la bella 7720

shwashwa · #1 06-29-2004, 07:07 AM

any feedback on these strings? i searched the archives and found nothing. i know miroslav gets a nice sound with them, as well as harvie swartz.

**Francois Blais** · #2 06-29-2004, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shwashwa

any feedback on these strings? i searched the archives and found nothing. i know miroslav gets a nice sound with them, as well as harvie swartz.

They're available in two gauges.
They are bright strings, with a growly sound. (too much for my taste)
Vitous once told he was using them because they sound very bright, and his bass is very dark. (he gets a good balance this way)
I'm not sure Harvie S still uses the 7720 though!
I think he uses gut since a few years now.

shwashwa · #3 06-29-2004, 10:42 AM

i'm quite positive that harvie still uses these strings. i see him fairly regularly and i've asked him what he uses... i also once asked him what he thinks about gut strings and he said they makes him want to vomit!

Fred W · #4 06-29-2004, 12:12 PM

Mike Richmond endorses and plays La Bella 7720 mediums. They are equivalent to Spirocore orchestra in gauge, the lites are between Weichs and solo. They sound great played by Mike, but then his bass is a beautiful old Italian whose top resonates when you give it a soulful look. I used them on my BSX stick where they worked well, but when I put them on my Kay they felt stiff, and the sound lacked character. IMHO they are an inferior take on the spirocore style. BTW Lemur lists them under electric uprite.

shwashwa · #5 06-29-2004, 01:18 PM

yes, they sound great on mikes bass, but they feel alittle stiff. i think he uses mediums. i also think he plays a 100 year old german bass that has been in 2 car accidents...

hdiddy · #6 06-29-2004, 01:32 PM

Ok so I bought a set to try out and well... they're different.

Very growly, especially E, and low tension. I liked the A & D strings. G sounds a little wimpy. Not much prescence/tone/volume. E had much more of a rubbery feel than the rest of the strings. Told my teach' I got some and he poo poo'ed them. Said that they don't make 'em like they used to and some of the strings in the set (I forget which) suck.

And if you're comparing them to how Ron Carter uses them, remember that he tunes to ADGC and that probably affects his tone. Maybe it sounds better up higher. I didn't try it.

I'm running Corelli's now and I like them. A little bit on the bright side as well. Gonna try Spiro weich's next. I'll start grimacing at the pain now.

Marcus Johnson · #7 06-29-2004, 02:27 PM

You shouldn't experience much pain with the Weichs, unless your setup is really high. They're pretty friendly, at least until you bust out the bow.

Don Higdon · #8 06-29-2004, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shwashwa

i'm quite positive that harvie still uses these strings. i see him fairly regularly and i've asked him what he uses... i also once asked him what he thinks about gut strings and he said they makes him want to vomit!

Ditto.
We're talking about the Kay that he uses with Eye Contact.

FidgetStone · #9 06-29-2004, 06:02 PM

My teacher, John Adams, plays the 7720s on his 70 year old carved Czech bass and they sound great. Of course John's playing has a great deal to do with it but they still sound good on his bass even with me playing it.

I can tell by the feel that they are more flatly wound than my Obligatos. (I love the Obligatos by the way) I may try the 7720’s when the Obligatos die but that should be several months out.

John has played with some big names and endorses La Bella. Check him out at www.congruentmusic.com.

**Francois Blais** · #10 06-29-2004, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shwashwa

i'm quite positive that harvie still uses these strings. i see him fairly regularly and i've asked him what he uses... i also once asked him what he thinks about gut strings and he said they makes him want to vomit!

After I read your reply, I emailed Harvie about this and here's his answer:

Quote:

Dear Francois,

It is amazing how stories grow.
Here is the truth.

I used LaBella Gut strings for about 6 years untill
about 1998. I then switched to LaBella 7720 lights and
love them.
I have been using laBella for over 23 years and feel
very good to be an endorser of their great products.
I hope this clears it all up.

Ps.
That quote is just untrue. Nothing further on that.

shwashwa · #11 06-29-2004, 08:34 PM

ahh good old harvie. so he is using the 7720's which is what i said. if i remember correctly he said he's "addicted" to them. as for the gut comment, that's 100% true. if you know him you know him to be eccentric as well. i have a member of eye contact as my witness to that quote. he will swear to it, but i wish to keep his name out of this. just believe me, not that it makes all that much difference. i believe at the time he said the "vomit" quote he also said "what is this, the flintstones?" referring to gut. kind of strange that you would ask him about the vomit reference though... i guess he either felt put on the spot or just didnt remember. he said it off the cuff.

Marcus Johnson · #12 06-29-2004, 08:52 PM

C'mon, Harvie, vomit with me now, don't be shy.

Don Higdon · #13 06-30-2004, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shwashwa

i have a member of eye contact as my witness .

And isn't Eye Contact one hell of a band?

I'm unclear as to what the 7220 construction is. Is it real gut with a synthetic material winding? Is it synthetic gut? This may be the only string I've never used. Well, not quite.

**Francois Blais** · #14 06-30-2004, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

I'm unclear as to what the 7220 construction is. Is it real gut with a synthetic material winding? Is it synthetic gut? This may be the only string I've never used. Well, not quite.

Steel on steel rope-core. The most common type of bass string construction nowadays.

Don Higdon · #15 06-30-2004, 06:42 AM

I was sitting in and I think the bassist said his strings were LaBella. They were black. Does that sound right?

Wil Davis · #16 06-30-2004, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

I was sitting in and I think the bassist said his strings were LaBella. They were black. Does that sound right?

They might have been Labella 7710s which are black nylon tape-wound rope core. I have a set on one of my basses - they sound nice, but are absolute garbage as far as arco is concerned (I should have stayed with the Obligatos) - perhaps I'll try the 7720s…

- Wil

Don Higdon · #17 06-30-2004, 07:03 AM

I talked with Harvie at some length, and I recall that when he was telling me about LaBella, I observed his strings were black.

OK, folks, watch this:
Francois, I challenge you to tell me the tension of a set of 7710s and 7720s.

Wil Davis · #18 06-30-2004, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

...snip
Francois, I challenge you to tell me the tension of a set of 7710s and 7720s.

Er, um - African or European?

- Wil

shwashwa · #19 06-30-2004, 08:11 AM

eye contact is a great band. i must brag alittle and say that 2 members of eye contact are also members of my working quartet. one of them has been with me since 1990, and the other is newer, but the music we make, having been playing regularly for so long, is just a pure joy to experience. it also makes my head swell when one of them occasionally pays me a compliment, because i know the calibur of bass player they're used to working with....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

And isn't Eye Contact one hell of a band?

I'm unclear as to what the 7220 construction is. Is it real gut with a synthetic material winding? Is it synthetic gut? This may be the only string I've never used. Well, not quite.

**Francois Blais** · #20 06-30-2004, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

I talked with Harvie at some length, and I recall that when he was telling me about LaBella, I observed his strings were black.

OK, folks, watch this:
Francois, I challenge you to tell me the tension of a set of 7710s and 7720s.

Who?

No idea! These numbers are not published anywhere I looked at!

Harvie was using the 7710 (black nylon) on his Merchant EUB, many years ago.
He sold it, AFAIK.