medium gauge La Bella Tape Strings

[pubylakeg]

ten minutes trying to find them on the internet has turned up nothing for me. i keep finding strings for bass guitar and nothing for guitar guitar.

where do i get them?

thanks

In the UK you can get them from,

Fretsonly, a major La Bella stockist,

Strings - FretsOnly.com - THE Internet Resource for Guitarists!

or Stringbusters,

Electric Strings La Bella

I've previously used both these suppliers, and received excellent service.

[pubylakeg]

Now I'm interested as to why they would not be suitable?

They'd probably sound bunk on a flattop, though, I'd imagine.

They make the "Folk Singer" range for that application.

830 Folksinger - Black Nylon | La Bella Strings

[Greentone]

I have used the Folk Singer strings since the mid-60s. They work great. One neat thing: they have a ball end. You don't have to wrap them. I use Savarez Red Cards on my Yairi classical guitars, but on my electro-classic cutaway guitar (Ibanez), I use the Folk Singers.

[Nate Miller]

so I ordered a set of the White Tape medium jazz strings and they showed up yesterday and I put them on the guitar last night.

"oh hell yes"

that's my product review right there

By far the biggest gauge I ever played on a guitar, but the worn out nut on my 60 year old Gibson had no problem accommodating the strings. These string settled in faster than anything I ever used.

I wanted to try these specifically to see if I could use classical technique without chewing up my nails on steel strings, and that's exactly what I got. Worked great.

the other thing that I didn't expect but was a real bonus was that these tape wounds strings let you shift without hardly any friction at all! I've never felt anything like this. Even nylon classical stings have windings on the bass strings, but the tapes are smooth as silk.

The other thing I got to mention is that the two high strings that aren't tape wound, the B and E...they sound wonderful. I mean the single notes ring like bells.

so Mr Greentone, thanks for stating this thread, you just hipped me to a fantastic set of strings! Definitely give these things a try next time you change strings, fellas. If you have an archtop, you won't be sorry!

[Greentone]

Nate,

Yep. They are pretty damned cool strings.

GT

[salseez]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to ask this but this is the only discussion I can find on these nylon wrapped strings. I was thinking about how for little kids nylon string guitars are a little easier on their fingers and was wondering what would happen if I put these on a mini strat for kids... For those that have used them, do you think they would be easier on small fingers?
Thanks!
Alex

[nopedals]

I decided to give the 14s a try and I am glad I did. I ordered the white nylons for a silly reason; my guitar is blonde. Actually, they are gray, not white. The tension is just right (the la bella black tape 12s I have used are a bit too floppy for me). Surprisingly, the playability is better than lighter strings. I am playing faster and cleaner than ever before. Hybrid picking is easier, too. They are not as bright as the TI plectrums I had been using, probably a bit dull and uncomplex sounding for those used to bronze rounds. Very tonally balanced, though.

Putting them on was no fun. The E string was a very tight fit at both ends, and I had to totally unstring the guitar and flip the tailpiece to force it in.

[EarlBrother]

Thanks for the post.That might be why i am not getting the tone i want out of my MB 4.I really like my newtone archtops but im thinking i might need these tapes.

[EarlBrother]

how do they compare with the ti swing 13s i might go that way on my Eastman 403?

[Tom Painter]

I like the tone and feel of the 800m set very much but there is such a radical difference in the diameters of the (wound)G and (plain)B strings that it makes fingering across those adjacent strings (like in a bebop line) slightly more difficult...and I definitely don't need "slightly more difficult." I always go back to normal flats.

[dradventura]

The sixth string (0.67!) is sitting a little high on the nut of my PE-185. I am not going to file the nut until I decide for sure that I am going to stay with this gauge and string. Right now, the intonation and action is good...at least, good enough.

On a permanent basis, I would want to file the nut and get the string down at the headstock end just a bit. But for now, the guitar plays fine and it sounds absolutely first rate--better than it ever has, even with TI Swing Flats.

Hi Greentone

can you give us a follow up on this? did you end up filing the nut or did you get used to playing with the strings sitting high? did they start popping out of their grooves? I bought a set and just was wondering how well it works to let those thick ropes sit high on the nut. Thanks for your advice.

Alberto

[hoosier1981]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread - but I'm curious bout those who keep the strings on for long periods of time (a year +) - as the first two strings are not wrapped, do you find that they need replaced while you keep the taped strings on? If so, do you just put any brand steel strings on, or order spare 1&2 strings from La Bella?

[sgosnell]

Any plain strings will do. I have never been able to detect any differences in any plain strings of the same gauge. Some people claim to hear a difference, but I've tried, and cannot. I didn't keep the tape wounds on for a year, or even close, because I just didn't like the dead sound. YMMV.

[starjasmine]

Here is the same set of strings with JP playing electrically, laminated body, humbucker.

