Need a little advice, I have an BNF5 with FBass factory strings. I wanted to try a set of La Bella Steel Flatwounds. Anyone here used these strings on a BNF5?
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This is the Fbass bridge. It's the photo in the Custom Build Shop configurator.
The Hipshot version I think uses a thicker gauge steel.
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Just a heads up dude, the build configurator is addicting as hell but it’s out of date. Marcel himself told me to disregard the prices there and get exact quotes from either himself or a dealer.
- Apr 29, 2003
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- Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
That’s good to know. Although, I’m in no postition to be on there in the first place. Expecting a new Bass to arrive this week, so maybe I’ll check back on the f bass site in a year or so when my bank account recovers. Lol
- Apr 29, 2003
- 9,073
- 9,789
- Disclosures
- Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
Same here. One of my AC6s has Thomastic Infeld Jazz flats and I didn't have to adjust the bridge, but I did have to adjust the truss rod afterward.
Ash/maple. 70’s spacing.
Can’t wait to show it to you guys.
Pearl blocks, neck binding, pearl serial. All the bells and whistles
The BNF6 arrived today. I played around with it a bit and decided to put the La Bella Tapes on it. Here’s a shot during the process and once I got her home. I’ve played her a little, but not nearly enough. It has wonderful tone— from warm to bright. The typical fretless mwah really shines on the top 3 strings. This weekend should be a lot of fun!
@BassJuju It looks fantastic! I’ll imagine it sounds even better.
They did and they included the black nut so I can change it later if I like. My local luthier was short on time yesterday, so strings and mini setup was about as far as I could go.
Did you get to play it with both? Did you find the tone to be different? I like the aesthetics of it being all blacked out, but I want a certain tone first.
Mmm, I wouldn't get too attached to the tapewounds without going through the comparison process of trying different strings. Just speaking from my own personal experience, visual aesthetics are at the bottom of the list as a long time fretless player. it is an expensive and tedious process, bit even so, there's nothing more worth it, IMHO.
I agree completely on 2 accounts-- nothing more worth it and aesthetics are far less important than tone. However, I am very much in love with tapes on fretless basses. This is my 3rd such config and I have tried a great many sets along the way-- my wife once called me the string king, because I spent so much time looking for the right tone and feel for each bass. I will say that I have D'adarios tapes on one of my other fretless and they are OK, but I will probably put La Bella's on it soon enough. I first tried the bellas when I read an interview with Kenny Aaronson who was playing with the Yardbirds at the time. I had just gotten a Gretsch G5440LS and wanted to try something different. He said he used La Bella 760N and I decided to try them. They are still on it today. I know folks prefer rounds and flats on fretless, but it just isn't my tone. I originally ordered the 6 string set for my BN6, but decided I liked the exposed cores that F Bass recommends on that bass. I also like the Lo-Rider Nickels they installed on my VF5. So far, I love the tone of the BNF/La Bella tape combo. If I dial up the treble I get up to a really bright fretless mwah , in the middle somewhere has great growl and presence, and the opposite direction gives me all the warmth and thump I expect for blues and country-- upright-like even. I think a lot of that is due to the underlying steel string being a round. Sorry, if that was a bit long winded, but I am passionate about all things bass including strings.
Damn! That is one badasterisk motherFbass — just "needs" a black Graphtech nut and done!
Congrats BassJuju.
Congrats BassJuju.
Hopefully, my club member list will be updated to add a vf4pj and vf5.
Killer basses, Love my f's!
Thanks! It came with a black phenolic nut too, but I’m partial to the bone tone. I’m still thinking about that though. I have black graphtech nut on another fretless. Maybe a future change.
I only played it with the black nut and the Fbass exposed core round wounds. It had a deeper and fuller tone than my other Fbasses. I know looks are not important to some but I like my basses to look as good as they sound. That's what drew me to Fbass. They are not only the best sounding basses I have ever played, they are truly works of art. I sometimes find myself admiring them like some of you may admire a classic painting or sculpture. In my limited experience they are the finest basses I have come across .
