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Biscuit’s Bassment Review on Rotosound

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This Month, Biscuit’s Bassment Reviews Rotosound…

Hello my friends, I would like to welcome you all once again to “BISCUIT’S BASSMENT. “In this July 2011 issue of Bass Musician Magazine, I am not so much concentrating on a certain individual who plays the strings this month, but rather on one of the largest companies who actually make them for us all.

It was at the London Bass Guitar show during the second week of March this year at the Olympia Conference centre in London, that I had the pleasure of meeting up once again with the son of the man who has created one of the biggest string manufacturing companies in the World today and certainly more likely than not, the most popular manufacturer of the Bass guitar string for sure, and it was at this time that I had the idea of bringing you the inside story from Rotosound via the head man himself and his partner at the helm. So please join me in a warm welcome to Mr Jason How and his right hand man Mr John Doughty at ROTOSOUND.

I had been up since the early hours of Monday, 23rd of May, as many a low end tune spun round and round in my mind planting seeds in my head for possible new tracks that I could potentially use and reveal them as proper finished songs at a later date. This meant I needed to record those ideas as soon as possible as they would surely disappear with the arrival of the following dawn. So there I was recording and writing in the wee small hours and onwards into what was to be a very hot Tuesday during that last week of May. While I was working inside on some of those latest idea’s for new material for my solo project, I began wondering just how on earth I was ever going to get things completed with my head on “fire” between those headphones in such heat. I decided it was time for a break, and so I got a coffee and gathered some bass reading material and found a nice cool shady spot in the garden and sat myself down for a well-earned break.

While flicking through the various bass literature, I found myself coming across many Rotosound bass string advertisements, featuring their artist’s such as Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Billy Sheehan of Mr Big and many other projects including his own of course, and the mighty Chris Squire of YES and also Duff McKagan of Guns ‘n’ Roses as well. Now, instead of contemplating an interview with any one of these guys, which may still follow at some later date hopefully, It kind of struck me that the readers here at BMM may be quite interested in hearing about just what goes on within the walls of such a well established and highly respected bass guitar string manufacturer.  So off I went straight back inside and sent an email to the Chairman of Rotosound, Mr Jason How. Jason kindly responded within a few hours and invited me down to his Rotosound factory for this review. In his position as Chairman, Jason also deals with all of the advertising; Artists support, distributorships, and also has a very “hands on” approach on engineering side too, so I felt honoured to be invited as a guest by such a busy man.

 

It was now Wednesday, 1st June 2011, and a beautiful warm sunny day was to accompany me as I set of at 9.30am for an hour’s drive from Essex (South east UK) over the Queen Elizabeth II bridge and into the county of Kent, which is also known as the “Garden of England” in the UK, and onto the Rotosound factory in Sevenoaks.

After about twenty minutes I approached the door of the reception and was met by Jason’s How’s secretary, Coral Lynn, someone I had only known by name and via email previously when ordering my strings, so it was nice to meet her in person for the first time and discover first hand just what a wonderful Lady she is. As we entered the building Coral was telling me that she had spent some considerable time at the company and in fact would be completing thirty two years of service at Rotosound this coming November, which is quite some length of loyal service I think you will agree. I offered Coral deserved congratulations on her dedication and loyalty as she guided me through the corridors, and led me up some stairs to the first floor, where I could now see Jason through the window in his office.

It was very reassuring to see a smile of recognition on his face, and as soon as he saw me…he beckoned me inside right away. No sooner had I sat down at Jason’s desk, a cup of coffee arrived which was gratefully received and we were ready to go…. Hospitality at its finest I thought.

It was now time to get down to business, so I began by confirming that the reason for my request for a visit in the first place was to find out just how a company such as Rotosound  functions, and to cover the company from an inside perspective for the readers of Bass Musician Magazine. Jason said that he was more than happy to oblige and in between sips of coffee, he began to reveal all.

