/ Register

Review: LaBella "Original 1954" Tapewound strings

Discussion in 'Strings [BG]' started by Eric Garland, Dec 30, 2014.

Page 1 of 2
  1. Dec 30, 2014 #1
    Eric Garland

    Eric Garland

    Jul 29, 2005
    St Louis
    Howdy TalkBassers,

    After six years of service, my trusty Thomastik flats finally earned the right to go to Florida and golf. I tried out LaBella's Original 1954 flats, which help you nail that Carol Kaye tone while simultaneously helping you develop much stronger hands.

    Video review featuring the Barney Miller theme:

     
    Toni-Louise Dillon and Klonk like this.
  2. Dec 30, 2014 #2
    Pier_

    Pier_

    Dec 22, 2013
    Roma, Italia
    They are not "tapewound".... Tapes are another tipe of strings...
     
  3. Dec 30, 2014 #3
    Eric Garland

    Eric Garland

    Jul 29, 2005
    St Louis
    Aaargh - you're right.
     
  4. Dec 30, 2014 #4
    Gorn

    Gorn Supporting Member

    Dec 15, 2011
    Queens, NY
    Regular labellas have less tension than these. You don't have to skip all the way down to the new flexible versions. Otherwise a good demo.

    The universe shaking around you every time your torso moves is a little distracting.
     
  5. Dec 30, 2014 #5
    Eric Garland

    Eric Garland

    Jul 29, 2005
    St Louis
    That's how epic my funk is...I shake the bedrock!

    ...and need to isolate the camera a bit.
     
  6. Dec 30, 2014 #6
    iiipopes

    iiipopes Supporting Member

    May 4, 2009
    Before the advent of nylon wrapped strings, "tape" was a generic term to distinguish the flat wrap wire from conventional round wire, and some manufacturers may still refer to it as such.
     
    Eric Garland likes this.
  7. Dec 30, 2014 #7
    Eric Garland

    Eric Garland

    Jul 29, 2005
    St Louis
    Thank you! I was wondering if senility had progressed. I'm going to split the difference: yes, tapewound can be synonymous, though I think flatwounds typically refer to steel, and tapewounds can refer to nylon and other materials. But we're really splitting hairs.

    Anyhow, these are "Not Slap Strings."
     
  8. Dec 31, 2014 #8
    JimmyM

    JimmyM Supporting Member

    Apr 11, 2005
    Apopka, FL
    Endorsing: Yamaha, Ampeg, Line 6, EMG
    Slap 'em anyway. Slapping on flats rules. Don't believe me? Two words: "Brick House."
     
    TimB 619, fretlessguy, SasquatchDude and 2 others like this.
  9. Dec 31, 2014 #9
    Eric Garland

    Eric Garland

    Jul 29, 2005
    St Louis
    "Brick House" is the correct answer to everything.

    Don't like Obamacare? "Ain't enough 'Brick House.'"

    Can't divide by zero? "Divide by 'Brick House.'"
     
    mrperkolator, SasquatchDude, Levin and 1 other person like this.
  10. Dec 31, 2014 #10
    nerkoids

    nerkoids

    Jan 3, 2014
    Montreal
    Larry Graham invented slapping on flats.
     
    Ladybirdprecision and iiipopes like this.
  11. Dec 31, 2014 #11
    iiipopes

    iiipopes Supporting Member

    May 4, 2009
    Sure they are! Crank the treble and let them fly.
     
  12. Dec 31, 2014 #12
    nerkoids

    nerkoids

    Jan 3, 2014
    Montreal
    Brick House = 42?
     
    SasquatchDude and Eric Garland like this.
  13. Dec 31, 2014 #13
    Eric Garland

    Eric Garland

    Jul 29, 2005
    St Louis
    My life is now complete. It's like you handed me a brand new book of the Bible or something.
     
    fretlessguy likes this.
  14. Dec 31, 2014 #14
    Eric Garland

    Eric Garland

    Jul 29, 2005
    St Louis
    I hereby rescind my comment on flatwounds not being for slap.

     
  15. Jan 1, 2015 #15
    iiipopes

    iiipopes Supporting Member

    May 4, 2009
    Hey! My band does a couple of funk songs and James Brown's "Living In America" with full horns, and I slap La Bella black tapes for that. I crank my EMG EXB with the bridge pickup dimed and just enough mid pickup to fill out the body of tone, and it does great.
     
  16. Jan 1, 2015 #16
    Gorn

    Gorn Supporting Member

    Dec 15, 2011
    Queens, NY
    Slapping on flats sounds great but not so much on these. You need some flexibility. That's not really a trait of 52-110 flats.

    It can even sound great on a fretless, but not with labella bridge cables.
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2015
  17. Jan 1, 2015 #17
    Eric Garland

    Eric Garland

    Jul 29, 2005
    St Louis
    OK, Gorn's got my original intent here - that strings the size and consistency of pool cues are difficult if attempting to pull off Mark King riffs.
     
  18. Jan 3, 2015 #18
    fretlessguy

    fretlessguy

    May 17, 2008
    Hopefield, AR.
    Great video review. Great taste in your choice of basses. But, I will keep my TI Jazz Flats on my Sting P until they finally break or corrode, LOL. Mine have been on since '07 and are still going strong. :)
     
  19. Jan 3, 2015 #19
    fourstringdrums

    fourstringdrums Decidedly Indecisive Supporting Member

    Oct 20, 2002
    Massachusetts
    Except Brick House wasn't slapped.

     
  20. Jan 3, 2015 #20
    JimmyM

    JimmyM Supporting Member

    Apr 11, 2005
    Apopka, FL
    Endorsing: Yamaha, Ampeg, Line 6, EMG
    Damn...all this time I thought it was. Well he sure plays it hard, then.
     
    fourstringdrums likes this.
Page 1 of 2