LaBella 1954 original tone, but low tension

[Tim Skaggs]

I’m ready to go all in on whatever set of flats exist with tone like LaBella 1954 Originals, but I don’t think I can live with the 1954 Originals tension & stiffness.

Here’s my situation; I’ve been a flats player for about five years. I don’t play flats exclusively, but I play them more and more all the time. Lately, I’ve been rolling the tone knob back and playing on just the neck pickup of my P-bass that has a set of P pickups in both the neck & bridge position. I have D’Adderio Chromes on the bass now, but I have had Ernie Ball Cobalt flats on it in the past. Both of those are starting to get on my nerves with too much fret “clank”.

Over on the “Basses” forum, there was a thread about dead spots on basses this week. There were several on that thread that had never encountered a dead spot on a bass. I remembered having seen a example of dead spots in a posted recording Of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” with James Jamerson on the Funk Machine Bass. There were three places on the recording where a dead spot could be heard. I found that post and linked it to the current “dead spot” thread.

I listened to the recording just to refresh my memory on what it sounded like, and I realized I’ve been trying to duplicate Jamerson’s tone to some degree. I understand he used Labella flats and the closest thing Labella makes like those today are the 1954 Original flats.

I also have read that the Labella 1954 Originals are seriously stiff & high tension, which I don’t think I could handle, so here’s the question;

Are there any flats out there with the old school thump tone like the Labella 1954 Originals, BUT lower tension & more flexible?

 

[Michael4bass]

I have a set of LaBella 760FLs that I put on one of my P basses (the one in my avatar) back in 2001, they have that vintage tone and are easy to play. They were fairly bright sounding the first couple of weeks when I first put them on, but after a month or so they really started to have that vintage tone.

Bassically, Michael

 

[uwrossl]

La Bella LTF's are great choice. Bit more sustain to them but great old school La Bella sound. Honestly though if you've already got Chromes which are pretty high tension IME you should just snag the La Bella 760FS DTF's. I'd say either those or the GHS Precision Flats which are decidedly old school and thumpy.

 

[michael_t]

Are there any flats out there with the old school thump tone like the Labella 1954 Originals, BUT lower tension & more flexible?

I have a set of LaBella 760FLs that I put on one of my P basses (the one in my avatar) back in 2001, they have that vintage tone and are easy to play. They were fairly bright sounding the first couple of weeks when I first put them on, but after a month or so they really started to have that vintage tone.

Another vote for the 760FL (43-60-82-104). Classic La Bella tone but with much more manageable tension/stiffness.

GHS Precision Flats CM3050 (45-60-80-105) would be a good alternative for the old-school thump with good playability.

Also, keep in mind Jamerson's tone also includes foam mute and playing with one finger (The Hook).

 

[Yahboy]

Labella 760FM - less stiff than 1954 but crazy stiff to me. G string has similar tone as 1954 G. E string pitch a bit off like 1954.

760FS - still too stiff , less woody tone G string compare to 1954 G.

760FL - stiff , still less woody tone on G.

DR Legend - ok stiffness, less woody tone on G also, but the E string sound a bit off like 1954 even correct pitch on tuner.

Labella LTF4A - comfort stiffness, similar feel as 45-100 roundwound string. But she has different voice compare to 1954. If 1954 sound like thick pure chocolate, the LTF4A are smoother pure chocolate.

GHS Flatwound ？ Sound nothing like Labella.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

La Bella LTF's are great choice. Bit more sustain to them but great old school La Bella sound. Honestly though if you've already got Chromes which are pretty high tension IME you should just snag the La Bella 760FS DTF's. I'd say either those or the GHS Precision Flats which are decidedly old school and thumpy.

I’m using the wimp gauge Chromes just to avoid tension (.040-.095). I was afraid the Labella LTFs would be a totally different sounding string compared to the 1954s. At string gauges of .052-.110, I would expect the 1954s to be plenty stiff and high tension, but I’ve also considered those characteristics may be why the sound like they do.

I don’t think I could handle the 1954s, but I might be surprised....

 

[uwrossl]

I’m using the wimp gauge Chromes just to avoid tension (.040-.095). I was afraid the Labella LTFs would be a totally different sounding string compared to the 1954s. At string gauges of .052-.110, I would expect the 1954s to be plenty stiff and high tension, but I’ve also considered those characteristics may be why the sound like they do.

I don’t think I could handle the 1954s, but I might be surprised....

Worth a try! IMO anything you can do to get the chromes of there.
I haven't played the La Bella DTF's in a couple of years but from what I remember I find the LTF's to be pretty similarly voiced. Biggest difference(apart from the tension) is probably how much more sustain they have than the DTF's. I haven't ventured into trying the 1954's but would like to at some point. I'd imagine they are ridiculously warm and thumpy! I'd agree that the heavy gauge and tension would have a lot to do with their sound and it'd probably be pretty hard to find something that sounds like them.

 

[e-flat]

I’d recommend a set of the La Bella Low Tension flats for the La Bella vibe minus the tension of the 1954 Set. Of course the LTF aren’t going to give you THAT exact sound, but La Bella strings have a character that can only be copped by using La Bella Strings (IMO)

 

[iiipopes]

Here's the deal: less mass means less interaction with the magnetic field of the pickup. Less mass also generally means difference in flexibility, which affects overtones; generally, that means the string is more flexible, so that there are more inherent overtones. That said, the best solution is as above: the same company, one or two or three or four gauges lighter, with the foam mute. La Bella makes four sets that are lighter than the '54: the standard 45-105, the light 43-104, the extra light 39-96, and the LTF 42-100, which are made a little differently. Since they are the "family," they will have similar characteristics, unlike other manufacturers with different alloys, cores, core-to-wrap ratios, etc. Reading the OP first post again, the most popular are the 760L 43-104.