He began by telling me that the Rotosound Company was first conceived by his late father James How who came from an area called Bow, in London’s tough east end. Records held by Jason show that his father was working on building a string as far back as 1953 but as a company that was to produce the very first “round wound” string it was actually pioneered in 1958.  James designed his own machine using his vast knowledge gained as an engineer and set up in his own shed at home where he worked on his idea’s initially and then went on to gain the first proper company premises in 1958/59 in Sidcup, south east London/Kent borders followed by Bexleyheath two miles down the road where he had his own purpose built factory. A smaller satellite factory was also acquired just a short distance away at Welling for medical wires and later strings. By 1978 he started up a second and third manufacturing operation in Sevenoaks, Kent that, remains to this day. James wanted to call his new company “Top Strings” in the beginning but could not get the copyright, so he called it “Rotop” instead, which finally became Rotosound in 1965. The first Rotosound logo was circular in shape and it was not until the 1980’s that the design was to be changed to the familiar Diamond one that we all instantly recognise today

Among his very first customers were Jimi Hendrix, and John Entwistle of the “WHO” and it was John who was the first “Real” Endorsing artist for Rotosound bass strings when he approached James with his own specific string requirements. The fabulously talented Jaco Pastorius also became a Rotosound user as well, so I think you will agree with me that it was indeed not a bad start all in all for James How and his newly found company.

Sadly, after forty one years of building the company up from scratch, James unfortunately died in 1994 which left the company dealings all in the lap of his son Jason, who found things very tough to deal with on the outset. With the uprising of the overseas competition and just having to deal with his father’s recent death, these were going to be very tough days ahead for him indeed, and this may have been enough to have made some people give up, but that was not to be.

Jason How was found to be made of sterner stuff, and not to be beaten he just gritted his teeth and loaded his own car with vast amounts of strings and personally began the hard slog on the road in the form of a rep for his father’s company to keep the name of Rotosound alive and maintain it’s growing reputation and back up all of his father’s former hard work…. It really was a sink or swim situation, and although it was a real slog for many years, Jason managed to turn the Rotosound “Ship” around, point her in the right direction, and once again get her on to full steam ahead.

Jason and I were joined by Managing Director John Doughty, who very enthusiastically joins in the conversation between Jason and myself and kindly offers to show me around the factory a little later and explain exactly how things work, and would show me the whole process of the string manufacturing side of things. But for now, it’s time to drink up that coffee and be taken downstairs by Jason to meet his wife Kathy.

Kathy How is the production director, and her responsibilities require very long hours and total dedication to her work, which includes a very sharp eye for detail. She covers everything from the packaging inspection side of things right down to the final despatched product, and everything in between. She also deals with all staff issues and their idea, which will always be taken into consideration, as this is a really close hard working team indeed, and staff members here are greatly valued.

Kathy is a very big Cog in this massive “machine”, and is Indeed a fundamental part of Rotosound on a daily basis, and by his explanation of his wife’s role in the company and the look in his eyes it shows that Jason is very proud and appreciative of her mammoth efforts in keeping the Rotosound factory running smoothly at all times. It also has to be said that managing director John Doughty is equally as appreciative of her much valued contributions as well.

This is, and has always been a family run business. Most of the staff has been at Rotosound for so many years that they cannot always remember the exact time period, but that just goes to show what a tight and happy team they have at this company. To produce the extraordinary amount of high quality work that they do requires absolute dedication and commitment from all corners.

After a most interesting chat with Kathy, Jason informed me that this might be a suitable time for him to return to his busy desk for a while, and catch up with the daily task of running the company, so I was left in the more than capable hands of Managing Director John Doughty, who is himself a Chartered Engineer. John’s duties among many other things include being responsible for Technical support, sales/relations, employment, Engineering, Health and Safety, and also the legal side of things, so he is a very busy man indeed and has spent most of his life at Rotosound working together with Jason and his father James before him, which makes him a perfect right hand man to accompany Jason at the helm.

I was now on my second cup of coffee as John began to guide me around the factory floor and explain just what is involved in the manufacturing process. As we began the factory tour, John informed me that the current Sevenoaks factory where we find ourselves at the moment covers some 7500 sq ft and that there is also a “sister” operation in North Hollywood USA which covers 1000 sq ft where Rotosound has been exporting to since 1972, and the combined factories employ a total of fifty staff members in the UK and overseas, which is quite a change from the One hundred and twenty workers that John once managed in the earlier days before the fully automated/ mechanised system came into force.

