It's a Custom Shop VL5, super happy with it. I'm down with the optical sensor adjustment and do it with the electronic procedure rather than by ear. It is sounding very nice with the La Bellas. My best guess is the TIJF B string has a slightly loose exterior winding and that was affecting the optical sensor.
Very strange. Never have a I heard a bad thing about TIJF strings, but like anything else, some like them and some don't. Maybe you got a bad string.
For me, I tend to think that each bass that I own has a voice of its own and with that voice needs matching strings that really make it sing. Every bass that I have had gets many different strings tested on it before I feel that it has the right strings. I am not a string brand loyalist.
My fretted SL5 went through several different sets of strings until I settled back on the Dean Markley that it shipped with. To me those strings really work with that bass. With the VL5, I bought it used and it had some fairly pricey LaBellas on it that I tried to love, but couldn't. Didn't like the Dean Markleys on that bass, tried D'Addario chromes, nope. SIT... Nope. On a whim, I threw on some Bronze Phosphor that I had extra for my Michael Kelly Dragonfly and those are now my favorite on the VL5 fretless. Tone is very very bright. If you are liking flats, probably not a good choice for you. But I like them. They have a lot of overtones and when I really dig it, it almost sounds like it is over-driving the preamp and I get this really nice distortion that almost sounds like a light distortion pedal.
Interestingly enough, I didn't like the Bronze Phosphor on the Michael Kelly and it has D'Addario black tapes on it. Wonderfully deep warm thumpy bass with those strings.
The only bass that I have that I haven't found the "Perfect" match strings (for me) is my Dingwall Combustion. I have tried two different Dingwall, Payson, and Kallium strings. They are all awesome. I think I just like new strings on that bass. They all sound good.