It's the same as the limbo dance: "How low [in tension] do you want to go?"

 

[JimmyM]

Might suggest Dunlop flats to you. They're a little more middy than LaBellas, but less middy than Chromes. When they're new, they might as well be rounds, but they mellow out fairly quickly to a very nice thump, and they're quite low tension. They also come in a 40-100 set, although you might have to go to Ebay or Reverb to find them.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Might suggest Dunlop flats to you. They're a little more middy than LaBellas, but less middy than Chromes. When they're new, they might as well be rounds, but they mellow out fairly quickly to a very nice thump, and they're quite low tension. They also come in a 40-100 set, although you might have to go to Ebay or Reverb to find them.

Appreciate the response. I did say I am after a tone like the LaBella 1954s but it doesn’t have to be Labella strings. I’ll look around.

 

[klopfenpop]

Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats are the answer. Super easy to play and sound incredible right out of the package. Dry as shag, sounds great with foam or without. One of my personal tells for great sounding flats is how much of the finger rubbing from plucking the string comes through in the tone. Still super clear without having any shininess at all.

They only sound better with age. I've had a set on my Peavey Fury for almost 10 years and people regularly ask me about the sound of that bass.

 

[Terry McGill]

These will do exactly what your asking for after a nice month or two of break in time.

 

[Paul New]

Why don’t you try the Originals? You can set the action very low, and I don’t think they are harder to play, although you might take a minute to acclimate. They need a good setup. Nothing else sounds as good, to me anyway, and they keep getting better.

 

[butterfingers1]

The Vintage 1954s are in a league of their own. They are thick stiff and hard to play, I use them on my practice bass. They sound wooden and percussive, like a wooden mallet on wood, but also very clear and articulate. All this in a good way, I’m glad I have them, but also glad I have others.

The more regular 760FS and FL are easier to play and sound smoother. The DTF series, including the 1954s, have a high end ring to them.

The recent Olinto strings are less stiff than the Deep Talkin’ Bass series. They’re supposed to sound brighter but I find them more mellow. More sustain maybe? They’re hard to pin a description on.

 

[GIBrat51]

I've had basses with just about every flat wound mentioned here (except the Olinto's), and still have a lot of them. And some flats that weren't mentioned, too. Still have most of them, so...
- La Bella DTFs. I use every one of the DTF's mentioned here - except the 1954 Originals. Yes, the tone does get less thumpy and woody, as the gauges go down. The 760FS's - with a foam mute - might give you what you want. The others? Probably not... As for the LTF4-A Low Tension Flats? I have those on a G&L Kiloton lined fretless, and... I'd have to say; probably not. They're a lot like the 760FL's; which don't quite have the "thump" that the heavier 760FS's do...
- DR Legends. My only experience with them, is the short scale set on a headless, aluminum-necked Kramer Duke. On that bass? They sound an awful lot like the 50-107 short scale GHS Bass Boomers that they replaced. Might work for you; might not...
- TI Jazz Flats. Uh... no. Just...no. Too much high end; too much midrange; too little low-mids; and the low end? There's... some; but nowhere near enough for what you want. But, for playing Jazz on my Alembic Epic? I love them...
- Dunlops. Again, my only experience with them is the short scales; I have a set on my '24 Serek Sacramento, with a pair of Guild Bi-Sonic pickups. To my ears? A little too mid-range-y for what you want; but they do have a nice low end. Long scale set? Tentative "maybe" from me...
- GHS Precision Flats. No, they don't sound exactly like La Bella DTFs, but the heavy ones that I had on my '78 Fender P-Bass were plenty "Old School Thumpy". Not exactly what I wanted from that bass, though; the lighter P-Flats did the trick for me. You might like them. However; although they didn't feel like it? Supposed to be very high tension...
- Ernie Ball Group Flats. My experience with them is limited to the light gauge Group IV's on a Schecter Stiletto lined fretless bass. Nice low end and low mids, but lots of mids and a good high end, too. The heavier Group I's? Maybe...
- Roto RS77LD's. I had them on my Fender P-Bass for several years, and they were plenty "Thumpy". Same thing when I had them on my '18 Gibson Thunderbird. They do have more sonic range that the heavy La Bellas, though. And the fact that they're high tension - and often referred to as "bridge cables", might be a drawback...
Other flats that I use? I'm afraid that, although they are mostly all in the low end of the flat wound tone spectrum, they're not quite all the way down in the "Old School Thump" end. And some - like the La Bella 760FX's; the Fender 9050L's; and the TI Jazz Flats, are more in the "bright" side of the tone spectrum. However...
If you're not absolutely wedded to flat wounds? You could try a set of Roto TruBass88 Tapewounds. They were made to emulate an upright bass (a "True Bass"). They are the darkest, most woody sounding tapes I've used. I have them on a violin bass, and a 32" scale Canadian bass that was made to emulate an upright bass as much as possible. Which it certainly does... The Nylon tape does make them stiff - but not as stiff as the 1954's - or the Roto 77's...