Can someone please confirm the color of the silk winding at the bridge and nut for these strings? I think they're what I have on my Club Bass but I'm not positive...could be Pyramids. Mine have forest green winding at both the bridge and nut.
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LaBella Hofner Beatle Flats
- Thread starter sumeursault
- Start date
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
La Bella has two flats.
Light Blue for the new version
Black for the original
No silk at the ball ends...
Light Blue for the new version
Black for the original
No silk at the ball ends...
I hear the LaBellas have a better E string. Could be totally bogus info, but that's what I've heard. Figure they're worth a try anyway.
Pyramids are a great string. I have what I THINK are Pyramids on my 1963 P, and they have been on it for 40 years....still sound great.
And they are NOT cheap. If you have them, keep them indefinitely and enjoy them.
And they are NOT cheap. If you have them, keep them indefinitely and enjoy them.
my sense is that the Pyramids have a fairly long "break-in" period. In my case, it's probably a combination of the strings and the instrument itself, since I bought it new and these were the pre-installed set. But they seem to have really warmed up and have a great feel to them. I'm thinking I'll just keep them on, for now at least.
I have the LaBellas on my Hofner and they are great. However, there are some odd harmonics on the E string that I can't account for. Not certain it's the string or something in the body but I didn't hear it with the rounds the bass came with. Minor issue, for sure, but something that bugs me a bit. Anyone run into this?
Yes indeed. Common with all of these, and especially with the flats. You can mitigate it with a combination of things:
1. Make sure that the strings are really breaking (for lack of a better way of putting it) over the zero fret and the bridge by carefully pressing down with your thumb right in front of the zero fret and bridge saddle for each string. I always do this before I play my Hofner and it seems to make a difference.
2. Place a piece of foam BEHIND the bridge, between the bridge and the tailpiece. Sometimes the strings can vibrate sympathetically in this area and cause unwanted harmonics. I also put some foam in front of the bridge because I like that muted sound. However, I've cut it diagonally so that it's quite thin at the E string (hofners are already muted at the E string IME) and then thicker as it moves towards the G string.
3. Give the strings time to break in. They will lose much of their top-end over the course of a few months of playing, and those harmonics are mostly in the upper frequencies IME.
4. Roll off everything above 2khz on your amp. You don't need those frequencies for a Hofner with flats.
1. Make sure that the strings are really breaking (for lack of a better way of putting it) over the zero fret and the bridge by carefully pressing down with your thumb right in front of the zero fret and bridge saddle for each string. I always do this before I play my Hofner and it seems to make a difference.
2. Place a piece of foam BEHIND the bridge, between the bridge and the tailpiece. Sometimes the strings can vibrate sympathetically in this area and cause unwanted harmonics. I also put some foam in front of the bridge because I like that muted sound. However, I've cut it diagonally so that it's quite thin at the E string (hofners are already muted at the E string IME) and then thicker as it moves towards the G string.
3. Give the strings time to break in. They will lose much of their top-end over the course of a few months of playing, and those harmonics are mostly in the upper frequencies IME.
4. Roll off everything above 2khz on your amp. You don't need those frequencies for a Hofner with flats.
Good tips. Thanks! They've been on there for a few months now so I'll try the foam behind the bridge and see what that does -- makes a lot of sense! I often switch between the Hofner and my ESP or Gretsch, depending on the tune, so that would be easier than making an EQ change.
My LaBella Beatle Flats E string is almost silent. It was fine for about six months. I don't use my clone Hofner bass much. Our acoustic trio hasn't been gigging so I haven't worried about it.
My bad! Got my Hofner clone out last night to check it out for a gig tonight, and the E string is just fine! The problem is my old amp combo I used for my last acoustic gig months and months ago. The Beatle Flats sound great. Sorry for any damage done!
I have the LaBella Beatle flats on my Hofner basses, except for my Tom Petersson signature Club bass, that came with Pyramids, I kept them on and they are great too.
If you like them my Rogue VB 100 with Hofner flats and factory hard case is in the classifieds...no problems, just find that I'm not playing it. That's a danger with a dozen basses.
It has the light gauge Labellas and the silks are black. They made a HUGE difference in sound. The factory strings were tinny and nasty sounding - literally the worst strings I've ever heard. The Labellas made an incredible difference and made the Rogue sound great.
It has the light gauge Labellas and the silks are black. They made a HUGE difference in sound. The factory strings were tinny and nasty sounding - literally the worst strings I've ever heard. The Labellas made an incredible difference and made the Rogue sound great.
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