How do y'all feel about Labella 760FS flatwounds for rock, pop, dance music on a P Bass? Could it work? Is it worth it?
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LaBella Flats for Rock/Pop
- Thread starter GalardiGrooves
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I do like the sound of a P bass with flats in rock when played with a pick. Finger-style? No so much.
I use flats on a P for quite a few mixed bag gigs with very good results. I am not constrained with what I use or need to exactly cover the original bass parts or sounds. The rest of the band really likes and compliments when I am playing flats. even slap. And I dig that Chuck Rainey and Bernard Edwards slap with flats sound.
I will survive by gloria Gaynor, levitating by dua lipa, that sort of thing
Scott Edwards who played bass on I will Survive, posted on TB up until 2019. He passed away in 2022
Not sure what strings he liked to use. The silks are very worn in the pic.
Scott Edwards (Hall & Oates, Donna Summer, Boz Scaggs, T.Rex, Yvonne Elliman) | Know Your Bass Player
From a Rhinestone Cowboy to a Dandy in the Underworld, from Bad Girls to a Rich Girl to I’m A Fool For You Girl… from Sara Smile to Angela to Smokey to Candi, and I’ll throw in Peaches & Herb and Boz to boot… When Michael Henderson spilt from the employment of the former […]
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I use the same bass with flats in two very different rock bands currently. My bandmates often compliment the sound I’m getting. I think a little bit of preamp gain/overdrive helps them get a bit of an edge in place of that roundwound rock grind. Also, I’m using D’Addario Chromes which are probably brighter than the Labella’s (I’ve yet to try any Labellas).
The exact sound of a bass does not limitbit to a specific genre. Most Rock is played on rounds, but there are exceptions, and early Rock was definitely flats.
I play Labella Olintos on a PBass in two different bands, one that is primarily rock / pop, and one that is blues / R&B / rock. If I want some additional brightness, I play an Ibanez GSR 100 EX with Ernie Ball Cobalt flats.
I played the brightest strings I could find and changed them often for years. I started experimenting with flats about 10 years ago and went all in with flats about 4 years ago. I drug out my Jazz bass with rounds at a gig a couple weeks ago and only made it through a couple songs before I went back to a bass with flats.
There’s a feel and a tone combination with flats that has me totally addicted. I have flats on most of my basses now, and the couple I still have strung with rounds aren’t getting much playing time.
Are you asking if the strings are worth the price or ?? If you try flats and end up liking them, they become cheaper than rounds simply because you won’t change strings as often. If I do play rounds, they need to be a little fresh or they are awful for both feel and tone; just dead in all aspects. There’s actually no such thing as dead flats
I have a G&L JB2 strung with D'Addario Chromes and a Fender PJ strung with D'Addario round wounds. We play some disco including I Will Survive. Neither the crowd nor the band seems to notice a difference in tone or punch between the basses. The Fender PJ is inherently a punchier instrument, so I do adjust the G&L so it has some more growl and boost when playing disco songs and stuff.
For sure. And great with a pick as mentioned. Great attack and clarity of note. Heck if you're talking rock, Cliff from AC/DC used flats!
Dance also super cool for sure unless you do a lot of slappy stuff. Would lean a bit more "retro" in that context.
Dance also super cool for sure unless you do a lot of slappy stuff. Would lean a bit more "retro" in that context.
I play everything on flats. Nobody notices or cares.
I've used flats for R&B, soul, rock, punk and sometimes still do. They always sounds great.
Check out Bob Glaub on his P bass with La Bella flats. The big ones.
Using Chromes on a PJ in a punk/indie rock setting. Sounds great and nothing else I've tried quite fits it as good
I’ve played this type of music live with DTF’s and for me the tone was suitable for sure. If I needed more edge I’d put on a MicroTubes pedal.
The feel and tension of the strings may or may not work for you.
The feel and tension of the strings may or may not work for you.
I can see the big, slightly twangy note attack of flatwounds good for some dance music. Personally I'd use brighter strings such as nylon tapewounds or Rotosound 77 which accentuates the attack, and are better quality than La Bella.
I have LaBella 760FS on my pbass (Lull p4). For me, they sound like the 1960/70s and they thump. If that's the sound you are going for, these strings are great. The one caution I would say about the 760FS is that the tension is relatively high on these. If you are used to playing only with low tension strings you may find the FS's too taut and maybe uncomfortable to play. If that's the case, I would try the FLs, which sound similar but are thinner gauge and less tension (they still thump pretty well). The set up I've found best is medium low action so the notes can breathe a bit. YMMV of course, but I really like these strings. One other benefit: no more string changes. I've had the same set on my pbass for 6+ years and they are still going strong.
