RotoSound
| Industry | Music |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Sevenoaks, Kent, England, United Kingdom |
| Key people | James How (Founder) Jason How (Chairman) |
| Products | Guitar strings |
| Website | http://www.rotosound.com/ |
RotoSound is a British guitar and bass string manufacturing company based in England.
[edit] History of Rotosound
Started in the late 1950's by James How - a musician and engineer by trade. How started manufacturing music strings for many famous artists across the world. It is still a family run business. All Rotosound strings are made in England.
Rotosound's trademark Swing Bass string set was first produced in 1966. John Entwistle of The Who came to the Rotosound string factory looking for an even-sounding, heavy roundwound bass string. Entwistle spent the afternoon there, trying string after string before settling on a set that would become known as Swing Bass 66. A fake jingle for RotoSound can be heard on The Who's 1967 album The Who Sell Out, immediately preceding "I Can See For Miles". This jingle would later be covered by the American band Shellac on their album Excellent Italian Greyhound.
Jaco Pastorius was also dedicated user of Swing 66 bass strings.
[edit] Notable Rotosound users
- John Entwistle (The Who)
- John Deacon (Queen)
- John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
- Chris Squire (Yes)
- Geddy Lee (Rush)
- Paul McCartney (The Beatles)
- Herbie Flowers
- Jaco Pastorius
- Billy Sheehan (SwingBass66)
- Steve Harris (Signature Set)
- Stanley Clarke
- Snowy White
- Phil Lynott
- Doug Wimbish
- Roger Waters
- Fernando Guillen (INK) (SwingBass66)
- Jean-Jacques Burnel (The Stranglers)
- Duff McKagan
- Jimi Hendrix (Medium Strings)
- Colin Greenwood (Radiohead)
- Ken Morton (Reflector)
