Brian May flashing a Gauge Selection pack at a tradeshow (Brian used the .009 for a B with a .008 used as the high E).
5th July 2021
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Brian May flashing a Gauge Selection pack at a tradeshow (Brian used the .009 for a B with a .008 used as the high E).
Life-long Rotosound player Roger Waters commences the record-breaking world tour of his epic show, The Wall Live. Employing pyrotechnics, enormous puppets, dazzling visuals, and a phenomenal
Rotosound kicks off their 60th anniversary at the NAMM show by hosting appearances from bass legends and endorsees Billy Sheehan and Doug Wimbish. The celebration comes
An old guitar of the Beatles’ George Harrison shows up at Sotheby’s Auction House with a pack of Rotosound strings in the case. The owner recollects
Signature electric guitar sets are released for some of Rotosound’s heaviest artists; Michael Amott (Arch Enemy, Carcass), Paul Allender (Cradle Of Filth) and Mikey Demus (Skindred). With their hybrid gauges, these strings
Guitarist Rob Ackroyd and bassist Mark Saunders take to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury with headliners Florence and the Machine
Rotosound has always had a great connection with all its artists right back to the late fifties. To continue that tradition, Dom Fairbanks is brought in to
Having invested in the tooling to make the Fuzz pedal it only seemed natural to bring out a complete range of other pedals. The plan was
An email from a gentleman in Arizona, USA sparked off interest in a dormant product that James How had only sold as prototypes back in the
Exciting times for us as we introduce our entire range of strings in colour-coded ball ends in new environmentally friendly airtight packaging with new artwork. The
Even more new string sets are added into the product range, including British Steels, Tru Bronze and Pure Nickels. This is mainly due to demand and
British guitar virtuoso Guthrie Govan becomes an official Rotosound endorsee. “I do some fairly barbaric things to my strings on a daily basis, so I’ve experimented
Guitar bands are back in the charts with indie acts such as Franz Ferdinand, The Cribs, Kasabian, Zutons, The Ordinary Boys, and Kaiser Chiefs continuing Britain’s
Kylie Minogue poses with a Rotosound t-shirt. Kylie’s bassist Kevin Miller is a notable Rotosound player
Rotosound develops its own coated strings in the Nexus range. The wrap wire in coated before being applied to the wound strings, which offers a far
The introduction of new string making machines means that the company’s in a position to step up its exports, so takes on Zach Frederick to run
One of the final Superwound adverts Superwound closed in 1995. The necessarily large range – due to each gauge needing a variety of off-shoots to fit
A very famous photo of three bass legends. Billy Sheehan, Steve Harris and John Entwistle convene at the Rotosound factory in March.
Jason’s new machines hit the factory floor increasing output substantially and making Rotosound more competitive worldwide.
An advert featuring Oasis’s Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan. By this time Oasis are one of the biggest bands on the planet and Noel, Bonehead and Guigsy are
Britpop bursts into the world and once again Rotosound is at the heart of an era-defining music scene. Bands are drawing inspiration from the sixties and
Along with the new Roto electric guitar strings, the Roto Bass line is introduced offering the most popular bass gauges in a nickel wound construction.
A Swing Bass advert featuring – and signed by –James LoMenzo. James was playing with Slash’s Snakepit at this time; he has gone on to play with Megadeth,
Picking up where his father left off, Jason How begins around 8 years’ of work designing, upgrading and building a completely new set of machines that
Krist Novoselic with Nirvana in 1991 The new decade is shaken up with the emergence of grunge and alternative rock bands from the States. The most
Steve Harris of Iron Maiden appears in a Rotosound advert. A large part of Harris’s signature tone is his choice of flatwound Jazz Bass 77 strings
James had been working on new string winding machines during the late eighties but had become too ill to continue the work. In 1994, James How
Another new range of guitar strings is introduced – the nickel on steel Rotos. Rotosound had always been famous for its stainless steel strings but a lot
James How Industries sets up a new factory in Upland Road, Bexleyheath, and more people are employed to cater for the increasing demand for his strings.
With more new product lines being produced and the global demand for the company’s strings booming, James How Industries expands into a new premises next to
Revered bass player from Rush, Geddy Lee, starts using the new Funkmaster strings. He later switches to use the Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass strings.
