LaBella Black Tapes - Uneven Tone

[KenD]

I have these on a 5 string fretless with a mag PU at the neck and Graphtech piezo saddles at the bridge, both running into an onboard 3 band preamp with volume and blend controls.

I can dial in a lovely tone on the first 3 strings but then the 4th and 5th (E and B) have a sort of "brittle" tone that seems a bit thinner. If I try to correct that with EQ and balance, especially mid sweep and level, the tone on the first 3 strings becomes a bit muffled or too "thick".

Suggestions? Or is that just the nature of the beast?

 

[michael_t]

Suggestions? Or is that just the nature of the beast?

Maybe they just need to be played in before they balance out? The thicker the string, the thicker the outer nylon cover, so I would imagine they need to soften up a bit to get rid of the brittleness.

 

[KenD]

Maybe they just need to be played in before they balance out? The thicker the string, the thicker the outer nylon cover, so I would imagine they need to soften up a bit to get rid of the brittleness.

That could be. In the ordinary course, the majority of my playing would involve the first 3 strings regularly. I'll focus on some exercises deliberately using the 4th and 5th more often and see what happens.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I have these on a 5 string fretless with a mag PU at the neck and Graphtech piezo saddles at the bridge, both running into an onboard 3 band preamp with volume and blend controls.

I can dial in a lovely tone on the first 3 strings but then the 4th and 5th (E and B) have a sort of "brittle" tone that seems a bit thinner. If I try to correct that with EQ and balance, especially mid sweep and level, the tone on the first 3 strings becomes a bit muffled or too "thick".

Suggestions? Or is that just the nature of the beast?

Which set? 760N-B (standard gauge, 60-70-94-115-135tapered) or 750N-B (light, 50-65-85-105-135T)?

 

[KenD]

Which set? 760N-B (standard gauge, 60-70-94-115-135tapered) or 750N-B (light, 50-65-85-105-135T)?

750N-B

 

[HaphAsSard]

750N-B

I had a feeling. Not because of personal experience: it's just that, based on reports, the success of the light version seems to be mainly based on its compatibility with standard, unmolested nut slots. It has its fans, but I've seen a number of unimpressed reviewers.

 

[KenD]

I had a feeling. Not because of personal experience: it's just that, based on reports, the success of the light version seems to be mainly based on its compatibility with standard, unmolested nut slots. It has its fans, but I've seen a number of unimpressed reviewers.

Thanks. I'm not gigging so I can take some time to "play them in" and see if the tonal balance improves. If not, I cant' tolerate them as they currently are so I will explore elsewhere. I would probably try Pyramid tapes as I have had good success with their other strings in the past.

 

[mrperkolator]

I had the 760 labella black tapes on a 5 string BTB once and I didn’t have this problem at all. Excellent strings. It is making me wonder about setup. On mine, I pretty much had to remove the spring on the b string saddle because it was so far back.

does the brittle happen with both mag and piezo, or just piezo pickups?

 

[BrotherMister]

I stuck a set on my 5 string fretless in November for a theatre run and I absolutely loved them from the get go. They just get better and better the more they get played.
Contemplating putting them on my fretted as well since they sound so good.

Mine are the 760N-B gauge is 60 - 135 if that helps shed any light on your problem.

 

[KenD]

I seem to have partially corrected the problem by doing some internal adjustments on the piezo output on the 4th and 5th strings (the Richter piezo buffer inside the cavity has individual trim pots for each string). Will report back after playing in awhile.

 

[iiipopes]

I have these on a 5 string fretless with a mag PU at the neck and Graphtech piezo saddles at the bridge, both running into an onboard 3 band preamp with volume and blend controls.

I can dial in a lovely tone on the first 3 strings but then the 4th and 5th (E and B) have a sort of "brittle" tone that seems a bit thinner. If I try to correct that with EQ and balance, especially mid sweep and level, the tone on the first 3 strings becomes a bit muffled or too "thick".

Suggestions? Or is that just the nature of the beast?

Because the nylon wrap is a disconnect between the bridge and the string, this is the nature of the beast. To get around that, I have used on various occasions that require tapes to use the LaBella white tapes in the regular gauge. I gigged a set of them for two years before the frets finally wore divots in the nylon and they had to be replaced. The white tapes are marginally brighter in tone than the black tapes, and to me are a little easier to EQ.

 

[KenD]

Because the nylon wrap is a disconnect between the bridge and the string, this is the nature of the beast. To get around that, I have used on various occasions that require tapes to use the LaBella white tapes in the regular gauge. I gigged a set of them for two years before the frets finally wore divots in the nylon and they had to be replaced. The white tapes are marginally brighter in tone than the black tapes, and to me are a little easier to EQ.

Thanks for the suggestion. Fortunately, the piezo buffer/preamp in this setup has individual trim pots for each string. Fiddling with them in conjunction with EQI have been able to even out the balance between strings quite a bit. I'll play these for a while now before deciding if they need to go and be replaced.