Tension on La Bella Tapewounds?

[3625]

I spent a good chunk of last night reviewing old threads about La Bella Tapewounds. I've never tried them so have a couple of questions.

I like fairly light strings - the heaviest I go (on a 24.75 scale) is the Thomastik 12 gauge flats. A few days ago I put on Ernie Ball roundwound 11's and I'm digging them too - so loose tension strings don't bother me, especially because you can raise the action and have a nice bounce without straining your hand.

Given that the La Bella tapewounds are unique, how would the tension of the 12-56 set they make compare to other brands? would they be more similar to TI 11's or 12's (flats) for example?

Also, I heard them described as a roundwound that's covered by the nylon tape - so do they pop the note out in a similar way to a roundwound, or are they more of a mellow thud like flats with a 'dead' response? or a cross between the two?

Atm, I like the rounds for soloing, given that you don't have to work as hard for the note to jump out but love flats for comping/rhythm and that classic jazz tone. I've never tried half rounds/groundwounds either, so I should give them a shot as well.

[Jazzman301]

They are a low tension string IMOP. They have a unique and very warm sound. Not as articulate as you may like them to be but they do sound great. VERY warm sound and they last FOREVER. I feel like the heavy tapewounds I had(14-67) still had a rather low tension given how thick the stings were.

'Mike

[mangotango]

Very low tension indeed. Nice sound BUT of the two sets I tried on different guitars, neither set of strings would hold their tuning very well.

And no, they weren't from the same batch - bought from different suppliers, months apart.

[JazzyJim]

Again, I'd add that they're low tensions. Personally, I wouldn't even bother with the 12's and just use the 14 set. The lower strings feel about the same as Thom 12's-13's. Overall, very comfortable. They can get a bit cramped on a narrow neck but I love them.
They don't "pop" like a roundwound, but because they're so fat I feel like I can smack them a little harder, so I can get a nice throaty bark, even though they're characteristically mellow.
Cons for me are they're easy to over-pressure in chords which can lead to tuning problems - they are very soft on the fingertips.

[3625]

Thanks for the responses guys - I should order both gauges then. Don't think anyone here in Oz stocks them so I'll order them from the states - which is why I wanted some clarification on this. Cheers

[Jazzman301]

The 14-67 set that low E is HUGE. I think it may actually be a bass string. If you dig low tension mellow sounds these are for you. They do require a fair amount of attention to keep them in tune as well.

'Mike

[palindrome]

Make sure to clip them within the extended portion, since the coating has a tendency to unwind otherwise. This may not compromise the function of the string, but you will be faced with an esthetic mess (black tape unwinding from silver metal) on the headstock for the next ten years or so.

[woland]

Make sure to clip them within the extended portion, since the coating has a tendency to unwind otherwise. This may not compromise the function of the string, but you will be faced with an esthetic mess (black tape unwinding from silver metal) on the headstock for the next ten years or so.

Could you elaborate ("clip them within the extended portion")?
Is there any problem putting them on d'Angelico Excel - I heard people had problems fitting them through the holes in the tuners' posts on some guitars?

[palindrome]

Could you elaborate ("clip them within the extended portion")?
Is there any problem putting them on d'Angelico Excel - I heard people had problems fitting them through the holes in the tuners' posts on some guitars?

Well, I used these a few times on two different Gibon ES-135s I once owned. By my standards, I decided that the amount of string to be wound around the tuners' posts was excessive unless I clipped the (bass) strings still within the area covered by the black winding. By "extended portion" I meant an extension where the string was covered by a thinner red (textile) material. This clearly is where the string is supposed to be clipped, even though this means you may end up with one or two turns of string more around the post than you would ordinarily.

(I don't remember having problems fitting the black-wound diameter of the low E string through the hole; the only issue I had was the unwinding of the black tape, which gave the whole thing a messy appearance.)

(I'm not sure how much less of an issue this is given the longer scale length of your Excel compared to those ES-135s.)

