Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I put a set of LaBella DTB 760FL's on my new 2012 FG 4003 and a new set of EB Cobalt strings on my 2011 JG 4003. Here are my first impressions.....

LaBella's...... I am very familiar with these strings as these are my P Bass flats of choice for the Motown/Jamerson/Rocco vibe. I know with these strings that they need a month or more to settle in and are kinda bright right out of the pack but I am really digging the flats on my Ric. This is my first time ever trying flats on a Ric and I was happy that I could easily dial in a nice medium thump by cutting the tone back 50% on both pups. Also I has a slight bit of buzz on the second and third frets and it is no longer there with the slightly higher tension. I look forward to these strings breaking in and discovering the tonal pallet on the dark side of the Ric.

EB Cobalts.... Wow.....just wow. These string totally make this bass sound like the kid on the corner kicking everyone's arse and taking their lunch money. The bass is huge sounding with these strings. They are rather aggressive SS bass strings and are probably not what I would want on a bass I play daily as I would be afraid they would eat the frets.... but for the bass I only play in the first set it will be cool. I cannot wait to gig this bass now with these strings. It is not quite Chris Squire....but it sounds large and in charge.


Any other string recommendations for Ric?


Please forgive if this is not the correct place to post this.

What are the gauges of these string sets? I'm thinking the labellas are pretty heavy?

LaBella's are the 760 FL's gauges are; .043 .060 .082 .104

Thanks,Scott,seems like that would be a great fit for a Ric bass,then!

Yes sir, so far so good. I really like them for a P Bass for the old school thump. I like that set because they are not too heavy and have what I consider a softer feel....not TI soft but sublte. Like all LaBella Flats they are BRIGHT and spanky out of the package but mellow nicely with age. I love TI's too but I personally think they would be too light for what I was looking for on my Ric's.

I put a set of Labella 760FX (the lightest gauge) for the first time on my 4003 today. Really impressed with them, as you said they are very bright out of the packet so it will interesting to see how they mellow, at the moment they have my favourite characteristics of rounds and flats. I love the feel of them too, I had been using fender flats until now, the Labellas feel a lot more smoother in comparison. I went for the lightest gauge as i like to play with low tension and I had seen a few videos on youtube of someone playing beatles covers with these strings and liked the tone.

I have never tried those before but I would like to. I have just always gone with the FL's but it would be cool to try the FX's....maybe a little closer to the TI feel with the classic LaBella tone. Yes I ahve always loved the feel of the LaBella's and the tone is really cool in the begining but to me LaBella's just keep getting better as they get older. I must say though, I would NEVER buy any LaBella string heavier than the FL's. I purchased a used bass once with the Jamerson set.....they almost snapped the neck on the bass....they were brutal!

Back in the 70's, La Bella string were sold at every music store, including record shops. Now I rarely see them in a music store.

Shari loved the tone of the TI Jazz Flats on my Laredo at this past Saturday's gig, just sayin'. Maybe it was the color? (Look to your right.)

I've got the Cobalts on my 4003 4-2-5. They really helped cure any weak spots on that bass, especially on the B string. Great strings with perfect tension.

woodyng wrote:Thanks,Scott,seems like that would be a great fit for a Ric bass,then!

They are a lot higher tension than most strings just FYI. The 760FL set comes in at around 180 lbs total if I remember right. Compare that to 160 lbs for similarly gauged rounds.

Maybe someday a string maker with come out with as set of strings with lithium in them. They won't sound better, but they might help the player feel happy and think they sound better.

armybass wrote: Any other string recommendations for Ric?

Since you asked, I have Circle K balanced strings on all of my Rickenbackers http://www.circlekstrings.com

You won't find them at any shop, only on line. I use the .106 .079 .059 .043 set. They are the only strings I'd think of using on my Rickenbackers. Bright, you betcha!

Wanna hear them in action?





Sepp

Kopfjaeger wrote:I have Circle K balanced strings on all of my Rickenbackers. You won't find them at any shop, only on line.

I've recently seen them at Sam Ash. They only had a row of one set. I don't remember which set it was.

No kidding Joey. That's cool, Skipp is fanning out into the market. Outstanding!!

Sepp