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Compared to the old without yellow 'new improved trebles' sticker these new La Bella red nylon strings WITH yellow sticker sound really better, brighter, more flamenco-ish! I compared them over the last few months and they certainly have improved. Formerly used Pro-Arté E46 but now switch between these two brands. I like both.
Compared to the old without yellow 'new improved trebles' sticker these new La Bella red nylon strings WITH yellow sticker sound really better, brighter, more flamenco-ish! I compared them over the last few months and they certainly have improved.
I tried out a set of these with the yellow sticker and they were hopeless, couldn't get them in tune, they were all over the place. They did have a good sound, but I couldn't actually play anything they were that bad. I bought a set of the red trebles and a set of the black trebles, one set had the sticker, the other didn't, and they were both as bad as one another.... very disappointed
Yes great sound and they really suit my present guitar but, the intonation is still very poor. On the last set the g string was so sharp at the 12th fret, I had to discard it and find a string from a different set (not la bella) Not good.
Yes great sound and they really suit my present guitar but, the intonation is still very poor. On the last set the g string was so sharp at the 12th fret, I had to discard it and find a string from a different set (not la bella) Not good.
I think you must have wound up with some old stock strings. I have been playing La Bella strings, including the 820 Reds, and I have not found any intonation problems whatsoever.
i was at the labella website today and they are listing the 820 series as having the exact same tension as the 2001 classical medium tension strings--this is a new listing as the older listing just had diameters. i wonder if the new and improved 820 series is really the 2001 classical mediums with color added to the trebles. thoughts?
Hi Keith - this is Lorenza from La Bella Strings. We crafted the 2001 Series Classical Medium tension to copy the both the 820B and 820 set because it was such a popular tension. The 820 and 820B were created decades before the 2001 Series. However, the new 2001 Series is constructed completely differently. They have different core diameters and different winding diameters, in addition to different treble formulas. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance or email info@labella.com for more clarification. Thanks!
lorenza--thank you for the reply and information. i use 2001 mediums and knowing the 820s are the same tension is good to know--i will try a set of the 820s. by the way, any chance of reviving your t-shirt line?
Does anyone have an opinion and recent experience to share regarding the 820B (black trebles) or 2001HT (also bt)?
To give more context to my question, I've been searching a lot of info on the forum about strings, and reading a lot about La Bella problems here. I never tried any other strings on my Ramirez FL1 blanca than their original pack which I was always buying at their store (I tried other strings ages ago but on my old Yamaha classical guitar, so I don't count that). Now I don't live in Madrid anymore and I decided to try some other sets and see how these will do. The two sets I mentioned got my attention since I read a lot of good comments, so I ordered both sets from a friend in London. However, I also read about bad experiences. So I was just wondering how the things are now, since a lot of posts are years old.
I also have been using the older or newer batch,(no yellow label) ????? of 820 (red) on my blanca flamenco guitar, and have had no complaints at all, with my first set installed. So from what you are saying it is pot luck whether you get a bad batch or not, because I have 12 sets left, in my stock pile supply. So if I find these are going flat can we talk exchange for the new and improved 820's. I'll let you know what I have found out later, so far so good.
You know, I've read thru all the threads in this topic, some say 820 reds are lousy, some say 820B's are lousy, others say the reds are bright and snappy sound, other complain about the 820B's, maybe the length of ones guitar scale board has something to do with it, staying in tune, at the 12th fret, and going e flat. Maybe some of these guitars mechanical tuners, if using them, are slipping slightly, or not giving an accurate tune from the start, also thinking maybe some of these guitars are warped on the sound board, at the bridge, not staying in tune, with weather humidity and temperature changes, these two factors can make a big difference in the tune of the guitar. I am using a set of 820 red's and haven't experienced any problems so far with going flat, sharp or any other tuning factor. I know when getting the guitar out of the case, and checking the tuning on a meter, they can be ever so slightly out of tune, just with weather conditions, but tune in with a very small tweak, on the tuner, I just take it in stride, are we all sure we're not just to the extreme perfectionists we take ourselves to be, just to complain. Every guitar will have it's own characteristics in tuning, staying tuned, or what string combinations to use or not to use, they are as individual as us humans are, or at least as we'd like to think we are. I have found what suits my two guitars, and flamenco negra, and a blanca, and they are as different as day and night.
