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La Bella Copper White Nylon Tapewounds:
- Thread starter SLaPiNFuNK
- Start date
Okay, I've had these on for 2 weeks now. They are good strings, but unfortunately not for my situation. I just finished removing them and reinstalled my D'Addario half rounds. I only have the one bass for all my needs and the LaBellas are not quite as flexible in their tonal offerings as I need. If I was going to have a dedicated fretless, the LaBellas would be a good choice. If anyone wants to try them, PM me and I'll sell them at half price. This is a 6 string set. For some reason, the G string has some discoloration in a couple of spots. My camera is a cheap one so it would not focus that close in, but I'll attach the blurry photo anyway. It didn't affect the sound at all, just seems to be in the clear nylon coating. My original post is #53 on 3-13-14. Thank you, Frank
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It depends on your instrument. You need to measure from Ball End to Nut on your instrument. If within 34" then the Medium Scale will work for you.
Please reference this article.
I sure wish someone would post a sound clip of these. They are so beautiful and I love my Labella black tapes. I want to pull the trigger...
...and it shall be given unto you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQz1x9tVwtI
around 11:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-zwNrjHJDQ
around 6:20
...and for comparison:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNdiB2gAUSA
around 4:30
Thanks to La Bella for the top two.
Interestingly, all clips are on very similar gear.
Thanks smallbear. Obviously the player in the video is having no problem being expressive with these. There are all kinds of bendy notes in there.
I am still considering these Copper white tapes....I have had LaBella black tapes on my Rob Allen fretless for a few years and really like them,but just a little more singing clarity could be nice.I don't want to lose all of their darker qualities...Tried the first White tapes and did not care for their bright'n'ringy chimeyness...I am trying to figure out where in the mix of tapewound sounds these new Coppers fit...not alot of comparative feedback yet.Giving them a try is more about committing to the break in period and hoping for the best,as I gig and record with this bass regularly,than the cost itself.Any more feedback out there?
I love these strings! They're great on my Linc Luthier Impression semi-hollow bass. There is no problem with getting a great sound on the piezos and a punchy tone on the magnetic pickups. I don't think they're right for a solid-body, but if you have an instrument that hasn't worked with rounds or flats before then these may be for you. I'm definitely going to be using these on the Linc from now on.
I don't quite understand their promotional wording - exposed round wounds beneath the clear nylon is also true of the white tapes, not different from them. I would expect the difference to be copper vs. stainless, not the coating, yes?
And I wonder if they're as flexible as white tapes? I found the Whites astonishingly soft for the gauge involved (50-105). Perhaps it's because the actual metal core is pretty skinny compared to the overall gauge ??
Fans of flexible strings will probably like these if the copper ones have the same quality. ...and if they're a bit mellower in tone that would be a plus for some folks as well. As one poster already noted, it will be interesting to hear how they compare to Blacks.
In any case, LaBella's R&D folks have really been working OT of late!
And I wonder if they're as flexible as white tapes? I found the Whites astonishingly soft for the gauge involved (50-105). Perhaps it's because the actual metal core is pretty skinny compared to the overall gauge ??
Fans of flexible strings will probably like these if the copper ones have the same quality. ...and if they're a bit mellower in tone that would be a plus for some folks as well. As one poster already noted, it will be interesting to hear how they compare to Blacks.
In any case, LaBella's R&D folks have really been working OT of late!
I think their literature is plain as day...you can see the copper roundwound strings through the white nylon wrap. I haven't tried the stainless steel, but I assume these are not as bright than those but have a more acoustic, punchy vibe. The 50-105 gauge is very light in feel, probably similar to a 40-95 gauge in rounds. The heavier gauge is likely closer to 45-105 rounds, but is thicker and may require modification to the nut. For me, the flat nylon wrap cuts down on the shrill highs I had on my Linc, but the white nylon still allows clarity and the copper helps to keep the acoustic vibe (plus it looks way cool). The 50-105 gauge is easy to play on but doesn't feel too thin. These are the best strings I've ever had on that bass, they are a perfect match. I wouldn't use them on my P bass or my Kinal, but for the right instrument these strings are a match made in heaven. I currently have the light gauge with a low B. I may eventually try the tighter gauge with a high C, but these strings will be the only ones I put on the Linc from now on.
