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Post subject: My new 2010 MIA 'P' and La Bella Flats
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 12:14 pm
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Hi again everyone,

I've had my new 'P' for a few weeks now and I just love it!

I posted a while back about flats (I want to play 50's/60's/country, etc.)

I've either gone mad/developed over-night OCD or something, but I've gone and bought 4 different sets of La Bella flats.........I've got the 760's in FL, FS & FM and the 760 M 1954 Original set.

Current rounds are the standard MIA issue and set-up is as from the factory.

I'm sorely tempted to go the whole-hogg and get the 1954's on, but don't have any idea at all just how different any of these sets are going to sound (and feel) from the factory strings.

More importantly, I have no idea whether using any of these La Bellas will mean I'll have to get the truss rods adjusted OR whether the FM's or the 1954's might damage the neck OR whether I should string thru-body (not with the 54's I understand, but the others?) or over the bridge.

Many thanks everyone.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 3:18 pm
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I guess you'll know whether you have to adjust the rod or not as soon as you switch strings. Let them sit overnight...of course. Flats don't pull on the neck quite as much. The gauge of the string applies to this as well.

I'd run them through the body..as is the '51 Precision.


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 4:26 pm
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I've used the LaBella flats in the past, kinda liked the tone but they just felt too stiff for me. Not sure about how the neck will react, I think you will be fine with the normal gauge ones, but a few people have said the Jamerson ones might be a bit dicey as they put a lot of tension on the neck. Right now on my MIM P-Bass(Wine Red) I have the D'Addario Chromes and really like them. I've used them before on my Rickenbacker too and did a comparison with the LaBella's. To me, the Chromes felt much more smooth, comfortable and not as stiff, and they sound really nice to me, so these are kinda what I really prefer now with flats. The only thing I wish is that the G string was a bit heavier gauge, as sometimes on Precisions you hit a note on that string and it just dissapears. I just picked up a used USA made 62' Reissue and I think the person who owned it put LaBella's on it, so I will probably change those out.


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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 9:56 pm
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You will have to get the nut slots enlarged for higher guage strings or they will crack the nut.


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Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 4:29 am
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i would stay away from the jamerson's if i were you... esp from reading what happened to brotherdave's basses... the 760FL would still sound close but not that stiff..

also there are 2 of my personal favorite strings... the D'addario Chromes which i would love due to their high end.. and the ever thumpy GHS Precision flatwounds.

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Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 6:28 am
D'Addario Chrome Flats, very good.


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Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 4:02 am
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Location: Ontario
I have .o45 to ..100 on my precision, if i want to switch to flats should i just use fender .045 to .100 flats in other words the same gauge

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Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 7:22 pm
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john11.2526@gmail.com wrote:
You will have to get the nut slots enlarged for higher guage strings or they will crack the nut.


+1!
And you'll need a real tech with the proper files for that if you want it done right. I would NOT do that myself as I don't have the right tools.


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Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:33 pm
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REDLAWMAN wrote:
Hi again everyone,

I've had my new 'P' for a few weeks now and I just love it!

I posted a while back about flats (I want to play 50's/60's/country, etc.)

I've either gone mad/developed over-night OCD or something, but I've gone and bought 4 different sets of La Bella flats.........I've got the 760's in FL, FS & FM and the 760 M 1954 Original set.

Current rounds are the standard MIA issue and set-up is as from the factory.

I'm sorely tempted to go the whole-hogg and get the 1954's on, but don't have any idea at all just how different any of these sets are going to sound (and feel) from the factory strings.

More importantly, I have no idea whether using any of these La Bellas will mean I'll have to get the truss rods adjusted OR whether the FM's or the 1954's might damage the neck OR whether I should string thru-body (not with the 54's I understand, but the others?) or over the bridge.

Many thanks everyone.


Just about anytime you change string sets you need to do a setup for intonation and neck tension. If you are not changing sets, but only putting on a fresh set of the same strings-one at a time-you can often get away with no adjustments at all or only very minor ones.

The 1954 Original Oldie set otherwise known as the Labella 760M set is the highest tension string on the planet and notorious neck wreckers. For example, the neck on James Jamerson's Funk Machine was so bowed it is said nobody but him could play it as he had remarkable finger strength. Yet they were the string he used exclusively so far as I know. Donald "Duck" Dunn still uses them after experimenting with rounds briefly. Carol Kaye used them in the 60's & 70's and has switched to TI JF344 JazzFlats. Therefore the bass on the vast majority of Top-40 hits in the 60's and into the early 70's came from Labella 760M's on a P-Bass. I used them from 68 until about 73.

BUT....remember that your new USA has the graphite reinforced neck, therefore the added tension of the 760M's will not pose nearly the risk as they do on a non-reinforced neck.

Labella puts "NOT FOR BODY THROUGH STRINGING" stickers on the 760M sets. They do not do that on any other flatwound package so far as I know.
So the others are safe for body through stringing according to Labella. However after my experience breaking 760M's on my Telecaster when body through strung (the only option) I have used top loading for all flats ever since. Haven't broken a flat since I've been top loading.

I currently use three different flat sets. Thomastik-Infeld JF344, GHS Precision Flatwound 3050 Regular and GHS Precision Flatwound 3025 Light.

The TI Jazz Flats are exactly the opposite of the Labella 760M's. They are ultra-low tension. The tension is remarkably low, so much so that some people say they are too floppy for finger style play. Pick players love them. They sound pretty bright when new and last literally years with tonal changes so slight you don't ever notice them going dead, but after about 2 years if you put a new set on you will immediately notice the difference. Some other flats seem to be fine one day and dead the next. The bass the Jazz Flats are on is an active and I don't use it much. A big drawback to them is the price. List is $120 now and the street price is about half that. I have several new sets of these and when I run out I won't buy anymore. While they are no doubt a unique sounding top quality string, that just isn't in my budget for strings. They are made is Austria so the lousy US Dollar exchange rate is the main reason they are so expensive. They were always the most expensive string out there but the price on them has gone from "expensive but worth it" status to "you must be kidding" status.

The GHS Precision Flatwounds are about the smoothest string I've ever used. They are highly polished along the 34 inch scale but sometimes you can feel rough spots above the nut. This is normal as they are not as thoroughly polished there. The GHS 3025 Lights sound brighter, more modern and have more sustain when new and last a very long time. The GHS 3050 Regulars are more thumpy and sound similar to the Labella 760M's but cost about half as much and have lower tension. They are very fat strings and you will possibly need some nut filing. Some people don't like the GHS Precision Flats, but I do. I prefer them over about any other flat because they last so long, are very reasonable and sound great. I will continue to buy them.

The 760M's were the only Labella Flat set I ever used. I love the sound of them.


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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 9:59 pm
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i currently have the medium set on my jazz bass.. they sounded darker than the previous strings i had them on.. but they're great..

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