Chromes 50 to 105

[crispygoat]

My intention was to purchase a set of LaBella Jamerson (gauge 52 to 110) for my upcoming Fender American Precision Std, but I opted for the Chromes due to lower pricing. I chose the medium gauge set since it was closer to the LaBella Jamerson's gauge, but now I've been reading all about this tension on the neck being greater than typical roundwounds, and that the strings are harder to pluck, and so on.

I've used GHS and EB flatwounds on different basses before, but don't remember having any issues (other than having to adjust switching from rounds to flats).

Do I have anything to worry about here?

[TRichardsbass]

good question. overall I would say no, as the Jamerson set and the Chromes are probably similar in tension, and most of today's basses are still based on the designs of yesteryear before rounds ever existed. You will have to do some neck and truss rod adjustment, but it shouldn't be anything too drastic.

I have found that while cheaper strings can be good, and I use D'Addario a lot, in the long run if you are switching to flats you will most likely never change them, so price isn't that significant. If you want flats but lower tension, go with Thomastik-Infeld. They have darn near the lowest tension flats I've ever played. But they are costly.

tom

[thatbasskid597]

I have used this same set on my MIM Precision Special and they were fine. No signs of damage to the bass/neck at all, the only adjustments needed were some minor intonation tweaks. I really enjoy this set as well, good tension if you play with a heavier right hand.

[crispygoat]

Originally Posted by TRichardsbass

good question. overall I would say no, as the Jamerson set and the Chromes are probably similar in tension, and most of today's basses are still based on the designs of yesteryear before rounds ever existed. You will have to do some neck and truss rod adjustment, but it shouldn't be anything too drastic.

I have found that while cheaper strings can be good, and I use D'Addario a lot, in the long run if you are switching to flats you will most likely never change them, so price isn't that significant. If you want flats but lower tension, go with Thomastik-Infeld. They have darn near the lowest tension flats I've ever played. But they are costly.

tom

What do you mean by neck adjustment? String saddles?

[JustDavid]

Originally Posted by crispygoat

What do you mean by neck adjustment? String saddles?

Truss rod. Basically you adjust it to counteract the change in neck tension you create when you change string type.

Lots of good reading in the Hardware Setup Repair section. Search for 'neck relief'.

[crispygoat]

Originally Posted by JustDavid

Truss rod. Basically you adjust it to counteract the change in neck tension you create when you change string type.

Lots of good reading in the Hardware Setup Repair section. Search for 'neck relief'.

That's what I thought at first, but Tom said,

You will have to do some neck and truss rod adjustment.

I was aware that I would have to tweak the truss rod a bit, but from what I understand I will need to adjust something else? I didn't think I would have to adjust intonation and/or string height after a change...

[JustDavid]

Not sure what he'd be getting at. Nut slots shouldn't mind a slightly different gauge.

Always good to check intonation & saddle height after a change, but I don't think they'd shift much.

[Sparkdog]

Short answer: You've got nothing to worry about.

Long answer: IME all this blather about tension and what it will do to your neck is way overblown. Flats have a little higher tension than roundwounds of the same gauge, but it's just an incremental increase, not like double.

Here are D'Addario's published tension figures for their strings (something almost no other manufacturers provide BTW)

50-105 Nickel Rounds - 50-105 Chromes
G - 53.4 55
D - 60.1 60.2
A - 48.4 50.2
E - 40.3 41.5

I have the 50-105 Chromes on 3 basses at the moment, for each one I did my standard setup for action, intonation, and relief and I have never had to touch the neck since. These are not $8000 boutique basses either...an MIA P-bass, a Mexican Fender fretless Jazz, and an MIA Jazz.

The Chromes are smooth, deep, punchy, and to me they feel fantastic. Now granted, if you have been playing lightweight girly strings like 40-95 rounds they will take some getting used to. But the reward is massive woody tone.

Enjoy!

[canadian_man_44]

Originally Posted by Sparkdog

Short answer: You've got nothing to worry about.

Long answer: IME all this blather about tension and what it will do to your neck is way overblown. Flats have a little higher tension than roundwounds of the same gauge, but it's just an incremental increase, not like double.

+1

My US Fender P bass Deluxe was setup with Rotosound Jazz Bass 77's on it. Since then I've gone to Fender Roundwounds, D'addario Chromes, D'addario half rounds and currently am running Rotosound Nexus black coated strings. None of the changes have required any truss rod adjustment at all. The only thing I've had to do is adjust the intonation on the A string slightly.

