Roland Microcube Bass Rx

[nofi]

i always thought the tape made up a good bit of the size. nice to verify that. there is an urban bass legend if you will that those labellas have ripped tops and bridges off of abg's,  in particular tacomas.     never had a bit of trouble though.

[Dave W]

Yeah, I remember a couple of years back someone sent me a link to a TB thread where some guy claimed LaBella tapes caved in the top of his ABG (can't remember the brand). Utter nonsense. They feel a little stiff due to the bulk of the nylon, but they're very low tension. Actual string tension is based on weight, and the nylon adds next to nothing to the weight. So they're as low tension as you'd expect any extra-light round set to be. Years ago when I tried TI flats on my Gibson EB-0L, I had to tighten the truss rod when I replaced the LaBella tapes with the TIs and loosen it again when I put the LaBellas back on.

[Pilgrim]

IME the outer diameter of tapewounds can be a real problem with threading through the bridge on those AEBs.  Their string holes tend to run on the small side, so if I were to try tapes on mine, I'd probably get a light gauge set.  The D'Addarios on that AE-40 above just barely went through the bridge, and even to do that I had to take a blade and scrape off the silk at the ball end and work them around to get them through!  They are the .045-.100 set, and they just made it...without a layer of tape on top.

[Dave W]

That is the light gauge set. It's the only tapewound set they offer. IIRC GHS and Status have smaller diameter sets but they won't sound like LaBellas.

Rotosounds are only offered in a similar large diameter but IMO they don't sound very good.

[rahock]

Tapewound strings are certainly not everyones cup of tea. Decades ago when I was into the boinky, zingy sound , I put a set on my 70 P. I was using Rotosound rounds and when I put the tapes on, I absolutely hated them. Lost volume, no zing, no boink! I pulled them off the same day and swore I would never use them again.

But , things change . No more zing and boink for me. La'Bella tapes on an electric/ABG are very uprightish. You can still get some brightness out of them, but that's not what they're best at. Nice smooth, warm and woody lows. I have gotten so many compliments on my sound (particularly from other bass players), since I put the tapes on Without a doubt, the most dramatic change I have ever witnessed from selecting a different string.

Everyone thinks my cheap ass Olympia is some high priced exotic instrument . I think my hardshell Tacoma case may actually be worth more than the bass itself.

Rick