• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

TI’s vs LaBella

:)

Seriously though, the TIs sound like they will disappear in a mix.
“What did you just say?”

IMG_7533 Copy.jpeg


🤣
 
I have one bass with TIJF. They are 10+ years old moved over from a bass I got here. They are not that floppy and I use 105's in other brands. I think I am just not particular and also pluck nearer to the bridge. La Bellas are equally as good.

As to the OP, I set up my lightest strings 95-40 Cobalts with a higher action and I loved the enveloper/bloom and more percussive attack. Try that on your TI's
 
  • Like
Reactions: Selim and DJ Bebop
Does someone knows if the Labella’s 760 FL are stiffer than the TI JF 344 (.043-.100) flats but less tension than the Fender flats 9050 stainless steel ?

I’m looking for the closest/perfect in between strings with a higher tension than the TI and less tension than the Fender flats actually.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DJ Bebop
Does someone knows if the Labella’s 760 FL are stiffer than the TI JF 344 (.043-.100) flats but less tension than the Fender flats 9050 stainless steel ?

I’m looking for the closest/perfect in between strings with a higher tension than the TI and less tension than the Fender flats actually.
I’ve used all 3 and, to me, the 760FL were less stiff than the Fenders.
 
So I’ve had TI’s in my P for a while. I love the sound and feel but try as I might, I am not a light touch guy, and the TI’s tension seems a little light. Thinking I might try the LaBellas that Sean Hurley uses. An odd gauge like 43-104 or something. Or do I go 45-105 like my roundwounds are on my other basses?

Thoughts? I’d like to “rock out” my P a little more than I do. Right now it’s for like acoustic sets.
Love 760FLs.
 
After gigging the Labella’s a few times I have to say I like them a lot. I put the TI’s on my cheap jazz bass and that sounds pretty sweet. Hate to just throw away a set of TI’s. I do still like that sound on my P for a couple projects I play with so maybe a 2nd, inexpensive P with TI’s could be justified - and a back up of course. :cool:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Moving Pictures
I've played many different strings over the years. Recently had the TIs on my P-bass for several years. Tried those along with several others on my new Jazz bass until I landed on LaBella 760FLs, which instantly sounded right at home and felt terrific--especially the balance between the strings. I've also been ramping up pick play on the Jazz bass and found picking wasn't as clean or easy on the P-bass with TIs. Maybe it was something to do with the less balanced and thinner string gauges? Like many, the thin A string bugged me. And I noticed fretting the G string with 760FLs was much cleaner and more accurate than the TIs. So after committing sacrilege by putting 760FLs on the P-bass, I'm now much happier with the overall sound and feel. Strings are one of the most personal choices one makes with bass gear so despite the gazillion opinions on TB, you really need to try a bunch and find out which sound and feel right to you. For the thousands of bucks we spend on gear, spending a few hundred on a range of strings and giving them a whirl yourself with your gear and music is one of the wisest pieces of advice I can give. Just do it. You won't be sorry! And you'll probably end up wasting less time in the TB strings section and playing more.
 
I prefer larger gauge strings, more heft under the fingers, feels like I’m playing strings rather than the wood of the fretboard. I prefer the Labella 760FS over the 760FL. I also enjoy the 760M 1954 Vintage strings, no problem bending them (enough for effect). They’re not dark at all, they have a clear well-behaved piano ring on top. The Olinto strings sacrifice a bit of smooth “bassy-ness” for sharp snappy attack and more clarity and articulation. They’re a large gauge but low tension.

Roundwounds sound really nice on their own, especially played slowly or playing chords, but I find them noisy and muddled otherwise, and not crazy about the rough feel, light tension, and fast-changing and degrading tone with use over a few dozen hours of play. I like the DR Pure Blues, singing mids and warm highs.

I’ve been curious about the TI Jazz Flats for a long time. If they have the rich mids and complex harmonics of roundwounds with the punch and durability of flatwounds they would work for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheArchitect