LaBella string rant

[anonymous02282011]

Ordered 2 sets of LaBella deep talkin' bass strings . . the Jameron set

Customer service at LaBella is great, the strings sound very good and feel just right, but on both sets the E and A strings simply can't be intonated.

The saddle on my basses is as far back as can be and they are still incredibly sharp.

I swapped those strings out for other strings and they are able to intonate just fine.

I know reed players go through boxes of reeds to find one that works, but this is ridiculous. I'm not going to buy more sets to find the right E and A string. I just wasted about 65 bucks.

grrrrr.

[fenderhutz]

That's what a warranty is for. Return them.

[brandau]

Try putting the saddles back to the end of the post, and start your intonation process over... I've experienced the same problem your having and that fixed it. Also, a truss rod tweak can drastically effect intonation, so that may be a fix as well. I've used labellas for years and they're great! goodluck

[anonymous02282011]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

That's what a warranty is for. Return them.

You can return bass strings once they've been on your bass?

Also, I cut one of the strings at one end, so at least one set is un-returnable.

Has anyone else had this issue?

[wateroftyne]

Originally Posted by adbass

You can return bass strings once they've been on your bass?

If it's broken... yes. How else would you know it was faulty?

[anonymous02282011]

Originally Posted by wateroftyne

If it's broken... yes. How else would you know it was faulty?

Alright. Let me look into it. I'll see what they offer.

It would be great to have a set of these that work . . . .

[lunarpollen]

It might be because the strings are so thick(?) and the builder's choice and/or placement of the bridge wasn't made taking into account the possibility of the owner installing strings that thick. You might be able to get away with moving your bridge back a little, as long as you take into account the necessary range of the saddles of the strings that *do* intonate correctly. But of course this would most likely require filling and drilling.

[anonymous02282011]

Originally Posted by lunarpollen

It might be because the strings are so thick(?) and the builder's choice and/or placement of the bridge wasn't made taking into account the possibility of the owner installing strings that thick. You might be able to get away with moving your bridge back a little, as long as you take into account the necessary range of the saddles of the strings that *do* intonate correctly. But of course this would most likely require filling and drilling.

Both my basses are 1966 Fenders. One jazz and one precision.

[lunarpollen]

Originally Posted by adbass

Both my basses are 1966 Fenders. One jazz and one precision.

Hehe yeah so I guess any alteration of the basses would be out of the question

[sleepytime]

Lowering your action would help a bit. Taking the springs off of the saddle screws will give you a little more adjustment.

[anonymous02282011]

Originally Posted by sleepytime

Lowering your action would help a bit. Taking the springs off of the saddle screws will give you a little more adjustment.

I tried everything with the action.

I did consider removing the springs . . . I might give that a try. Thanks.

My understanding is that there is some inconsistencies with hand-wound strings and that it would take going through a bunch until I find the right one.

[GeneralElectric]

Take them off and put them on again. The ribbons on the bottoms of LaBellas are wound like crap. I've had the same problem before myself.

Good luck sending them back. I'm still waiting on replacement tape wounds 2 years later.

[anonymous02282011]

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

Take them off and put them on again. The ribbons on the bottoms of LaBellas are wound like crap. I've had the same problem before myself.

Good luck sending them back. I'm still waiting on replacement tape wounds 2 years later.

These strings have been on and off the bass a few times, still no luck. I even left them on overnight, the next day they were still just incredibly sharp.

Also, the sets I have, the Jamerson set, has no ribbon winding at the bridge, only at the nut end, where they go into the tuners.

Can you tell me more about your experience GE?

[FunkMetalBass]

Did you set your witness point at the saddle?

[jdthebassman]

Originally Posted by adbass

Ordered 2 sets of LaBella deep talkin' bass strings . . the Jameron set

Customer service at LaBella is great, the strings sound very good and feel just right, but on both sets the E and A strings simply can't be intonated.

The saddle on my basses is as far back as can be and they are still incredibly sharp.

I swapped those strings out for other strings and they are able to intonate just fine.

I know reed players go through boxes of reeds to find one that works, but this is ridiculous. I'm not going to buy more sets to find the right E and A string. I just wasted about 65 bucks.

grrrrr.

I recomend GHS strings you will not have that problem + they are a lot cheaper

[sleepytime]

Originally Posted by jdthebassman

I recomend GHS strings you will not have that problem + they are a lot cheaper

I have LaBella 760FL's on my '09 Precision. I realize these are different strings on a different bridge, but I have approximately 1/4" of adjustment left on my E string saddle. That is to the end of the groove that the height adjustment screw nests in. If I was desperate for more adjustment, there is more room before reaching the heel of the saddle.

[GeneralElectric]

Originally Posted by adbass

These strings have been on and off the bass a few times, still no luck. I even left them on overnight, the next day they were still just incredibly sharp.

Also, the sets I have, the Jamerson set, has no ribbon winding at the bridge, only at the nut end, where they go into the tuners.

Can you tell me more about your experience GE?

I spent $45 on a set of LaBella Tapewound strings and they were pretty shoddy. The nylon was coming off straight out of the package and the A string wouldn't stay in tune ever. They also didn't spray the strings properly as there was thin spots in the nylon where the metal was peeking through.

I spoke to LaBella and they said they'd send me replacements which they never did, although I did get one derisive sounding email when I first heard from them. I called and emailed them a few times after and never got a hold of them.

It sucks because I used LaBellas for years before that, but as far as I'm concerned they can go **** themselves.

As for your situation, have you tried lowering the saddle height to adjust the break angle on the strings? That helps sometimes too.

[Tusec]

Have you pressed the strings flat down at the bridge so that they break sharply over the saddle rather than curving over it? Failing to do this will cause your strings to intonate sharp. It can change the adjustment point by 1/4" easily.

[anonymous02282011]

Originally Posted by Tusec

Have you pressed the strings flat down at the bridge so that they break sharply over the saddle rather than curving over it? Failing to do this will cause your strings to intonate sharp. It can change the adjustment point by 1/4" easily.

Right. If it didn't brake sharply over the saddle, the string length would effectively be longer.

In this case the string breaks over the saddle just fine. It's still sharper than a 15 year aged cheddar cheese.

A good suggestion though, thanks.

[Krucial]

I had the same problem with the 760M on my old Aria.
Did exactly what Tusec said, over and over again!
After about two weeks!! the E intonated finally right.
At first the E string also sounded different (much thinner) from the others. This was also solved by that time.

I don't know if you can wait that long and if it would solve the intonation problem with your bass, but for me it was worth waiting. It's really a cheap bass, but now it sounds as good as my main bass (O.K., allmost).