Nice job, I enjoyed listening to the ENTIRE recording... having the timings was extremely helpful also... it allows me to go back to review stuff. Thanks
I’ve used both. To me the D’addarios are dryer and generally my preference. LaBellas are ok. They sound wetter to me, meaning notes linger longer. LaBellas I think are available in 6 string sets and are longer. LaBellas sound more plastic I think.
Interesting!! You know, I didn't compare the sustain! It's so strange I overlooked that! Thanks! The LaBellas have different lengths which is probably good, but the D'Addario are really long and will generally fit any regular bass. As I concluded, the D'Addario sounded better to me on that bass. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for watching! I know what you mean! The LaBellas are SO good!! Like I said in the video, I chose D’Addario for THAT bass, but even the LaBella sounded great to me.
I’ve now come to the conclusion that I’m also crap on fretted too after this performance mind you I’ve only been playing 50 + years! Great playing there. Brilliant.🏴🇬🇧
Very nice and informative video, I think the XL's sound better in this particular comparison as the LB's accentuate the boominess more in the low midrange and also seem quite dead in the uppermost high notes whereas the XL's still sing nicely all the way. Am in the process of choosing strings for a fretted Crafter BA400EQ and don't want the phosphor-bronze stuff, also have some bad experience with LaBellas nylonwounds on a former Cort electro-acoustic bass where those sloppy strings rattled and made fretnoices like hell! Some swear over Rotosound 88's or DR Sunbeam 40-100 for acoustic bass purposes although intended for electric bass?! Greetings from Sweden 🙂
Hey! Thanks for watching! I agree that the LB's are boomy on the lower strings as you go up the neck. I don't find them floppy, but I've been playing them forever so maybe my playing has adjusted? Or maybe my action is higher? I love the tension on the XL's and I did prefer them for this bass in the video so maybe give them a try. I've also seen many Rotosound and DR recommendations. If someone gave me a free set I'd try them but from what I've heard on RUclips, these two strings sound better - to me. Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
@@brentinjapan Good morning (at least here in Scandinavia-Sweden) I ordered the XL's + EKO ABB4096M for the acoustic and to compare + some other D'addarios for my Aria Pro II electric bass, will get back with a comment on how it works thanks 🙂
This is hands down the best review of pretty much any musical product I’ve ever seen online. And really useful. I’m studying jazz and play a Fender P bass with LaBella Low Tension Flats - wonderful combo. But I recently bought a Fender CB-60 acoustic to play (amplified) folk/rockabilly/country with friends at monthly open mic. It seems like a pretty solid bass (fretted) but I didn’t care for the stock strings. My search landed me here. Your review has convinced me to try the D’s. I liked their low end, and how they seemed to stand out behind a strummed acoustic guitar. A tad less noisy. And I was struck by the chordal demo - to me, every note in the chords came through more on those distinctly than on the LaBellas. Will report back. Thank you.
Wow! This is hands down the best feedback I've gotten!! Thanks so much! Yeah, they definitely cut through a guitar better. Glad I could help you make a choice. Do keep me posted. I'm hoping for a bit of a community feeling here.
Will do, Brent. Question re string tension. I read where some players have restrung an acoustic and eventually run into a bridge lift issue. My bass shipped with 45-100 bronze roundwounds. The tension on the XLs, 50-105, seems slight, but is that enough of an increase for concern?
@@virwill I never knew about hat bridge problem so I looked it up. It seems like it happens with basses that are not built well enough to withstand the immense pressure of steel strings, or that have a poor bridge and saddle design that pulls up on the bridge. With a Fender or other reputable maker, you won’t have this problem. Plus, the tension of tape wound strings is MUCH less than that of steel strings. A steel 40-100 set will have much more tension than a nylon 50-105 set. This actually causes a different concern. The lack of tension means that nothing is pulling back on the neck, so the truss rod might have to be loosened. Over the years this may result in the truss rod being completely loosened and if it needs further adjustment the neck will have to be reset. I had a Washburn AB20 (review here: ruclips.net/video/9RRgTfCsXaY/видео.htmlsi=g8ySIXTaml7eGBsm) and a similar thing happened: the truss rod was completely loose, but the neck settled there and never needed more adjustment. However, the loose truss rod rattled inside the neck. You can hear it in this recording I did: ruclips.net/video/CrHslUGFcMk/видео.htmlsi=_AAdQd8c1WPMFWyl
Great review, thanks for the time taken. I think your bass is beautiful, both to the eyes as well as the ears. Both of these string sets sound great. The D'A's have slightly more attack/punch than the L'B's for sure, but both sets were clear and precise across the low to high end range. I use Fender 9120m strings - which I like - and are similar sounding to the D'A's. But I might just have to get myself a set of L'B's.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment and positive feedback. I like this bass more and more every day, so I'm really happy with it. I'm going to do a review on it as soon as possible. I hear great things about Fender strings. As I said in the video, I just prefer these two strings to the others I've heard. Rotosound are worth checking out too, but the king of nylon seems to be La Bella (even though I now play D'Addario).
