Among these two choices in the poll, but feel free to discuss others, mainly Labella if possible.
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Which LaBella flatwounds for jazz bass
- Thread starter butterfingers1
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- flatwounds jazz bass labella
I like La Bella flatwounds on Precisions, but find they don't gel well with Jazzes. They get in the way of their growl. I'd go for Fender 9050L or TIs. That said, I haven't tried the Olintos.
Maybe they work better with Jazzes than their Deep Talkin' and Low Tension Flats. You could take a look at the EB Slinky Flatwounds. They're pretty popular on here and they have them in stock at L&M in Montreal.
Though, do keep in mind the sizes. The 760FL are light: 43-60-82-104. The Olintos are even heavier than the standard 760FS (45-65-85-105) at 47-68-80-107.
+1
I've tried the 760FL both on my Jazz and my Precision. They sounded decent on the P but only meh on the J. One of my J's now wears the Fender 9050L and I couldn't be happier.
No experience with the Olinto flats.
La bella LTF4A are skinny J neck best friend.
For anyone wanting traditional flats but not wanting La Bella DTF's (beautiful) "color", to me GHS P flats are very neutral.
I think a Jazz bass with old school flats is a thing of beauty. King Curtis, Jerry Jemmott, Memphis Soul Stew.
I believe it depends upon the Jazz bass, especially when considering the neck. But La Bella DTF’s, GHS Precisions, Fender 9050’s, or TI flats if you like accentuated mid range and flexibility for your fingers, would be my suggestions for different reasons.
I believe it depends upon the Jazz bass, especially when considering the neck. But La Bella DTF’s, GHS Precisions, Fender 9050’s, or TI flats if you like accentuated mid range and flexibility for your fingers, would be my suggestions for different reasons.
Between those choices, I would go with the olinto flats. If you want a little bit of midrange bark though, take a look at the Labella gold flats. I swapped from the olinto flats (which were good) to the golds on my p and loved it. They brought back a little bit of the growl I was missing. Have not tried either on the jazz. The only downside to the golds flats is that they feel almost a little sticky for a few minutes when you pick up the bass. And no, it's not the donuts causing the stick...
For me large gauge and high tension aren’t an issue, the LaBella 1954 are wonderful, on precisions anyway.
For a narrower jazz neck maybe thinner strings are better suited. I am more concerned with the tone, specifically for a jazz bass, and the narrow gauge Low Tension Labella’s and Deep Talkin’ 760FX might sacrifice tone. Although some say the LTFs have their own sound, they’re not just watered-down Deep Talkin’s.
Many say a jazz bass sounds better with brighter and more mid-range strings like the TIs, so maybe the Olinto’s would sound better than the Deep Talkin’ 760FLs.
For a narrower jazz neck maybe thinner strings are better suited. I am more concerned with the tone, specifically for a jazz bass, and the narrow gauge Low Tension Labella’s and Deep Talkin’ 760FX might sacrifice tone. Although some say the LTFs have their own sound, they’re not just watered-down Deep Talkin’s.
Many say a jazz bass sounds better with brighter and more mid-range strings like the TIs, so maybe the Olinto’s would sound better than the Deep Talkin’ 760FLs.
I had a Squier CV60s Fretless Jazz stung with D'Addarrio chromes (ECB 81) and I had no problem getting a nice Jaco like growl out of them.
You hit the nail on the head regarding the LTFs. I have two fretless Jazzes. One has the LTFs and the other with TI Jazz flats. They behave exactly as you have described. Especially the LTFs. I get a nice Jaco tone with the TIs.
Don’t discount what pick ups are being used. I use Barts on both, but paired with the LTFs, I have B-Axis and the TIs, I use Bart Originals. Both passive. Neither strings sets feel stiff.
I haven’t used either Olintos or the Deep Talkins. From what was described, I might experiment with the Olintos. They sound like they might be interesting with my Bart Origs.
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What do you mean about the LTFs, Low Tension Flatwounds?
I voted Olinto in this case. I have a set on a BN5 and really like the feel. I also really like the warm tone with just a little more mid than a typical DTF. The tension is less than a typical flat, or at least the strings feel more flexible, although not as floppy as TI or LTF. In this case, the B isn’t as dark as the other flats I’ve tried as well. I’m not sure if that is a concern in this case, but the E is nice too. I’ve tried the rest mentioned above along the way and I like them all for what they are. I keep stock of Dunlop and LaBella DTF— my typical favorites.
I’m using the LTF set on my G&L JB2. The GL pickups are very similar sounding to Fenders Classic 60s pickups,
and the low tension Labellas are a great sonic match. I’ve not had any experience with the 2 Labella sets on the list.
and the low tension Labellas are a great sonic match. I’ve not had any experience with the 2 Labella sets on the list.
Like many said before, if you want to keep some of that Jazz Bass Growl, I'd rather use...
- Chromes
- Fender
- La Bella Black Nylon Tapewounds
- TI
- GHS Brite Flats
- Rotosound Jazz Bass 77
- Chromes
- Fender
- La Bella Black Nylon Tapewounds
- TI
- GHS Brite Flats
- Rotosound Jazz Bass 77
Labella makes all their tapes in 2 gauges. The lighter gauge is all I’ve used (50-105, IIRC).
They are pretty flexible and low-medium tension. I’ve used the classic black, white, and Copper White sets.
I really love the copper ones,which have a unique combination flatwound thump and twangy roundwound top note.
