Chromes…

[Grassie]

Hi all,

 

I’ve recently gone back to flats on my Squier jazz bass, using Fenders which I really like. I want to try D’Addario Chromes on my G&L JB1, so can you lot tell me why I should (or shouldn’t) use Chromes? I know a lot of you swear by them, but what makes them stand out for you particularly, and what makes them worth £20 (at least) more than other brands? 😊

[Old Horse Murphy]

I find them very high tension so I generally avoid them. They sound great but I reckon you could use them comfortably to drop anchor (IMHO of course). 
 

If that's your preference though they'd probably be perfect. 

[Burns-bass]

4 minutes ago, Old Horse Murphy said:

I find them very high tension so I generally avoid them. They sound great but I reckon you could use them comfortably to drop anchor (IMHO of course). 
 

If that's your preference though they'd probably be perfect. 

They’re only high tension until broken in. Mine feel the same as rounds now. Personally, I wouldn’t use any other string.

[Old Horse Murphy]

5 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

They’re only high tension until broken in. Mine feel the same as rounds now. Personally, I wouldn’t use any other string.

I favour Thomastiks, so a tightly tied shoelace can feel high tension to me!

[jonno1981]

I generally go down a gauge with flat wounds for the same reason. The tension is a killer. I tried some roto 45-105 and had to take them off as I couldn’t play them. Sticking to ti flats for the time being. 

[Pow_22]

Chromes to me sound too much like rounds.  I prefer the fenders as they mellow down nicely whereas the chromes seem to retain their metallic clank 

[Reggaebass]

I only use flats and I found the chromes quite high tension compared with the labella’s I normally play, also very bright sounding, good if your looking for that sound but they wasn’t for me 

[uk_lefty]

I've used Ernie Ball chromes and Thomastiks. Personally I really really don't like either. But I do like Fender flats, Maruszczyk flats, and the super high tension Rotosound Steve Harris signature flats. We are all different. You can read whatever opinions here but best way to find out is to try for yourself with your gear and your playing style. Maybe see if there's some used flats up for sale on here? 

[Fishfacefour]

I love my chromes. I like the higher tension and the relative high end. They feel great on my fret less. 

I've been trying to find a string that feels similar but is cheaper. Any ideas?

 

[Owen]

I have been astonished at how different basses respond to different flats. I have a set of Chromes on a P bass and everything is fabulous. I had Chromes on another bass and they were just not for me. I also had TI Flats on a 33" bass with a string retainer bar behind the nut. The tension was way tighter than I expected.

[PaulHornBass]

They are articulate and sit well in the mix (in my experience). The break-in period can be something else though! I think the tone after that is worth the wait. 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I've only used (medium scale ECB81M) chromes on mustangs and the tension although higher than Thomastik TIJF324s it isn't excessive.

[TheGreek]

4 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

I only use flats and I found the chromes quite high tension compared with the labella’s I normally play, also very bright sounding, good if your looking for that sound but they wasn’t for me 

 

Too bright for me. I prefer a mellower tone so tapewounds ideally - nickel preferred over steels.

[TheGreek]

If you like that super clean and bright tone this is the way to go:

 

https://lordofthestrings.com/en/brands/ebs-sweden

 

I had them on a bass - hated them!!

[meterman]

I’ve only used flats in 30+ years of playing and Chromes and La Bellas are my favourites. The tension feels just right to me and I do a lot of bending notes. Chromes wear in brilliantly. Fender flats are good, but I’d rather have Chromes. The money’s irrelevant, it’s how they feel that makes the difference to me. 
 

Edit: I always have foam at the bridge and often roll off the treble. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but that’s how I like my sound. You might hate that!

Edited August 3, 2023 by meterman

[TheGreek]

I have lots of foam which I'd used as dampeners - can't think why I stopped using it.

[Rodders]

I've never got on well with Chromes, aside from being very bright out of the pack, I found them quite grabby, more so than Roto 77's. 

I tend to stick to La Bella or GHS medium to heavy gauge.

[Old Horse Murphy]

1 hour ago, Rodders said:

I've never got on well with Chromes, aside from being very bright out of the pack, I found them quite grabby, more so than Roto 77's. 

I tend to stick to La Bella or GHS medium to heavy gauge.

Grabby- that just about sums up my experience too but I couldn't think of the best way to describe it. 

[Marvin]

I've had Chromes on my Jazz bass for 6 or 7 years. Initially they were brighter than the dead rounds I took off. However, it didn't take long for them to bed in and now they've barely got any top end at all. 

I'm a very below average player, but I don't find the tension an issue. I put a set of rounds on the Jazz a while back, thinking I'd notice a big difference in tension, and to be honest... not really.

Edited August 4, 2023 by Marvin

[Munurmunuh]

Use an alcohol wipe on Chromes before fitting them, and that grabby sensation caused by the residue of the polishing compound disappears.

 

The unpleasant stiffness of the strings when new I found only lasts for the first few hours. A kind of audible stiffness lingers for quite a while longer, but does go, giving a tone with nice bloom. The treble is a bit jangly at first, too, but lowering the tone knob a little mops that up. 

 

I play a 45-65-85-105 set, and now they're broken in find them similar in feel to the higher tension 45-105 rounds, eg Boomers, Roto Bass.

 

I once had a 45-60-80-105 set. The 60-80 I remember feeling immediately very attractive .... and getting less so as they broke in. Too easy going for my tastes. From which I suppose the 40-60-80-100 set should be a good starting point for a standard taste in tension. 

 

Unlike LaBellas, Chromes speak very easily, and so suit a light or varied touch. I really like the feel of them, but wish they had a touch more tonal variety. If I was starting from scratch with them, I would have a bass with two pickups.

 

I recently swapped the pickup on my LB-100 from a Dimarzio to a Fralin. In terms of tone, both before and after, the Chromes followed the pickup's lead. In contrast I found LaBellas always imposing their character over the pickup's (even when the pickup was an MFD)

[Grassie]

Pulled the trigger on a set of 45-100. Just put them on my JB and I am suitably impressed. Somewhat brighter than the Fenders I usually use, and I really don't feel like they're any stiffer than I'm used to either, so all good.

Just need to gig them to get a real opinion of them.

Thanks for the input you lot. Marvellous.  x