La Bella sounds fuller to me on the lows. I’ve got an 80,s Japanese Vox white Shadow fretless do you think these strings would be suitable! By the way my fretless playing is crap. Cheers….from 🏴🇬🇧
Wow! Rare bass! Some people really love them. I’m sure the LaBellas would sound great on it, if you’re interested in tapewounds and you like that rounder tone. I agree (I think everyone would agree) that the LaBellas have a fuller low tone.
Yeah I got the Vox from ex Be Bop Deluxe bass player called Mike Close here in Yorkshire England. It’s currently got 45 rounds on it. Beautiful dark rosewood unmarked board. Seriously don’t spend enough time with it. I have a 77 Rick and a Japanese Boxer in Torino red which I absolutely adore and gig with. Seriously Japanese craftsmanship is second to none. Cheers mate.🏴🇬🇧
tried them both: I played the LaBella's on a second hand Fender jazz (fretted): even with good setup it was not possible to have good intonation on the E string ... This second hand bass had already wider cut out nut slots that you need to put something like a 115 for the E and 60 for the G string ... When I wanted to put these on my P bass, it didn't work because it has the normal nut slots ... Than in a (jazz) band situation it's true that it becomes less clear what note you are playing because of the character of the sound of the LaBella's. (sound very good on your own but does not always work with other instruments) So the negative: you need to cut out the nutslots, intonation on E string, too wooly sound playing in a band. So I went to the d'Addario's ('cause I like Damian Erskine's sound with them). I was afraid that they would feel to sloppy because of the thinner gage: that was not the case, for me they even feel a bit stiffer (or maybe because they have more attack, I play them softer ...) You don't have to widen the nutslots (so now I have these on my P bass that I use to play jazz), they have more highs and mids so you hear more clear what note you play when playing with other instruments, when you want them to sound warmer, just roll down the tone knob ... and maybe most important: no more bad intonation on the E string! The problem I always had with P bass when playing jazz: the sound always works anywhere with any band (which is not the case with a jazzbass: sometimes it's great and sometimes it doesn't work at all ...) but it worked on my nerves that you keep on hearing this typical P bass character. That's better now with the d'Addario tapewounds: makes the bass sound more neutral. (also tried the Rotosound tapewounds: the intonation problem was worse than with LaBella and on every string, a bummer because I liked the sound!)
Seems like we both came to the same conclusion but you went through a lot to get there. I feel the same about the gauge. They are lighter, but the tensiion is good. Anyway, thanks so much for watching and commenting!
I looked a bit on the Fender site and they didn’t really say. They mentioned that in general, tape is wound over round or flat strings to produce tape wound strings. In any case, they sound pretty good. And glad you liked the bass. Thanks for watching!!
@@brentinjapan it’s complicated. Essentially I am no longer keen on the sound. Also, I am in several sight reading situations and I notice that most fretless players can’t play without their eyes locked onto their fingers and even then the intonation is dodgy. Hopeless for reading. Ps even Jaco kept a fretted for reading gigs. I’ve also heard non bass players moan about fret less players who think they are in tune but aren’t. It’s a horrible effect on the bands sound. So not for me. Thanks.
