Tapewounds strings

Gear
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I’m (still) a true beginner.
I’m getting frustrated with noises generated whenever I release a note.
There’s always noises and I’m sure it has to do with techniques but I was wondering if using tapewounds strings would help.
I read about them and all I could find is that they generate a darker, muted sound which is ok with me (learning just for fun, I won’t make a career out of it). I haven’t read anything about them being wrong for a beginner.

What do you think, should I switch to

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First off - Welcome @rbournival!
If you want to you could tell us a little bit more about yourself in Introduce Yourself! (2018-2022)

Are those noises just coming from the bass or also the amp?
Because it probably doesn’t matter if it’s just the bass. It’s easier to check when playing with headphones. Fret buzz is audible but what I call “string clacking” usually isn’t so if you aren’t annoyed too much by it I would not worry about it.

Also yes - to a degree it’s technique and will get better with time but I think fretting will never be completely silent.

Can’t help you there. Recently thought of buying flat and tapewounds just to compare but didn’t so I don’t have any first hand experience. You could look in some other threads about strings though. There are already some in the forum. You can use the search function (looking glass in the top right - on mobile only visible in landscape view)

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Welcome @rbournival
I’m using flat wounds and although they feel great I still get fret buzz if I’m do something wrong with my left hand. Technique is a major solving problem with this.
I’m also wondering if your bass might need setting up? I did mine last night a couple of weeks after putting on the flats and eliminated an annoying buzz.
PamPurrs uses tape wound strings so she may be able to help there

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If your action is low on your bass, you might not be not coming off the note cleanly enough. I’ve had this issue myself especially when I wanted to mute the string with my fretting finger. I had to work on getting that finger off the fret quickly and cleanly while keeping contact. It was a really touchy-feely thing for me, but I’ve managed to improve things.

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Thank you juli0r. It’s definitively not amp noise. Fretting the string is fine. It’s just when I remove my finger. I guess that I need to be patient and work on my technique.

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Thank you mac. Yeah… setting up the base might be something I need to do. It is setup as when I purchased it. I’m not confident enough to change anything. I guess it would be worth a trip to the shop.

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Thank you kwt7667. That’s what frustrates me… finding the right way to release the note. Again… patience and working on it… :slight_smile:

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I remembered that I had kind of the same question when I was chosing a new bass. You can look it and the answers up here: Help choosing a second bass - #61 by juli0r

Might interest you :slight_smile:

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Welcome aboard @rbournival,
Enjoy the ride.
Cheers Brian

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@rbournival welcome to the forum.

Your issue is partly technique and partly because round wound strings make a great deal of residual noise.
The former will correct itself with practice, and the latter can be fixed with flats or tapes. I use both, and prefer either one over rounds, for that reason and many more

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@darklordofbass

I had a lot of this when I first started and now have a lot less, although not gone entirely. I think it was something that for me resolved itself as my speed and motor skills increased. It wasn’t that I was doing anything I could fix as much as my fingers just hadn’t built up enough dexterity yet. One thing I was doing wrong is that, despite all Josh’s direction to pluck straight across, I was plucking slightly down toward the body of the guitar. If the string vibrates up and down rather than back and forth, it runs into the fret easier when releasing.

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I still do this, over a year after finishing the course. I also get kind of an interesting percussive effect on the string when playing fast because of it. Getting past this is kind of an ongoing thing with me.

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@howard I get that clacking percussive sound when I’m playing too fast too. Especially if I’m chugging

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To be honest I kind of like it :slight_smile:

But it’s not ideal I guess.

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Thank you Dave. That is good advice.

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I like it too! I’m just trying to get to where I get to do it intentionally. :sweat_smile:

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I sort of do but it’s so random when it makes an appearance :joy:

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