La Bella 760 FL flats - stiff?

[lownote]

A friend told me to try La Bella FLs, claiming they're not as stiff to play as the others. Can anyone endorse that, I'm not in a position to experiment?

[Mykesbass]

Yes, the FL are the lower tension.

[bassbiscuits]

Yup - I've got them on my bass. They aren't 'low tension' as such - they are 43-104 gauge off the top of my head.

But they feel perfectly comfortable to play.

There are some specific 'low tension' Labellas available too but i haven't tried those.

[dannybuoy]

I still found them too stiff, but I'm a TI guy.

[acidbass]

Stiffness and tension are probably not the same thing - flats by their nature are less pliable than rounds. Tension-wise, I find 760FLs to be somewhere between Roto Jazz 77s (very tight) and TI Jazz flats (very loose)

[Marty Forrer]

TI Jazz Flats would probably be the softest flats on the market. Had mine on for around 19 years.

[lownote]

The only flats I have experience of are Daddario chromes. Are the LB fls stiffer or less stiff than them, anyone know?

[chrisanthony1211]

I have the FS' on one bass and the FL's on another, I've also used Chromes quite a bit, I personally prefer the FS, that very small increase in gauge makes quite a difference, I would say the FL' are no stiffer or higher tension than chromes, although it's all quite subjective.

[ead]

Chromes feel a bit stiffer to me. I prefer the TIs or for a cheaper set the Fender 9050CLs feel OK. I think the Fender strings are made by D'Addario so not sure why they might be so different to Chromes but to me they feel 'easier' to play.

[bassbiscuits]

[quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1487189548' post='3237965']
Stiffness and tension are probably not the same thing - flats by their nature are less pliable than rounds. Tension-wise, I find 760FLs to be somewhere between Roto Jazz 77s (very tight) and TI Jazz flats (very loose)
[/quote]

This ^

Roto 77s i had were really stiff, even tho the gauge was just 40-100. Really put me off flats.

But then I discovered Labellas and TIs, both of which are different, but both are much easier on the hands.

[Dazed]

FL's are Labellas light gauge 43-104
FS are the standard gauge 45-105
There's also an FX which are their extra light gauge 39-96.
It's all down to personal preference though as we all feel things slightly different.

[Dazed]

Has anyone tried the FGS version?
From LaBella's site:
[i]Our proprietary golden alloy ribbon wire used for the exterior wrap adds a tonal mid-range unlike any other flat wound on the market. La Bella Gold Flats also offer more attack and are slightly softer to the touch than our traditional stainless steel flat wounds.[/i]

http://www.labella.com/strings/category/4-string/