Chromes on a Ray?

[dwm74]

I've had my Sterling Ray34 for about a week now, and just can't get used to the zingy EB rounds that came with it.

I currently have Chromes (50-105) on my P-bass, and other than the high tension, I love everything else about them.

I'm thinking of putting the lighter gauge Chromes (45-100) on the Ray...any thoughts or suggestions?

[BassMaster4s]

Try it and see if you like it. This is going to boil down to personal preference in the end anyway.

[buffordbass]

I have them on my SR4. It takes about a week for them to really settle in... for me anyway, but then the mellow tone and clean crisp response is awesome. I had DR Sunbeams on it prior, and really liked them, but I will leave the chromes on it for a while. Coupled with the 4 band eq... I can do pretty much anything with that bass.

[Mike]

although i have chromes on my L2k and P bass, i tried them on my SR4 and hated it. the Ray just sounded terrible to my ears with flats but that's just my word not everyones.

[Darylw425]

I have chromes on my SR5 now and love them. Mellowed out the bass nicely - it now has a full, rich, powerfully low-mid punchy tone.

[moto_bruce]

If you gig, I would gig it first. I don't particularly like the treble of my SR4 when I practice (I roll the treble down about a quarter turn, bump the bass and mid just a bit), but when I play with the band, everything goes back to level and it sits properly with the drums and guitar.

[BZadlo]

I've heard quite a few sound clips of flats on a Ray and I'm always surprised how bright they sound. Sometimes it's sonically hard to tell if the strings are round or flat.
Personally, I like flats because they save me $. I hate the way dead rounds sound but, for some reason I like flats all the time.
Plus, the higher strings sound bigger.

[jasper383]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho42fxFsE6M

[dwm74]

Thanks, jasper383. That video (and the other ones by that same guy) confirmed what I wanted to know. I'll be putting Chromes on in the very near future!

And thanks to everybody who responded!

[dwm74]

Resurrecting this old thread from a few weeks ago...

I bought a new camera last week, and yesterday an new ad comes out with that same model on sale for $40 less than I paid for it, so I went back and with Fry's price-matching, they gave me back the difference. So I'm thinking, what do I want that is around $40? Oh, yeah, Chromes for my Ray34!

I just bought the Ray in early July, and figured I'd give the EB Slinky's that came with it a chance to wear out before replacing them. They actually were just starting to sound nice and not-so-zingy but I've been wanting to go the Chromes route anyway.

I went with the .045-.100's, and good thing. I don't think the .105 would have fit into the nut without some filing. I was more concerned about the G string being too thin, but the 45 is OK. Since I already had a set (.050-.105) on my P, I knew what to expect feel-wise, but wondered how they would sound on a Ray.

Surprisingly, they didn't really reduce that trebley 'edginess' of the Ray very much at all, but it did get rid of the finger squeak, which is a real nice thing for me. (I know that says more about my bad technique than anything else!) I still roll off the treble a little on both the amp and the instrument, and slightly boost the mids.

I know they'll mellow a little over the next month or so, but I'm still very pleased with them, as they sound as nice as I expected them to. (Thanks again for that link, jasper...that was the sound I was looking for!)

I just can't get into that roundwound zing, although hearing others play them sounds just fine. But for me, it's only Chromes flats.

[fourfinger]

My experience was the same. My MM Cutlass II, after switching from rounds to Chromes, still sounded like the same instrument, but without the finger squeak.

I noticed more punch and more warmth. Only miss rounds for slapping, but I don't (can't?) slap much anyway.

I have also tried TI flats on it and am equally pleased with the result. I had wondered if the MM vibe would be diminished by flats, but it wasn't.