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New La Bella Golden Alloy Flatwounds
- Thread starter SLaPiNFuNK
- Start date
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- flatwounds golden
[QUOTE="SLaPiNFuNK, post: 19848076, member: 76905"
GHS tapes have been discontinued.[/QUOTE]
Wow, glad I found a set two weeks ago for my L2000!
Might go back and buy another.
GHS tapes have been discontinued.[/QUOTE]
Wow, glad I found a set two weeks ago for my L2000!
Might go back and buy another.
How do the LaBella gold flats compare to D’Addario chromes tonewise?
Quickfix mentioned in a post that the LaBellas sounded like an old set of Chromes, but at a lower volume.
I’m not sure if Quickfix was referring to a set of Chromes he used in the distant past or if the strings are well used and dead sounding when mentioning “old” set.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Quickfix mentioned in a post that the LaBellas sounded like an old set of Chromes, but at a lower volume.
I’m not sure if Quickfix was referring to a set of Chromes he used in the distant past or if the strings are well used and dead sounding when mentioning “old” set.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
I, too, am interested in how they compare to something like Chromes. I like a flat set w/some character.
I bit the bullet and gave them a try. They're much higher tension than I'm used to, so they handled downtuning with ease, and were very balanced across the strings.
Ultimately, I went back to the Ernie Ball flats, partly because I prefer the looser tension. I also found that I couldn't get the G string (tuned down to F) to intonate properly; first one I tried was constantly flat, so I requested a new one from Sweetwater assuming it was a bad string, and then the string from the next set was consistently sharp. I don't know if it's a QC issue or if the strings are just a bad match for my bass, but I don't run into this with the EBs.
Tonewise, though, they were awesome. I normally boost my mids a fair amount, and had to dial them back because of how present they were with these on. I think I might slightly prefer the EBs, but both sets were workable for me.
I didn't keep the La Bella's on long, so I can't say how they'll age. But I wouldn't compare them to Chromes, old or new. The Chromes are a lot snappier new, but they don't have the midrange emphasis of new La Bella golds, and they don't gain it as they get older.
So I'm not totally sold on the gold flats - I have them on my MIJ Fender Duck Dunn Signature - I picked up a set of the "Tigers Blood" Copper White Nylon Tapewounds 4-String Set to try next - but before I put them on, I realized I need to work with the gold flats some more. So I've been playing it along with James Brown, the Meters, Dark Side of the Moon.
I realized the grabbiness is very reduced, if not almost completely gone! I wasn't expecting that, I was kind of resigned to it (which is partly why I was going to switch them out). I'm playing it through my regular CAJ tube compressor, but this time also through my Alembic SF-2 boosting the bass. I've got the direct signal going through as well, so I can dial in some bite with the tone knob but with the fat bottom of the low-pass filter.
Mine are also getting tarnished, but it's interesting to note that it's not necessarily my hands/sweat doing it - it's also happening past the nut where my left hand never touches it! Will try and post a pic later. I remember they gave a suggested cleaning method, but it doesn't bother me enough yet to go through with it.
I realized the grabbiness is very reduced, if not almost completely gone! I wasn't expecting that, I was kind of resigned to it (which is partly why I was going to switch them out). I'm playing it through my regular CAJ tube compressor, but this time also through my Alembic SF-2 boosting the bass. I've got the direct signal going through as well, so I can dial in some bite with the tone knob but with the fat bottom of the low-pass filter.
Mine are also getting tarnished, but it's interesting to note that it's not necessarily my hands/sweat doing it - it's also happening past the nut where my left hand never touches it! Will try and post a pic later. I remember they gave a suggested cleaning method, but it doesn't bother me enough yet to go through with it.
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Finally made a soundclip! I did it to contrast my Alembic F-2B preamp with the Damnation Audio MBD-1 bass distortion (but using it as a preamp - i.e., only for the tone & bass boost). Thought I would post it here because it's the gold flats, played with fingers, tone knob turned down about halfway, thumb anchored on the pickup except for the last section where I moved my thumb to the end of the neck.
I tried to play the same phrase four times - first two are Alembic, second two are Damnation Audio. I recorded them simultaneously so it's just one take, I switched between them in ProTools.
I tried to play the same phrase four times - first two are Alembic, second two are Damnation Audio. I recorded them simultaneously so it's just one take, I switched between them in ProTools.
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Thanks Woody! It's not particularly musical, I just wanted to play different parts of the neck to show different sounds. By the last time where I shifted my plucking hand up to the neck I was tired - I'm out of practice!
Oh man, I love the tone! Some of the early reviews of these strings turned me off, but this recording is changing my mind.
Let me admit I didn't read through the whole thread. That being said, has anyone compared these to Ernie Ball Cobalt flats? They definitely have the flat with the mid punch thing down pat. Are these similar sound-wise?
Two totally different strings. EBs are more flexible, much brighter than the g. alloy flats. The g. alloy flats are brighter than DTFs, but they are still very much the same string, the material used lends one to be brighter than the other. To me, the Cobalts were obviously brighter, less bass and punch, behaving more in roundwound territory w/o finger noise. Cool strings in their own right I suppose.
I got a G&L MJ4 that had them and I really like them on there. Ordered a couple sets and put them on my P bass. After about a week I went back to the LaBellas.
True? I was concerned about that through most of this thread and that notion kept me from buying them in the first place. I hate the way acoustic, phosphor bronze, strings smell and I think you are saying these will be the same way. So, true?
Well, it is true, but you’d have to put your nose up to them in order for it to be a problem, imo. If you play your bass like Hendrix a lot, I guess I could see the issue.
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
Would you say the "aroma" is stronger, similar, or weaker than what is left on your hands after playing phosphor bronze acoustic bass strings?
Also, I know the recommendation is to not string thru the body with these, but I have done it with other flats. Has anyone tried that or are they just that much less flexible than typical La Bella deep talking flats?
Next time I play the strings, I’ll make sure to give my fingers a good, big sniff. Then, I’ll ask a random to smell my fingers to see if they can confirm my rating of the aroma as non-existent, mild, or super-aromatic. Superstar.
I strung them through a 45 degree break angle through-body, and they were fine. A stronger break might be a problem, or it might prove to be a non-issue. Last poll I saw here gave it a 50/50 shot of being an issue.