LearnGospelMusic.com Community

Please login or register.
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?  (Read 1684 times)

Offline Steelpulz

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1017
  • Gender: Male
    • gospelbassmusic

.175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« on: January 11, 2007, 06:42:07 PM »
This is from warwick.de, under "News-Headlines"

"It’s not possible to get lower – 175 “Black Label” Bass String

Warwick has been successfully distributing the “Black Label” brand of bass strings for many years. These quality, stainless steel, round wound bass strings are known for their extremely precise intonation and a warm yet brilliant sound (Warwick electric basses come equipped with those).

These strings, manufactured in the USA, have already been available in an unequalled band width as single strings in the dimensions of 0.015” to 0.145”.

But the development also does not stop concerning strings, hence Warwick fulfills the demand for sturdier exemplars with the new 175 “Black Label” to supply the adequate hardware for down-tunings. The new 175 with a winding terminating towards the ball end is primarily suitable for the sharp-F tuning, more precisely for the sub-contra sharp-F with a frequency of 23.12 Hz… "

Where can I get it?!?! Anybody know. I couldn't find any mention of them on the Warwick US site.
Conklin GTBD-7, Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, Glasstone Lil G2, Holy Bible

Offline Andrzej

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 367
  • Gender: Male
  • I've got 5 on it!
    • Kings Church

Re: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2007, 12:43:34 PM »
This is from warwick.de, under "News-Headlines"

"It’s not possible to get lower – 175 “Black Label” Bass String

Warwick has been successfully distributing the “Black Label” brand of bass strings for many years. These quality, stainless steel, round wound bass strings are known for their extremely precise intonation and a warm yet brilliant sound (Warwick electric basses come equipped with those).

These strings, manufactured in the USA, have already been available in an unequalled band width as single strings in the dimensions of 0.015” to 0.145”.

But the development also does not stop concerning strings, hence Warwick fulfills the demand for sturdier exemplars with the new 175 “Black Label” to supply the adequate hardware for down-tunings. The new 175 with a winding terminating towards the ball end is primarily suitable for the sharp-F tuning, more precisely for the sub-contra sharp-F with a frequency of 23.12 Hz… "

Where can I get it?!?! Anybody know. I couldn't find any mention of them on the Warwick US site.


There isn't a US Warwick site, to my knowledge.  You may have to order them from your nearest dealer or distributor.  I have been buying the .145 and .150 guage for about 3yrs now and they are very good, but I have to order a box of 20 which is a big chunk of money.  My store wouldn't let me order just a couple of packs as they would not be able to sell the remaining sets due to the unpopular heavy guage, so I have to buy the whole box.  Bare that in mind when ordering unusual string guages.

Offline jeremyr

  • LGM Royalty
  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2215
  • Gender: Male
  • Callowhill fanatic
    • My Youtube Chanel

Re: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2007, 01:39:41 PM »
There isn't a US Warwick site, to my knowledge.  You may have to order them from your nearest dealer or distributor.  I have been buying the .145 and .150 guage for about 3yrs now and they are very good, but I have to order a box of 20 which is a big chunk of money.  My store wouldn't let me order just a couple of packs as they would not be able to sell the remaining sets due to the unpopular heavy guage, so I have to buy the whole box.  Bare that in mind when ordering unusual string guages.

are you using the .145 for a low B?  How do you like the tension?  Is it as tight as the E string or more?  I'm VERY interested in a thicker gauge for my B.  I'm currently running .130 or .135
Somebody put me in the key of E#

Offline Steelpulz

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1017
  • Gender: Male
    • gospelbassmusic

Re: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2007, 04:38:12 PM »
I have heard that thicker is better for the Low strings. One person recommended .195 (usually for the low C#) for use as an F# string. He claimed that the balance between the tension on the low and high strings was better.
Conklin GTBD-7, Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, Glasstone Lil G2, Holy Bible

Offline Andrzej

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 367
  • Gender: Male
  • I've got 5 on it!
    • Kings Church

Re: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2007, 06:40:32 PM »
are you using the .145 for a low B?  How do you like the tension?  Is it as tight as the E string or more?  I'm VERY interested in a thicker gauge for my B.  I'm currently running .130 or .135

I do use it as my low b in a standard B-E-A-D-G string config.  The low b on my Warwicks are tight and clear sounding enough anyway, but lighter guages tend to flop around too much due to my agressive plucking style and when the string moves too much the natural pitch of the note you play sharpens...I hate that!  The .145 or .150 guage irons out that problem for me.  I often down tune the whole bass down a step to A-D-G-E-F (sometimes another half a step lower when I can find .150 guage) and the strings are still pretty tight with very little buzz. The set I commonly buy is .145-.120-.95-.75-.55 so every string has a high tension.  Great for resonance and you can lower the action quite low, but you can't play the bass lightly.  You really have to get stuck into it and use your muscles in your wrist and fingers.  Tapping is also a little more difficult and bending is very laboured, but as crazy as it sounds I will never go back to using lighter strings.  Every time I pick up a bass in a store set up with factory medium-light guages it sounds like I am hitting it hard with a pick, even when I am playing lightly.  Using heavy guage strings is a big part of my style and technique and my heavy handed playing technique is much more controlled, but I wouldn't recomend it to everyone because it it not very forgiving.  Unless your fretting hand technique is disciplined and well excercised it will hurt when you play.  Notice how my thumb is arced nicely behind the neck on my profile picture...well, that came from using heavy guages because my forearm, wrist and fingers would hurt after just a short time.  I don't get that problem now.  I guess you can say that the heavy guage improved my fretting and finger positioning technique and gave me more strength.

