I’m very pleased with the La Bella Deep Talkin’ flatwound strings I put on my Jaguar bass on Thursday. I didn’t get round to doing further set up work but took them on their first outing tonight, a rehearsal with the Charnwood Symphonic Wind Orchestra. Through the small amp I sometimes use for practise at home they had sounded okay but, as soon as I plugged into my combo amp for the rehearsal, I had a smile on my face. That was the sound I had anticipated when I bought them – warm and, of course, deep.

I’d venture to say that, compared to the previous (factory-installed) roundwound set, it took me a bit closer to the rounded warmth of a well-played tuba, perfect for the setting. Most of the time I’m playing tuba parts. I think I’ll be able to conjure up more of the typical electric bass vibe when needed but, the rest of the time, I can blend in with whatever tuba section we have or stand in for it when it is just me holding the bottom line.

I had wondered about whether I’d find my hands slipping past where they should go but that really wasn’t much of a problem. There were a couple of points where I overshot a move but, to be fair, that isn’t unprecedented. Meanwhile, I loved the polished feel of the strings, silky and luxurious. I’m quite tempted to upgrade the flatwounds on my fretless six string. I’m presently using Status Graphite flats but I find them quite hard on the hands although, at very close to £100 for a set, I’ll have to consider if I’m ready to do more fretless playing to justify that!

All in all, very impressive and I’m looking forward to getting a lot more playing hours on them over the coming weeks.