Flat Chromes query

[yorks5stringer]

6 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Think you'll need to explain that one to me ? 

It's a 'Fiat Chroma' which looks quite like 'Flat Chromes' at a glance......🙄

[Marvin]

I've got flatwounds on both my Precision and Jazz bass.

On the Precision I've got a set of standard Fender flats on the Jazz a set of Chromes. It's difficult to tell if there is much of a difference in the tone of the strings as they're on very different sounding basses. The reason I like both are they feel nicer to play, I was playing my other bass with rounds on it the other day and I didn't like the feel of the strings at all. Secondly, they don't have the zing or brightness of rounds from the start. I don't know about thump, but with that top end zing gone they sound thicker. That said the Chromes are much brighter than I was expecting but I still prefer them to rounds. It suits the band I'm currently in as well.

I was practicing the other night with the band where we were preparing for a gig at which we had a guest guitarist. He's a well respected gigging professional. He was really impressed with the tone I was getting from my Precision with the flats on it. That's probably the first time anyone has commented on the tone I get...I was a bit chuffed.

[dmccombe7]

6 minutes ago, Marvin said:

I've got flatwounds on both my Precision and Jazz bass.

On the Precision I've got a set of standard Fender flats on the Jazz a set of Chromes. It's difficult to tell if there is much of a difference in the tone of the strings as they're on very different sounding basses. The reason I like both are they feel nicer to play, I was playing my other bass with rounds on it the other day and I didn't like the feel of the strings at all. Secondly, they don't have the zing or brightness of rounds from the start. I don't know about thump, but with that top end zing gone they sound thicker. That said the Chromes are much brighter than I was expecting but I still prefer them to rounds. It suits the band I'm currently in as well.

I was practicing the other night with the band where we were preparing for a gig at which we had a guest guitarist. He's a well respected gigging professional. He was really impressed with the tone I was getting from my Precision with the flats on it. That's probably the first time anyone has commented on the tone I get...I was a bit chuffed.

Curious what type of music you are playing ?

Will help me understand who is using flats and for why ?

Dave

[dmccombe7]

14 minutes ago, yorks5stringer said:

It's a 'Fiat Chroma' which looks quite like 'Flat Chromes' at a glance......🙄

Sorry about that i'm afraid i didn't recognise the car but i get it now. 

[krispn]

3 hours ago, discreet said:

Depends how much you shuffle about when you're playing, really.

I was gonna edit it but it made me laugh too 😀

[PatrickJ]

This is quite an interesting article on flatwounds strings.  At the bottom there is also a link to a review of the Ernie Ball Cobalt flats.

https://www.bassplayer.com/gear/flat-world-a-roundup-of-flatwound-strings

I'm running flats on both my PJ basses, Ernie Ball Cobalts on the Sandberg and La Bella 760FLs on the fender.

The La Bella's give that old school sound, it's pretty cool.  I love the EB Cobalt Flats though, feel great under the fingers, almost round like sounding in their brightness and 0 fret noise.

I did have some EB Cobalt flats on my 5 string Jabba but had some problems with them.  Think it was a bad set but will try some Chromes I think.

I am a flat string convert for sure, don't think I will go back to roundwound anytime soon.

Don't think you'll have any problems with your genre.  Steve Harris uses flats with Maiden and Ben Kenney with Incubus also primarily uses them.  You can most definitely rock with flats.

Edited December 16, 2018 by PJ-Bassist

[dmccombe7]

The EB Cobalts come across as an interesting option. It will probably be them or D'addarios i go for.

Don't want to go for a cheap option string in case it puts me off so a reutable string will be best.

Steve Harris gets a nice twang from his strings right enough even tho i'm not really an Iron Maiden fan i do quite like his bass tone.

Dave

[krispn]

That’s what I was saying in my original post different brands have different characteristics so it’s best to try a couple and see what works for you. 

[dmccombe7]

34 minutes ago, krispn said:

That’s what I was saying in my original post different brands have different characteristics so it’s best to try a couple and see what works for you. 

If i stick to a decent quality manufacturer it should give me a better idea of what they sound like.

The feedback has been very helpful

Dave

[Marvin]

14 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Curious what type of music you are playing ?

Will help me understand who is using flats and for why ?

Dave

I’m currently in a blues band (Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson etc).

However, I’ve previously had a Precision with flats that I used in a standard pub covers band. It worked really well.

[dmccombe7]

11 minutes ago, Marvin said:

I’m currently in a blues band (Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson etc).

However, I’ve previously had a Precision with flats that I used in a standard pub covers band. It worked really well.

It just gives me a better idea of what music they suit. Thanks for that. 

Definitely going to give them a try on my PJ first to see how they sound. I can see another Xmas pressie to myself coming up. 

Dave 

[xgsjx]

I had Tomastik Infeld Jazz flats on my fretted Ibby for about 2-3 years & then somehow managed to snap the D string!?!  They're great feeling strings & sound fantastic.

