XL Tapewounds

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.

I've been playing bass for 50-odd years, and have always preferred nylon tapewound strings for their playing comfort and jazzy tone. These strings are not for players who like a trebly tone, as the nylon wrapping is non-conductive. Treble needs to be rolled off to prevent unwanted noise caused by the lack of string grounding. Fortunately, I like a warm tone, so this type of string suits me well. Moreover, they last a long time- I have 30-year-old tapewounds on one bass, and they are still going strong. Now that I'm a lot older, I've grown weary of the very common 34-inch scale, and recently picked up a Squier Jaguar Bass with a 32-inch scale. I also have a short-scale Epiphone SG Bass, and am using the D'Addario tapewound strings on that. For my taste they sound fantastic; I like them so much that buying the Medium Scale tapewounds for the Squier was a no-brainer. They fit the Jaguar Bass perfectly and are said to be good for the Fender/Squier Mustang Bass, too. I have used D'Addario strings for many years (NYXLs for guitar) and consider them of very high quality. If, like me, you dislike roundwound bass strings and would like even more comfort than flatwounds would provide, give these strings a try- you may find a new favorite.

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.

I bought the "medium scale" for my Mustang Bass (through-body bridge) and I'm thrilled to note that they fit perfectly. Silk on the E string starts about an inch past the nut, just before the tuning peg, so you can wind the E peg with all silk, as you're supposed to. I usually use LaBella Mustang Flats because they fit right, but I was getting tired of the sound, so I thought I'd try D'Addario medium scale since I heard they fit, and they sure do. They also have, apparently, almost identical tension to the LaBella Mustang Flats; I did not have to adjust the action on my bass after installing these. I'm also thrilled about the overall sound. I usually play flats so these are comparable, but since they are new have a great crisp fresh tone with lovely harmonics... even on the E string! The E string, to my delight, is one of the best sounding E strings ever, no tuning issues or muddiness -- a "B" played on the E strings sounds remarkably similar to a "B" played on the A string, which is frequently not the case; I expect that to get worse over time of course but right now it sounds awesome. One interesting thing about nylon wrap: I like to play with Finger-Ease lubricant, and on normal flats you can actually get them TOO slick... but somehow with these black nylon strings, no matter how much lube I put on, the strings always have just a little bit of friction... one could say, just the *right* amount of friction. A welcome surprise! The only bad thing is electronic buzz. The nylon prevents your fingers from making "grounding contact" with the guitar's electronics, so there is a slight buzz unless I brace the heel of my hand on the bridge. I tried to make my Mustang as electronically quiet as possible, but my practice room is awash in EMF; if I ground myself on the bridge, it's dead quiet, but if I don't ground there is a slight buzz. Disappointing but understandable that touching these string to play does not constitute grounding :( It is too bad there are so few correctly-fitting string sets for Mustang through-body basses. If Thomastik-Infeld made a set of their Jazz Flats for Mustang, I'd be in heaven, but from now on it's ether D'Addario medium-scale, or LaBella Mustang Flats...

I bought these strings on January 5, 2012. I received them soon after, but I can't remember the exact date. I bought them for my Greg Bennett acoustic bass elan AB11. After I put them on I played them. Let me just tell you that these strings are the smoothest strings on the face of the earth. They have a hint of Upright Bass in the sound. I haven't played them live, yet, but I am sure they will captivate and mesmerize. They sure mesmerized me. They sound as if they came straight from heaven. The length was quite exceptional. They leave you a lot of extra in case you are one of those with an extended bass. This review just can't do these strings justice. You'll have to purchase a pair and hear for yourself. Oh and don't go for those Fender pieces of junk. I almost made that mistake, but quickly came to my senses. They may be cheaper, but Fender just can't do what D'Addario did when they made this wonderful strings. They absolutely are like butter on your fingers. You could use your index finger and slide up and down the bass for and hour and your finger would feel better then when you started. You'll just have to buy a pair and try them out. Take heed, not everyone will like these. It depends on what kind of sound you like to produce and what style you play. There are just a lot of factors involved. But purchase them and try them out. If you don't like them, Amazon has a wonderful return policy. If you do, leave a review and tell, whoever may read, of the simple awesomeness of these strings. BUY a set..you won't regret it!!

The people that gave up when their B string would fit should have tried a bit harder. I noticed the string almost fit and I had alread installed the G string. The only thing keeping it from going through the hole was the thread wrapping. I have an Fender American Deluxe V that gives me the option of threading through the body, which I do. It took me about 3 or 4 minutes to trim just enough of the blue wrapping thread back and the string went right in. Another issue was the thread on the other end of all the strings slightly overlapped the nut. I went ahead and threaded them anyway because it was so close, and by the time I tuned it up they all cleared the nut. Man I'm glad I did. These strings sound AMAZING, and they look cool on the sunburst bass as well. The 2nd-5th strings are very warm and mellow, with great attack, and the G string retains just enough brilliance to make it stand out in the mix. I've only had these on for a day but can tell you they will stay on for a long time. These are expensive, but well worth the money.

I have been using these string for 14+ years. I originally purchased a set when regular bass strings became too hard on my finger tips. My original set lasted almost 14 years! I finally replaced them in 2026 when the black plastic tape winding was coming off a string. I was very pleased that the price had increased only 10% after 14 years - much less than 14 years of inflation. Besides being softer on your fingers, these strings also are much quieter when you are sliding up (or down) a string.

These strings feel great and look great on my Ibanez Mikro GSRM20 bass. (Can be hard to find strings that fit the ultra short scale on the Mikro). I like warm muted tones, and these fit the bill. Easier on the fingers than round wound.

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.

Quality strings, with a great tone. Feel great under the fingers and so playable. Give my fretless bass more of a string bass sound without losing too much mwah.