LaBella Black Tapes

[Woody Sound]

So I bought a set of LaBella Black Tapes 12's (Thomastic 12's is what I am used to) and put them on my Sadowsky. Was very disappointed. I am a long time round wound guy. They were dull and floppy. (Should have probably got 13's, didn't know these would feel so soft.) I let them set for a day, still didn't like them. Them I plugged in the guitar: WONDERFUL. Even the unwound trebles sound better than other strings I've used. Maybe it's just psychology. But I am going to give another try down the road with the 13 set. But they definitely sound better plugged in.

[jazzimprov]

Love these strings on my Sadowsky.
Just my opinion but they feel and sound great.
Remember to leave room on the top (1 inch or more)or they may unwind.
I have the 12 -54, I think or 12-56.
Last quite a while also....

[Alter]

If into round wound strings, these La Bellas would sound very different. I think you have round wound strings, then flat wounds, then these tape wounds, in terms of having a bassier, flat sound.

[RJVB]

Does anyone know their tensions, and what design they use under the nylon tape?

[Woody Sound]

Now they have a "white tape" with a bit more brightness and clarity that they say is ideal for archtops.

La Bella Strings Introduces Electrics(R) White Nylon Tape Wound Guitar Series, Expands Black Nylon Tape Wound Guitar Series

[Woody Sound]

I find it puzzling that for both products they have sets starting with 10, 12, but no 11s in between.

[John A.]

Does anyone know their tensions, and what design they use under the nylon tape?

Their tensions don't seem to be listed anywhere, so I don't know. I can tell you that the wound strings are noticeably looser/floppier feeling than any other string I've tried. The wound strings on a set of LaBella 12s were so loose on my guitar that I had to raise the action up much higher than with other strings to keep them from buzzing.

Under the tape is a round wound string with a hex core. And yes, I'm sure it's that. I just cut the tape off of one I had lying around and confirmed. The LaBella site says they're nylon wrapped around a hex core and doesn't mention that they're also wound with metal, which is confusing. But they definitely are.

[Woody Sound]

Their tensions don't seem to be listed anywhere, so I don't know. I can tell you that the wound strings noticeably looser/floppier feeling than any other string I've tried. The wound strings on a set of LaBella 12s were so loose on my guitar that I had to raise the action up much higher than with other strings to keep the from buzzing.

Under the tape is a round wound string with a hex core. And yes, I'm sure it's that. I just cut the tape off of one I had lying around and confirmed. The LaBella site says they're nylon wrapped around a hex core and doesn't mention that they're also wound with metal, which is confusing. But they definitely are.

That's interesting thanks. Yes the 12 set feels a bit floppy, especially on a 24-3/4 neck. I'd like to try the whites, and move up to 13s, but it looks the the white sets jump from 12s to 14s.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Pre-white-version, I used the (black) 14s on both my L-5 and ES-335. The big E string was 67 or 68 gauge. It took some coaxing to get it through the tuner post hole. I don't recall the tension as being too much, but then I don't like floppy.

[Woody Sound]

Love these strings on my Sadowsky.
Just my opinion but they feel and sound great.
Remember to leave room on the top (1 inch or more)or they may unwind.
I have the 12 -54, I think or 12-56.
Last quite a while also....

Once they're wound a couple of times and crimped onto the post can they still unwind? Or what about locking tuners where you only use maybe one wind at the most? I have lockers on a few guitars.

[Woody Sound]

I am having intonation problems with the lower strings, especially low E. Seems that they really go sharp when you fret them at the lower frets. And my action is very low. Anyone else experience this?

[RJVB]

Anyone else experience this?

I've seen others commenting about that, and I experience it myself with the Pyramid version. The 12s, which aren't floppy at all, except for the low E which I don't use for that reason. As stated elsewhere, I manage to get an acceptable compromise with the bridge considerably more slanted (shifted backwards at the bass side) than for "normal" strings, which somehow doesn't create a big problem for the Plectrum low E I use (from the AC112 set). Basically I tune the low strings so they're acceptably in tune on the 2nd and/or 5th frets.

You may also notice these strings are more prone to sound sharp initially (when finger-picking at least).

