La Bella 610's - comparable to...?

swingingoodtime · #1 10-11-2009, 09:11 AM

Hi all,

I've been very kindly given a new set of old La Bella 610's (thanks Mark!), but can't find much about them; does anyone know much about these in terms of tension and what they would be comparable to in the current market? Are they: (a) hard to play, (b) high or low tension or (c) light or heavy gauge?

I've been looking at getting either Sprio Weichs or Corelli 370's; have tried & liked the Weich's, but haven't yet been able to try the Corelli's.

Here are my answers to the '4 golden questions' re strings:

1. I'm planning on mostly pizz & a little arco (90%/10%)

2. Interested in sustain, although preferably not overly 'bloomy'. I'd like to hear the bass itself, not just the string. Still trying to work out what 'growl' sounds like. My bass is kind of dark sounding (which I don't mind, but perhaps something to bring out the upper mids to capture the wood sounds would be good).

3. Easy to play! Low tension & thinner gauge, 'cos I'm a newbie.

4. I currently have Helicore Hybrids on; they're pretty damn stiff & reasonably hard work, not to mention a little dead sounding. How would the La Bella's compare to these, particularly in terms of tension & tone?

Thanks heaps!

Paul : )

**Francois Blais** · #2 10-11-2009, 01:32 PM

Paul.
With all due respect to Mark, this is one of the cheapest and worst string on the market.
It's solid steel core design.
They're VERY stiff. Don't even bother trying them.

Since you're a newbie, I suggest you stick with your current strings and play them for a while to build your strenght and technique.

Best regards, and good luck!
François

P.S. That said, if you *absolutely* want to get another string, I'd suggest the Corellis, which are easy to play and provide the kind of tone you seem to want.

swingingoodtime · #3 10-12-2009, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Francois Blais

With all due respect to Mark, this is one of the cheapest and worst string on the market.

Hi François,

Thanks heaps for that. Mark did acknowledge that they were the 'spare' set that he had received with the bass but had never tried, and that the suitability & quality were therefore unknown quantities (hey! that makes 'Quality' a 'Quantity'. How funny is that...? Sorry, I digress), but that I was welcome to them as a possible alternative to my existing strings. I'll let him know, I'm sure he'll be interested. (And I remain sincerely grateful regardless).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Francois Blais

I suggest you stick with your current strings and play them for a while to build your strenght and technique.

I'm in a bind on that one; part of me (and the budget!) understands and agrees & says that I should do just that, whilst the other part of me wonders whether better strings would enhance the learning experience (in the same way that a well set-up & built instrument will facilitate learning, in that the student spends more time learning to play properly, rather than fighting the instrument).

And then I recall my comment about the budget...

Thank you again!

**Francois Blais** · #4 10-12-2009, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swingingoodtime

I'm in a bind on that one; part of me (and the budget!) understands and agrees & says that I should do just that, whilst the other part of me wonders whether better strings would enhance the learning experience (in the same way that a well set-up & built instrument will facilitate learning, in that the student spends more time learning to play properly, rather than fighting the instrument).

This may be a setup issue, in fact.
Maybe the action is too high?
Maybe the FB' scoop is too pronounced?
Maybe the grooves at the top nut are too high? (there shouldn't be more than two business cards space under the strings there)

SLivinghouse · #5 10-12-2009, 09:22 PM

Agree with François's comment. Corellis are real light (I have the mediums and they are as light as most lights), bright and bow reasonably well (in case you decide to do that more - great for building intonation, even if you don't intend to play classical or bow jazz ballads. ) They're relatively cheap. $105 at Gollihur. You'd probably be happy with them. But as newbie - money is way, way, way better spent on lessons!
Steve

**Francois Blais** · #6 10-13-2009, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLivinghouse

Corellis are real light (I have the mediums and they are as light as most lights), bright and bow reasonably well (in case you decide to do that more - great for building intonation, even if you don't intend to play classical or bow jazz ballads. ) They're relatively cheap. $105 at Gollihur. You'd probably be happy with them.

For my own use, I prefer the nickel set, which is even cheaper.
(but not stocked at Bob G.)
The nickels are warmer sounding than the tungstens.

François

swingingoodtime · #7 10-18-2009, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Francois Blais

This may be a setup issue, in fact.
Maybe the action is too high?
Maybe the FB' scoop is too pronounced?
Maybe the grooves at the top nut are too high? (there shouldn't be more than two business cards space under the strings there)

I'll admit that the instrument is not fully dialled in yet, but although I'm sure this would help more, it's still probably more a player issue than the set up!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLivinghouse

Agree with François's comment. Corellis are... relatively cheap. $105 at Gollihur. You'd probably be happy with them. But as newbie - money is way, way, way better spent on lessons!
Steve

This is very true; I'm focusing more on lessons than blaming the instrument/set up. But it's REALLLLLLY tempting to order some strings from OS given that the Aussie dollar is in much better shape than before!

Thanks heaps for your thoughts, guys

jfv · #8 10-20-2009, 01:07 PM

You can't adequately evaluate strings without technique, if you
have/get a good teacher you will have the opportunity to tell if
the bass and string choice is a problem or its just you. That same
teacher can tell you if the instrument needs, "dialing" as you put it.
Of course, ultimately, thats a personal quest, but it will get you
started.

Lenbytown · #9 02-23-2010, 01:50 PM

My new bass came equipped with Labella 610 strings. I found these strings rather stiff and hard on my left thumb as I had to pinch the E string hard. They are also difficult to bow and sound way to bright. I replaced them with Corelli medium 370 strings at Bob Gollihur's recommendation (on his website). The Corellis are much easier to bow, are easier to play and do not sound too bright. The sustain and growl seem to be good too. So overall, I am happy with the Corellis which are also reasonably priced.