La Bella 7720M

[hgrind]

Has anyone tried these strings? I play a lot of bluegrass and folk music, but also a little bit of slap and other styles. Arco maybe once a year.

I found this description on First Quality Music: 7720M Labella Up-Right Bass Medium Chrome Steel Flatwound rope core are softer & more supple to play because of the rope core. The sound & playability of "gut" string but has the snap of steel strings. This is a great set to use if you have trouble cutting through the mix.

Is this a good description of these strings?

Roscoe Beck's website says he uses these, and then maybe did on the Dixie Chicks tour.

Can anyone compare them to Obligatos, which is what I have on my bass now?

[Francois Blais]

Originally Posted by hgrind

Has anyone tried these strings? I play a lot of bluegrass and folk music, but also a little bit of slap and other styles. Arco maybe once a year.

I found this description on First Quality Music: 7720M Labella Up-Right Bass Medium Chrome Steel Flatwound rope core are softer & more supple to play because of the rope core. The sound & playability of "gut" string but has the snap of steel strings. This is a great set to use if you have trouble cutting through the mix.

Is this a good description of these strings?

Roscoe Beck's website says he uses these, and then maybe did on the Dixie Chicks tour.

Can anyone compare them to Obligatos, which is what I have on my bass now?

Almost every steel bass string uses a rope-core nowadays, so take their description with a grain of salt...
These strings are rather stiff.
They also have a light set available, but I found them too floppy.
I really don't understand their comparison to gut sound or playability... They have nothing in common IMHO.

What don't you like in the Obligatos that you want to get with another string?

Regards,
François

[hgrind]

What don't you like in the Obligatos that you want to get with another string?

The Obligatos may be the perfect string for me, but I have absolutely nothing to compare with. I just want to try a couple of other strings to see what they're like. But I don't want them to be stiff. They should be easy to play for both hands (Obligatos seems to be that as long as I can tell), have that snap/kick/attack and clarity (both in the upper and lower register, stand out in an ensemble with drums/percussion and be easy to slap. I find the Obligatos a little hard to slap, but I think that mostly have to do with my lack of technique.

I think I've read descriptions on every brands models of strings, but I don't know. All suggestions and help is highly appreciated.

[Francois Blais]

Unless you really want to fall into the never-ending string quest, and spend your whole wallet, you should stick with the Oblis, if you want my advice!
Otherwise, read-on.

You may want to try the Kolstein Heritages.
They are similar to the Obligatos in design.

If you want something really easy to play, look at Corelli strings. Even the TX (the thickest ones) are very easy to play.
They take a few weeks to settle in (they're quite metallic at first) but they last longer than Oblis.

[Peck_Time]

If you want to go down the 'gut' road a bit more, try the Innovation SuperSilvers. They are nylon, big and easy to play, sound great slapped, cut through and are FAR louder than the obligatos (on my bass anyway).

BTW I agree with Francois about going down the string-changing road... However, if all you have tried are Obligatos, you might want to try a few other 'Benchmark' strings to get a feel of what people mean.

Possible Benchmark strings:

1) Spirocore Weich - sound good on a LOT of basses (once they have settled down)

Any other ideas?

[bruce malcolm]

i use labella 7720L on my west german plywood.
they are supple, without floppiness, feel great &
are fun to play...for me. their sound is full & round
with sustain & growl when you need. i also do not
get the gut correlation...these are chrome round core.

i dig them vs spiros (orch/red) & heliocores which the
bass wore the previous 5 years each.
i have a set of 7720M...but the L is doin right with me.

[hgrind]

I've been playing a bit more, and thought things through, and I think I will try out a couple of other strings. I think what I'm looking for should have a more distinct attack than the Obligatos. I've looked at Velvet Garbo, but they're expensive. I've somehow narrowed it down to a few, among them Corelli F/TX. What I'm concerned about there, after reading some, are the volume. Are they loud enough to cut through "anything"? Others I have looked at is Pirastro Jazzer. Haven't seen much comments on them. The last one I've thought about is Presto Nylonwound. I've also looked at Super Sensitive. Don't see much comments about them either.

[Francois Blais]

Originally Posted by hgrind

I've somehow narrowed it down to a few, among them Corelli F/TX. What I'm concerned about there, after reading some, are the volume. Are they loud enough to cut through "anything"?

Depends a lot on your bass.
It may like the lower tension and sound bigger... or not!
As a test, you can detune your Obligatos a half step, and let the bass rest that way for a few days. Then see what happened to the volume.
It may show you if the instrument likes lower, or higher, tension.

Others I have looked at is Pirastro Jazzer. Haven't seen much comments on them.

They are similar to Spirocores, with the tension somewhere between the mediums and weichs.

The last one I've thought about is Presto Nylonwound.

Here they are called Eurosonics.
Do another search with this brand instead.

I've also looked at Super Sensitive. Don't see much comments about them either.

The Red Labels are inexpensive, stiff, and, to be honest, cheap.
Their higher quality lines include the Sensicore (with a synthetic core like the Obligatos), the Supremes (nickel on steel rope-core) and the Pinnacles (chromesteel on steel rope-core).
IMO, the Supremes and Pinnacles suffer from an improper balance between the strings. (the A strings in particular are thick, stiff and don't speak well)

You may want to try the Superflexibles, in the Thomastik family.
They're more affordable than the Spirocores, but are nevertheless excellent strings, good for both pizz and arco work. They take a few weeks to break in, but then you have a great string.

Hope this helps!

[hgrind]

It helps a lot. Some new questions have come up, though. I've seen descriptions that the Pirastro Permanents are similar to Obligatos when it comes to playing and feel, but are a little brighter and clearer. Do you have the same perception? Do the Permanents have longer sustain and durability?

[Francois Blais]

The Permanents use a high carbon steel rope core, so they're very durable.
In my experience they have more sustain in the top strings.
I found the Obligatos had more growl and sustain in the bottom strings though.
The Permanents may feel stiffer than the Obligatos too, if you're looking for a looser feel.

[Nohandles]

I have been using the La Bella RC610 rope cores. They are very stiff but very powerful on my ES9. I tried a lot of strings and spent a good sume only to come back to the 610's

[hgrind]

You mean the Permanents are less easy to play than the Obligatos? What about the volume and projection? More than the Obligatos?

[Francois Blais]

Depends on your bass.
No rule of thumb with strings.
Each instrument reacts in a specific way to the load.