One of Rock’s most iconic bands, Guns N’ Roses, drop their acclaimed album Appetite For Destruction with bassist Duff McKagen using Swing Bass strings and joining the
Hard rock sweeps the guitar-world by storm and Rotosound gets picked up by the likes of many top bands of the genre. The Starfire Xtra-wrap electric guitar
The Who release The Who Sell Out in December of 1967, which features a spoof jingle advert for Rotosound strings.
Martyn and James How meet with Stanley Clarke up in London at The Old Grey Whistle Test whilst he was with the band ‘Return to Forever’
The Stranglers release Rattus Norvegicus. Bassist JJ Burnel powerful basslines come courtesy of Rotosound Swing Bass strings.
Working closely with Rotosound, Billy Sheehan helps to develop the BS66 set, which uses a 0.043″ G string and a heavy E string. The Spacer strings
Billy Sheehan introduces the Bass Guitar Strings section of Rotosound/Superwound’s 1989 product catalogue
James How’s innovations continue with the development of black Spacer strings. The inventive use of anodised wraps on these strings prevent corrosion but it won’t be until 1989
Bassist extraordinaire, Billy Sheehan, begins his relationship with Rotosound, one which continues to this day.
Superwound release a light-top, medium-bottom gauge of steel bass strings announcing that: “Mark King, Britain’s premier funk bass player, uses and recommends the Superwound 606F Funkmaster
Bands such as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club and Tear for Fears help define the sound of the early eighties with the emergence of The
The Linea™ concept is replicated throughout the Superwound range with the 505 series proving popular with Sting from The Police who are having massive worldwide success
James How develops the RS55 Solo Bass string which is ‘pressurewound’; a very smooth feeling string with the brightness of the RS66 roundwound set. Rotosound trademarks
Rotosound employs the services of an exclusive USA distributor called Meisel Music in New York who have success in making Rotosound the top selling bass strings
Paul Gray, bassist with The Damned and Eddie and the Hot Rods, keeping it cool with a pack of Rotosound Swing Bass strings
Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton of The Jam string up with Rotosound strings. Bruce uses RS66LD Swing Bass although (pub trivia fact) on Town Called Malice he used RS88LD Tru
An advert featuring Wilco Johnson from Dr Feelgood With the explosion of punk, the music world once again focuses on London and the UK as a
James How forms another string company entitled ‘Superwound’. These strings pioneered a new string design where only the core passed over the instrument’s bridge. The Superwound range
Chris Squire, bassist of progressive rock supergroup Yes fits a set of Swing Bass strings to his Rickenbacker
Slade start using Rotosound strings and soon become one of the biggest British rock groups of the 1970s
Herbie Flowers with his Walk On The Wild Side bass during a Rotosound 1990s shoot Transformer by Lou Reed is released featuring Herbie Flowers using RS88
James How with Curved Air (top) before boarding on a US tour and (below) outside Ronnie Scott’s club with Hookfoot More high profile players start using
A visit to the Japanese Trade Fair in Tokyo found that Rotosound’s efforts to export to Japan over several years had now given fruition with 100
A booklet for the Rotosound ‘Rhythmlite’ unit True to the spirit of the times, The Denmark Street shop sold Image lighting (those groovy psychedelic oil wheels
Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright with Alan Marcuson in 1967. Pink Floyd were in Abbey Road Studios during this shoot recording Piper
Jimi Hendrix & Noel Redding talk strings with Alan Marcuson March 1st, 1967. Rotosound’s reputation for quality strings that delivered a knock-out tone brought in a
A new, psychedelic design is introduced for packaging and catalogues The companies of James How and Company, James How Music Strings Limited, and Orchestral & Jazz
An original Rotosound Fuzz MKIII which belongs to Ant Macari Rotosound began to augment the catalogue with other musical accessories including fuzz pedals which would go
Rotosound’s Denmark Street shop with James How, Pete Wilshire, Alan Marcuson Alongside the Rotosound string company James How opened a showroom in London’s famous Denmark Street.
As more and more players sought the use of these roundwound strings James and Ron decided to create a new brand which summed up their innovation. Highlighting
As the years went by James How invented and designed more and more strings, more machines and in 1958 James and brother Ron formed their own
John Entwistle begins a long association with Rotosound including helping to develop the RS66 Swing Bass sets. Entwistle recounts the story: “It was in 1966 and
In 1952 James How, a violin and viola student with a diploma in engineering, fell in love with the sound of the zither after watching the
