I read a thread about this the other day and was pretty intrigued. Ive got a new 30th anniversary stingray which was left my sterling collecting dust. My forecast is that ill play the stingray exclusively since i prefer almost everything about it.
I was thinking that the sterling might get some playing time if i i had some flats on it to give it some more booty.
I read that chromes are about the brightest flats you can buy but the factor that will make or break this decision is: Are they any good for tapping? Or should i justs scrap the bass and buy a 24 fretter?
well the stingray taps good, but honestly not as good as the sterling. i want to continue to develop this technique but i dont want to keep two very similar basses.
Yeah they sound different, but in a live situation, they both sound like they've got a really big humbucker near the bridge.
So im assuming flats will change the sterlings tone enough for me to justify keeping it, but would tapping be out of the question.
I might just have to take the plunge and try it out.
tapping isn't out of the question, in my opinion. Chromes are my favorite strings ever, I string them on an Aria. I tap all the time on that. Sounds great and plays great1
no prob! they're great strings, I love how they play and how they sound. I have a stingray too, but I would never string it with flats on principal . but if you have a spare (like a sterling), i say go for it! One thing that i like about the chromes are that you can slide very easy with them. I find my self sliding more when I tap, so that aspect is very appealing to me.
I loved the booty that chromes gave my stingray; that nice fundamental thump that only flats provide. The chromes also calmed down the over brightness (to my ear) of the Stingray with roundwounds on it. Flats, however, don't tap nearly a easily as rounds.
For me personally, the only tapping I do is at home practicing technique, or goofing around with the drummer before our official rehearsal starts. For my real life praise band gig, the thump of the chromes comes in far more handy and useful than my very limited tapping skills ever would. I have grown to really like what flats bring to the table.
. but if you have a spare (like a sterling), i say go for it! One thing that i like about the chromes are that you can slide very easy with them. I find my self sliding more when I tap, so that aspect is very appealing to me.
