Help with La Bella Flats for a Vintera Jazz Bass

[Deleted member 271037]

Yes, they will work, but I would suggest the 760FL.

I agree. The difference between 760FS and 760FL may seem marginal on paper, but the 760FL feels so much nicer, "bouncier" and significantly better balanced.

Having said that, I sure some people will prefer the 760FS set. The "best" strings will always depend on personal taste, playing style, etc.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I typically play .050-.105 in rounds – will the same gauge flats feel stiffer/heavier?

Yes, this is the case with most flats (especially "old school" flats like LaBella DTFs).

I normally play 45-105 rounds, but with most flats I find this too stiff. I normally use 40-100 with flats, which actually feels closer to 45-105 rounds.

But with LaBellas I use the "in-between" gauges I get with the 760FL set.

 

[andare]

Lol, I've read the opposite in several places... that the Fenders are scooped and the La Bellas have more mids.

I guess it's all just a matter of perspective.

Fender 9050s have a ton of mids. Might be too much on a P bass but they nicely fill out the natural scoop of a Jazz. Labellas are definitely scooped. I've had both strings on multiple P and J basses.
Now spectrum analysis might tell a different story but my ears totally agree with @Just Wrong and @michael_t

 

[andare]

+1 on 920D concentric plate. I dropped one in on a fretless PJ (it was a close enough fit on precision pick guard and kept me from having to add another hole.

I feel compelled to mention that 920D used to sell fake paper-in-oil caps. That's a double ripoff. They will never get my business.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Lol, I've read the opposite in several places... that the Fenders are scooped and the La Bellas have more mids.

I guess it's all just a matter of perspective.

It's not a matter of perspective, it's just plain wrong. Fender flats have significantly more mids than LaBellas. These are extremely different sounding strings. LaBellas are all about the dark thumpy tone/feel. Fender flats are "modern" flats with more sustain, better clarity and significantly more mids. It's not a matter of which ones are "better". They are completely different strings that are suitable for completely different styles of music.

But I wouldn't call LaBellas mid scooped. They do have significantly reduced highs/high mids, but it's more like a low pass filter than a mid scoop. LaBella DTFs are darker sounding that pretty much every other type of bass strings our there (with the possible exception of GHS flats). At least once they're broken in, which can take months or even years. The strange thing about LaBella DFTs is that sometimes they're surprisingly bright/clanky out of the box, and sometimes they sound almost broken in from day1. The ones that start out bright always seem to end up feeling "livelier" even after they're broken in. I guess LaBellas quality control isn't the best... At least this is my experience, but this is only based on a rather limited number of strings, mostly the ones I've been using myself. At the workshop we hardly ever get any customers who want us to install LaBellas. They're one of those strings that based on Talkbass you would think half the bass players in the world were using them, but in real life they are only rarely seen. At least in my area. LaBellas are definitely "niche" strings, and you shouldn't use them unless you specifically want THAT tone.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I agree with @Just Wrong, who is just right on this.

I've tried the La Bella 760FL and like them on my P bass but not on my Jazz.
I've also tried the Fender 9050L and liked them on my Jazz but not on my P bass. In fact, one of my J's is wearing the 9050L and they're not going anywhere.

Fender 9050s have the midrange character that suits the Jazz bass better with a semi-modern flavor instead of just thump and thud.

Interesting observation!

Personally I like both of these strings equally on P-basses or J-basses, but I only ever use the neck pickup on J-basses, which levels the playing field significantly.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Yes, the 760FS will feel stiffer than 50-105 rounds.

People generally prefer the 760FL - there’s a whole thread dedicated to them if you search “760FL.”

That said, are you familiar with flats or the La Bellas in general? While they are my favourite flats (the 760FL) on a Precision, I do not like them on a Jazz. They tend to get very scoopy. If this is your first time around with flats or flats on a Jazz, I would suggest you look at more “modern-sounding” flats. The Fenders 9050L are popular with Jazzes.

I'm assuming you're referring to using BOTH pickups on a J-bass, because each pickup soloed on a J-bass is generally not mid scooped at all (although this may depend slightly on the pickups).

But ALL strings will sound mid scooped if you use both pickups on a J-bass. The difference with broken in LaBellas is that you won't have the zing/highs to "fill in" the frequency range above the mid scoop. So yeah, they're not ideal for that.

But for someone like me, who only uses the neck pickup on J-basses, LaBellas work just as nicely as with a P-bass. At least that's my experience. This doesn't mean I use LaBellas all the time. I always have them installed on one of my basses for whenever I need THAT tone, but they're horrible allrounders, and only really work for some types of music.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

I feel compelled to mention that 920D used to sell fake paper-in-oil caps. That's a double ripoff. They will never get my business.

That was a cringy, but fascinating read.

 

[pyrat56host]

Similar experience as several that have posted here...I tried a few different flat on my Vintera Jazz Bass and was delighted by the Fender flats (and I LOVE LaBellas). I have Labella flat on all other basses but the Fender flats just really suit the Jazz basses and they're really affordable! Hope you find some that you dig like I do mine~

 

[Personal Gsus]

Just want to say thanks to everyone that chimed in.

Based on your input, I've ordered a set of the 760FL and the 9050L. Excited to try them out & hear the differences.

 

[Just Wrong]

@Deleted member 271037 raises a good point I hadn't taken into consideration. I assumed, possibly wrongfully, that you would be using both pickups more or less equally. In that case, I prefer the 9050L.

If you're going to solo the neck pickup exclusively, then, yeah, I would probably choose the 760FL.

Either way, make sure you try both for a few months. Comparing both when new would be misleading.

 

[Personal Gsus]

I assumed, possibly wrongfully, that you would be using both pickups more or less equally. In that case, I prefer the 9050L.

If you're going to solo the neck pickup exclusively, then, yeah, I would probably choose the 760FL.

No, you made a fair assumption in that, I think, most JB players use a mix of both pickups –– otherwise they would just play a PB.

Now, I've got the 760FS with a mute on my American Standard PB with a Fralin, which I absolutely adore. With this new JB, I just assumed that I would throw the same strings on and get a similar tone, just "JB flavored". However, everyone's feedback here has made me rethink that assumption. I'm glad I asked!

 

[michael_t]

I assumed, possibly wrongfully, that you would be using both pickups more or less equally. In that case, I prefer the 9050L.

If you're going to solo the neck pickup exclusively, then, yeah, I would probably choose the 760FL.

No, you made a fair assumption in that, I think, most JB players use a mix of both pickups –– otherwise they would just play a PB.

Just for clarification, I do play my Jazz with both pickups full on all the time. To my ears, that's the J-bass tone that distinguishes itself from the P-bass tone.

 

[Personal Gsus]

Just for clarification, I do play my Jazz with both pickups full on all the time. To my ears, that's the J-bass tone that distinguishes itself from the P-bass tone.

Makes sense.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I once wondered how much Js get used with both pickups on full, so I asked the forum and got enough answers to get a reasonable picture:

40% both pickups on full
40% one pickup slightly favoured

 

[murphy]

Big time...You need to go much lighter!

I should have said..if using Labella Flats
TI seem to work fine....but they are almost a hundred Bucks Can now