Hello fellow bassists growler571 here. I am a huge fan of Peter ceteras bass tone and I know ge used labella flats for most of his time in Chicago. I want to get the 62 American original precison and use labella deep talkin bass for wounds on it but I'm afraid it will warp the neck as I am hearing these are high tension flats. Do labella low tension flats sound like the deep talkin bass flats or are they quite different sounding? It makes me a bit nervous cuz the American original precision do not have the additional graphite reinforcement bars in them to help keep the neck stable. Any thoughts and comments from people who use the deep talkin flats and labella low tension flats on their precision basses very much appreciated.
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Labella deep talking flats questions
- Thread starter growler571
- Start date
Thanks for the advice man. I was wondering about the lighter deep talkin flats also. Do they still have a good full low end or does the lighter guage sound a bit thinner in the lows?
I was nervous too. I got 760FL and I was expecting much more tension than previous strings (Elixir 45-105 steel) but after installation i checked the neck relief and it didn't change at all.
Do you have experience with both the 760FX and the LTF-4A? If so, could you get into some more detail regarding differences (especially in tone)? Thanks in advance.
I have a bass with the medium set (love em!) and I’ve tried the low tensions, I didn’t like the the D & G strings they lacked the snappiness of the E & A.Do you have experience with both the 760FX and the LTF-4A? If so, could you get into some more detail regarding differences (especially in tone)? Thanks in advance.
Haven't used the 760FX, but have used both the 760FS and FL as well as the LTF-4A. My pbass is currently strung with 760FS.
I didn't care for the LTF-4A in either tone or feel when playing. Not necessarily bad, just not what I was looking for. To my ears, the FL and FS have a deeper and fuller bottom. I would agree with 7dollarbologna, the D & G lacked a bit in attack/articulation. If you are concerned about tension, you might try the 760FL first. I don't know the metrics, but I think I read somewhere the tension is less than the FS -- and it does feel that way to me. There is a difference in feel between the two (FS and FL), but not so much in tone.
I didn't care for the LTF-4A in either tone or feel when playing. Not necessarily bad, just not what I was looking for. To my ears, the FL and FS have a deeper and fuller bottom. I would agree with 7dollarbologna, the D & G lacked a bit in attack/articulation. If you are concerned about tension, you might try the 760FL first. I don't know the metrics, but I think I read somewhere the tension is less than the FS -- and it does feel that way to me. There is a difference in feel between the two (FS and FL), but not so much in tone.
Not all La Bella Flats are created equal. I would suggest you start with the 760FL, 43-60-82-104, which are middle-of-the-road in terms of tension and stiffness. They're also very nicely balanced across all strings in overall playing feel.
They might feel stiffer compared to rounds of similar gauges, but that doesn't mean they have any more tension (as in pulling weight) than a typical roundwound 45-105 set.
Keeping in mind a big part of Peter Cetera's tone is playing with a pick, you might not want anything too flexible for that.
The only labella set I would be careful about is the Original (fka Jamersons). That's a pretty heavy set for standard tuning. All the rest of the set are in a normal range of tension. As long as you got a turn or two left in your truss rod, none but the heaviest flatwound sets should cause you any trouble.
I would also suggest the FL’s . It’s the only Flatwound I use on a 34” scale bass.
I've been using the 1954 La Bella flats 52-110 on an import P bass for years. Yes I had to make a neck adjustment but it has been fine ever since.
I would think a none import bass like Fender should be fine.
As you can see, I was going for the Jamerson thing.
I wanted to see what James and Duck had to work with
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Not at all. I actually think the FX set has one of the best E strings of any of the sets. Produces a very clear tone pretty much right out of the package. They’ve got more than enough booty and they don’t feel as small under the fingers as the gauges would imply. I like LaBella LTFs but I think the tone from them settles in to a different thing from the 760s. If your after the classic LaBella thing go for the FX. They aren’t floppy by any means either. You can play them with a pick or even in drop tuning if desired. I think you’ll be surprised by how good they sound and feel. I was.
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Have to try these absolutely .. I wonder how much they cost in Europe
Yes, this. It's the Jamerson set that made some people wary of LaBella flats. I had 'em on an old L series Jazz. Didn't bother the neck at all, but seriously stiff as telephone line cables to play. Not to say I didn't dig them sometimes, but for flats on a Precision I generally opt for 760FL .045 - .105.
I have DTF’s on a fretless Jazz Bass and they haven’t been a problem when it comes to altering the bass’s neck. I have found them (after years of playing DR wound strings) to require more effort over the course of a gig night. No complaints about feel or tone.
Just for clarification...
760FL (L for light) = 43-60-82-104.
760FS (S for standard) = 45-65-85-105.
My 62 reissue has the 43-104 flats on it and they sound great
ah, it's the FS i have then. thnx.
Also keep an eye on the headstock, it could bend forward when using a medium set of flats - I’ve had that happen and took them off immediately
