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BGRA: LaBella 760FX Stainless Flatwounds Extra Light

Manufacturer LaBella Model 760FX Stainless Flatwounds Extra Light
Reviewer Kurt Kurosawa
Experience 35+ Item owned Less than 1 month
Review Date 2003-04-30 Price paid 40
Gauge.039' - .056' - .077' - .096'
MaterialStainless steel.
Length34' scale.
OtherPumpkin orange silking.
These strings are loud. On my very loud bass, acoustically they sounded twice as loud as a J that was strung up yesterday with RS66. They are crystal clear. This is anything but a "thuddy" flat. The pitch is solid and definite all the way down the E string. They are wonderfully matched across the set in timbre, volume, and feel. They have a wonderfully liquid "sproing," the kind that makes for superior low P grunt. They stick to my fingers as nicely as M45 rounds, which my attack depends on. The G pops nicely, amazingly good for a flatwound. And while they feel securely taut, they are actually very low tension (the relief I put in the neck for a set of Pyramid Gold flats with the light .095" E entirely disappeared when I put these on). Due to the much lower tension, the dead spot on my slim B-profile P neck has practically disappeared. They're flats, but they sound very different from other flats I've played (including Thomastik-Infeld JF344s, which are themselves very different from typical flats). Because the fundamental is so strong and the highs are so good, these sound much less middy than, say the super-warm Pyramid Gold nickel flats. The LaBellas sound deep and spacious, alive and smoothly bright with no harshness. It's a sound all its own. I now have three favorite flatwounds: Pyramid 640/1 with the .095" E for the warmest, fattest authentic old school electric flatwound sound anywhere; TI JF344 for a broader range of capabilities than thuddy strings including a phenomenal jazz sound, and LaBella 760FX, not only for its authority and gorgeous sound, but the player with only one bass can string up this flat and cover more ground with it than any other flat, maybe any other string.
sound (100%)
But VERY different, plan on re-thinking EQ.
feel (100%)
Firm feel with low tension, a great combination!
life (100%)
Unknown but I hear they last a long time. We'll see.
value (100%)
Note: they cost more than TIs. But they're unique.
overall (100%)
So far--I'll let you know in a couple of years.
The BGRA is generously underwritten by David King of Bass Guitar Systems.
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