[jonh]

I tried La Bella tape wounds, but I didn’t like the extremely low tension and, like Woody and others, had intonation problems and had to retune my guitar a lot. Great tone, though. I’ve been back to TI flats for over a year, which is what I used before my La Bella experiment. Still great tone. No intonation or tuning issues.

I sent them an email and asked about tension, and here is the response directly from La Bella’s customer service:“Yes, tape wounds in general have very light tension. We suggest to ignore the number on the gauges, and just look at the tension name e.g. the 14s are Medium tension similar to a medium electric guitar set that is 10-48.”

Cheers!

[RJVB]

For reference, here is the tension information I received for Pyramid's version (wound strings):

Here are the tensions in kg for the Black Tape Nylons, scale 65 cm
.028 = 17,7 kg
.036 = 18,7 kg
.046 = 16,7 kg
.052 = 14,7 kg

[John A.]

I am having intonation problems with the lower strings, especially low E. Seems that they really go sharp when you fret them at the lower frets. And my action is very low. Anyone else experience this?

One of my guitars came with the 12-gauge set. They felt really strange and floppy, and buzzed against the frets unless I raised the action way up, which caused intonation problems (among other things). Definitely not the string for me.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I've only used the 14s and they are bigguns, but the tension seemed acceptable.

[jonh]

One of my guitars came with the 12-gauge set. They felt really strange and floppy, and buzzed against the frets unless I raised the action way up, which caused intonation problems (among other things). Definitely not the string for me.

Since La Bella customer service told me their medium tension sets are equivalent to the tension of a regular set of .10s, I'd guess their .12s are close to the tension of a set of .09s or possibly less.

If so, that would put the tension for the low E comparable to a .42 or so (vs. the La Bella stated .56) and the low A comparable to a .32 or so (vs. the La Bella stated .48).

[Woody Sound]

I've only used the 14s and they are bigguns, but the tension seemed acceptable.

I might try the 14s next time. I do like the feel and sound. But the intonation thing on the lower strings is bad.

[sgosnell]

The intonation should be fixable, by moving the bridge slightly. The fretted and harmonic 12th fret notes should be identical. It won't be exact for every string, but you should be able to get close. I tend to try to get the A and b right, and take what I get for the others, which usually makes everything as close as possible. This really requires a strobe tuner to be done right. Even changing the same string brand and type by a gauge can sometimes necessitate reintonation, and going to something that light will certainly require it. It's a job that I think every guitar player should learn.

[RJVB]

You'd also need to ensure that the action at the nut is as low as possible, and play (fret) with the lightest possible touch.

[sgosnell]

Actually, IME, limited as it may be, lighter strings are pulled out of pitch less than heavy ones by having a high nut. But a light touch is helpful with preventing fret slap from the larger excursion of light strings. No matter the gauge, though, having the nut slots at the lowest usable height is always better for me.

[Woody Sound]

The intonation is spot on, the nut is low, and the action is low. But man, play a full chord around the 3rd fret and it's a mess. I have less trouble with the 10's on my solid and semi.

[RJVB]

The intonation is spot on, the nut is low, and the action is low. But man, play a full chord around the 3rd fret and it's a mess. I have less trouble with the 10's on my solid and semi.

Didn't you complain about intonation a few posts back?!

Pyramid really market these for e-guitar, where I presume action is typically extremely low and there is sufficient adjustable hardware to configure the right amount of compensation.

Just the other day I was thinking about how these strings seem to behave like something between wound strings and plain wire strings, in terms of inharmonicity. Apart from that they really have everything going for them; I love their sound, they're promising to last very long, they undoubtedly cause less fret wear and they're definitely more friendly to my fingers...

For my next Pyramid order I'll ask for the tensions of the A and low E from their heavier set, and possibly request they give me those if more in line with the tensions of the Plectrum AC112s I used before.

[Woody Sound]

Didn't you complain about intonation a few posts back?!

What I mean is, when I check the intonation with harmonics and fretting at 12, it's perfect. But when fretting on the lower frets the lower strings go sharp.

[jazzimprov]

Have/had Labella tapes on 5 archtops, with none of these problems.12-56
1st thing in the morning I tune if sharp, then play all day