Yeah, I'm sure it's a matter of how you read their wording.
These should be cool strings for the right instrument, as are the Whites. It'll be interesting to hear user reports on the coppers. I used to like D'Addario reds for an acoustic bass I had. These ought to last a lot longer as the nylon looks pretty impervious.
There were a couple of videos demoing "white nylons" playing mostly slap. Were those the originals or the coppers? I haven't played tape wounds in years do they feel like flats?
I think the video you're talking about demoed the white nylons. They feel like very smooth plastic pretty much.
Yup. One drawback...piezos are louder but mags are much quieter. This is due to non magnetic nylon wrap.
There's been some recent discussion on here about the nylons not working well or at all on some bridges, mostly Spector and MM. I have a bass with the same bridge as the Spector and
the nylons barely sound on the B, and don't sound on the rest, unless I press a little more on the saddles. I think the individual piezo saddles are just a little less sensitive than the acoustic piezo bridges. the same elec bass bridges/saddles work ok with all metal strings, tho, so I think the nylon dampens the vibrations just enough to affect it.
And the piezos as well as the mag pickups each have their own buffing circuit and trim pots, so really, there's no effective diff in original output- only what the preamps have out.
I know the post you're referring to, and Jason at BassStringsOnline warned me that if I had saddle mounted piezos in a metal bridge that they wouldn't work. I had a hunch this was misinformation, and it turned out that I was right.
The bridge on the Spector is made by Fishman (I think they called it the Powerbridge and used to sell it separately, but now it's probably just OEM for Spector). The Ernie Ball MusicMan piezo bridge is also proprietary. These piezos are recessed a bit into the saddle, and need a heavier metal string. In fact, I think that they may require a metal string as there is some sort of electrical circuit that is completed by the metal string. In that case, nylon-wrapped tapewound strings will not work.
However, my Linc Luthier bass is equipped with RMC saddles in a Hipshot bridge. (This is not the Hipshot/Graphtech bridge you see on the commonly sold on websites.) The RMC piezos are also used on F Bass (Alain Caron model), Conklin basses, and other high-end custom basses. There is no problem using these strings with that piezo whatsoever. In fact, I had more trouble with the metal strings. Traditional metal strings are not balanced in tension (which is why you see so many balanced tension sets coming out now), and on the RMCs it yielded varying degrees of output. The LaBella strings are all tension-balanced for each set, so the level on the piezos is very balanced and sounds great with these strings. So the earlier statement that piezos in the saddles won't work with these is simply not true, it just depends on the type of bridge.
With the mags the level used to be identical to the piezos. But, with the nylon strings I have lost some output from the mags. I have a trimpot that can be adjusted to correct this, but it's very difficult to get to in the Linc. Eventually I will have my tech increase the gain on the mags using the trimpot, because these strings are perfect for that bass, which is very quirky. These days I still play the Linc, but my Kinal bass is my favorite, with the Sadowsky almost tied for the "favorite bass" spot.
Thanks for the info regarding the RMC piezo bridges- good to know,
however the Fishman bridges do work with more pressure on the saddles, at least where I tried them. But I had to press a bit on the strings at the saddle, or tune them up at least a full tone to get them to sound. The bridges are also grounded, so that may be req'd, but even so, the piezos would not send a signal or clean signal w/o more pressure on the saddle than req'd for designed pitch.
As you stated about the nylons 'just not working' is correct- but it depends on the amount of pressure exerted on the saddles. Your experiences with diff pressures even with metal strings further reinforces that. It seems that the RMC piezos may just be more sensitive, like piezos for acoustical bridges.
Fishman also had preamps that had individual trimpots for each string/piezo to balance things out.
however the Fishman bridges do work with more pressure on the saddles, at least where I tried them. But I had to press a bit on the strings at the saddle, or tune them up at least a full tone to get them to sound. The bridges are also grounded, so that may be req'd, but even so, the piezos would not send a signal or clean signal w/o more pressure on the saddle than req'd for designed pitch.
As you stated about the nylons 'just not working' is correct- but it depends on the amount of pressure exerted on the saddles. Your experiences with diff pressures even with metal strings further reinforces that. It seems that the RMC piezos may just be more sensitive, like piezos for acoustical bridges.
Fishman also had preamps that had individual trimpots for each string/piezo to balance things out.
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