[crispygoat]

Originally Posted by canadian_man_44

+1

My US Fender P bass Deluxe was setup with Rotosound Jazz Bass 77's on it. Since then I've gone to Fender Roundwounds, D'addario Chromes, D'addario half rounds and currently am running Rotosound Nexus black coated strings. None of the changes have required any truss rod adjustment at all. The only thing I've had to do is adjust the intonation on the A string slightly.

How did you like the half rounds compared to the chromes?

[BassBob1]

From d'addario xl 45-100 to chromes 45-100 required a slight truss rod adjustment to maintain my preferred setup. from the chromes to sunbeams 45-105 required a slight adjustment too.

Basically nothing to worry about. Different strings have different tensions.

[canadian_man_44]

Originally Posted by crispygoat

How did you like the half rounds compared to the chromes?

I loved the sound....the only problem I had with them was the stickiness. Took them off my main bass and am going to throw them on my backup(at home practice bass) and see if that will wear off after awhile. If so, they're going back on the P-bass.

[crispygoat]

Okay, but what about the playability? That's what I'm most worried about... I can't quite recall the gauge of the GHS flats were, but I think they were .045 to .105. The latest round wound strings I played with were .045 to .105, and .045 to .100.

Are people exaggerating when they are saying when "medium" flatwounds are hard to play?

[Sparkdog]

Originally Posted by crispygoat

Are people exaggerating when they are saying when "medium" flatwounds are hard to play?

I think so. Playing bass requires a certain level of strength and conditioning of your hands (which just comes with playing time and practice) and if you have that then string gauge is not a big factor (on electric bass...you wanna know what HARD TO PLAY really means? Grab an upright bass and play a set with THAT!)

I know some folks will disagree, but bigger strings SOUND bigger...I've tried an awful lot of strings over the years and heavier gauges, particularly in flats, simply have a thicker fundamental and fewer overtones that muddy up your sound IME.

Well worth a little additional tension for me.

[odin70]

The Jamerson strings are pretty hard to play. Chromes are much "softer"

[mellowgerman]

Originally Posted by crispygoat

Are people exaggerating when they are saying when "medium" flatwounds are hard to play?

I actually find medium flatwound strings to be the easiest to play. They can go lower in action without buzzing when rounds would. They're smooth smooth smooth. Also, I like a little extra resistance from my strings because I like to dig in with my right hand.
It's completely a matter of opinion. I would disagree completely that they make it "hard to play"

Also, I couldn't agree more with sparkdog about the noticably bigger sound you'll get from a nice fat set of flats.

[azureblue]

I use the 050 chromes on a 5 string with a PJ set up. I previously used the 045 set, but upped the gauge to get a little extra thump. Yes, there is more attack with the 050s and more tension, but not a lot. I had to tighten my truss rod about a quarter turn. After a year, I still like them better than the 045 set.

If you get a set, it's worth it to get your bass set up by a pro. If your frets are good, it is possible to set the action very low, if you use a light right hand touch. Personally, I like a bit of resistance, but, as a poster said, you have to build the strength in your left hand, if you want to most out of big flats. You can slap on 050's but it's like getting an elephant to do ballet. Not impossible, but why? OTOH, if you just do a thumb slap, no pop, you can get some interesting grooves going.

I tried the Labella Jamerson set on another 4 string P bass, and I think the Chromes have more definition. I like the bottom better, too - I think the fundamental is clearer. I would call the 050 Chromes an improved flat wound sound.

And they work great with a flat pick, too. Get that old Carol Kaye and 70's soul funk bass sounds easy.

I have Quarter rounds on my other bass, a 5 string JJ. They behave like round wounds with less string noise and the same sustain as rounds. I had DR rounds, but I like the QRs better. I think they respond to right hand articulation better than flats or rounds. I can play very lightly and get a nice tone, or pull hard and get a louder more aggressive sound. At first they are tacky, but that wears off after a few gigs. Oh yeah, they slap nice, too. I like the slap sound better than the Drs, I guess because it is sort of old school, and not the same old slap sound everybody seems to get. I play Silly Putty on the bass and I love the sound for that song. In short the DaD Quarter Rounds are a different animal for rounds or flats, but closer to a round would sound than a flat wound sound