La Bella 760FL Deep Talkin' Flats (.043–.104): the lineage Jamerson Motown set
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
La Bella 760FL Deep Talkin' Flats is the .043 to .104 light-gauge stainless flatwound that descends in product lineage from James Jamerson's Motown session strings. Hand-polished stainless flat on hex steel core, long-scale, vintage thump and compressed mid-range with low fret wear. Bass Player Magazine cites La Bella flats as the go-to string for top session players including Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, Jerry Jemmott, and Duck Dunn. Pick this set when you want Motown vintage tone, low fret wear on a Precision Bass, and the smooth fingerstyle feel that defined the 1960s session sound.
Anatomy
Why this is the Motown lineage default
Tone
The 760FL sounds like the canonical Motown bass: warm, dark, compressed, with the smooth flatwound feel that defined the 1960s session sound. The light gauge keeps the strings articulate under fingerstyle without the heavy compressed thump of the medium and heavy variants in the family. Compared to roundwound sets, the difference is night and day: roundwounds are bright and harmonic-rich; flatwounds are dark and fundamental-forward.
Compared to the other Tier-1 bass flatwound sets:
Best for
- Motown and vintage R&B where the bass carries melodic counter-lines under vocal-forward production (the Jamerson lineage on the Motown session catalog).
- Jazz and fusion fingerstyle with a Precision or Jazz Bass and a tube amp.
- Indie and singer-songwriter with a darker, more compressed bass voicing in the mix.
- Players who want zero fret-squeak on a Precision or Jazz Bass with low fret wear over the long term.
Worst for
- Slap and funk where you need bright pop on the thumb and snap (use GHS Boomers Flea Signature).
- Heavy metal with fast pick attack where you need heavier gauge and Monel for the dark mid-range (use Rotosound SH77).
- Modern pop and country where the stock-Fender roundwound voicing fits the genre better (use Fender 7250).
Who plays them
- James Jamerson (Motown, historical): the Funk Brothers session bassist whose work on the 1960s and early-1970s Motown catalog defined the vintage P-Bass flatwound sound. Bass Player Magazine cites La Bella flatwounds as the lineage string for that lane. See the Jamerson rig page for full historical sourcing.
- Chuck Rainey, Jerry Jemmott, Duck Dunn: session-pro bassists across R&B, soul, and Stax-Volt sessions cited by Bass Player Magazine alongside Jamerson as La Bella session-flat players.
- Modern indie and singer-songwriter bassists who want the vintage flatwound voicing without the historical baggage of dedicated reissue products.
Install and break-in
- Set the bass on a neck rest. Loosen all strings evenly before removing.
- Wipe the fretboard with a dry cloth.
- Install top-down. Light flatwound gauge is the easiest flatwound install: standard tuning post wrap, 2 to 3 wraps per post.
- Truss-rod adjustment may be needed if stepping from a roundwound set. The flatwound tension profile differs from the same-gauge roundwound; check neck relief at the 7th fret after install.
- Break-in: flatwound sets work-harden into their tone over the first 8 to 16 hours of play. Initial brightness fades quickly; the working tone settles by hour 16. The 760FL gets warmer over time, not duller.
Verdict
The 760FL is the Motown answer to flatwound bass: the lineage product behind a string of session players who shaped 1960s and 1970s American popular music. If you want vintage R&B, soul, or Motown bass voicing on your rig, this is the answer. If you want heavier flatwound or a different alloy, see the comparison row above and step to La Bella's 760M medium or Rotosound's SH77 respectively.
Related
- The historical bassist on this lineage: James Jamerson, Motown Funk Brothers session bassist 1959 to 1973.
- Heavier La Bella alternative: La Bella 760FHM medium-heavy review.
- Heavy-metal flatwound alternative: Rotosound SH77 Steve Harris Signature review.
- Stock-Fender roundwound alternative: Fender Super 7250 Bass review.