thick plastic sleeve. The string is perfectly smooth and makes no noise against the frets. Slides are effortless and painless. The tone is very warm and mellow but not thumpy. Paired with good pick-ups there is plenty of articulation and subtlety. It's just pure tone with no unwanted noise. Good for soft-rock, jazz, R & B, etc.

Know what you want! Do you want an INDIVIDUAL and more defined warm, fat, steel string sound (D'Addario Chromes), or do you want the duller, broader thump of a nylon (D'Addario Tapewound)that BLENDS IN more with the rest of the sound? If you're not sure, listen to some sound bites on youtube. IF YOU ARE LOOKING for a 'blended' sound; one that blends in with the band or orchestra, these strings will probably make you happy. If you are looking for a sound that presents itself more individually, then these strings are probably not for you. LENGTH: D'Addario, according to their website, put these at 36" from the ball to the thread wrap. ADDITIONALLY, D'Addario DOES NOT list a Super Long Scale set for the Nylon Tapewounds. I measured 36-1/8" on the B string (5-string set) and a little longer on the others. FENDER Jazz V MIM 34" Scale: Strung from the bridge only (not through-the-body), these strings set up with the thread winding only 3/4" - 1" beyond the nut. THEREFORE, I believe that they would BARELY fit a through-the-body 34" or bridge-only 35". Even then, there would be a possibility of a little thread on the fret side of the nut (as is the case with the B string of my Long Scale D'Addario Chromes Flatwound strung through-the-body on my 34" Fender American DLX Jazz V - 1/8" into 1st fret). SOUND: Since these strings have a metal core and are just wrapped with nylon, they do have a defined thump; albeit an obviously softer and much less defined thump than all-steel. FEEL: Flatwounds all have that distinctive smooth feel. You will love the feel of these. INTONATION: Like the Chromes flatwounds, these strings have a different intonation than roundwounds. You will need to set up the intonation when you put this set on your bass. They generally get shorter, from the E, as you go up, and then get longer again for the D and G as you continue up. This is very different from most steel strings which have a consistent intonation 'slant' as you go up. The intonation on these will resemble more of a 'bell curve'. CONCLUSION: If you want an incredibly mellow, blended sound that builds a broad, thick foundation, these are a 5-star choice! If you're looking for individuality and a sound that punches through everything else, don't bother with these b/c you'll just end up rating them poorly.

As a beginning electric bass player, I was incredibly put off of practice due to feeling like my fingers were being run over a cheese grater. I have no compunction for believing that it shouldn't be necessary to mutilate your body to learn a musical instrument, and so I began to seek some alternative. I found these, and my fingers and I couldn't be happier. To quote a guitar playing friend, "OH MY GOD THEY'RE LIKE GLASS!" Just touching these strings sold him. They are smooth and easy on the fingers. It should be a crime to give any beginning player round wound strings when these are available. Bonus #1: Finger noise is practically a thing of the past. Bonus #2: They should last a very long time. The tape winding will protect the string from the corrosion bare metal strings are susceptible to. Though they are more expensive than bare metal, these will probably prove cheaper in the long run (and save you several re-stringing sessions). Bonus #3: These are exactly the sound I was looking for. I vastly prefer the smooth sound, closer to the string bass or the round-wound strings of the jazz and funk eras, and these deliver that. These were true to their marked gauge, but they were thicker than typical at the silk wrapping and therefore initially didn't fit through the holes on my bridge. Peeling back the silk wrap solved that for me.

These are excellent quality tapewound strings. Basically, they are flatwounds with a very thin nylon wrap, which feels very smooth and silky to the touch. The manufacturing quality is typical for D'Addario, which means absolutely top fit and finish. I've got these Super Long tapewound strings on my Fodera Monarch Standard Fretless 4, which has an extremely long scale (a shade over 35" when including the bridge saddles. These strings are a perfect fit for the Monarch, not only for the long scale, but for the factory nut, which received these strings without any hassle. The black strings look stunning on the guitar, especially with its black hardware. The strings impart a nice, mellow tone that is somewhat Motown Snake Pit-ish; basically a slightly thuddy attack, but it resolves to a nice clear ring. With roundwound strings, you'd achieve the same effect with a light foam damper under the strings as they enter the bridge, but just barely. I was concerned that the tape would affect the harmonics capability of the Monarch, but the harmonics are clear as a bell and sustain nicely. These strings are awesome for '60's be-bop jazz or R&B, and acoustic "unplugged" rock that requires a more subtle intonation. Plus, the sliding on these strings is unparalleled; you can Lee Sklar to your heart's content without a lot of noisy string squeaks. I don't yet have enough experience with these strings on my Monarch's ebony fretboard, but have every reason to believe that they will be kind to the wood and help the bass age nicely without wearing grooves. I'll update this listing once I get a year or so of experience with the strings. All in all, I'm thrilled with the strings for my Fodera. They are the right length, have a great tone and beautiful harmonics, are super-easy to play, and help protect the guitar. Can't ask for much more goodness than that.

Use thes on my fretless and they sound awesome.

Got the strings well ahead of schedule and well, this is a top class product. I love it. Thanks a ton and great service!

Eggshellent!

Sonoridade singular. Uso em meu baixo fretless, e assim consigo um timbre mais próximo do baixo acústico vertical. Porém, sem perder o 'ronco' dos médios que marcam o fretless. Textura agradável.

Sonido clásico muy profundo, sin brillo. Perfecto para rock clásico, blues y jazz. No recomendable para metal o rock duro. Los dedos deslizan suavemente sin ruido por las cuerdas. Al no tener surcos como las cuerdas normales de metal, no se ensucian con la grasa de los dedos y duran muchísimo sin perder su tono característico. Precio alto que se compensa con su duración