What does the late John Entwistle of The Who have in common with Dave Best of the indie rock band The Pigeon Detectives or Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols with Rupert Jarvis of The Maccabees? The answer is they are all bass guitarists with a strong preference for Rotosound guitar strings.

The sound quality of this British manufacturer’s products has made them the choice of successive music generations & photos on Rotosound’s sales office walls give a glimpse of its celebrity status. Jimi Hendrix, ELO’s Jeff Lynne, 10CC’s Eric Stewart & Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris count amongst its high-profile customers.

This enviable reputation derives from Rotosound’s careful choice of raw materials & the bespoke winding process that gives its strings their distinctive sound. The process itself is fundamentally the same today as it was when the current Chairman’s father started the business in the ‘60s. Also unchanged is Rotosound’s use of HepcoMotion® linear slides to guide the cradle that carries the wire spool set. Indeed the Generation 1 Hepco slides that were specified for the first spiral machines are still working today, more than 30 years later.

Rotosound has gone straight from Generation I Hepco slides to the latest GV3 System for the new machines. The only specification change has been the introduction of a dual slide system that is mounted in parallel with a set of bearings suppliers on each slide track which carries the wire dispenser mechanism. In common with the original slides, the GV3 System runs dry to keep the process as clean and friction-free as possible; by comparison recirculating systems need regular lubrication intervals and are therefore not maintenance-free.