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Members have written about bad trebles of La Bella and improved version with yellow sticker. It's been a few years since that, so I was wondering if I still have to look for yellow sticker or all packs are good now. I will let you know if I have any problems when I put the new strings.
I see this old post was brought back to life. Anyway, all the LaBella set's I've purchased in the past few years have been fine. No intonation issues on the red treble set at least. Sig--
Members have written about bad trebles of La Bella and improved version with yellow sticker. It's been a few years since that, so I was wondering if I still have to look for yellow sticker or all packs are good now. I will let you know if I have any problems when I put the new strings.
I always buy these (820 red) in bulk....trebles have been fairly good after the improvement. No more yellow sticker used but the front package design has changed since those days when they were consistently bad. I must admit after going through dozens, yes there was a bad G or a bad A string here and there....but this has been my experience with every string brand.
Hello - this is La Bella Strings here. We stopped using the "New & Improved" labels over a year ago -- there should not be any issues with any of our strings out there. As always, please email info@labella.com with any customer service inquiries and we will take care of it! Thanks for your time.
Thanks for your thoughts, the situation is much clear to me now. I put the 2001 set a while ago, the trebles felt quite different and unusual at first, the tension and just the feeling on my fingers that I can't explain (it's probably normal after 6 years of using only one string set), but I got used to them now and the set is quite good I'd say - no problems that were mentioned before, I feel the strings nice and smooth and I can play well. Ricardo, I guess this is the new pack that you use?
Lorenza, thanks a lot for your reply, much appreciated.
Archive purposes post mostly. The 820B sounds very nice still in 2023. La Bella is great company with very reliable strings and is keeping the prices reasonable too even though in 2023 everything has skyrocketed.
Oh, and the usual comparison with EJ45 so one can hear the differences (if he/she has already tried EJ45) and see if he/she likes them and might want to give them a try.
0:00 Francisco Tárrega - Recuerdos de la Alhambra 2:24 Verano Porteño - Astor Piazzola 3:26 Francisco Tárrega - Lágrima 4:29 Francisco Tárrega - Adelita5:23 Sabicas - soleá 7:49 Jerónimo Maya - Tango 10:05 Paco de Lucia - Guajiras de Lucia 12:36 simple buleria compás 15:17 Francisco Tárrega - Capricho árabe 17:50 Agustín Barrios - Vals No.3 19:14 Isaac Albéniz - Asturias 22:30 Vicente Amigo - Vivencias Imaginadas 25:03 H.Villa-Lobos - Prelude No.5
Things that cannot be heard in the video:The two sets are bit similar in nylon type which is the more traditional one. The 820B is a bit stiffer in feel and tension compared to the EJ45 but a bit louder too. Thus the EJ45 feel a bit easier to fret. Both sets can sound sweet played over the soundhole and more aggressive if played closer to the bridge with the 820B having an extra growl if played accordingly and maybe that is why they are marketed to be flamenco guitar strings although they are perfectly fine for classical music too.
I recently tried the 820 (red ones). I liked them. But on my guitar they have a chocked off sound. I have not tried carbon strings in a long time, so decided to try the Vivace normal tension. I really like these, loud and clear and not too harsh sounding like some carbons. They are thinner and the tension felt high to me which was hurting my fingertips. So I tuned then down by 20 cents and that helped. Really like the basses too. Intonation seems better than most strings I have tried.
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Ah well, there was a fantastic passion there, in my case anyway. I discovered flamenco very early on. It grips you in a way that you can't get away - Paco Pena
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