XL Tapewound Bass

OMG! Just awesome. Very little finger noises or fret clank. Look great, Feel great to the touch. Mellow double bass sound but still some brightness. Will buy more in the future.

I bought a set of these for a bass build for a customer. Once installed, I thought they were really top notch, but waited for the customer's verdict. They were also highly impressed, and love the smooth feel. On par with LaBella tapewound. Obviously this style of string is particularly appropriate for a fretless, because wear to your fingerboard is minimised, but they will work very nicely on a fretted instrument too. I would describe their tone as rounded, warm, rich, comfortable. They are not an aggressive sounding string, by any means, but they will deliver nice dynamics and respond to player input in a satisfying way. Very highly recommended, and nice that I was able to get a medium scale set, when all the other lead makes seemed to be unavailable in the UK.

Took up the bass again after playing in bands in the 1960's (see my other reviews if needed). I used to use La Bella tape wound then for a McCartney/Jack Bruce type sound ie. thick, warm, mellow but with a punch when tone and mids turned up on the Marshall amp. These strings are very similar without having La Bella prices. Beautiful rich tone. Ideal for Beatles, Jazz, Blues. Not the ones you want for Metal or slapping. This is only my humble opinion of course as strings are strings and can be used to play any style but tread carefully here. They are NOT zingy in any way. They feel like an angels kiss on the fingers. Smooth and soft like velvet cord. The tape winding feels more like a shrink wrap as no winding coil is noticeable. Hammer ons and slides are a joy. I still have callouses on my left hand but that's because I have an acoustic six string. You may notice I wrote a review for Elixir Nanoweb strings which I gave 5 stars to. I stand by every word of that, they also are a great set of strings in a different way. I think I've found my sixties mellow sound with these beauties. IMPORTANT: Because the web page said suitable for up to 34 inch scale guitars I ordered these medium scale strings for my 34 inch scale Classic Jazz guitar. They are much to short for a Jazz guitar. I have mine strung with approximately 2 inches of blue cotton winding past the nut toward the first fret. They still sound great but if your measurement from the bridge to the nut is 34 inches you need these strings in long scale.

I like these a lot there currently on an acoustic bass to tame the brightness and give me a more upright tone . I love the sound of flats but i hate that slightly greasy feel you get from them , these Feel great on your fingers but im unsure how they would work on a E bass .

Until you find your preferred tone and gauge buying strings is a bit of a lottery. I used these D'Addario ETB92 as a bit of an experiment on a vintage 60's Gretsch 6071 bass with wonderful results. They give a superb warm deep sound and the nylon coating gives an almost velvet touch when playing - also saving fret wear in the bargain. I had previously used D'Addario regular light gauge flat wounds on another bass (ECB81S), and was slightly put of by the slippery texture, but these strings are in another league. They are pricey - and their longevity has yet to be proven, but I have gigged with them and the bass has never sounded better - I would recommend them if you like that deep lush low end sound with easy playability.

The best strings available

Well it's a matter of opinion, and they will not suit all styles, but after decades trying bass strings to get an upright bass sound, these come closer than any other, even the sublime TI flats. They are low tension, and have a slight rubbery feel, but the sound - wow! Deep, dark but defined even on the low B, these strings sing on fretless bass, and are a joy to play. More sets please D'Addario...

Very pleased with these strings. They compliment the Gretsch hollowbody bass that I use them on and are a great improvement to the sound. The bass came strung with nickel round-wound strings and, for me, weren,t allowing the best of instrument,s qualities to be heard. Obviously it depends on what type of sound you are looking for, but if your playing direction is Motown, Stax, reggae or any style that requires a warm,deep sound that has clarity, these strings are worth consideration. I have mostly used regular flatwounds - La Bella.Thomastik Infeld ect. for many years and was apprehensive about using nylon tapewounds because of previous unsatisfactory experiences with them. Things have changed though and these stings are great to play on and produce a great tone. I will buy another set to use on my ,61 Precision.