That sounds almost too good to be true. My DTF reference point is the 760FL -- would you consider that set to be in the thinner or thicker camp?
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LaBella LTF-4A Low Tension Flat love thread
- Thread starter Mike Vee
- Start date
That sounds almost too good to be true. My DTF reference point is the 760FL -- would you consider that set to be in the thinner or thicker camp?
I can’t give an informed opinion since I only tried two different DTF sets for a very short time. I can’t stand the high tension strings.
But, it gave me a knowledge of the LaBella thump and sound everyone talks about. I would never say the LTFs sound thin in any way. But, my ears are mine and everyone hears things differently.
-My first set of La Bella's was Jamerson's on a short scale. Learned a good lesson. Way too thumpy for me.
-Next were FS on that same short scale, and they're still on after two or three years. I would probably switch now to something more flexible, but I haven't been playing that bass much.
-Had FL on a short scale. Changed it to LTFs which are still on there.
Over time I migrated toward more modern tones, so FLs are a little thicker than I want. Just my preference.
I think the higher notes in the first minute sound like a Ric (and of course I mean that as the highest praise). Later in the song I hear the La Bella on P tone.
I'm not a P bass guy but I do own one and am about to restring it, and I searched for your post above as I remembered how nice it sounded.
Found it on Spotify too. Thanks!
I rather enjoyed that bass playing. FWIW.... yall could sell that music sans singer too. I'm not making fun of the singer, I just enjoyed the rest of the mix that much.
Info: I recently emailed La Bella about break angle, and got an answer I wasn't expecting. I think he misunderstood me. But La Bella said their LTF can handle a 90 deg break angle at the bridge if "massaged" at the bend. So for those that use tru-body.... go for it.
I received the same info from LaBella. I'm curious how they want me to massage the string and whether I need to put on new age music or nature sounds while I massage the string.
I just went from FLs to LTFs a few weeks back on my P. So far so good.
I am absolutely loving these LTF's on My Ric 4003. They are just so nice!
You will love the LTF set then. They are less stiff than even the lowest gauge Chromes.
I agree that the LTFs are much less stiff and generally more pleasant on the fingers, and they have replaced Chromes and Fender flats as my go-to flatwounds primarily for that reason. However, the LTFs don't sound very much like Chromes to my ear, so someone looking for a flat that sounds similar to Chromes (particularly in terms of Chromes' brightness in comparison to a lot of other flats) might not necessarily find LTFs to be a direct replacement.
I tried the LTF-4A yesterday. My favourite strings have always been the 760FL, but I bought a new bass and thought I’d experiment a bit.
TIs were too mid-forward for my taste. Maybe they sound great in a mix, but I’ve been playing at home way more than with the band since the pandemic hit.
DR Sunbeams - I tried the 105-45 set. I liked the tone, feel, etc., but not the gauge. I had tried the 100-40 before, but I couldn’t get passed the rolling-under-your-fingers feeling. Maybe I’ll try the 100-40 set again someday.
I loved the La Bella 750T (white nylon tapes), but they turned my bass into a bee nest. I wasn’t willing to modify a new (and expensive) bass for the sake of strings.
Decided to give the LTF-4A a try. My first reaction was… negative. Way, way more thump than I recall La Bella flats to have and much stiffer than I was expecting given the name. But after playing for a few hours, it all came back to me. I love La Bella flats and while I wish they were a tad more flexible, they’re even better to play than the 760FL.
But… I.
. Hate. Silk. … at least they only have silk on the one end.
PSA: For those of you interested in trying or need the LTF-4A, or any La Bella flats, really, better grab a set while you can! I heard from two retailers La Bella is having a hard time finding stainless steel right now. One said they won't be getting a shipment before June at the earliest.
TIs were too mid-forward for my taste. Maybe they sound great in a mix, but I’ve been playing at home way more than with the band since the pandemic hit.
