LaBella - best kept secret in strings (or not)

That's super that they are making such a great product and you have had such positive experience with them. I never thought of them as a "secret" at all. They are a very well known string maker and have been around a long time!

 

not much of a secret, they are one of the oldest electric bass string makers out there.

 

Been playing La Bella strings for years. In the past, I've used Fender, Ernie Ball, Rotosound, DR and others. La Bella are the strings I use anymore. I'm not endorsed by them (or anyone else), Just the best strings I've ever used.

 

Long time Roto 66 user here. Tried Super Steps a year ago. Beginning to like it (took a while warming up to the exposed core and stepped design). Too bad not many outlets (at least here in Canada) carry them.

 

LaBella Stainless Rounds (Hard Rockin' Steels) sound just incredible on my G&L Tribute JB-2. I would liken them to DR Fat Beams tone-wise. Stainless with a huge bottom end, nice crisp highs without the "clank". I have generally been a nickel guy (think Sunbeams). I bought these as part of a Sample Pack from Jason at BassStringsOnline. I'm still searching for the "best" string for me but these are definitely on my short list and I will be buying more.

 

glad to hear this! have a fresh set from bso that i am taking to have installed tomorrow!

 

Post back with you impressions highway.

 

Labellas have been my string since 1983 when i got them on my first fodera monarch. Was fodera standard string prioir to them starting to make their owm strings. the 760 RW and FW are second to none. HRS set on my tbird blew away the rotos they replaced. they make strings for almost ecerything out there such as danos with guitar tuners, extra long for ampeg scrolls. soemtimes they are slow on custom orders but the strings are worth the wait.

imperial guitars in newburh NY (same city as labella) has great prices on labella strings and can get pretty much anything labella has in their catalog..

 

And buy them from CARVIN.COM! Look closely at Carvin strings; 90% of them, even if branded Carvin, are made by LaBella. Great way to get huge discount on LaBella strings!!

Edit, for instance, these LaBella strings:
http://www.labella.com/products/sn42/

Seem to be the same string (same gauge, nickel-plated etc.) but THREE SETS! (yes, (3) sets!): ~$12 each (plus ship)
http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/4011-3

Disclaimer: I have no ties to Carvin, other than being a satisfied customer for many years.

 

will do, they are going on a jazz bass with bartolini deeps . . .

 

these things have ZERO low end. they sound pretty good with fingerstyle, but all slap/pop has a lot of growl and snarl. this is good i guess, but i am looking for some more low end on my jbass and it's just not there . . .

i am going to keep playing these, just because, but it is what it is . . . they might be the perfect match for a p . . .

will probably stay with elixers on my j from now on . . .

 

Remember...just because LaBella makes them does not make them LaBellas. They make strings for lots of companies.

 

Huh? Anybody else thoroughly confused here?

Thanks for the reply but

Edit: I wouldn't think they'd suddenly decrease their levels of quality, and/or retool their entire operations to make a set of nickel strings in same exact gauge, because it's going to another company.

 

The implication is that the specs are different for the Carvins. They are made by Labella, they are probably good strings. But they are probably not normal Labellas in a different package; not the same exact string.

 

No confusion here. Just because Labella may make strings for Carvin or anyone else for that matter it does not mean that Carvin strings are Labella strings. Usually when someone (Carvin) approaches a major string company (Labella) to wind strings for them, Carvin would have to provide Labella with specs that are different than Labella's own strings. It would not make any sense for Labella to just say "sure Carvin, just repackage our string and sell it dirt cheap."

 

Sorry to hear they didn't work out for you. Here's a good video of Ed Feidland with 10 year old HRS on a P-Bass. Still great tone after all that time.



I think there are a lot of dynamics at work here too. The righ bass, amp, pickups. Lots of things work together to contribute to overall tone. I found that a string I really like on one of my basses may sound like complete crap on another. I have a love/hate thing going with Dunlops in this regard.

 

i think they would be good on a p . . . going to keep them for a while, might switch them to my p when the build is finished