Offline funkStrat_97

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5431
  • Gender: Male
  • Da' House Rocka' is in Da' House!
    • Facebook

Re: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2007, 03:15:45 PM »
I do use it as my low b in a standard B-E-A-D-G string config.  The low b on my Warwicks are tight and clear sounding enough anyway, but lighter guages tend to flop around too much due to my agressive plucking style and when the string moves too much the natural pitch of the note you play sharpens...I hate that!  The .145 or .150 guage irons out that problem for me.  I often down tune the whole bass down a step to A-D-G-E-F (sometimes another half a step lower when I can find .150 guage) and the strings are still pretty tight with very little buzz. The set I commonly buy is .145-.120-.95-.75-.55 so every string has a high tension.  Great for resonance and you can lower the action quite low, but you can't play the bass lightly.  You really have to get stuck into it and use your muscles in your wrist and fingers.  Tapping is also a little more difficult and bending is very laboured, but as crazy as it sounds I will never go back to using lighter strings.  Every time I pick up a bass in a store set up with factory medium-light guages it sounds like I am hitting it hard with a pick, even when I am playing lightly.  Using heavy guage strings is a big part of my style and technique and my heavy handed playing technique is much more controlled, but I wouldn't recomend it to everyone because it it not very forgiving.  Unless your fretting hand technique is disciplined and well excercised it will hurt when you play.  Notice how my thumb is arced nicely behind the neck on my profile picture...well, that came from using heavy guages because my forearm, wrist and fingers would hurt after just a short time.  I don't get that problem now.  I guess you can say that the heavy guage improved my fretting and finger positioning technique and gave me more strength.

Do you prefer tapper wound (or even exposed core)  B and E strings or just regular strings?  Tappered strings are easier to intonate and the notes are supposed to sustain better. 
“Don't bother to give God instructions, just report for duty”
- Corrie Ten Boom

Offline Andrzej

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 367
  • Gender: Male
  • I've got 5 on it!
    • Kings Church

Re: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2007, 07:17:40 PM »
Do you prefer tapper wound (or even exposed core)  B and E strings or just regular strings?  Tappered strings are easier to intonate and the notes are supposed to sustain better. 

Hmmm...thats a tough one.  I really like Elixir tappered strings especially because they stay fresh for longer, they feel really good under my fingers for fast playing and they sound awesome...they really do sing!  But, I do prefer regular stainless steel roundwound even though they don't last as long in comparison.  Once the brightness starts to rub off I kinda like the slightly dull sound for a while.  When they start to refuse to clean after a wipe thats when I usually throw them away and replace with a new set.  Tappered strings are different.  I tend to find that they start to go off when the coating starts to peel away and they feel terrible to play with when they get to that condition.  I tend to use them for quick uses such as studio work.  I have tried tappered strings on the road and they don't like hot conditions too much.  The coating peels away under hot lights pretty quickly.

I don't mix my strings.  My low end is very tight and I have a pretty good tonal balance across all strings, so I don't want to upset that.  There is one thing I didn't mention before about using a very heavy guage with a 5-string or 6-string bass is that the B and E string do tend to boom a little too much The tension is very tight on a thick string and it is almost like piano wire.  Good mid to bass EQ mix on the bass (not the amp) and sensitive use of a compressor helps a lot, but not every bass I have used with heavy guage strings sounded great.  My deeply missed MTD 535 didn't sound all that good with heavier strings.  I dunno why, but it just didn't.  I couldn't get a good sharp attack and it felt really awkward to play compared to my Warwicks.  As soon as I set it up with regular medium or medium-light strings I was back in business.  My Fender Jazz doesn't like heavy guages either.  Maybe it has something to do with the resonance balance between the sting and wood or maybe even the construction...I can't possible say.  I never really seeked advice about that.

Offline funkStrat_97

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5431
  • Gender: Male
  • Da' House Rocka' is in Da' House!
    • Facebook

Re: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2007, 07:41:08 PM »
I have tried tappered strings on the road and they don't like hot conditions too much.  The coating peels away under hot lights pretty quickly.


Thanks; but what I was asking about was taper wound or exposed core strings.  These may or may not be coated but the are idenitied by having a an exposed wire core or a reduced amont of windings at the break off point (where the saddle contact the sting).  The reduced mass at the bridge contributes to increased sustain and also makes the string easier to intonate.
“Don't bother to give God instructions, just report for duty”
- Corrie Ten Boom

Offline Andrzej

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 367
  • Gender: Male
  • I've got 5 on it!
    • Kings Church

Re: .175 Warwick"Black Label" String-Where can I get it?
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2007, 08:41:50 AM »
Thanks; but what I was asking about was taper wound or exposed core strings.  These may or may not be coated but the are idenitied by having a an exposed wire core or a reduced amont of windings at the break off point (where the saddle contact the sting).  The reduced mass at the bridge contributes to increased sustain and also makes the string easier to intonate.

Sorry funkstrat, I forgot to reply to that in particular.  I did use Trace Elliott strings all the time about 5-6yrs ago.  They are designed with an exposed core at the ball end.  I found the low end bright and lively, but I didn't notice much difference in the sustain, if any at all.  As far as the intonation is concerned I didn't really notice any loss or gain to be honest.  The only reason why I used those strings was because I liked the extra punch and attack I had on the B and E string.  They worked really well with purcussive and slap techniques.
Pages: [1]   Go Up