First time using chromes

[elBandito]

My local shop only carried these in light(40-100 I think), so I tried a set on my 08 mia P. They were just long enough to clear the nut, so I strung them thru body. These strings appear to be less tension than the stock fender rounds, as the neck has less relief with them on. A, D and G strings went on and was intonated without any problems. The E string saddle had to be moved all the way back to get it right.

I only played about ~5 hours on them and they're still zingy like rounds, but:
-The E string sounds very weak compared to other 3 strings.
-These strings are very sticky, I'm assuming because of the slick surface and lower tension. Fretting is ok, but my plucking fingers keep sticking and mess up my timing.
-They sound like dead rounds, but the broken in nickles sounded better.

I will keep them on for a few months to see how they break in. So far, Im still a fan of nickle rounds.

[Ric5]

Flats are cool in a weird way ... but they tend to be one dimensional ... I can never get past the clicky sound ...

For me the best flat sound is Dean Markley flats on an acoustic fretless bass.

[Joe Smithberger]

Since you moved the saddle, you may want to check your pickup height on the E. It may now be slightly further away from the pickup. Chromes and TI's both are kinda sticky out of the package. I always wipe down new flats with FastFret or other string cleaner. Once they are clean, I think you'll see the sticky feel go away.

[fretlessguy]

I preferred nickel rounds myself for many years. But I tried giving flats a new shot since so many of the styles I play were folk/roots types. It had been 1997 since I last tried them out.
Now my view of them has totally changed. Of my 7 basses, three still have nickel rounds. On the others I have GHS Precision flats and TI nickel Jazz flats. I am a happy camper. One of the ones that still has rounds, my 74 Jazz, is about to have a set of Chromes put on before long. I really enjoyed them when I used them before, but it really didn't seem to fit what styles I was playing at the time.
My fives will remain to stay with nickel rounds, so I can have basses with rounds on them for recording and when requested. I prefer rounds on my fivers anyway.

[elBandito]

Update: I re-strung the flats using bridge thru and all 4 strings sounds more even now. Now I see what the hype is all about.

[BillMason]

Originally Posted by elBandito

I will keep them on for a few months to see how they break in. So far, Im still a fan of nickle rounds.

I too have been a fan of nickle rounds, and also tried Chromes several months ago, determined to give them a couple of months to settle in and season properly. I'm still using them, and it must be more than six months now since I made the change.