{{Short description|Guitar and bass string manufacturer based in England}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox company | name = Rotosound Manufacturing Limited | logo = RotoSound logo.png | type = | genre = | foundation = {{start year and age|1958}} | founder = | location_city = Sevenoaks, Kent | location_country = England | location = | locations = <!--# of locations--> | origins = | key_people = {{ubl|James How (founder)|Jason How (chairman)}} | area_served = | industry = Music | products = Guitar strings | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | owner = | caption = | homepage = {{url|https://www.rotosound.com}} | dissolved = | footnotes = }}
'''Rotosound''' is a British guitar and bass string manufacturing company based in England.
== History == Rotosound was started in the late 1950s by James How, a musician and engineer by trade. How started manufacturing music strings for many famous artists across the world. As of 2022 It was still a family-run business, making all Rotosound strings in England.<ref name=BSM> {{cite journal | last= Staff | title= British String Manufacturers (IM Nov 75) | journal= International Musician & Recording World | issue= Nov 1975 | pages= 67–75 | publisher= International Musician & Recording World, Cover Publications Ltd, Northern & Shell Ltd | url= http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/british-string-manufacturers/6703 | accessdate= 31 May 2020 }} </ref><ref> {{cite web | title= The fascinating story of Great Britain's Rotosound Music Strings | website= rotosound.com | url= https://rotosound.com/our-story/ | accessdate= 2022-07-12 }} </ref>
Rotosound's most famous string set, the ''RS66 Swing Bass'', was first produced in 1966. John Entwistle of The Who came to the Rotosound 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.<ref name=BSM/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Staff |title=History-Rotosound |url=http://www.rotosound.com/history-2/ |website=Rotosound |publisher=Orotund Manufacturing LTD |accessdate=31 May 2020}}</ref> 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'' and Petra Haden on ''Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out''.
Rotosound make a number of "signature" string sets made to the specific specification of several artists such as Billy Sheehan and Steve Harris of Iron Maiden.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.rotosound.com/ Official Homepage] *[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/jason-how Jason How Interview] at NAMM Oral History Library (2008) *[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/martyn-how Martyn How Interview] at NAMM Oral History Library (2008)
Category:Companies based in Kent Category:Musical instrument manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Category:Sevenoaks