He went on to explain that it was not only the bass guitar that Rotosound catered to, and that they actually make strings for all stringed instruments, including Double bass, Cello, Violin, Viola, Banjo, Bouzouki, Mandolin, Ukulele, acoustic bass and guitar, and of course the six string electric guitar which amounts to five guitar “Families” and eight Bass “Families” of strings in total, all of which are packed and dispatched to thousands of retailing outlets and distributors in over sixty different countries  worldwide, and will soon also be available directly through  Amazon as well. So there are a total of thirteen different types/families of string manufactured by Rotosound, and the flat wounds as mentioned earlier are all still made especially by hand.

Included in the Rotosound range is their best seller to date which are the Swing Bass RS 66LD used by Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, and Billy Sheehan among so many others too numerous to mention. Other favourites among the bass range are the Bronze Bass 44 (Acoustic) the Solo Bass 55(Great for Fretless) also the Funkmaster (Slap specials) the Jazz Bass (Flat wound) and the UN silked, and the less expensive but equally high quality Rotobass sets.

There are also Specialist sets which include the Nexus electric guitar and bass range with a black polymer coated dressing which are made from a special material called type 52 alloy, which contributes to making them the most expensive string manufactured by Rotosound to date, but are worth every penny due to the special materials used and the very high quality of the end product. There is also the Nexus NXA acoustic guitar range with clear-coated phosphorus bronze windings. There is also the Drop Zone (for drop tunings B and F#) and also the Tru Bass (For that “upright” sound) and also the Steve Harris (Flat wound) and the Billy Sheehan (43/65/80/110) signature packs.

John goes on to explain the process of the string making in detail. He says that with regards to the materials, there can be anything in the region of ten tons of wire in the factory at any one time. First, the Core has to be made and then held in store eventually to be distributed along with the correct cover wires in a “Workbox” for each individual operator to be carried out for the following day’s session. Initially, the brass balls are attached to the ball end of the core by virtue of purpose built state-of-the-art German ballender machines of which Rotosound has five, costing in excess of £400,000 …three  for guitar strings and two for Bass, and each machine can do the work of six workers.

The next step is to apply the covers or wraps which are to be wound around the core, which must be matched to the correct core before commencing the machining (winding) process, which is carried out on British made string winders of Rotosound`s own design. This is then followed with the application of the Silks which, are imported especially from Italy to be applied at both ends of the strings before trimming the ends.

Each operator can work on two to three machines simultaneously, so great skill and that eye for detail is paramount when making the strings, especially the Flat wound’s which are still made totally by hand using a material called Monel 400, which is a Nickel/Copper alloy and is very expensive indeed, so the skill of the workers is of great importance, and the guys I watched working on the flat wounds were particularly highly skilled and made it look so easy, but then they have been doing it for seventeen years!

All strings are made differently by each manufacturer and the machines used at Rotosound are all of a multi spindle design and have unique features, such as a magnetic “Clutch” system which controls different winding tension for each appropriate gauge of string being worked on at the time, and a special weight arrangement for assuring correct core tension which must be concert pitch.  Every single string made by the string machine operator attracts a bonus, and have their own work sheet and rack for their personally finished products gathered at the end of the days session.

These completed strings will then be thoroughly checked in the packing/inspection department for any problems and defects, and once “passed”, are then coiled, placed in packets, and packed into storage boxes to await the set packing procedure a little later on. Only one set type and gauge is worked on at any one time to avoid errors.

At Rotosound, there is a strict three-point quality check code to give you consistently high end performance from your strings of choice. On arrival at the factory, the raw materials and wire are checked for tensile, wire gauge, and diameter surface finish. And while the strings are in production, they are checked at three stages of the winding process by the factory quality assurance team under strict supervision. Finally, when they are being packed, every single string is hand checked for consistency of winding, length, colour, feel and general quality before being finally “passed”, packed, and despatched. Rotosound manufactures millions of sets of guitar and bass strings annually worldwide, so I am sure you’ll agree that’s an extraordinary large amount of packing and dispatching to be done. Now that’s what we call a 100% inspection!