@@jazzman1954 All great points. The solution, of course, is to get so good at the intonation that you can play mostly without looking. My intonation on my last bass was really good, if I say so myself. You'll hear some iffy notes now and then because for the last 15 years I've only played a couple jazz gigs a year, but check this out: ruclips.net/video/gaHp8X5uv4o/видео.htmlsi=iz9j9-7wigFd9-Yr That's left over from training that took years. Four years of university first of all, and years of playing. In university my teacher made me play without looking. He'd call out a note like G and I'd have to play all the Gs on the fretboard without looking. Or he'd say Gm7 and I'd have to do an arpeggio all the way up the neck without looking. I practiced doing this in the dark at night. Seems crazy even now, but it worked. The bass in this video is new so it's going to take some time. Even after saying all that, yeah, it's not perfect and even the best of the best sometimes make intonation mistakes. PLUS, the beauty of music is everyone has different tastes. If it's not for you, it's not for you!
@@jazzman1954you kinda undid your own point there. You can just use a fretless for non-reading gigs, or for, you know, just playing and making music. 😅 Not liking the sound is fair enough though.
@@brentinjapan Well you play better than most. On the years of studying fret less for intonation doesn’t surprise me. It’s very difficult. I think it’s harder than upright regarding intonation. However, just think about the freedom and possibilities frets give you and question how important that whining fret less sound is. Steve Swallow knew what he was doing.
Nice job, I enjoyed listening to the ENTIRE recording... having the timings was extremely helpful also... it allows me to go back to review stuff.
Thanks
Awesome, thank you for checking it out!! Glad it helped.
Just reread your comment. I didn't express how much I appreciated your feedback last time. Thank you so much!!
I’ve used both. To me the D’addarios are dryer and generally my preference. LaBellas are ok. They sound wetter to me, meaning notes linger longer. LaBellas I think are available in 6 string sets and are longer. LaBellas sound more plastic I think.
Interesting!! You know, I didn't compare the sustain! It's so strange I overlooked that! Thanks!
The LaBellas have different lengths which is probably good, but the D'Addario are really long and will generally fit any regular bass.
As I concluded, the D'Addario sounded better to me on that bass.
Thanks for commenting!
Great comparison, thanks for the nice job! Should have watched this before buying those D‘Addarios. The LaBellas are definitely my favourites here!
Thanks for watching! I know what you mean! The LaBellas are SO good!! Like I said in the video, I chose D’Addario for THAT bass, but even the LaBella sounded great to me.
I’ve now come to the conclusion that I’m also crap on fretted too after this performance mind you I’ve only been playing 50 + years! Great playing there. Brilliant.🏴🇬🇧
Wow!! Thanks so much!! I’ll release another vocal/bass video once my intonation gets better on the new bass.
I use the D'Adderio's on my fretted acoustic bass - I find they have a 'crisper' tone.
I agree! Thanks for watching.
On electric basses, both are excellent with EMG active pickups wich are grounded internally: no buzz/humm.... 😉
Great info! I had no idea. Useful to someone so thanks for posting!
Very nice and informative video, I think the XL's sound better in this particular comparison as the LB's accentuate the boominess more in the low midrange and also seem quite dead in the uppermost high notes whereas the XL's still sing nicely all the way.
Am in the process of choosing strings for a fretted Crafter BA400EQ and don't want the phosphor-bronze stuff, also have some bad experience with LaBellas nylonwounds on a former Cort electro-acoustic bass where those sloppy strings rattled and made fretnoices like hell!
Some swear over Rotosound 88's or DR Sunbeam 40-100 for acoustic bass purposes although intended for electric bass?!
Greetings from Sweden 🙂
Hey! Thanks for watching! I agree that the LB's are boomy on the lower strings as you go up the neck. I don't find them floppy, but I've been playing them forever so maybe my playing has adjusted? Or maybe my action is higher?
I love the tension on the XL's and I did prefer them for this bass in the video so maybe give them a try. I've also seen many Rotosound and DR recommendations. If someone gave me a free set I'd try them but from what I've heard on RUclips, these two strings sound better - to me.
Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
@@brentinjapan Good morning (at least here in Scandinavia-Sweden) I ordered the XL's + EKO ABB4096M for the acoustic and to compare + some other D'addarios for my Aria Pro II electric bass, will get back with a comment on how it works thanks 🙂
@@MrArtrock Do keep in touch. I always hope for these videos to be the start of interaction with people everywhere.
Great video! Thanks for sharing the information!!
So glad you liked it!!