[Ric Lee]

I had them in a tele with a 25.5 scale. Typically large gauge flats can be kind of murderous on that scale for me but they were super easy to fret and I enjoyed the lower tension. Plenty of sustain on a solid body, and very clear harmonically as opposed to a 10 gauge or 11 gauge round wound I usually play on the tele. Sold that tele and have another tele I like more and about to try the 12 gauges on it, the last set I tried was the 14.

I would make sure you have them situated where you want and to cut them carefully. I also think it's recommended that you not use them on a string through solid body as that pinch on the strings where they pass through might cut the winding. I like to cut the string once it's fully wrapped around the post as it helps preserve the integrity of the wrap which is rock solid unless you do something like cut it with wire clippers! For the paranoid I imagine you could dab it with some super glue in the spot right before the cut. I haven't found that necessary.

[palindrome]

I like to cut the string once it's fully wrapped around the post as it helps preserve the integrity of the wrap which is rock solid unless you do something like cut it with wire clippers! For the paranoid I imagine you could dab it with some super glue in the spot right before the cut. I haven't found that necessary.

There was one occasion (in fact not the first but the last time I used those strings) in which the unwinding actually propagated through the hole after tuning up (a possibility I hadn't foreseen at all) and then stopped short right before reaching the nut.

They worked fine, but I remember thinking that, considering how long that set of strings was going to last, I'd rather have had a result that looked tidy. That black tape coming off sure was an eyesore (I don't consider myself a cosmetic nitpicker).

[Ric Lee]

I could see that becoming an issue hence my superglue thought but I've never had an issue with them just coming right off. I think the strings are design for the long tailpiece arrangement on archtops but I enjoyed them. I'm interested in seeing what they sound like with my polytone taurus I just bought.

[woland]

Well, I used these a few times on two different Gibon ES-135s I once owned. By my standards, I decided that the amount of string to be wound around the tuners' posts was excessive unless I clipped the (bass) strings still within the area covered by the black winding. By "extended portion" I meant an extension where the string was covered by a thinner red (textile) material. This clearly is where the string is supposed to be clipped, even though this means you may end up with one or two turns of string more around the post than you would ordinarily.

(I don't remember having problems fitting the black-wound diameter of the low E string through the hole; the only issue I had was the unwinding of the black tape, which gave the whole thing a messy appearance.)

(I'm not sure how much less of an issue this is given the longer scale length of your Excel compared to those ES-135s.)

Thanks for the explanation. The way I normally string a guitar (without locking tuners) is to thread string through the hole on tuner's post - stretch then move it back about length of first fret - bend at the post and start winding. One turn above the hole then rest under it. After all the strings are on and set I clip the excess.

If I understand you correctly you suggest clipping to be done on the area of the string that has silk windings. And possibly put a drop of superglue on that area - before bending and clipping (and let it dry of course).

Currently I have Chromes on Excel. I am not happy with them - they feel like big step down from TIs (I think I had 14 Bensons on it before). I even put 10 band EQ on my board to compensate for excessive brightness and bass - and that made them OK - except for very narrow dynamic range - easy to get "thud" with them.

So La Bella black 14s are one possibility. I also have TI Benson 12s and Rotosound ES200 12 Top Tape Monels.
So need to make some decision. Rotosounds look very attractive and economical ($7.22 a set at Amazon) and some people say they are comparable with TIs. Friend of mine has almost identical Excel (with stock pickup - mine was upgraded) with Rotosounds on it and they have nicer feel than my Chromes.

Regarding putting La Bella on Telecaster - I am sorely tempted to do it on my custom headless "ergo-Tele". Problem may be that in order to string it you thread string through a metal bar on headstocks then clamp it with a screw. And I would be worried that that would cause damage to tape winding. I usually put Pyramid 11s (roundwounds) on it but I think I would like to try to use flatwounds - that guitar excels as chord melody instrument.

Edit:
I took lessons from Mark Stefani in the past and I know he was very enthusiastic about black La Bella 14s - and considered them the integral part of his tone.

[Greentone]

John and Bucky Pizzarelli use tape wound LaBellas on their guitars--a Benedetto and a Moll, respectively. If you are thinking about trying them, listen to these guys. You can find plenty of examples of their work on YouTube. They get identifiable, almost signature sounds.

Oh, yes...they DO seem low tension and they DO last just about forever.

