Chromes - now THAT's what I was lookin' for!

[hills1234]

Just sharing a little flats joy. I've been trying a few different strings on my '98 MIA P over the last few months searching for that elusive tone and feel. Fender flats, DR Lo-riders, GHS ... you name it. Im looking for the classic (but oh so subjective) P-thump, smooth feel and moderately high tension, so TIs were out for me. I put Chromes (50/105) on last week - and they're doing it perfectly. Gauge and tension are perfect, smooth feel without being too slippery, and the tone is gorgeous! A rich, thick thud with fat bottom-end, but with the ability to dial in a bit of brightness with the tone.

This is the first bass I've really used flats on ... I'm not totally converted yet, but with a fretless Jazz project in the works I'm thinking it might end up wearing TI flats. Worth a try?

[colorblindbass]

i have chromes on my Fiver,
but there a little too bright for my tastes

Rotosound77's are the closest ive ever found to my cherished set of 44 year old flats, so thats a little more my speed


Great strings though and im glad your happy.

(rubbing butter on strings is good.)

[fretlessguy]

I really like Chromes. It would be hard to pick my favorite set of flats since I like Chromes and GHS Precision flats both, but the Chromes really record very well on my Carving Bolt 5 fretless. Enjoy!

[Mastermold]

Originally Posted by hills1234

Just sharing a little flats joy. I've been trying a few different strings on my '98 MIA P over the last few months searching for that elusive tone and feel. Fender flats, DR Lo-riders, GHS ... you name it. Im looking for the classic (but oh so subjective) P-thump, smooth feel and moderately high tension, so TIs were out for me. I put Chromes (50/105) on last week - and they're doing it perfectly. Gauge and tension are perfect, smooth feel without being too slippery, and the tone is gorgeous! A rich, thick thud with fat bottom-end, but with the ability to dial in a bit of brightness with the tone.

This is the first bass I've really used flats on ... I'm not totally converted yet, but with a fretless Jazz project in the works I'm thinking it might end up wearing TI flats. Worth a try?

I had that same set of Chromes on my favorite P-bass for a month and loved them, deep growl, warm rich tone, etc. . .

Then I had a rehearsal with the band. Sadly all that great tone got lost in the mix, and at times I couldn't even hear my E string standing in front of my Ampeg SVT!

So I sadly took off the Chromes (saving them for another worthy bass) and replaced them with La Bella flats. The La Bella's have less growl and more thump than the Chromes when picking the notes so I'm hoping they give enough percussion to cut through the mix. Haven't had a chance to try them out with the band yet, however, so I'll have to get back with you on whether the switch worked (and I've had other problems with the La Bellas as mentioned in my other threads).

But all that aside, I liked the Chromes' tone a lot, great choice, and hope you don't have the same mix issues I did.

And TI flats on a Jazz fretless are a perfect choice!!

[GeneralElectric]

I always found the string response of the Chromes uneven with the G string sounding like it doesn't even belong in the set. Has this been your experience as well guys?

They felt nice enough, but I wasn't a fan of the sound.

[Anesthesia]

The first set of flats i bought were dean markley flats standard guage. i put them on my yamaha RBX750A-II and they sound awesome.

i was surprised with the quality of the strings. the only reason i bought dean markley's is because australia is allergic to bass gear. the biggest guitar shops in a reasonable driving distance carry only D'addario's which i hate with a passion, and warwick strings. thats about it for range. i am going to order a set of Thomastik flats cause ive heard good things.

Rod

[PJPJ]

I've had a set of 45-100 Chromes on my Cort Curbow fretless for awhile now and love them. Recently, I replaced my D'Addario XL 50-105 on my CIJ 62 P Bass with chromes of the same guage. That's the bass sound I hear when I imagine Fender Bass. +)