This is hands down the best review of pretty much any musical product I’ve ever seen online. And really useful. I’m studying jazz and play a Fender P bass with LaBella Low Tension Flats - wonderful combo. But I recently bought a Fender CB-60 acoustic to play (amplified) folk/rockabilly/country with friends at monthly open mic. It seems like a pretty solid bass (fretted) but I didn’t care for the stock strings. My search landed me here. Your review has convinced me to try the D’s. I liked their low end, and how they seemed to stand out behind a strummed acoustic guitar. A tad less noisy. And I was struck by the chordal demo - to me, every note in the chords came through more on those distinctly than on the LaBellas. Will report back. Thank you.
Wow! This is hands down the best feedback I've gotten!! Thanks so much! Yeah, they definitely cut through a guitar better. Glad I could help you make a choice. Do keep me posted. I'm hoping for a bit of a community feeling here.
Will do, Brent. Question re string tension. I read where some players have restrung an acoustic and eventually run into a bridge lift issue. My bass shipped with 45-100 bronze roundwounds. The tension on the XLs, 50-105, seems slight, but is that enough of an increase for concern?
@@virwill I never knew about hat bridge problem so I looked it up. It seems like it happens with basses that are not built well enough to withstand the immense pressure of steel strings, or that have a poor bridge and saddle design that pulls up on the bridge. With a Fender or other reputable maker, you won’t have this problem.
Plus, the tension of tape wound strings is MUCH less than that of steel strings. A steel 40-100 set will have much more tension than a nylon 50-105 set. This actually causes a different concern. The lack of tension means that nothing is pulling back on the neck, so the truss rod might have to be loosened. Over the years this may result in the truss rod being completely loosened and if it needs further adjustment the neck will have to be reset. I had a Washburn AB20 (review here: ruclips.net/video/9RRgTfCsXaY/видео.htmlsi=g8ySIXTaml7eGBsm) and a similar thing happened: the truss rod was completely loose, but the neck settled there and never needed more adjustment. However, the loose truss rod rattled inside the neck. You can hear it in this recording I did:
ruclips.net/video/CrHslUGFcMk/видео.htmlsi=_AAdQd8c1WPMFWyl
Hey Man,
(Brian B , from the Valley here)
Love them both!!
Nylon is a very animated sound :)
Hey man! Thanks for watching! Yeah, I love them both too! Can't go wrong with either.
Great review, thanks for the time taken. I think your bass is beautiful, both to the eyes as well as the ears.
Both of these string sets sound great. The D'A's have slightly more attack/punch than the L'B's for sure, but both sets were clear and precise across the low to high end range.
I use Fender 9120m strings - which I like - and are similar sounding to the D'A's. But I might just have to get myself a set of L'B's.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment and positive feedback. I like this bass more and more every day, so I'm really happy with it. I'm going to do a review on it as soon as possible.
I hear great things about Fender strings. As I said in the video, I just prefer these two strings to the others I've heard. Rotosound are worth checking out too, but the king of nylon seems to be La Bella (even though I now play D'Addario).
La Bella sounds fuller to me on the lows. I’ve got an 80,s Japanese Vox white Shadow fretless do you think these strings would be suitable! By the way my fretless playing is crap. Cheers….from 🏴🇬🇧
Wow! Rare bass! Some people really love them. I’m sure the LaBellas would sound great on it, if you’re interested in tapewounds and you like that rounder tone. I agree (I think everyone would agree) that the LaBellas have a fuller low tone.
Yeah I got the Vox from ex Be Bop Deluxe bass player called Mike Close here in Yorkshire England. It’s currently got 45 rounds on it. Beautiful dark rosewood unmarked board. Seriously don’t spend enough time with it. I have a 77 Rick and a Japanese Boxer in Torino red which I absolutely adore and gig with. Seriously Japanese craftsmanship is second to none. Cheers mate.🏴🇬🇧
tried them both: I played the LaBella's on a second hand Fender jazz (fretted): even with good setup it was not possible to have good intonation on the E string ... This second hand bass had already wider cut out nut slots that you need to put something like a 115 for the E and 60 for the G string ... When I wanted to put these on my P bass, it didn't work because it has the normal nut slots ... Than in a (jazz) band situation it's true that it becomes less clear what note you are playing because of the character of the sound of the LaBella's. (sound very good on your own but does not always work with other instruments) So the negative: you need to cut out the nutslots, intonation on E string, too wooly sound playing in a band. So I went to the d'Addario's ('cause I like Damian Erskine's sound with them). I was afraid that they would feel to sloppy because of the thinner gage: that was not the case, for me they even feel a bit stiffer (or maybe because they have more attack, I play them softer ...) You don't have to widen the nutslots (so now I have these on my P bass that I use to play jazz), they have more highs and mids so you hear more clear what note you play when playing with other instruments, when you want them to sound warmer, just roll down the tone knob ... and maybe most important: no more bad intonation on the E string! The problem I always had with P bass when playing jazz: the sound always works anywhere with any band (which is not the case with a jazzbass: sometimes it's great and sometimes it doesn't work at all ...) but it worked on my nerves that you keep on hearing this typical P bass character. That's better now with the d'Addario tapewounds: makes the bass sound more neutral. (also tried the Rotosound tapewounds: the intonation problem was worse than with LaBella and on every string, a bummer because I liked the sound!)