Rotosound also provides many other accessories, including Picks, Cable ties, Capo’s, Straps, and leads and wearable’s such as T Shirts, Fleece’s, Beanie hats, and Flying jackets…just check out the links at the bottom for more information.

Among the many major Bass players around the world today, Rotosound’s Artist list is very extensive and includes such great names in the music industry as Billy Sheehan, Steve Harris, Chris Squire, Duff Mc Kagan, Doug Wimbish, Geddy Lee, James Lomenzo, John Paul Jones, and Bruce Foxton and Martin Turner to name   just a few, and the ever growing “family” of new Rotosound string users will help to maintain the company’s top status by keeping it young and fresh and retain its number one position in the Bass string manufacturing market for sure.

Well after the thorough tour of the factory, it was now time to pop back upstairs and thank Jason for his kind hospitality and say my farewells. I had spent almost three and a half hours at the Rotosound factory and enjoyed every minute in the company of some of the nicest people I have ever met, and so I would like to take this opportunity in thanking Jason How and his lady wife Kathy, and also John Doughty and all the front line workers for making me feel totally at home and enabling me to experience and appreciate all the hard work that goes into making those strings that we all take so much for granted…well, I used to!!

As a footnote, I would like to also personally thank Jason and John for inviting me as an official endorsee/Artist for the Rotosound “Family” this year. I had been using Rotosound strings for eighteen years, before being approached by another major string company for which I used their strings for a year under contract, and were of a very high quality. But I have to say that from my heart and my fingers, nothing for me will ever quite match up to the high quality and individual tone of a Rotosound string… It’s Great to be “Home” again Guys.

Thank you all on behalf of all the readers at Bass Musician Magazine, and my respects always…………….

BISCUIT

www.rotosound.com

Jason@rotosound.com

John@rotosound.com

Or call directly on 01732 450 838

Bass Videos

Interview With K3 Sisters Band

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Interview With K3 Sisters Band

K3 Sisters Band Interview…

It is very rare when I talk to a band where all the members play bass. The K3 Sisters Band is a perfect example of a group where Kaylen, Kelsey and Kristen Kassab are all multi-instrumentalists and take turns playing bass.

Hailing from Texas, these three sisters have been playing music since they were very young and have amassed an amazing amount of original music,  music videos, streaming concerts, podcasts, and content that has taken numerous social media platforms by storm. On TikTok alone, they have over 2.5 million followers and more than a billion views.

Join me as we hear the story of their musical journey, how they get their sound, and the fundamental principles behind these prolific musicians.

Here is the K3 Sisters Band!

Photo, Bruce Ray Productions

Follow Online:

k3sistersband.com/
TikTok
YouTube
Instagram
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Interview With Bassist Danielle Nicole

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Interview With Bassist Danielle Nicole

Bassist Danielle Nicole…

Blues music has universal appeal. We all have our ups and downs and this particular musical genre often fits our reality. Just hearing that we are not alone makes us feel a bit better. 

Danielle Nicole writes and sings the Blues. She does an amazing job at delivering both exquisite smoky vocals but plays just the right bass line to drive the tune home. Danielle recently released “The Love You Bleed” last January and will be touring the album this upcoming year.

Join me as we learn about Danielle’s musical journey, how she gets her sound, her plans for the future and more.

Follow Online

daniellenicolemusic.com/
IG @daniellenicoleband
youtube.com/daniellenicoleband

Photo, Missy Faulkner

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Bergantino Welcomes Karina Rykman to Their Family of Artists

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Bergantino Welcomes Karina Rykman to Their Family of Artists

Interview with Karina Rykman…

Karina Rykman…The high-energy bassist discusses her path on bass, her upcoming tour, how she came to find Bergantino through another Bergantino artist, and more!

