Top Tape guitar strings featuring Will Barnes | Rotosound

Rotosound Top Tape flatwound guitar strings have been a favourite amongst jazz and blues guitar players since they were first produced in 1961.
British jazz guitar ace, Will Barnes, takes the RS200 Top Tape set out for a spin on a beautiful AT17CE from stellar UK luthier Rob Williams. Will performs his track ‘Bagging It Up’ in Rob Williams' workshop where his archtop guitar was handbuilt.
Rotosound Top Tape strings are wound with Monel, an alloy of nickel and copper, which brings to our strings the benefit of a strong tone and resistance to corrosion. The smooth feel from Monel tape offers reduced finger noise yet still allows for an element of upper harmonics for a powerful and punchy tone. The build spec remains a close kept secret but the Monel 400 tape used in our Top Tape and Jazz Bass 77 strings brings out their true character over the much less costly flattened stainless steel.
We’ve been making Monel tapewound strings since the 1950s with artists such as Ike Isaacs and Terry Smith endorsing our flatwound strings. The legacy continues with current jazz players such as Tom Ford switching on to the rich tones of Top Tapes.
• Links:
www.rotosound.com
www.willbarnesmusic.co.uk
robwilliamsguitars.co.uk
• About Rotosound:
Rotosound are manufacturers of the World’s Finest Music Strings - a legacy which goes back to the birth of Rock n’ Roll itself. Since 1958 Rotosound strings have been an ever-present on some of the most famous recordings ever heard.
Developed in conjunction with some of the world's top artists, Rotosound strings are synonymous with unbeatable tone and longevity and are manufactured in Great Britain.

[@kiserschaus]

Sick

[@JadeEyeland]

Amazing performance

[@rotosound_uk]

Yeah, Will's the man!

[@eduardollamas4932]

Hi how are things! Could I use that string lug on a telecaster? since I would like to play jazz on a Telecaster. But I wanted to know if I can put a caliber as thick as 12 - 52 from RotoSound.

[@rotosound_uk]

Hey! Yes, you can certainly use our flatwound 12-52 strings on a Telecaster. The guitar will need some adjustment so you may want to consider taking it to a luthier for a set up if you feel the strings are too high off the fretboard. Cheers ✌

[@ThorRavnsborg]

To be a bit more exact you would most likely need to tighten the truss rod a bit to compensate for higher string tension (unless you are already using fairly heavy gauge strings with similar tension). It could very likely also be necessary to set intonation (adjust bridge saddles) again. Lastly a bit of nut filing could also be necessary for optimal performance if the nut slots are not cut wide enough for thicker strings. None of that is difficult and you can find several tutorials here on CZcams. The first two jobs are very simple adjustments which I would recommend every guitarist to learn. Filing the nut properly takes a little bit more skill and will be easier with proper tools though. If necessary you can buy a cheap set of nut files for around 10 quid/dollars or it can be done with very fine grit sandpaper wrapped around strings of appropriate gauges. Or you could pay a luthier to do it perfectly and spend your time on something else🙂

[@angelolivares8754]

So are these strings the exact same than the RS200 flatwounds?

[@rotosound_uk]

Hi! These are the RS200 flatwound electric guitar strings. The product name is Top Tape and the product code is RS200

[@thestratman7903]

Are these taped like those nylon taped Bass guitar strings? Or just stainless steel flatwound with the word tape in it?

[@rotosound_uk]

Hi Frank! These are Monel flatwound electric guitar strings. They were named "Top Tape" in 1962 when this set was introduced. Terminology was thrown around loosely in those early days of guitar - think of the guitar's "tremolo" arm that controls vibrato, or the "vibrato" controls on Fender amps that relate to the tremolo function...

[@thestratman7903]

@@rotosound_uk Great! Thanks for the info, I'm ording a set right now!

[@davidkelly831]

@@thestratman7903 I would have preferred them like tapewound bass strings, it's a misleading name

[@simongoodwin1100]

@@davidkelly831 I agree. La Bella Tapes, as played by the late Bucky, and John, Pizzarelli, are nylon core based strings, with a different sound and feels.

[@andresbriceno73]

How slinky do they feel to play rock on this type of guitars?

[@rotosound_uk]

Give them a try!