rjgoos
2nd January 2007, 8.43 pm
(a little preamble)
I do a lot of experimentation, and go through a lot of strings. I have built four home-made tapping instruments, and it is on them that I experiment with various tunings, flatwound vs. round-wound, etc. Buying so many strings from one of the usual tapping/touchstyle string providers would add up to a lot, and often I need odd gauges that wouldn't be included in a standard set from one of the usual sources.
I thought that I would, for the benefit of other experimenters in the larger tapping/touchstyle world, list my sources for long-scale strings, in case anyone else wanted to experiment with different tunings, or for home-builders looking for string sources.
Personal note...I always wear eye protection when installing strings, even on a regular guitar. Please consider doing the same. Now to the actual posting:
A few thoughts on less-expensive string sources:
I. Performers and experimenters
Different people value different aspects of a hobby or other activities. Some tapping/touchstyle enthusiasts are performers first. They should not bother with anything said here. They should find a source of strings they like, and concentrate on performing. However, a small segment of tapping/touchstyle enthusiasts are tinkerers/experimenters/builders first. This posting is written for them.
II. For wound strings
For wound strings, it is pretty easy to get started. Here is an inexpensive source. Go to www.musiciansfriend.com Search for "rogue bass nickel" (without the quotes), or search for "rogue bass stainless" (again, without the quotes). Here you will find 3-packs of bass-length (48 to 49" long) strings, from 0.025" to 0.120" long. I think they sound OK, perhaps a little more finger noise than the strings you would get from the usual sources, and maybe a bit thin-sounding on the heaviest string I use, but certainly good enough for experimenting with different tunings, stringing up a home-made instrument for the first time, etc. They come in a sealed plastic container with a silica gel pack.
The site www.juststrings.com also offers individual gauges of their own brand of bass guitar strings. On the left-hand side of their main web page, click "bulk strings", and then "bass" you can find their nickel or stainless strings, in bulk packs of 6. I haven't tried them, but they are a low-cost alternative.
The juststrings.com site offers a lot of brands of bass strings on an individual-lot basis. This site is a string experimenter's paradise. From their main menu, go to "single strings" and then to "bass." You will find several brands of wound bass strings that go as small as the 0.025 range or thereabouts, including offerings from D'Addario, GHS, JustStrings, Ernie Ball, DR, LaBella, Rotosound, and others
Both the musiciansfriend and juststrings sites have given me excellent customer service. I just order the strings online, they arrive promptly. Very professional.
III. For plain strings.
It was harder to find sources of long-scale plain strings. When I go through a phase of experimentation with tunings, when I go through a lot of strings, I simply use regular guitar-length plain strings and splice them. I was taught how to do a proper wire splice in shop class, your results may vary. If you don't know how to do it, refer to the next paragraph. I get bulk guitar-length strings from www.musiciansfriend.com Search the site for "ernie ball nickel plain" (without the quotes), and you will find six-packs of plain steel strings. They sound great and are way cheap.
For long-scale plain steel strings, it took more digging, but they actually are available. If you go to www.juststrings.com , on the left-hand side of the web page, click on "single strings" then on "loop end", then on "GHS", then on "plain steel". There you will find loop end strings from 0.008 to 0.024 gauge. They are 45" long, sound great, and cost 67 cents apiece. With the type of bridge design I use for my home-made units, they work just fine. Your results may vary.
I haven't added it up lately, but I have been able to re-string a 10-string instrument for as little as 10-12 bucks.
IV. Flat-wound strings
I know that some people would like to try flat-wound strings. If you go to www.juststrings.com and click on "single strings" and "bass guitar" and "GHS" and "precision flatwound", you can find flatwound strings in a complete set of gauges from 0.028 to 0.126. Sometimes I need a flatwound string in the 0.022 to 0.025 range. In that case, I'll get a regular guitar-scale flatwound of the same type and splice it. Juststrings.com has other brands of flatwound strings as well, available individually.
I have mixed emotions about flatwounds. The playing "feel" is second to none, and there is zero finger noise. I don't know if they sound quite as good at the heavier gauges as your better brands of round-wounds, though. Performers should stay with what gives them the sound they want. But to tinkerers/experimenters out there....consider trying out flatwounds.
V. String gauges for experimenters.
If a person wants to tune in an odd tuning (inverted major thirds, crafty tenths, or whatever) which string gauges to use? I have a first-draft of a pitch vs. gauge paper at:
http://homepage.mac.com/tap6/string-diameters.html
I will be updating this site in the next few months, including more data, and making the site easier to use.
VI. About strings in general for tapping/touchstyle instruments
Despite what you may have read elsewhere, it isn't really all that hard to find good strings for tapping/touchstyle instruments. For one thing, there are far fewer actual manufacturers of strings than there are brands. For plain steel strings...I personally never detected any difference between the brands I tried. For wound strings, apart from finger noise, my ear doesn't detect that much difference between brands up to gauges about 0.060 or so. So, for the heaviest string or two, you might have to do some experimentation. For those who enjoy experimentation, it's good fun.