A lifelong Manhattanite diehard New Yorker, Bergantino welcomes new Artist Karina Rykman. Jim and Holly had the privilege of meeting Karina and her band in Boston to see her perform. She lights up a stage with her charismatic passion as a bass player and singer – a true powerhouse of joy and energy. On stage, she smiles from ear to ear, hopping, jumping, and dancing; the entire room overflowing with positivity! If you don’t know this titan of bass yet, you will soon enough. Karina’s JOYRIDE 2024 tour picks up this month with the debut of her new album. We had the opportunity to ask Karina some questions about her career so far. 

You have quite the career that began at a very young age. You have so much going on!! Can you share some of your musical path highlights you are most proud of?

Oh man, thank you! What a long, strange trip it’s been. I’m proud of still being so absolutely enthralled by music after playing in a million bands and finally ending up at this current juncture: being able to make my own music and tour under my own name. It just seems completely surreal – every gig, every recording…I’m on cloud 9 being able to continue to do this, and we’re just getting started. I’m extremely proud of being so young and being able to learn so much from Marco Benevento, without whom I’d be absolutely nowhere. Being put up to a large task with enormous shoes to fill, and stepping in even though I barely knew what I was doing at the time. Every gig with Marco is extremely special to me. 

Tell us about your new album release Joyride and your 2024 tour.

Joyride is my debut record! It came out in August 2023, and we’ve been touring behind it nonstop ever since. You only make your first record once, and I’m so proud of this one – it’s fun, searing, lush, with chantable choruses and, of course, incredibly thick bass and infectious grooves. It was produced by Phish’s Trey Anastasio, who also contributes guitar parts to 5 of the 9 tunes. 

What makes the bass so special to you particularly, and how did you gravitate towards it?

There’s nothing quite like feeling the subs rumbling under your feet in a venue and being responsible for those sounds is thrilling. I played guitar first, at age 12, but essentially completely switched over to bass when I was 22 and got the gig playing bass with Marco Benevento. I haven’t looked back since, except for a few gigs on guitar here and there (notably in the house band on Late Night with Seth Meyers and on The Today Show backing up Julia Michaels). 

People hate this question, but: If you were constructing your personal Bass Mt. Rushmore, who are the four players that would make the cut and why?

Geddy Lee, Cliff Burton, Bootsy Collins, Les Claypool. The list goes on and on, of course, but those four have imprinted their unique styles upon my brain since I was so young, and I’m perpetually learning from them – even in the case of the deceased Cliff (RIP), going back and watching Cliff ‘Em All videos is something I do all the time. Endlessly compelled by these four players and their original takes on the instrument.

How did you learn to play?

I never took lessons, but in middle school and high school, I just surrounded myself with equally music-obsessed people. All we did was play music and go and see live music, which is wildly accessible when you grow up in New York City. I had a really tight-knit crew of amazing players as my friends, and everyone would teach each other riffs and licks. I was fearless – playing with people much better than me and saying “yes” to every cool opportunity that came my way. I essentially learned from playing in a million bands and playing along to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin records. 

Are there any other instruments you play?

I started on guitar, and still love to write on guitar. I can get around on keyboards a bit, but you’d never hire me as a keyboardist. The same goes for drums – I LOVE playing drums but you’d never hire me as a drummer. 

Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.

I play both with a pick and my fingers, depending on the specific needs of / vibe of the tune. I love playing fuzz bass and writing bombastic “lead bass” moments, which are a staple of my live show. I’d say I’m about the least “traditional” bassist in just about every way – which is both a strength and a weakness depending on how you frame it. I play what I hear, what I like, and I adhere to very few rules. I’ve always hated rules, and I didn’t start playing rock n roll to follow them. 

How did you find Bergantino Audio Systems?

I’m pals with Mike Gordon, bassist of Phish, and his tech is named Ed Grasmeyer. Ed suggested he bring Mike’s Bergantino for me to try out at a show I was playing in Vermont, and I fell instantly in love. 

You have been using the Bergantino Forté HP2 head. How have you been setting the controls on this and what changes to those settings might you make as you plug into your other individual instruments?

