bass strings and tone

[isaacah]

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Newton Hunt has been my very pleasant visitor for the past week and =
since I'm very busy looking after bass string orders the conversation, =
naturally, gravitated to that subject.
I have been making bass strings since 1969, this means I'm a bit older =
today than I was then.  Whether I'm also a bit wiser is an open =
question. Ted Saambell, who gave me my inspiration for making bass =
strings, told me when I started out that I would have to throw out at =
least 100lbs of copper making bad strings before I made good ones - he =
was more than right.
It has taken me from 1969 until 1997 to really know what makes a =
consistently good bass string set; one whose tension is not so high as =
to choke the tone and one that remains stable, with no false beats and =
with a smoothe bass/plain wire break.  During the earlier period the =
sets of strings I made oscelated between sets  which, according to =
customers' feedback, were excellent and got me a good deal of repeat =
business, to sets with problems causing   some customers to be less than =
happy and, in some cases, to stop using  our strings.
I have, since starting to make bass strings, devoted a lot of time, =
effort and expense to researching every facet of bass strings.  In the =
past  five years I have discovered new alloys and new, semi automatic =
winding techniques which make it impossible to wind a poor string by =
lessening the string winder's dependence on skill.  The strings we make =
now are not the strings we made before 1997.
The success of the research is very easy to gauge - repeat and new bass =
string business has increased in a consistent upward curve and keeps =
growing.
A word about bass string tone.  Different bass string winders use =
different techniques and scales of varying philosophical and =
mathematical approaches.  Also, there are different coppers in use;  =
some use German copper - copper with a bit of nickel mixed in making for =
a very bright but a bit narrower tone when compared with pure copper.  =
Steinways, in the twenties, used semi hard copper, most bass strings =
today are wound using soft drawn copper.  We, incidentally, use semi =
hard copper.  The advantage of semi hard over soft is the far smaller =
degree of crush or deformation of the copper.
Addto all of these variations the varying types, and qualities, of core =
steel wire makes and, you've got a can of worms.
If I had to decide whose bass strings I was going to use I would not =
stop until I tried every make for at least two sets.  The tone I liked =
the most would determine whose bass strings I would use.
    I wish to apologize to all those customers who were less than happy =
with any sets they got from me, I take full responsibility and I owe =
them a sincere vote of thanks for being my teachers on my road to making =
top quality bass strings.      =20

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