Dry strings? (flats on an ABG)

[guizzy]

Seeing all the hype about Flats on a ABG, I decided yesterday to buy a set of Chromes for my Takamine (I chose Chromes because, well, they and Fenders are pretty much the only Flats I can find locally; and because I liked them on another bass). Now I took them out of the packet and something felt different about them compared to the set I used on my other bass. They felt somewhat dry.

Thing is; I wasn't sure I'm not just imagining things then. I took out the other Chrome-strung bass and sure enough, the strings looked much shinier on it. Anyways, I strung the ABG and well... It was much brighter than I expected; sounded a lot like the Elixir bronze phosphor I had on before. That, and the dryness of the strings was causing some kind of squeaky finger noise each time I plucked a string. In my opinion this is much worse than the sliding finger noise I got on the bronze phosphor; at least, that I could fix by correcting my fretting hand technique, but I'm not sure if that sound is expected of flats on an ABG, if I just forgot how the strings were when I first installed them on my other bass, but I'm very disappointed so far...

So I'd like it if someone who tried Chromes (or similar flats) on an ABG could chime in... Should I tough it out and wait 'till the strings get a bit more broken in, or have I obviously gotten a lemon and I should send them back to D'Addario?

[Buskman]

The broken in set of Chromes are most likely shinier due to the fact that they've been played more - by playing them, you've been giving them a good buffing!

As for the tonal difference, Chromes are pretty bright initially - they take a little while to break in (anywhere from a week to a month, depending on how much you play that particular instrument).

I'd say give them a chance. Play them for a bit, let them break in properly and judge them from there. You should be happy with the end result, IMO.

Good luck!

[fretlessguy]

Buskman hit the nail on the head. They will settle down after some playing. If you play regularly, give it a couple to 4 or 5 weeks.

[StrungGutz]

While they may settle down, their tension will not change.

[Buskman]

Originally Posted by StrungGutz

While they may settle down, their tension will not change.

Where is it mentioned in the OP that they're not happy with the tension on the Chromes? In fact, they said:

Originally Posted by guizzy

(I chose Chromes because, well, they and Fenders are pretty much the only Flats I can find locally; and because I liked them on another bass).

I think the 'settle down' bit is in reference to the brightness of the string, not the tension.

[guizzy]

Oh, I have no problem with the tension; in fact, tension is the main advantage they have over the bronze phosphor set I had on before in my opinion; it's much easier to play powerfully without having the strings flopping around, causing horrible fret buzz.

The main problem to me is the feeling of the strings. The other set, and I'm fairly sure it was that way out of the box, feels smooth and buttery. The new one feels dry. There seems to be a lot of friction between the strings and my fingers. I'm just not certain I'm not "feeling" this more because it's on an acoustic, which amplifies the squeaky finger noise. I tried Fast Fret, but it didn't seem to make an appreciable difference.

Now, I've tried them again yesterday and I've adjusted my technique to alleviate that (faster, stronger attack)... I'm not disliking them as much as I did the day before that, but I'm still wondering if I got a defective set and it should really be smooth and shiny as on my other bass.

[Buskman]

Originally Posted by guizzy

I'm not disliking them as much as I did the day before that

And you'll probably like them a little more the day after that... and the day after that... and the day after that...

See where I'm going with this?

Flats are like a fine wine... they get better with age. Give 'em some time!