police squad Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Probably been asked before but my Hofner violin bass wears La Bella deep talking flats .50 to .100 gauge When I play with my fingers, it makes them sore, yet my Fender flats on my JMJ and one of my P basses don't get this reaction. Why does it happen and if I put La Bellas on my JMJ will I have the same problem TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Surprised to read this. Both sets of strings are stainless steel and, while I don't doubt that there are differences in construction, I'd have guessed that they have similar compliance levels. Are you sure that the problem doesn't lie in the way you play those basses rather than in the strings? The much tighter string spacing on the Hofner leads to a very different technique than on a Mustang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 8 minutes ago, Happy Jack said: The much tighter string spacing on the Hofner leads to a very different technique than on a Mustang. Agreed but when I play with my thumb (like Sting) the La Bellas really do dig in more. I play both basses very similarly. The tension on the Mustang flats is a lot less but when I play the same string on one of my P bass, again no problem. I have my hofner tuned half a step down for this weekends gig, but still I feel it's going to be a bit sore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 2 minutes ago, police squad said: The tension on the Mustang flats is a lot less ... Isn't that the answer, then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Same strings on basses with identical scale lengths should be no different in tension. Could it be strap length/bass height/wrist angle related hence putting your fingers at a different angle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 29 minutes ago, Happy Jack said: Isn't that the answer, then? I really don't know, I have so little experience with flats. I've always gigged with rounds and never had a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 24 minutes ago, warwickhunt said: Same strings on basses with identical scale lengths should be no different in tension. Could it be strap length/bass height/wrist angle related hence putting your fingers at a different angle? Labellas on the hofner and fender flats on the mustang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Bolton Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 2 hours ago, police squad said: Agreed but when I play with my thumb (like Sting) the La Bellas really do dig in more. I play both basses very similarly. The tension on the Mustang flats is a lot less but when I play the same string on one of my P bass, again no problem. I have my hofner tuned half a step down for this weekends gig, but still I feel it's going to be a bit sore Funny, I've always found Fender flats to be very high tension and inflexible, and thought La Bellas were the opposite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 1 hour ago, Jono Bolton said: Funny, I've always found Fender flats to be very high tension and inflexible, and thought La Bellas were the opposite weird isnt it. Thinking about it, my p bass is detuned half a step, maybe I should return to pitch and see how it feels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 Maybe your action is high on the Höfner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 16 hours ago, miles'tone said: Maybe your action is high on the Höfner? I think I've worked it out I played the hofner yesterday at a gig, with zero problems. I think the last time I used it, I just wasn't playing much bass and my fingers probably weren't up to it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 I play with a gentle touch, and use strings that are responsive enough to still sound vibrant when only being tickled (50-110 rounds and 45-105 Chromes) I've tried La Bellas both in the FM and FL gauges, and both times I found that the real character of the strings only comes out when they're given a heavier touch than is usual for me. Without having any conscious intention, I found that my ears were urging my fingers on, that I found playing the La Bellas more tiring for my fingers. Perhaps something similar is happening for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lidl e Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 I recently switched to flats only and it took a few weeks to get rid of the soreness. They are 49-109 so like cables. I think i made a thread about it here. Im fully used to them now and 105 rounds feel very thin to me. I actually just ordered a set of double balled 49-109 flats for my old steinberger XP 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 1 hour ago, Munurmunuh said: I play with a gentle touch, and use strings that are responsive enough to still sound vibrant when only being tickled (50-110 rounds and 45-105 Chromes) I've tried La Bellas both in the FM and FL gauges, and both times I found that the real character of the strings only comes out when they're given a heavier touch than is usual for me. Without having any conscious intention, I found that my ears were urging my fingers on, that I found playing the La Bellas more tiring for my fingers. Perhaps something similar is happening for you? I must admit that I beat 7 bells out of my strings when I play but my fingers have toughened up now, since I started playing more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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