I was reluctant to shell out again for another set (couldn't find a single string for sale), so after having a bleather on here, I went for a set of D'Addario Chromes.  The Chromes are a brighter sounding string than the TIs were & have a little more tension, but they're still great strings.  

Here's a track I did for a BC comp with a mix of finger style & slapping.

 

[dmccombe7]

Quite enjoyed that. Like thing the bass tone. Nice mellow and rounded.

Cheers up there in Stenny.

Dave

[interpol52]

I always love a set of flats on a Precision or a Jazz bass, I have them on for a while though and then start missing roundwounds.

This cycle has been going on for many years now.

[shoulderpet]

16 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

The EB Cobalts come across as an interesting option. It will probably be them or D'addarios i go for.

Don't want to go for a cheap option string in case it puts me off so a reutable string will be best.

Steve Harris gets a nice twang from his strings right enough even tho i'm not really an Iron Maiden fan i do quite like his bass tone.

Dave

I would give the Cobalts a miss personally, they are designed to sound like a roundwound so dont really give a good representation of flatwound strings, a bit like trying groundwounds to find out what roundwound strings sound like

[dmccombe7]

6 hours ago, shoulderpet said:

I would give the Cobalts a miss personally, they are designed to sound like a roundwound so dont really give a good representation of flatwound strings, a bit like trying groundwounds to find out what roundwound strings sound like

Aha see what you mean. Hadn't thought about that so i might stick with D'addarios flatwounds. I'm quite a fan of their nickel strings.

Thanks for pointing that out. 

Dave

[Jay2U]

D'addario flats is a safe option, as is Ernie Ball. There's no real difference between both. I was told D'addario used to produce Ernie Ball's flats till a few years ago.

A few years ago I tried the Cobalts, but I'm not a fan of those. They lost their semi-brightness rather quickly, the most frequently played strings first.

Edited December 17, 2018 by Jay2U

[dmccombe7]

That's good to know about the Cobalts.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

Was watching Scott Devine doing a thing with D'addario Tapewounds which he really liked as they had a nice bite but were smooth to play plus he said the tension was quite low compared to Rounds and Flats. When he played the flats they just didn't have any bite at all so now its got me wondering whats best for me again.

Are they an option ? Think i need to really think about what i'm looking for now ?

When i play with the band i don't really notice any fret noise but during some songs where bass is more prominent or on its own i can hear it but maybe that's just to be expected as i do hear it on many solo players VID clips when live.

Just back from my anual Xmas lunch so few vino's and a wee malt or two has now got me thinkng and not very clearly.

More thought required when completely stone cold sober..

Dave

Edited December 18, 2018 by dmccombe7

[bazzbass]

I have Jazz basses with rounds and flats, a P with flats (chromes) and one with D'Addario half rounds. Love and use all of them.

The P with half rounds is my go to these days coz it gives me the smooth feel of flats with a bit of the growl of rounds

Edited December 18, 2018 by bazzbass

[dmccombe7]

12 minutes ago, bazzbass said:

I have Jazz basses with rounds and flats, a P with flats (chromes) and one with D'Addario half rounds. Love and use all of them.

The P with half rounds is my go to these days coz it gives me the smooth feel of flats with a bit of the growl of rounds

I remember trying half rounds yrs ago or it may have been groundwounds and from memory i thought they felt the same as my nickel wounds but it was a long time ago so not sure its an accurate memory.

Dave

[bazzbass]

the half rounds are smooth like flats, with just a bit of the round wound profile, kind of like Elixir nanowebs 

[Chiliwailer]

19 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

 Think i need to really think about what i'm looking for now ?

Are you able to chuck a wad of cash at this? You could buy 3 different sets ( e.g. Chromes, Cobalts, tapewound), try them all out on a rainy day, and then sell the losing two sets on the BC marketplace and recoup some cash back.

If you can, then it's time to push the button I reckon  

[dmccombe7]

I'll try one set at a time to see how they fair up. Need some more digging on theTapewounds tho. Are they the same as Elixir strings ?

Do they last longer than the usual nickel strings tho

I've got Elixir strings on my Warwick and Overwater J4 and they are ok just a little more tension than i prefer but you get used to it after a while.

 

[mikeycrikey]

I have recently brought a used set of Chromes from here to use on my Yamaha BB424x.

I was wary about buying new strings in case the tension was too much fot me.

I needn't of worried as the tension is perfect for me and the sound is exactly what i was looking for. Used them at  rehersal last week and the band said it was the best sound we have ever had.

Previously i have tried the cheap Olympia flats. Used them on the Yamaha through a Trace Elliot 2 x10 combo and it was honestly the best sound i have ever had. Unfortunately it didnt last as the strings lost that intial brightness and just sounded thumpy.

I have also tried TI flats. Loved the low tension and flexability of them but didnt really like the core sound of them.

So far the used Chromes are hitting the spot, so much so that i have left my band new BB734a at home and using the 424x with the Chromes on them. Great strings and would deffo buy new ones when these need replacing.