Chromes and stiffness

bassboysam · #1 02-06-2011, 01:07 PM

I bought a used Bob Glaub skyline not long ago and the bass had a set of chromes 100-45. They played and sounded great, much better than the chromes I tried a while back which were the 105-50. So the other day I saw a set of 100-45 chromes at the music store and I picked the up and threw them on my 4001 Ric. They feel nothing like the set on the skyline. Really stiff, almost the same ad the 105s I tried a few months back. I know strings will lose some brightness over time but will the stiffness also change? I don't understand why the same set of strings feels so different?

cassius987 · #2 02-06-2011, 01:16 PM

Setup is a factor... if your Ric has high action and the Glaub low action, for instance. But most Rics I play (and the four that I own) all have very low action. Also, Rics are ever-so-slightly "short scale" which reduces the tension of any given string relative to a longer scale. (Same reason why some people think you need 35'' scale to get the low B to sound right.)

D'Addario Chromes, I have found, are very consistent, and the tension does not change much as they are broken in. So either you need to consider your setups relative to each other, or you got some possibly bad strings. When I had D'Addario Chromes on a 4003FL for a while (later switching to Fender 9050CLs), I used 40-60-80-100 gauged strings and felt like the tension was right in the middle of the spectrum.

Fender4Me · #3 02-06-2011, 01:37 PM

Chromes do feel stiffer at first to me but allot of it could be the initial stickiness,. Once they slick up a bit after a few hours, they feel looser and much easier to navigate.

Hawkeye · #4 02-06-2011, 03:06 PM

I have Chromes on my Reverend 35" Reverend 5L and they don't feel as stiff to me as Fender medium flats that I had on a Precision once. They were as stiff as rods.

88ric2030 · #5 02-11-2011, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cassius987

Setup is a factor... if your Ric has high action and the Glaub low action, for instance. But most Rics I play (and the four that I own) all have very low action. Also, Rics are ever-so-slightly "short scale" which reduces the tension of any given string relative to a longer scale. (Same reason why some people think you need 35'' scale to get the low B to sound right.)

D'Addario Chromes, I have found, are very consistent, and the tension does not change much as they are broken in. So either you need to consider your setups relative to each other, or you got some possibly bad strings. When I had D'Addario Chromes on a 4003FL for a while (later switching to Fender 9050CLs), I used 40-60-80-100 gauged strings and felt like the tension was right in the middle of the spectrum.

I have Chromes on my 4001 and they feel great and absolutely no setup work was needed. It may just be a period of adjustment for you, since it likely feels totally different than it did before. I have Chromes on three different basses which are all very different from one another, but overall I like the feel and sound much better with Chromes than the rounds that were on them before.

bassboysam · #6 02-11-2011, 07:18 PM

They seem to be loosening up a bit but the action is a little too high for my liking. The neck is straight and the bridge is as low as it goes so unless they get looser, I think I will try some labella extra lights...

I'll give it a couple more weeks.

jasper383 · #7 02-11-2011, 08:10 PM

The same strings can feel different on different basses, even if you get the setup really close. There's an X Factor involved that I haven't figured out yet, either.

I have Dunlop nickel 45-105 strings on three of my 34" scale basses, and they all feel a little different, despite me setting them all up the same..

Flats will feel a little softer over time, in my experience. Again, there's no reason for this, but it seems to be there.

Bassamatic · #8 02-11-2011, 08:20 PM

Are you sure they were Chromes? Maybe something else.

bassboysam · #9 02-11-2011, 08:22 PM

Definitely chromes...i also confirmed with the previous owner.

jgroh · #10 02-11-2011, 08:44 PM

I had the same thing. I recently threw a set of Chromes on my G&L L2000, gauges 45-100. It has been a while since I had them on, and man were they stiff. I gigged with them last weekend and I found them too stiff for my liking. I ordered a super light set and they are much better IMO.

TheSuzie · #11 02-11-2011, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassboysam

Definitely chromes...i also confirmed with the previous owner.

Any chance the first strings you played were .095s ?

bassboysam · #12 02-11-2011, 09:49 PM

I still have them and visually they look the same.

bassboysam · #13 02-12-2011, 09:34 AM

Took a closer look, and they seem a little smaller, especially the D and G strings. I re-strung the Ric with the old set and I think they could be .095s. The only way to confirm would be to buy a new set if 95s and compare.

rekesbass · #14 02-12-2011, 10:23 AM

How are you liking(or not)the Chromes on the Ric ? Are they still bright enough to let that "Ric grind" shine through?

bassboysam · #15 02-12-2011, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rekesbass

How are you liking(or not)the Chromes on the Ric ? Are they still bright enough to let that "Ric grind" shine through?

Well I tried the (.095?) set today at rehearsal and they sounded pretty good. Grind is too subjective, I'll let you decide. I'll post some clips soon.

bassboysam · #16 02-12-2011, 06:07 PM

Clips of today's rehearsal. Just some tunes we've been working on, not perfect recordings.

Here is the reocording chain.
4001 Ric > Mojo Hand Cream Pie > OxFuzz Bass > GT200 > Mid 70's Ampeg 810 > SM57 > TASCAM 4 Track Tape Recorder > Sony Soundforge > 256kbps

I mixed the bass a little louder in the mix for you guys. Also I have no idea how old these strings are. I think I prefer the the Labella's by a bit, enough to spend the extra dough anyway.

http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-...igh-in-transit

http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-...triangle-blues

http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-...-holodecks-and