D'Addario Chromes vs. Rotosound Steve Harris
 

I'm looking for a little more tension, so would simply stepping up from Chromes ECB80XL (.040-.095), to ECB81XL (.045-.100) on a Precision Bass be the right path to follow?

OR

Would Rotosound Steve Harris Signatures (.050-.110) be too much of a jump in terms of stiffness, in your opinion?

Any other suggestions?

How long do your strings need to be? The D'Adadrio Extra Longs are 38" from Ball to Silk and the Steve Harris are 37" Ball to Silk. If you need the full 38" the Steve Harris will not be long enough.

New Steve Harris flats were recently released so you would need to compare to those which tension remained the same but the surface of the string has been polished more so are more silky feeling than the other Jazz Bass 77 and previous Steve Harris flats.

Rotosound does have other flats available in other gauges as well.

Since I plan on running the strings top-loaded, long scale will be fine. I like how the new Harris strings are being described as smooth and polished, while other Roto flats are described as rough, so I'm likely to avoid them. Seems Rotosounds are usually the finger and fret killers! IME anyways, so Rotos have always been associated in my mind as the rudest, most destructive string out there.

My apologies, I read XL Chromes as Extra Long not XL sorry :D

Rotosound Flats I have never heard described as Rough. Those may be the Swing Bass 66 Stainless Rounds.

Roto SS Rounds are what I'm familiar with, as being destructive. With that in mind, along with what I've heard about their flats being rough too, I'd written them off and switched to D'Addario awhile back. Perhaps it was misinformation, but it was also said that Chromes were polished and much smoother in comparison.

Rotosound flats are a different animal from other flats... In fact, most flats are different enough from others in many cases.

D'Addario Chromes - the outer windings are close together and have a high polish on them.

Rotosound Jazz Bass 77's / Harris - E and A string outer windings have a slight gap. At first they may feel sticky, but this feeling goes away quickly... It is usually from the final polishing process they feel like this. (and many other brands are like this too when it comes to brand new flats, even very expensive ones).

What kind of tension are you looking for?

The Steve Harris strings are the stiffest I've ever played. I took mine off because they were too stiff, and I like stiff strings.

The Chromes I've started out with (.040-.095) are a bit "rubbery", which was kind of unexpected, considering every other set of flats I've ever tried in the past were too stiff. Now, factoring in the way you've described the Harris set, they won't add up to what I'm after.. Looks like I'm going to play it safe, and go with something in the .045 range. I've got to get a set on this coming week for a gig, so may as well stick with what I know and do the Chromes.

Thanks for the input!

I use the Steve Harris set. They are stiff...but I heard a HUGE difference between them and other strings I've used. Been using them for 9 months now...at first I was pissed at how stiff they were but they just sounded so damn good I just did (and still do) a bunch of endurance exercises and still practice a lot to keep in shape...because using them is a workout.

The Harris set are bridge cables. Super stiff strings, but they sound awesome and are quite unique compared to other flats. Be prepared to do some truss rod tweaking. I might order a set of the new ones for a bass I typically keep tuned to D.

I don't know how Steve Harris does it. He plays these crazy, crazy lines on winch cables... Dude is a freak! I DON'T want to shake his hand...OUCH!

Strings made it in in record time, thanks bassstringsonline!!

Anyway, definitely more tension in the new set. Don't think I would've liked the Steve Harris set after all.

You have the best username on TalkBass. ATHF = win.

I've heard horror stories of the Harris set cracking nuts. Is this true? I'd love to try them, I love higher tension, but not at the cost of a new nut.