Compared with La Bella Deep Talkin', how much old-time "thump" do the LTF strings deliver, and how do they differ from Deep Talkin' for palm-muted playing with a pick?
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LaBella LTF-4A Low Tension Flat love thread
- Thread starter Mike Vee
- Start date
Compared with La Bella Deep Talkin', how much old-time "thump" do the LTF strings deliver, and how do they differ from Deep Talkin' for palm-muted playing with a pick?
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
I had them on two basses of mine too .. the JB neck was not so easy to adjust and one A string broke when a luthier was installing the strings on my Elrick Evo ..
I moved then the JB set on the P bass to test it; the neck was reacting better .. I like low and fast action ..
Not quite a bit tighter .. I’d say tighter in a tangible way .. but this is the LTF fans club so ok .. I’d rather write this on a flatwound strings fans club .. less specific
The silk color is amazing IMO, love it. It's a deep purple, not bright, almost maroon. Matches tort nicely.
The FX set feels stiffer for sure, and IMO they are less balanced. My American performer p-bass didn't like them, or the setup wasn't good, either way the LTF feels way better. The LTF don't really feel that flexible until you fret them, then its like that tiny part of the string is like a noodle, but yet to the plucking finger doesn't feel that rubbery in any bad way. They are just amazing. It seems I am able to articulate much better with them on, slides are easier, so is pinky fretting. They ARE AMAZING.
Those labella low tension flats are super cool. La bella tone but easy on the old thin necks i often involve myself with. I'm still loyal to my thomastiks but if i ever broke a string and couldn't find a set, i'd pick up a pack of these any day.
And thank goodness for that!
Love my La Bellas, the TIs, not so much.Edited to add, I'm going to try a set of nickel Chicago-style La Bellas on my fretless Jazz whenever it arrives.
Me too - I tend to favor lower action, which slowly rises during times when I’m gigging often. These low tension flats do very well with p-basses, for sure!
Dunno … more apparent highs, and the lows seem more open and less compressed. TIs are more mid-forward, it’s all just a matter of perception, and not measurement.
This is the bass that likes the Labella LTFs
It sports dual independent preamps one for each half of the pickup, so the LTFs can really bloom.
It sports dual independent preamps one for each half of the pickup, so the LTFs can really bloom.
I can touch on this…
I am trying the FX set for the first time right now, and am really familiar with the LTFs.
My FX set is brand new, so it remains to be seen how they will age.
Generally, the E and A strings are a little more focused in the FX set, with a similar low mid grunt to the LTFs (that’s sort of the La Bella “sound” IMO). The LTFs have a little more rounded low end with a little faster decay. This difference might change as the FX set ages, but that’s my initial impression.
I can touch on this…
I am trying the FX set for the first time right now, and am really familiar with the LTFs.
My FX set is brand new, so it remains to be seen how they will age.
Generally, the E and A strings are a little more focused in the FX set, with a similar low mid grunt to the LTFs (that’s sort of the La Bella “sound” IMO). The LTFs have a little more rounded low end with a little faster decay. This difference might change as the FX set ages, but that’s my initial impression.
@HaphAsSard
This. I've A/B'd them back to back recently and while I really like the LTF set I'm developing a pretty strong preference for the FX set. I've had the FX set for about three weeks now and they are firmly planted in the DTF 760 sound. The best thing about them is they are much clearer out of the package than other sets in the DTF lineup and they punch well above their weight class(string gauges). More tension than LTFs but flexibility is comparable. As long as the FX set doesn't do something weird in the next couple of months I can safely say they are my fav set of LaBellas. They sound so good already that I'm hoping they don't change too much and just go dead and dull.
So, tone-wise, compared to the LTF, they have a little more sustain and tighter, punchier lows? And a touch more going on in the highs department?
Much appreciated and yeah, keep us posted re: how they age.
If you're curious about the tone of these strings on a fender bass, one of the groups i'm in just put out an ep a couple weeks ago and i used an old b neck maple board precision thing with a dimarzio model p strung up with labella low tension flats on this track: . The tone is very "labella" if that makes sense. The song is kind of independent-raw-psychedelic-funky if you want to be forewarned of the style. The rest of the songs (found on spotify etc) with electric bass were with thomastik flatwound strings, but on a rickenbacker. One track was roundwounds.
edit: the strings are about 6 mos old
edit: the strings are about 6 mos old
