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I think it probably had more to do with string construction stigma. They were labeled hard rockin' steels, and their nickel strings were "Slappers".
Many novice and uneducated string shoppers probably saw the name and passed because they played a different style of music.
Changing the sames to a more encompassing name like RX made the choice more clear as now music genre dogma is gone and players can just choose nickel or stainless.
Any responses about I have heard from R.Cocco is that they are they same just rebranded. Material suppliers have probably changed, but I doubt their construction formula has.
Many novice and uneducated string shoppers probably saw the name and passed because they played a different style of music.
Changing the sames to a more encompassing name like RX made the choice more clear as now music genre dogma is gone and players can just choose nickel or stainless.
Any responses about I have heard from R.Cocco is that they are they same just rebranded. Material suppliers have probably changed, but I doubt their construction formula has.
I find that hard to believe because the Rx and the horribly-named Stainless Steel (formerly HRS) coexisted. Rx was always listed as lower tension than the SS. Either way, I loved the SS and was really upset when they discontinued them. I've found the SIT Power Steel to be an excellent replacement. And fortunately it's one of their best selling strings, so they're in little danger of getting discontinued.
Remember when this guy was on the back of the package?
I like that Carvin 5er. I'd love to see the Kiesel guys build a few old school Carvin basses just to give us a vintage option.
If they would do a Bunny Brunel 4 in multiscale with a 36" E and a BB5 with 37" B, I'd be down for one of each.
Also an interesting note...back in the day Carvin strings were just repackaged LaBellas.
I wish they would bring back the Hard Rocking q Steel . They were my favorite stainless string .
The thing to remember about La Bella is that by all accounts they are a small, family-run mom and pop operation. This leads to some strange decisions from them. There was no reason to name strings "Hard Rockin'". That's a potential turnoff to anyone who doesn't play rock. It's also makes the company seem a bit crude.
There was no reason to name their nickel plated rounds "Slappers". Most slappers prefer stainless strings!
If you look at La Bella's old packaging, fonts, and old logos, they had a really cool, sophisticated, up market image going on for a long time. They've been slowly throwing it all away with every new product over the last 30 years or so. They know nothing about design and they don't seem to accept that they don't know.
There was no reason to name their nickel plated rounds "Slappers". Most slappers prefer stainless strings!
If you look at La Bella's old packaging, fonts, and old logos, they had a really cool, sophisticated, up market image going on for a long time. They've been slowly throwing it all away with every new product over the last 30 years or so. They know nothing about design and they don't seem to accept that they don't know.
A little late to this thread, but I remember a couple years ago when I found the orange packaged Hard Rockin' Steels w/ black silk ends had long since been discontinued, I called LaBella and asked if they had anything equivalent. They pointed me to the Rx series as the next closest thing to them. When I asked why they quit putting the awesome black silk on the ends, they said it was because it was "too labor intensive". When I asked why they dropped the stainless roundwounds line (which were just repackaged HRS's without the silk), they pretty much said it was due to not enough sales. And so the black silk HRS's, the M-45B, & the M-45 stainless sets are on my ever growing list of products I've stumbled across that were amazing only to shortly after find out they were being or already were discontinued. That being said, I did manage to find an unused old set of the orange package for my 5 string. Unless another maker can put out some steel rounds with the same frequency response, feel, color, & tension, to me these will always be my all time favorite strings. The ball end of the low B is tapered just past the saddle and my Lord Almighty that B rings out crystal clear like you wouldn't believe. But I'm also running a Hipshot 2 piece bridge/tailpiece set with Fishman Fluences & an Alembic style LPF preamp in a Chinese neck through Peavey, so that MAY have something to do with it lol.
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