Check to see if the winding at the ball end is barely touching the spring for the intonation adjustment screw.
I've read about the metal to metal contact between the spring and the string being the cause of the high-pitched buzz, aka sitar effect.
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LaBella Low Tension Flats & the sitar effect.
- Thread starter 59jazz
- Start date
Check to see if the winding at the ball end is barely touching the spring for the intonation adjustment screw.
I've read about the metal to metal contact between the spring and the string being the cause of the high-pitched buzz, aka sitar effect.
Not a bad suggestion. But, no, the D string does not appear to touch, nor close enough to touch the adjustment screw when sounded.
The best solution are email to La bella Customer service. They will send you anothers sitar voicing E,A,G string.
Trust me, the sitar effect on La bella flatwound bass string are problem between outer ribbon wrap and inner core once tune in correct pitch. Clearly factory mass production fault .
Have you experienced this buzzing effect with multiple sets of LaBella strings?
I have only purchased 2 sets in my lifetime: one has strung my ‘62 Precision bass for well over 5 years, and the other, just bought a week ago, has an awful buzz on the D and to a lesser extent the G.
incidentally, the newer set, which buzzes, has those D’Addario-like painted different colored ball ends, whereas the older set does not have colored ends. This begs the question: Has there been a change in manufacturing process between the two sets?
No sitar issue on my 3 previous set of LTF4A, but experience with sitar D string on 760FL myself, and 760FS on my friend's jazz bass.
All LTF4A I play has gold ball end, including a un-open set in my drawer. No experience yet on new colour ball end version.
I’ve had 3-4 old sets (760FS, FL, LTF) have the sitar issue. My new 760FL’s have a slight sitar sound on the D. That one arose after having some fret work done - they don’t like to be taken off and on I’ve noticed.
So update:
As a test to prove that the sitar buzzing is in fact due to the new string and not the bass setup, I removed the new D string and put it on a bass which has been using LTF’s with no buzzing currently.
After replacing the old LTF D string with the new LTF D string on another bass, the new LTF D string continued to buzz just as it did on the original bass from frets 1->19.
I’ve been in contact with LaBella to let them know about the faulty string. Whomever was corresponding on behalf of LaBella was maintaining that is a bass setup issue, most likely the nut, as I was going from roundwound D’Addario’s to Low Tension Flats.
But this test proves that is indeed a faulty D string causing the buzz (there’s actually a little buzz from the G string as well, but not nearly as bad as the D), and not the bass or it’s set-up.
Bummer.
As a test to prove that the sitar buzzing is in fact due to the new string and not the bass setup, I removed the new D string and put it on a bass which has been using LTF’s with no buzzing currently.
After replacing the old LTF D string with the new LTF D string on another bass, the new LTF D string continued to buzz just as it did on the original bass from frets 1->19.
I’ve been in contact with LaBella to let them know about the faulty string. Whomever was corresponding on behalf of LaBella was maintaining that is a bass setup issue, most likely the nut, as I was going from roundwound D’Addario’s to Low Tension Flats.
But this test proves that is indeed a faulty D string causing the buzz (there’s actually a little buzz from the G string as well, but not nearly as bad as the D), and not the bass or it’s set-up.
Bummer.
Yes. Bummer. I had problems with Sitar sound on multiple basses with 3 or 4 sets of LTFs. I gave up on LTFs.
Maybe all these defective flats should be returned to La Bella so they can repackage them under the new name, "Ravi Shankar Signature Set".
That’s very strange! I can’t quite imagine a string buzzing on itself, inner to outer windings, whatever. But I guess so. Usually you’d think nut, bridge or frets. The sitar bridge is made to buzz, having a long section that just barely touches the strings.
My LTF set is great, no buzz, lovely woody, rubbery sound. On a Guild Starfire. Plain brass ball ends.
My LTF set is great, no buzz, lovely woody, rubbery sound. On a Guild Starfire. Plain brass ball ends.
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Yup — I have another set of LTF’s on another precision bass, has been there for years, and the strings are and have always been dead quiet. Same plain brass ball ends as yours on your Guild.
With this new set, colored ball ends, the D string buzzes awfully bad. I tried the same string with another bass… same awful buzz. My experience with this, plus the collective experiences of many others on this thread suggest buyer beware when purchasing LaBella LTF’s.
I think it’s largely a result of normal existing fret inconsistencies/fret buzz + the makeup of their flats that make it so obvious and the ringing prolonged enough to make it sitar-y. Mine haven’t been a problem with foam or if I play lightly. It’s mostly when digging in and letting notes sustain that’s it’s most apparent. But yeah something goes awry at some point in the process of manufacturing and/or when stringing/restringing them.
Once la Bella agree send replacement set to you, I suggest you do some experimence on that sitar string.
Take out the string, lay flat on paper, spray some WD40 on entire string , make sure the WD40 get into string gap, hold both end of string then slap it hardly on the floor few times, wipe the string , then restring.
See what will happen.... Maybe problem gone, or fully transform to sitar string from first fret until last fret.
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An older thread I’m glad I found. I was considering some LTFs for my PBass. Now I’m reconsidering.
I’ve had the “sitar effect” on multiple strings through the years, including on upright bass strings. Loose windings aren’t all that rare, but probably occur less frequently now than 20 or 30 (or 50!) years ago.
Every loose winding string I’ve ever had made its noise when played open. I’ve had a couple that did not buzz when fretted up the neck somewhere, which simply indicates the loose winding is closer to the nut than the bridge.
Here’s some irony for you (or maybe not…); I just recently had a sitar sounding string a few weeks ago. I remember it quite well because of how sitar-ish it sounded. It would have been a cool sound if I could have gotten all 4 strings to sound the same
.
The string brand: LaBella. The string type is Silverbacks, metal winding over synthetic core, made for micro basses, Gold Tone MBass in my case.
I would think getting more than one bad string in a set is rare, but maybe not for LaBella LTFs…
I’ve had the “sitar effect” on multiple strings through the years, including on upright bass strings. Loose windings aren’t all that rare, but probably occur less frequently now than 20 or 30 (or 50!) years ago.
Every loose winding string I’ve ever had made its noise when played open. I’ve had a couple that did not buzz when fretted up the neck somewhere, which simply indicates the loose winding is closer to the nut than the bridge.
Here’s some irony for you (or maybe not…); I just recently had a sitar sounding string a few weeks ago. I remember it quite well because of how sitar-ish it sounded. It would have been a cool sound if I could have gotten all 4 strings to sound the same
.The string brand: LaBella. The string type is Silverbacks, metal winding over synthetic core, made for micro basses, Gold Tone MBass in my case.
I would think getting more than one bad string in a set is rare, but maybe not for LaBella LTFs…
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