LaBella 760fl question

[mdsmith]

Hey guys. I put a set of LaBella 760fls on my Fender jazz a couple of months ago, and have been finding them kind of hard to play. I'm still at a beginners stage, and am doing a lot of finger exercises, and I'm having trouble stayiong in time since I put these on. It's like I have to pluck them too hard and it's throwing me off. I don't have too much experience with different types of strings, and was wondering if these are generally considered high tension strings. If so I might try something different. If not then I guess it's something I should just work through. Thanks

[steelhead2]

if you have enough wattage you shouldn't have to`pluck' very hard(what i'm saying is a small practice amp MAY not be helping you learn,if that's what you have)

i want a roland micro cube myself for sitting in front of this Da--#$%^@! screen so don't get me wrong but you shouldn't have to do anything more than touch a string to make a tone,do you have a `high setup?,,,,,have a great day

[markanini]

Do you play with both pickups on full most of the time?

[mdsmith]

Originally Posted by steelhead2

do you have a `high setup?

Lol, to be honest, I'm not really sure. I don't know what would be considered high. I waws waiting to find a string I knew I was going to stick with, then get a set up done on the bass. I know that the roundwound strings that it came with felt easier to play, but I prefer the sound of the flats. Maybe I am just plucking too hard. It's mainly when I'm playing the G or D strings. Maybe it's a technique issue, who knows. I just never noticed it until I put the Labellas on.

[mdsmith]

Originally Posted by markanini

Do you play with both pickups on full most of the time?

I have one knob that selects between the two pick ups. I usually favor the neck pick up because I prefer the deeper tone.

[kranz]

get a set-up by someone who knows what they are doing. flats are, generally, higher tension and they are stiffer than rounds (at equal gauges). I don't know what gauge rounds you are switching from but it sounds like the new strings are pulling your neck back more than the rounds, resulting in higher action; and thats not even considering any intonation issues you'd have from such a drastic change.

I have played labella flats for years on a jazz bass; you should be able to get a lower action (without fret buzz) with the flats and the playability should end up being only a bit different than the rounds.

[Metal Mitch]

760FL is extremely low tension. I've played many rounds with higher tension. Get a setup, those should be very easy playing strings.

[steelhead2]

to bass,had guitars off and on from the 60's and i never HAD to learn how to do`set-up'(like on bass instruments),,,it's VERY worthwhile to learn it,i have to do set-ups with the seasons,what may be`butter' in july turns weird when the rains come on

2 things i'll point out from my limited experience on `strings' flats can be weird if you are used to`stiction' from rounds=you can`slide in' on a fret and your fingers stick(a bit) to the strings(helping you with speed),rounds can feel like you have to fret harder(if you just jumped off a bass with rounds),i use half rounds on my P bass,it's a love hate relationship,,,(because i tell myself i NEED FLATS to get the `real' p bass tone)then i jump on my bass with flats and miss the brightness(tonally),,there's 547 string sets out there,certainly you'll find one you love

and from talking to nearly evrybody including this forum=crank your instrument`open',,back it off a bit when you're playing with others for fine tuning in the group but you are getting a very small electrical signal from your pickups so get ALL of it,,,,

guitar guys have it easy they bring 50-60 watts to jam and i can't believe how freakin loud that is,,,,i just fretted my way thru a song yesterday jamming,you should be able to do that and be loud enough,,,ya know just a living room jam session,,anyway crank them knobs open! have a good monday

[wateroftyne]

Originally Posted by Metal Mitch

760FL is extremely low tension.

Ya think? IME, they're pretty medium...

[kranz]

Originally Posted by wateroftyne

Ya think? IME, they're pretty medium...

agreed

its a low GAUGE, the string is going to be stiffer than most rounds at the same gauge. considering that he is having playability issues, he's probably moving from a 100-45 105-45 round set and you would notice higher tension and higher action on the flat.

[markanini]

DTFs are hardly low tension. I always felt they required hard handed digging to really respond and I used them for three years straight which should have been enough time to adjust.

[mdsmith]

The rounds I had were 45-100. I assumed that there would be more tension with the LaBellas, I just didn't realize how much. I was basically just wondering if this is just something to work through and get used to, or are these strings that some people just find to be too stiff for a beginner, and maybe trying something lighter or with less tension would be the answer.

[Metal Mitch]

45-100 rounds are a pretty light set. But the 760FL is the lowest tension flat I've ever tried. I'm running 760FS now; I consider those "medium" and they still don't require "hard digging".

TI's may be the only flat with lower tension than 760FL... ?

[One Drop]

People always confuse tension with stiffness.


The Labella Jamerson set is really not much higher tension as a set than, say Dunlops, DR or Roto hex-core rounds in the .105 guages. But they are a lot stiffer feeling and harder to fret, especially if you have medium-to-high action. Fortunately you can compensate and set flats lower than rounds as the amplitude of vibration is smaller.