Rotosound

Rotosound is a British brand that has produced instrument strings and accessories for more than 60 years from its family-run factory in Kent, England. The business traces back to 1958, when James How and his brother Ron formed their own company in Blackfen, Kent called Orchestral & Jazz Strings; the first strings were branded 'Top Strings', which soon changed to 'Rotop'. The brand is associated with the roundwound bass guitar string and with the 'British Tone', and its strings have been used by players including Pink Floyd, Guns 'n Roses, Queen, Nirvana, Iron Maiden's Steve Harris, Billy Sheehan, and The Who's John Entwistle. Its product range includes electric guitar strings, bass guitar strings, and accessories such as guitar care products.

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 film The Third Man and took to learning the 32-string instrument. After running out of zither strings, he used his knowledge of acoustics, harmonics, engineering design and construction to design himself a winding machine, producing one zither string after five minutes of turning by two family members. As the years went by James How invented and designed more strings and machines, and in 1958 James and brother Ron formed their own business in Blackfen, Kent called Orchestral & Jazz Strings. The first strings were branded 'Top Strings', which soon changed to 'Rotop'. Among the first clients were the Shadows, Beatles, Rolling Stones, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, all strings for the Vox Organ Company, and for the Burns Guitar Company. In 1963, 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 work, and Rotosound was born. Rotosound has produced instrument strings and accessories for more than 60 years from its family-run factory in Kent, England, innovating the roundwound bass guitar string and igniting the sound of rock and roll.

A commitment to making quality strings at an affordable price, associated with the 'British Tone'.

• Swing Bass 66

  The classic Rotosound roundwound bass string.

• Rotos

  The perfect all-round electric guitar string.

• Ultramag

  More power, sustain and longer life.

• British Steels

  Pure stainless steel for a bright, vintage tone.

• Pure Nickel

  Smooth and rich sounding made from 100% nickel.

• Top Tape

  Flatwound guitar strings made with Monel tape.

• Guitar care products

  LO2 Guitar Care Lemon Oil, GP2 Guitar Care Guitar Polish, SC2 Guitar Care String Cleaner, GCK1 Guitar Care Kit – Black, Guitar String Cleaner.

1. 1Home of Rotosound Music Strings • Making History Since 1958rotosound.com
2. 2The fascinating story of Great Britain's Rotosound Music Stringsrotosound.com
3. 3Care Products • Rotosound Music Stringsrotosound.com