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LaBella flats - what core?
- Thread starter Oded Ben-Ami
- Start date
Thanks SLaPiNFuNK. I play a fretless with a very hard epoxy treated fingerboard. My favorite strings, the Sunbeams, which sounded so good on previous fretted instruments that I played, give me more high frequencies than I would like and also more finger noise than they produced on other basses.
I have thoughts on moving to flats but I never played any flats before.
I play various kinds of music: classical (solo), world, folk, country and jazz. They all have in common that they're not loud.
I love the low tension on the Sunbeams and would like to have that in whatever flats I end up with.
TI flats? Deep Talkin'? Black Nylon?
I just don't know
~ Oded
I have thoughts on moving to flats but I never played any flats before.
I play various kinds of music: classical (solo), world, folk, country and jazz. They all have in common that they're not loud.
I love the low tension on the Sunbeams and would like to have that in whatever flats I end up with.
TI flats? Deep Talkin'? Black Nylon?
I just don't know
~ Oded
Well, The La Bella's are great flats and will give you less fingernoise than standard round wounds, but the tone of them is very fundamental. They are very thumpy and full sounding but still defined. If you want lower tension, you would need to look at the Extra Light or Light flats.
If you want something a little brighter, look at the Sadowsky Flats or even DR flats.
Thomastik-Infeld flats are also great. They have a very mid-range focused tone (I use them on a 6 string Fretless actually).
Flats are tough since all of them are pretty great for their own reasons. It really depends on the kind of tone you want out of the strings.
You also may want to look at strings that have less fingernoise but other qualities of Round Wounds like Pressure Wounds. I used to only use Pressure Wounds on my fretless instruments (and fretted). The outer windings are pressed into more of an oval shape before being wound on the string. This gives a smoother surface thats smoother to the touch and less finger noise during string shifts. They are also not as bright as standard rounds, literally sound like some highs are rolled off. So those are something else to look at.
Tape Wounds are also very cool on a fretless. They are very tubby sounding and have nice definition.
If you want something a little brighter, look at the Sadowsky Flats or even DR flats.
Thomastik-Infeld flats are also great. They have a very mid-range focused tone (I use them on a 6 string Fretless actually).
Flats are tough since all of them are pretty great for their own reasons. It really depends on the kind of tone you want out of the strings.
You also may want to look at strings that have less fingernoise but other qualities of Round Wounds like Pressure Wounds. I used to only use Pressure Wounds on my fretless instruments (and fretted). The outer windings are pressed into more of an oval shape before being wound on the string. This gives a smoother surface thats smoother to the touch and less finger noise during string shifts. They are also not as bright as standard rounds, literally sound like some highs are rolled off. So those are something else to look at.
Tape Wounds are also very cool on a fretless. They are very tubby sounding and have nice definition.
- Aug 5, 2005
- 7,243
- 92
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: J.C. Basses
ryanfenderbass said:
Ah yes, I remember one other bassist who used strings like that. 34", phoenix feather. That bassist... I don't dare speak his name.
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