.
I do a lot of experimentation, and go through a lot of strings. I have built four home-made tapping instruments, and it is on them that I experiment with various tunings, flatwound vs. round-wound, etc. Buying so many strings from one of the usual tapping/touchstyle string providers would add up to a lot, and often I need odd gauges that wouldn't be included in a standard set from one of the usual sources.
I thought that I would, for the benefit of other experimenters in the larger tapping/touchstyle world, list my sources for long-scale strings, in case anyone else wanted to experiment with different tunings, or for home-builders looking for string sources.
Personal note...I always wear eye protection when installing strings, even on a regular guitar. Please consider doing the same. Now to the actual posting:
A few thoughts on less-expensive string sources:
I. Performers and experimenters
Different people value different aspects of a hobby or other activities. Some tapping/touchstyle enthusiasts are performers first. They should not bother with anything said here. They should find a source of strings they like, and concentrate on performing. However, a small segment of tapping/touchstyle enthusiasts are tinkerers/experimenters/builders first. This posting is written for them.
II. For wound strings
For wound strings, it is pretty easy to get started. Here is an inexpensive source. Go to www.musiciansfriend.com Search for "rogue bass nickel" (without the quotes), or search for "rogue bass stainless" (again, without the quotes). Here you will find 3-packs of bass-length (48 to 49" long) strings, from 0.025" to 0.120" long. I think they sound OK, perhaps a little more finger noise than the strings you would get from the usual sources, and maybe a bit thin-sounding on the heaviest string I use, but certainly good enough for experimenting with different tunings, stringing up a home-made instrument for the first time, etc. They come in a sealed plastic container with a silica gel pack.
The site www.juststrings.com also offers individual gauges of their own brand of bass guitar strings. On the left-hand side of their main web page, click "bulk strings", and then "bass" you can find their nickel or stainless strings, in bulk packs of 6. I haven't tried them, but they are a low-cost alternative.
The juststrings.com site offers a lot of brands of bass strings on an individual-lot basis. This site is a string experimenter's paradise. From their main menu, go to "single strings" and then to "bass." You will find several brands of wound bass strings that go as small as the 0.025 range or thereabouts, including offerings from D'Addario, GHS, JustStrings, Ernie Ball, DR, LaBella, Rotosound, and others
Both the musiciansfriend and juststrings sites have given me excellent customer service. I just order the strings online, they arrive promptly. Very professional.
III. For plain strings.
It was harder to find sources of long-scale plain strings. When I go through a phase of experimentation with tunings, when I go through a lot of strings, I simply use regular guitar-length plain strings and splice them. I was taught how to do a proper wire splice in shop class, your results may vary. If you don't know how to do it, refer to the next paragraph. I get bulk guitar-length strings from www.musiciansfriend.com Search the site for "ernie ball nickel plain" (without the quotes), and you will find six-packs of plain steel strings. They sound great and are way cheap.
For long-scale plain steel strings, it took more digging, but they actually are available. If you go to www.juststrings.com , on the left-hand side of the web page, click on "single strings" then on "loop end", then on "GHS", then on "plain steel". There you will find loop end strings from 0.008 to 0.024 gauge. They are 45" long, sound great, and cost 67 cents apiece. With the type of bridge design I use for my home-made units, they work just fine. Your results may vary.
I haven't added it up lately, but I have been able to re-string a 10-string instrument for as little as 10-12 bucks.
IV. Flat-wound strings
I know that some people would like to try flat-wound strings. If you go to www.juststrings.com and click on "single strings" and "bass guitar" and "GHS" and "precision flatwound", you can find flatwound strings in a complete set of gauges from 0.028 to 0.126. Sometimes I need a flatwound string in the 0.022 to 0.025 range. In that case, I'll get a regular guitar-scale flatwound of the same type and splice it. Juststrings.com has other brands of flatwound strings as well, available individually.
I have mixed emotions about flatwounds. The playing "feel" is second to none, and there is zero finger noise. I don't know if they sound quite as good at the heavier gauges as your better brands of round-wounds, though. Performers should stay with what gives them the sound they want. But to tinkerers/experimenters out there....consider trying out flatwounds.
V. String gauges for experimenters.
If a person wants to tune in an odd tuning (inverted major thirds, crafty tenths, or whatever) which string gauges to use? I have a first-draft of a pitch vs. gauge paper at:
http://homepage.mac.com/tap6/string-diameters.html
I will be updating this site in the next few months, including more data, and making the site easier to use.
VI. About strings in general for tapping/touchstyle instruments
Despite what you may have read elsewhere, it isn't really all that hard to find good strings for tapping/touchstyle instruments. For one thing, there are far fewer actual manufacturers of strings than there are brands. For plain steel strings...I personally never detected any difference between the brands I tried. For wound strings, apart from finger noise, my ear doesn't detect that much difference between brands up to gauges about 0.060 or so. So, for the heaviest string or two, you might have to do some experimentation. For those who enjoy experimentation, it's good fun.
.