"Stop the LaBella 760FL tension fears!" thread

[facetsquared]

That’s going to be a BIG difference. If it doesn’t work out, the FL should treat you well.

It is a bit of a roll of the dice, yeah. But I have sets of TIs on a few of my Ps and Js, and I’d like to try something different. The bass I plan to fit with the 760FS set carries 45-105 rounds at the minute, so hopefully not a huge change for that instrument.

 

[FullumMusic]

For me, my absolute easiest-to-play bass is my Olinto P with La Bella Deep Talkin' Flats, which are "notoriously" some of the stiffest strings on the market. I can play with an incredibly light touch, left & right hands.

There's so much more that goes into playability than just string stiffness. Obviously, a good setup is key too. Stiff strings + high action sounds like a miserable combination. Neck shape + your hand preferences are also a big thing.

Another thing i found is, the stiffer the string, the lighter and faster i can play with my right hand. Looser strings will pull with my finger when i just want my finger to sorta slide off the top of the string. It's hard to explain. Sorta like how a stiff sports car suspension is more responsive and you can feel the road surface better, when compared to a mushy comfort suspension that takes more time sloshing back and forth when changing directly.

For example, Capleton's "That Day Will Come." The guitar has some 16th notes before the second half of the phrase. We like to double that up on bass sometimes. It's WAY easier to play on my bass with the DTFs than my other basses. I can do it without trying on the DTFs. On the Rounds or Tapes it's a lot of work to get the correct right-hand touch to get those 16th notes articulate and locked with the guitar, and it's more fatiguing too.

My other basses have Copper-Tapes, Gold-White Tapes, Superpolished Rounds, and Stainless Rounds. (All La Bella.)

 

[MCS4]

Glad it worked out for you. For myself, LaBella LTFs are noticeably easier on my hands than the other flats I actively play (mainly Chromes and Fender Flats).

 

[Mike Vee]

Glad it worked out for you. For myself, LaBella LTFs are noticeably easier on my hands than the other flats I actively play (mainly Chromes and Fender Flats).

Yes, chromes and fender flats both have a very stiff and uninviting feeling in my opinion. Fenders especially. 760 FL is not like that.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

I have the 760FL on my AVRI 63 in Sonic Blue. Lovely combination

 

[darwin-bass]

I play TJ JF on two medium scale instruments. Flexible strings on low-tension instruments. And have no issues with strings feeling floppy. I have another 32" scale with rounds and a 34" scale has rounds. The difference in scale length is more adjustment for my L hand than the change in stiffness is for my R.

I've tried only 2 or maybe 3 types of flats and I prefer the sound of TI's. Fortunately, I'm apparently not attune to string stiffness so my decision can be based on other factors.

 

[74hc]

I have used Chromes, 760FL's and TI Jazz Flats. Honestly, the only ones that feel any different are Chromes, which feel lower tension.

Same here. TI Jazz Flats are really all that low tension, floppy to me. Similar to my Fender Flats which some say are rebranded Chromes. I guess it might be the center shifting (average tension of flats on the market) towards low tension. I just don't notice tension much anymore, but still notice tone differences.

 

[Killing Floor]

Preach on!

I play a lot of TI JF and HiBeams which aren’t exactly bridge cables.

But I found I prefer the LaBella DTF on my fretless basses because I prefer the tension in that context. I like a little more fight on fretless. It’s subjective.

There’s no best string.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I personally love the 760FM's on my P-Bass (0.049 to 0.109). They are just perfect. Such great snap and response. I personally never understood desire for wet spaghetti noodles.

 

[banoonoo]

Second on the FL recommendation. Tried the FS as well, and between the two, despite the minute difference, the FLs are slightly more flexible. I preferred the FL over the FS for sure.

 

[dmk]

Love the Labella 760FL on my AVII Precision. They are also Sean Hurley's pick for flatwound strings.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

The 760FL set is great! I was actually surprised by how much better I like it than the only SLIGHTLY heavier gauge 760FS set. The 760FL set just feels RIGHT. I always have a P-bass with 760FLs installed. It's a classic tone. And they really do get better with age (until a certain point of course...).

But I really can't remember reading THAT many complaints about the 760FL set??? The heavier gauge DTFs and the Jamerson set, sure, those sets ARE rather extreme. But the 760FL set is rather "medium" as far as flats go IMO.

 

[iiipopes]

I keep La Bella 760FL's as the standard strings on one of my basses. They are integral to my own version of a "funk machine."

 

[Altitude]

760s are pretty stiff, no getting around it.

Rather than thinking of that as a good thing or a bad thing, I try to notice how variables like string stiffness affect my note choices and playing approach.

For me, stiff strings make me play more percussively and maybe provoke me to focus on how to create sound patterns out of the same note played multiple times. That actually translates well to R&B and 16th note funk parts where I could be playing a P bass anyway. So 760s work great and in fact I have a set on my P bass right now for that reason.

More flexible strings, on the other hand, seem to make me focus more on being expressive with individual notes. A bend here and there, a snap from playing a note hard and moving the string against the frets, that kind of thing. So I have round core strings on my 6-string now and have even experimented with tapewounds which are really flexible. Those are cool for soloing and more experimental parts.

 

[zombywoof5050]

Second on the FL recommendation. Tried the FS as well, and between the two, despite the minute difference, the FLs are slightly more flexible. I preferred the FL over the FS for sure.

For me, the main difference between the 760FL and 760FS is string-to-string balance in tension. The 760FL have a much better string-to-string balance which makes then feel just right.

I just don't get it when folks talk about DTFs like they're high tension bridge cables, yet fail to mention which gauge set they are referring to. They make five different sets after all (760FX, 760FL, 760FS, 760FM, & 760M).

 

[Geogio]

I never understood it either, and I used to play high tension wires on a double bass that was very difficult to play and I played that same double bass all through High School and got it done. So I put anything on mine but I don't think I've ever purchased a specified "low tension" set. I use LaBella always have on my electric stuff I think the hardest tension LaBella have or at least the ones that feel the hardest are the through bass LaBella they seem a little stiff.

BTW my setup is factory spec, it's just easier that way, plus the string is able to sound and react as physics dictate without hitting anything and killing tone.

 

[andare]

I always thought it was ridiculous how people are afraid of flats.
I switch all day between a short scale bass with 40-100 rounds, a long scale bass with 50-100 Fender flats and a long scale bass with 52-110 Labella Jamersons and the difference is minimal. Not to mention the Jamersons are on the thinnest neck of the 3.
I shed on all 3 and my hands fatigue the same.

People keep mistaking tension for stiffness. It's true that flats and heavy gauge strings have more tension but what we feel more when playing is stiffness. Rounds are bouncy and require more muting, heavy gauge flats barely move so you can just graze them with minimal muting effort.

That's my 2 Euro cents