Thomastik or La Bella

[dan.africano]

Yesterday I popped my E string during rehearsal. This was no ordinary E string, it had been on my bass (fender P) for two and a half years. Played daily on tours, rehearsals, gigs, shows, all of the above, and they were just starting to sound amazing. I felt like I lost a child. Aaaanyways...I need new strings and I've heard loads of good things about La Bellas and Thomastiks. The Ones I had on there were wrapped in green around the ball end and I'm not sure what they were (I bought them almost three years ago). Anybody know what kind of flats are green at the base? I put a Chrome on there for the time being and it's just not doing it for me. Anybody have good input on which set to go to next?

thanks

[Mushroo]

TI Jazz flats have red silk (or at least they used to--like you I keep strings on for years )

[john_martin_sai]

TI's = lower tension
LaBella = higher tension

[chuck norriss]

La Bella.
If you're used to 2.5 year old strings maybe black tapes would be a good transition. Going from old strings to new especially XL Chrome is like jumping in the pool from the jacuzzi. Otherwise there is no other way to age flats but to age them.
My labellas deep talkin are about three years old?--and finally humming like a nice trombone. I wouldnt trade them for a new set of flats but maybe new set of black tapes. Maybe. After much thought I take it back; I wouldn't trade them for any new set of strings.

[jmceachern36]

I believe the green wraps would be fender. Labellas would be similar.

[screaminglucy]

fender recently changed their flats just fyi

so if you buy a new set of fenders they won't be like what you had

[jbednarski]

Neither. Fender 9050CL flats.