LaBalla or Sadowsky?

[Levin]

Hi!
Have been testing GHS Precicion flats on my fender p-bass clone, and it's great, love it, but bought an extremely thin version, 35-95, haha.
I would like to switch to either La Bella Flat Wound 760FL/FS (dunno which of them is better) or Sadowsky Black Label Flats SBF40/45 (the same here, dunno).
When I bought the P-bass it came with Chromes on it, 45-105, and I didn't have any problem to play them tensionvise.
I heard some like fenders flats to, but I have never tried them.
Any suggestion? Want an old sound of thud, bassy, but still be able to play most kinds of music.

[Levin]

Haha, nice misspell on the title! Sorry about that.

[mjac28]

I love and use labella strings and the La Bella Flat Wound 760FL's are some great sounding long lasting strings I think you will love them.

[armybass]

I am a LeBella fanatic but I just ordered a set of Sadowsky Flats based on all the great reviews. Let you know soon.

[ubnomnar]

I have a set of La Bella 760FX (39-96) flats on one of my P's and a set of Sadowsky Black Label (40-100) flats on another.

I like them both, but if I could choose only one I would go with the La Bella.

The Sadowsky remind me of Chromes, whereas the La Bella have a really solid, full, deep, impactful tone that surprised me. I wish I had tried La Bella 30 years ago.

I expect the La Bella will give you the "old sound of thud, bassy, but still be able to play most kinds of music" that you didn't find with your Chromes.

[Levin]

Yeah, thanks! It'll be La Bella the next time I visist BSO, then! Are there any great tonal/string to string differences between the FL/FS set? If not it'll probably be the FS.

[One Drop]

I find the Sadowskys a bit more versatile as they have most of the thump of the LaBellas but a bit more growl and definition, so can be more useful in many live situations, and for a bit wider variety of music and thicker mixes.

Both are great, though.

[pickles]

They are very similar.

[davidchampoux]

Have you considered the Fender 9050CL? This is a balanced set... Best flats I've played!

[Root 5]

Originally Posted by Levin

Want an old sound of thud, bassy, but still be able to play most kinds of music.

If you liked the GHS, then try the M3050 45-105 set. I love GHS flats. My next choice would be Labella.

[Srirachaglo]

Originally Posted by davidchampoux

Have you considered the Fender 9050CL? This is a balanced set... Best flats I've played!

+1 Strangely, they growl like rounds (with a definite flat thump), which I love. Also great for drop-D.

[tekdiver500ft]

I've had LaBella 760FLs, Sadowsky Black Label Flats (light gauge), and LaBella 0760Ms (suspension bridge cables). The FLs are fairly high tension for their light gauge, but are eminently playable, and carry most of the thump of the Ms. When it comes to flats, LaBella 0760Ms are the standard by which all else are judged. The FLs are a different construction, and the sound shows it. They have a very scooped sound, beefy bottom end with a crisp, almost brittle top end. I found the Sadowskys to be very versatile, not very thumpy, and with a rich, complex midrange. I spent about six months with 760FLs on, switched to Sadowskys, and was ecstatic with the sound. I spent a year with the Sadowskys, and recently switched to the 0760Ms. These are astounding strings, and I now know why so many of the greats played them.

[Levin]

I see! It seems which I seek is not Sadowsky then, and the sound would be closer to the LaBella 0760Ms then the 0760FL or FS! However, is there a great change for the neck to bend when you have 0760Ms? I plan to put them on a Fender P-bass-clone with an ordinary neck, maybe marginally thinner than average, but not thin as can be, surely. Of course it depends on the setup, but yeah, it would be nice to get the sound of the 0760Ms! Thanks for all the help, everyone! : ]

[tekdiver500ft]

There are a lot of people who claim to know someone who ruined a neck using these strings. However, I talked to the luthiers at Elderly Instruments, and they said that, while it is possible, it is highly unlikely. Will you need a setup? Absolutely! Is it a drastic change? Depends on what strings you had before, but it could be. Is it worthwhile? It is to me. Most likely, you'd be fine.

[Levin]

Yeah, thanks for the info! It'll be those ; D

[tekdiver500ft]

You bet. Glad I could help. Let me know what you think once you've played them for a couple weeks.

[u84six]

I used La Bella for years until I started experimenting with different strings and discovered Sadowsky Flats. I use .40 - .100 set and love everything about them. I really like their modern tone, smoothness and mid tension. Nothing compares, IMO. Don't bother with the standard gauge, the light gauge has the same tone but are bit easier to slap and bend if that's your thing.

[Emibass]

I have Sadowsky Flats 40 -100 on my Jazz. I can tell that these are incredible strings. Love them. The recorded tone is precise and clear. They can growl nicely. I´ve red above that the term modern was use. I think this is the perfect word to define these strings.

I want them to put them on my L2500 but don´t know how the B is?

[Levin]

I heard that the Sadowsky flats have a great, tapered B! But I guess you should ask someone who tested them. Only heard good things about the 5-stringsets tho'!

[pickles]

760fl low b is good too, also tapered.