Seems like we both came to the same conclusion but you went through a lot to get there. I feel the same about the gauge. They are lighter, but the tensiion is good. Anyway, thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Cheers for the info.🏴🇬🇧
Have you ever used Fender Tapewound? I'm under the impression that they are round wound under the tape, which defeats the purpose? Any way nice bass!
I looked a bit on the Fender site and they didn’t really say. They mentioned that in general, tape is wound over round or flat strings to produce tape wound strings. In any case, they sound pretty good.
And glad you liked the bass.
Thanks for watching!!
I use LaBella flats, but very curious about tape wound.. After a listen. My vote is still LaBella
Yeah! They're great strings, for sure. Can't go wrong with them! Interestingly, I've never used normal LaBella flats - only tape wound.
Great video. Exactly what I needed, if a little long-winded on a platform full of 20 minute videos. ;) thanks
Haha!! Guilty as charged! Glad you got something out of it!
The tapes are slightly fatter but it’s of no significance. You have also convinced me to never buy a fret less. Thanks
Interesting! Why not get a fretless? It’s fine - not for everyone. Just curious.
@@brentinjapan it’s complicated. Essentially I am no longer keen on the sound. Also, I am in several sight reading situations and I notice that most fretless players can’t play without their eyes locked onto their fingers and even then the intonation is dodgy. Hopeless for reading. Ps even Jaco kept a fretted for reading gigs. I’ve also heard non bass players moan about fret less players who think they are in tune but aren’t. It’s a horrible effect on the bands sound. So not for me. Thanks.
@@jazzman1954 All great points. The solution, of course, is to get so good at the intonation that you can play mostly without looking. My intonation on my last bass was really good, if I say so myself. You'll hear some iffy notes now and then because for the last 15 years I've only played a couple jazz gigs a year, but check this out:
ruclips.net/video/gaHp8X5uv4o/видео.htmlsi=iz9j9-7wigFd9-Yr
That's left over from training that took years. Four years of university first of all, and years of playing. In university my teacher made me play without looking. He'd call out a note like G and I'd have to play all the Gs on the fretboard without looking. Or he'd say Gm7 and I'd have to do an arpeggio all the way up the neck without looking. I practiced doing this in the dark at night. Seems crazy even now, but it worked. The bass in this video is new so it's going to take some time.
Even after saying all that, yeah, it's not perfect and even the best of the best sometimes make intonation mistakes. PLUS, the beauty of music is everyone has different tastes. If it's not for you, it's not for you!
@@jazzman1954you kinda undid your own point there. You can just use a fretless for non-reading gigs, or for, you know, just playing and making music. 😅
Not liking the sound is fair enough though.
@@brentinjapan Well you play better than most. On the years of studying fret less for intonation doesn’t surprise me. It’s very difficult. I think it’s harder than upright regarding intonation. However, just think about the freedom and possibilities frets give you and question how important that whining fret less sound is. Steve Swallow knew what he was doing.
You have a cool bass. It sounds like an upright.
Ooh! Thanks! I'm going to do a review on it soon, I hope. Thanks so much for watching! Much appreciated!
Ghs use flatwound for EAD & round for the G sting. LaBella uses round.
Oh! Interesting. Thanks. I just looked at the Fender site for another poster and they didn’t say.
Wooowww......heart piercing..... Best
#27_Sept09_2024_LaBella_Smoooth_DAddario_Bright_🇺🇸
#28_FineSkills_5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️