I love my Forté HP2! The versatility and headroom are incredible, and I’ve been having a lot of fun dialing it in at home. The real fun will begin this weekend when I take it out for 2.5 weeks of tour – dialing something in an apartment just isn’t the same as on a big stage with a PA and subs and all that good stuff. I like to roll my highs a bit and I keep “punch” on all the time. So far, it’s been a dream.

You are the inspiration behind Bergantino cab the new NXT410-C. Can you tell us more about this cab and your experience so far?

Firstly, I’m beyond touched to be the inspiration behind, well…anything! But this is truly insane, and such an honor. I love this cab. Not only is it light and extremely good-looking, it can handle all my loudest, most abrasive and obnoxious effects. My old amp didn’t come close, and could just fart out or I’d have to turn down to appease it. I’m a big fan of playing at earth-shattering volumes, so this is going to be a match made in heaven. 

We all love your custom-made Goldie Hawn bass guitar! Can you share more with us about this bass design and why it is so special to you?

Thanks! That’s made by “Zeke Guitars” – it’s the second custom bass he’s made for me! He reached out in the summer of 2019 and asked what my dream bass would be, and I said it was basically my 1978 Fender P-Bass, but lighter, whiter, with Lindy Fralins, gold hardware, and shorter scale. And, well..he did exactly that! I love that bass so much. And the gold, which is referred to as Goldie Hawn, was born in December of 2022, and has the same specs. I just love it, it sounds amazing and looks, arguably, even better. 

Jim and I were lucky to get to meet you in person when you came to Boston with the band. The members of the band are such a great group of people! Can you share more with all about the band and crew. 

I’m so lucky to keep such incredible company. My bandmates, Adam November and Chris Corsico, are not only unbelievable musicians but also incredible humans. We just laugh and laugh, and we’re there for each other when the road gets tough or we’re exhausted or whatever life throws at us. It’s the joy of my life to get to tour the world with these guys. And the crew! That night was Connor Milton on sound and Nick Koski on lights – we have a rotating cast of people who play those roles based on availability, and everyone who works for us are absolute consummate professionals and the sweetest humans. They are my team of experts and I just adore them so much. Shout out to Zach Rosenberg, Jeff Volckhausen, Dylan Hinds, Dom Chang, for being the best rotating crew a gal could ask for!  

What else do you do besides music? 

Not much! I love going to the beach! I love eating dinner! 

Because I am a foodie, I always ask people what their favorite food is!

Oysters, caviar, sushi. I’m a raw bar fanatic. 

At a very young age, Karina is a diligent hard worker. She juggles many balls managing her business and is savvy beyond her years. We are very happy to be working with Karina and are excited for her continued success!

Follow Karina Rykman:

Instagram: @karinarykman
X (formerly Twitter): @KarinaRykman
Facebook @karinarykman/

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Interview With Bassist Ciara Moser

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Interview With Bassist Ciara Moser

Bassist Ciara Moser…

Ciara and I sat down for this interview a few months after the launch of her debut album, “Blind. So what?”

Blind since birth, she is a powerhouse of talent; she is not only a professional bassist, but also composes music, and is a producer and educator. I am just blown away by her talent and perseverance.

Join me as we hear about Ciara’s musical journey, the details of her album, how she gets her sound, and her plans for the future.

Visit online:

www.ciara-moser.com 
IG @ moserciara
FB @ ciara.moser

Photos by Manuela Haeussler

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Interview With Bassist Travis Book

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Interview With Bassist Travis Book

Interview With Bassist Travis Book…

Bluegrass music has had a very solid following over many years and I am always happy to hear from one of the pioneers in that genre.

Travis Book plays bass for the Grammy award-winning band “The Infamous Stringdusters” and has recently released his first solo album “Love and Other Strange Emotions”. As if he wasn’t busy enough, Travis also hosts a podcast, Plays a Jerry Garcia music show with Guitarist Andy Falco, and is constantly gigging locally in his neck of the woods.

Photo, Seyl Park

Visit Online:

www.thetravisbook.com
www.thestringdusters.com
FB @ TheTravisBook
IG @ travisbook

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