Disappointed with Sadowsky flats vs Chromes?>

CrimsonGhost · #1 12-31-2010, 08:00 AM

Hi guys, Been a long time rotosound flats user who switched to a set of chromes I "settled" for since it was all a local shop had in stock..

(I finally realized how much tone I was missing out on with the rotosounds. no tone all clank.)

Heard nothing but great things about the sadowsky/Labella flats for a while now, Never saw any bad reviews on them.

Just got them on my Fender bullet bass (full 34" scale p-bass with Mustang pickups basically.) last night and gave them a go..

First off, feel wise they are NICE!,. The smoothest, shiniest flats I have even seen. Compared to the Chromes dull grey somewhat more rough feel.

Gauge wise compared to the chromes 45-100 set, the Sadowsky .105 E is not noticeably larger or much higher in tension.

The .45 G string on the Chromes are alot thicker guage but more flexible.

Tension wise, the chromes 45-100 set is very balanced.

Tone:

Chromes, Clear, thick and have that special classic P-bass woodyness to them. Very alive and articulate.

The Sadowskys: not so much alive, E while clear was lifeless,dull and low volume compared to the rest, no growl at all. Very wooly with some clear articulation up top. \

I cant seem to get that woody bite out of the sadowskys like I can with the chromes with a pick.

Overall I never thought I would say this, (I HATED chromes for years perhaps they changed in the last 8 years?) But the chromes win hands down over the Sadowskys.

Kind of disappointed with the Sadowskys, perhaps I have gotten my hopes up a bit too much?

Anyone up for a set of sadowsky 45-105 flats with 1.5hrs of play on them pretty much uncut except for less than an inch off E?.

$21 bucks shipped.

One Drop · #2 12-31-2010, 09:10 AM

Sounds like the E might be defective, twisted, or not settled on the nut. I have 2 basses set up with them and they all sing. Plenty of growl, way more than Chromes. I find them very woody on a P, the mids being a bit richer and more complex than Chromes.

Anecdotally I gather Sadowsky flats are go-to strings for modern studio players. No question about their quality or usefulness to my ears.

That said, every bass is different, and I find a lot of this difference is apparent in the voicing of the high mids. How much these mids are accentuated and around which exact frequencies will decide in a big way which strings sound best to you on a given bass. That is exactly why I like Sadowsky flats on every bass I've put them on, but Chromes on some more than others, espec ially before they break in fully.

Tusec · #3 12-31-2010, 09:24 AM

I just put a set of .045-.105 Labella flats on my Squier CV P bass last night, replacing a set of .050-.105 Chromes. My first impressions are similar to yours but I'm going to let them break in some before I pass final judgment. I have a feeling a lot of what I'm hearing in the Labellas is the same as what I heard when I first put on the Chromes -- namely that they're kinda bright rather than deep.

One thing is I had high expectations of ultra-thuddy deepness from the Labellas, because that's their reputation. But to me they sound clanky like my Chromes did early on. In terms of string tension they seem about the same as the Chromes. Fiddling with them after pulling them out of the packaging, just sort of lightly flexing them and flopping them around, they seem to have the same basic stiffness as the Chromes. They weren't more stiff, which I was kind of expecting.

I second everything you said about the Labella's texture and appearance. They're smoother than the Chromes -- you almost can't feel the windings at all when you slide along them. The Chromes are smooth too, but not that smooth. The Labellas have a nice metallic sheen versus the Chromes' distinctly un-chrome-like dull greyness. I'll also note that the Labellas have no sticky residue on them as my Chromes initially had (but which was cured pretty easily by wiping them down with alcohol).

Right now my D and G strings are really brash sounding, to the point where they're overpowering my E and A. But I think things will balance out as the set breaks in and settles down. The toppy brashness will diminish so that the low frequencies of the low strings will become proportionately larger.

I think I had to go through a lot of this with my Chromes, so I'm optimistic. I can tell the basic tone of the Labellas is good, and I really like their finish and feel, so I guess (and hope) it's just a matter now of me getting busy to break them in.

CrimsonGhost · #4 12-31-2010, 09:47 AM

Getting alot of good feedback here, I hope im not coming across as "bashing" the Sads, but I think its more certain strings work better on certain basses due to matching both the bass and strings frequency foot print.

They are different animals, Where the Sadowskys can easily get that modern tight,closed highly compressed Jamiroqui type tone, (and still do 60s motown.)

With the Chromes can be open,airy with that woody bite that to my ears can be a bit more versatile.

Perhaps I might re-try the sadowskys again, as dull E could of easily been as you said twisted, that will twist the response right out of any string.