[vinlander]

I used them in the past and while I have to attest I really liked their smooth tone, they were a bit on the loose side for me, I like my strings more stiff (I don't bend at all). It also was a bit annoying to care not to cause unwrapping of the tape while stringing it (happened on my last attempt on the Regent with string #6 and I needed to get another set that I finally did not put).
That is why I now set up on Labella 15-56 stainless flats that are way stiffer and easier to string.

[woland]

John and Bucky Pizzarelli use tape wound LaBellas on their guitars--a Benedetto and a Moll, respectively. If you are thinking about trying them, listen to these guys. You can find plenty of examples of their work on YouTube. They get identifiable, almost signature sounds.

Oh, yes...they DO seem low tension and they DO last just about forever.

I think I will give them a try - in the very worst case scenario I can always go to TI Benson 12s that I know will work. Either way I will very likely require setup correction. I have rehearsal on Wed so will try string swap on Thu.

[palindrome]

I took lessons from Mark Stefani in the past and I know he was very enthusiastic about black La Bella 14s - and considered them the integral part of his tone.

Re La Bella Tapewound 14s: To be fair, I should add that I quite liked those strings and that I might get back to them one day. OK, there were some techical issues. Besides the black tape coming off on one occasion, I also remember problems with the ball ends of individual strings not immediately making contact with the metal surface on the guitar due to overly thick wrapping of the string near that end, so that the string would quickly go out of tune for a week or so, but eventually the tension would cause the wrapping to be shaved off the string, thus pulling the ball to the metal all right; then there was invariably the issue with the nut slot on the low E string being to narrow, so if your fingers tend to populate the lower frets a lot, these strings may not be for you unless you consider having the slots filed. BUT the deal breaker for me, ludicrous though it may seem, was that I liked to experiment with different strings at the time, while those would last so long that I felt I was going to retire before I could try something else.

Re Le Bella Tapewound 12s: I did try those also, both on the ES-135 and on a Telecaster, but did not like them much on either--even less so on the Telecaster. Actually, I invariably use TI Swing these days and have found the 10s (!) to work really well for me on Teles.

Re Mark Stefani: Yes, that's where I got the recommendation for the Tapewounds from. Extremely competent guy and very pleasant to deal with. Unfortuantely I was not a good student, mainly because of my workload. I still work like 60 hours a week and will do so for the foreseeable future, but I have learned to embrace and appreciate the journey-is-the-destination philosophy, which I'm sure would be driving any guitar coach crazy.

[asedas]

I'm using them [.14] on my Ibanez AF105F from several years - they are low tensioned (comparing to [.13 TI GB or Swing]). BUT I cannot agree that they do last about forever. I hear the moment that I need to change them, especially when they are losing the ability to stay in tune. And the low E "won't fit every hole"

[woland]

Well I admit - I chickened out (not being able to thread low E and filing nut....) and not put La Bellas on..
But I played friend's Excel with Rotosound Molin "Top Tape" 12s (semi-flatwounds) last night and I liked it a lot.
Warm, almost no finger or pick noise and way nicer than Chromes - no stiffness or "thudding".
Plus at $7.24 they are dirt cheap compared with La Bella or TIs.
So I threw a set on my Excel - huge improvement from Chromes.
I will watch them for durability - may actually switch to that brand.

[Tom Painter]

I haven't tried these in something like 15 years, so I decided I'm give em another shot since I couldn't remember if I liked them or not...

Verdict:

I like the tone & silky smooth feel...BUT I find that I have to have the action a little higher than I'd like to get the low E to ring clearly. Also the huge difference in size between the g and b strings make slurring between them a little more difficult...and I'm not sure I want to make the guitar harder to play!!

I'll give them a few more days, but will probably go back to Swing 13 lowers.

They do look wicked cool though

[woland]

I asked my luthier friend to but black tape-wound LaBella 14-67s on my d'Angelico Excel. Very nice sounding set - took them straight to the rehearsal and played 4 hours on them. Good tension. Dark sound. Was a bit worried there would be a jump from plain E and B strings to G but now - they sound very even. Will play a bit more at home and report on ho w I like them.