DR Sunbeams - I tried the 105-45 set. I liked the tone, feel, etc., but not the gauge. I had tried the 100-40 before, but I couldn’t get passed the rolling-under-your-fingers feeling. Maybe I’ll try the 100-40 set again someday.
I loved the La Bella 750T (white nylon tapes), but they turned my bass into a bee nest. I wasn’t willing to modify a new (and expensive) bass for the sake of strings.
Decided to give the LTF-4A a try. My first reaction was… negative. Way, way more thump than I recall La Bella flats to have and much stiffer than I was expecting given the name. But after playing for a few hours, it all came back to me. I love La Bella flats and while I wish they were a tad more flexible, they’re even better to play than the 760FL.
But… I.
. Hate. Silk. … at least they only have silk on the one end. PSA: For those of you interested in trying or need the LTF-4A, or any La Bella flats, really, better grab a set while you can! I heard from two retailers La Bella is having a hard time finding stainless steel right now. One said they won't be getting a shipment before June at the earliest.
I tried the LTF-4A yesterday. My favourite strings have always been the 760FL, but I bought a new bass and thought I’d experiment a bit.
TIs were too mid-forward for my taste. Maybe they sound great in a mix, but I’ve been playing at home way more than with the band since the pandemic hit.
DR Sunbeams - I tried the 105-45 set. I liked the tone, feel, etc., but not the gauge. I had tried the 100-40 before, but I couldn’t get passed the rolling-under-your-fingers feeling. Maybe I’ll try the 100-40 set again someday.
I loved the La Bella 750T (white nylon tapes), but they turned my bass into a bee nest. I wasn’t willing to modify a new (and expensive) bass for the sake of strings.
Decided to give the LTF-4A a try. My first reaction was… negative. Way, way more thump than I recall La Bella flats to have and much stiffer than I was expecting given the name. But after playing for a few hours, it all came back to me. I love La Bella flats and while I wish they were a tad more flexible, they’re even better to play than the 760FL.
But… I.
PSA: For those of you interested in trying or need the LTF-4A, or any La Bella flats, really, better grab a set while you can! I heard from two retailers La Bella is having a hard time finding stainless steel right now. One said they won't be getting a shipment before June at the earliest.
Weird. My LTF are much more flexible than 760FL's.
The 760FL are probably stiffer than I remember and all the strings I’ve tried in the past two months probably make the LTF seem stiffer than they really are compared to other strings.
Well yeah, the low tension flats are low tension compared to other flats. Not near as pliable as say small gauge tapewounds or rounds.
LTFs are more flexible than other La Bella flats, but were the stiffest among those I tested recently (just feeling them in my hand), including Chromes and Roto 77s (at the same or almost the same gauge). Much stiffer than TIJFs, so they aren't in the category I had thought they were.
I still like them so much for the tone that they're a "must have", so I'll probably never have a single favorite string.
I still like them so much for the tone that they're a "must have", so I'll probably never have a single favorite string.
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When the LTFs were first introduced, they were named "Low Tension Flexible Flats", but the word "flexible" has since been dropped; it's now called simply "Low Tension Flats".
The comparison between the LTFs and the TIJFs is always interesting... The LTFs are indeed lower in tension (as in pulling weight) than the TIJFs, but the TIJFs are the more flexible of the two.
So it’s not just me… hmm.
Interesting. I wonder why. Do you know if they the same strings? Or did they change?
The only change they made to the LTFs since they were introduced is the gauge for the A went from .070 to .075. According to La Bella, this was done after too many people complained about the .070 rattling and buzzing in the standard nut slot that was too wide for it.
No change otherwise (that I'm aware of) going from "Low Tension Flexible Flats" to "Low Tension Flats".
I’ve found the LTF set to be pretty flexible feeling, except when compared to a set of the Labella white tapewounds. They win in that category. I was thinking of putting a set of the tapes on a Yamaha bass I have coming, but it has single coil pickups, so that may not work.