I have played these strings in this gauge for years, and this clip is a good representation of what they sound like.

Jackie King's Moon Magic CD will give you an even better idea. Here are a couple youtube clips; of course, the full-rez CD sounds much better, but this gives you an idea.

Jackie played these strings in this gauge on his Byrdland, which is a short scale at 23 1/2". No problem whatsoever at this scale length. In fact, Jackie was an endorser for LaBella. All the tracks on Moon Magic are recorded on his early 70s Byrdland. He got the Heritage pictured above several years after Moon Magic was recorded (he was an endorser for Heritage too - they made the lefty Golden Eagle above just for him.)

As for longevity, the LaBella tapewounds hold up really well. I've never really paid attention to exactly how long they last, but, yeah, you can get a year out of them if you wipe them down after playing. You get doubles of the high E and the B string in each pack, too. I have rarely had to replace just the E and B though. They don't tarnish easily.

SJ

[Greentone]

+1 These strings last and last. You get a year, for sure.

[hoosier1981]

My strings arrived today from Guitars n' Jazz.
The packaging looks like this. Is this an older (pre 2013-2014) packaging? The plastic is sealed, so I'd assume that they should be fine either way?

[pingu]

do you have to rebalance the polepieces
on your pickup much after fitting black nylons ?

I would have thought you would need to
raise the bottom 4 strings' polepieces

[sgosnell]

I tend to adjust the polepieces whenever I change to any different string set.

Note that La Bella says that these strings should only be used on guitars that have enough length between the tailpiece and the tuners. The thicker wound portion of the string should not be going through the tuner hole, just the thinner end portion. If that requires winding too many times, then those strings should not be used on that guitar. That recommendation comes from the company trying to sell the strings, so it would behoove one to heed it.

[hoosier1981]

So strange. Their product pages says this:
Wound length of 36? (distance from ball-end to silk); only the silk portion should wrap around the tuning post

But the page also says this:
You can wrap the tape wound portion around the tuning post, but if the string is too long, you will have to leave the excess tape wound portion of the string on the guitar because you cannot cut the nylon. You can only cut the silk.

--So it's saying two different things.
I just put them on my Eastman archtop with a tailpiece. They were still WAY too long and I had to put the tape (not silk) through the tuning pegs. They seem to be working great tho, so as long as the tape-wound portion will fit, I don't see a problem.

I did ask my guitar tech to not cut the strings, but he ended up cutting them at the tuning pegs, so they are cut through the black tape (none of the silk portion is left).
I think that if I don't de-tension them they will be fine. Otherwise I'll put a new set on if they do unravel, and just curl up the excess and leave it.
Based on this, I don't see the problem with putting them on a guitar without a tail-piece, assuming the tuning pegs will take the width of the string (or if you are willing to file the hole).
I didn't mess with the pole heights yet. Is it okay to do that on a wax filled vacuumed pickup? (I'm new to anything other than single coils and piezos). So far I have angled the humbucker a bit.
They sound amazing.

[sgosnell]

Adjusting wax-potted pickups is fine. A small amount of wax may come out of the hole around the polepiece, but you can just wipe it off. The adjustable polepieces are there for adjustment, so you may as well use them. They're not just for single-coil pickups though - many single-coil pickups have them.

[Woodstove]

I put a set of 14-67 Black Jazz Tapes on my Gibson L4C with the DeArmond pickup 2 days ago. It may seem like an exaggeration but I started to cry immediately upon finger picking a few chords. I have never heard a guitar string ring so true in the 60 years I have played. The tone is spectacular and while it lives in that Wes world with tweaking in a amp good enough to catch nuances it can cover a LOT of uses. I even got some very satisfying country picking sounds. The only time I ever had such a mind altering tone experience was the first time I played my Steinway B. And just like the piano, all the parts of the tonal machinery play a role. I knew a resonant guitar with good acoustic tone was critical. I knew the pickup was and the amp as well. I never realized how huge a difference strings could make. Like others I find the tension on the 0.14 set very playable easy for tremolo and bending. I never played any larger than 0.12 and maybe some of my pleasure comes from hearing the fatter strings but....wow. No others will ever grace the L4C. Will see what I can do to get a set, likely 0.12, on my Tele as well.

[Mark M.]

I am using them on my 7 string El Rey and I like them a lot. As you said, they produce a very rich, true sound that is really unique and beautiful. The bass strings sound a lot like an upright bass acoustic bass. They are the perfect strings for that guitar.

[EarlBrother]

I have Labella Jazz Tapes 12s light gauge on my Eastman 403 was thinking about the next set being medium gauge i think 14 -64 or something.how different of ease of playing would it be.if i am not attentive to my fret hand i get a buzz on the bass notes as i play solo standards.Chord melody i suppose.wonder if thicker gauge it 9the buzz)would less threatening haha.Hope some one has experience with both.