Flatwounds and a sore left hand...

[Evil Undead]

Originally Posted by Groove Doctor

^ tune down a semitone and see if it's easier = Action and nut the same, just slightly lower tension. If easier, def buy lighter gauge for standard tuning.

I tried this, and yeah it's definitely a good bit easier. Do the 45-105's tuned to Eb have a similar tension to the 40-100's tuned to E? If so, it may well be worth trying them.

[Thaos627]

I use fender tapewounds which are flat on the surface with a round wound string underneath. I can get any sound out of them I want & since they are medium tension they never bothered my hands.

I know a lot of people who love chromes & lately they've been swiching to hartke flats or fender flats.

Oh & the gauge makes little difference on tension (not enough to actually notice) my strings are 58-110 but have medium tension which feels really really loose.

[awilkie84]

I can't think of why they'd hurt your left hand, unless your action/relief hasn't been adjusted to handle the increased tension of that set.
I play them on my P-5 and previously on my Jazz 5 & loved them. My right hand was always the sorer of the two, as it took more to move the strings. Are you doing a lot of vibrato & bending with your left?

[Pbass4003]

Looking for help for the reverse scenario here... Guage question for Chromes users

Maybe this thread will help the OP too.

[Lo-E]

As so many others have posted, yes; going one guage lighter will help a lot and it will not change the sound very much.

I got lucky when I first switched to flats: A friend had switched only a year or so earlier and said "Y'know, E, you might want to buy a set that's one gauge down from the set you use for roundwounds". He was right. I go back and forth between rounds and flats often, and all my basses with flats are sporting lighter gauges than the ones using rounds and I've found that the tension is pretty consistent.

I'm going to throw this out there, too, but it can be a controversial topic, so take it with a grain of salt: You could try Thomastic-Infeld flats.
I know, I know... there are a bunch of people here who just suggest TI flats no matter what the OP needs. Honest, I'm not going there.
TI flats are much lower tension than most other flats. They're very flexible as well. The result is a string that actually feels even floppier than roundwounds. So floppy, in fact, that a lot of people don't care for them. They also don't sound like Chromes at all. They have more of a mid-range emphasis. People tend to be pretty divided on TIs, so all I can say is, you might want to check them out and see for yourself.

[Road-Dog]

How long have you been playing and how many hours a week do you play? Maybe you just need to strengthen your left hand. Never had this problem and I have been using Chromes 105-45 for years on my Precision. I do not like the sound of the lighter gauge or the feel.

[Rip Topaz]

Originally Posted by bassbully

From a long time Chromes user go to the lights 100-40 ga. I tried the 105's and they were to much. Also give it some time and set those suckers low, flats are made for that.

+1, go light gauge and lower the action.

[Pbass4003]

Originally Posted by Road-Dog

How long have you been playing and how many hours a week do you play? Maybe you just need to strengthen your left hand. Never had this problem and I have been using Chromes 105-45 for years on my Precision. I do not like the sound of the lighter gauge or the feel.

Where can I get Chromes 105-45? Is that a custom med/med-light gauge? Please tell me where I can get those...

😐

[king_biscuit]

Originally Posted by Evil Undead

Is it all in my head, or is it something that I'll get used to?

That is not a particularly stiff gauge/set of strings. Stick with them and let your hands get stronger; you will play better and sound better.

[ubnomnar]

Almost all the D'Addario pre-packaged string sets are poorly balanced with tensions all over the place. Take a look at their tension charts and you'll see what I mean. The D is tight and the E comparatively floppy if you just go by factory tension ratings. IE... the 45-100 set of Chromes:

G - .045 - 45.7 lbs
D - .065 - 52.0 lbs Too tight
A - .080 - 43.7 lbs
E - .100 - 38.4 lbs Too floppy

I've used 40-100 and 45-100 Chromes and I'm looking forward to ordering a couple relatively balanced sets... 40, 55, 75, 100 and maybe a 45, 60, 80, 110.

BassStringsOnline recently posted that D'Addario will be making their strings available as singles so you'll now be able to create a custom set of "balanced' Chromes.

I've been ordering my own balanced sets of Prosteels singles from BassStringsOnline and they are great.

[bassfart]

Originally Posted by Pbass4003

Where can I get Chromes 105-45? Is that a custom med/med-light gauge? Please tell me where I can get those...

dde10

Bassstringsonline

[ubnomnar]

Originally Posted by Pbass4003

Where can I get Chromes 105-45? Is that a custom med/med-light gauge? Please tell me where I can get those...

��

Originally Posted by bassfart

Bassstringsonline

Nope... here's what bassstringsonline has... http://www.bassstringsonline.com/DAd...-Set_p_95.html

ECB81S - Short Scale 45-100: .045 .065 .080 .100
ECB81M - Medium Scale 45-100: .045 .065 .080 .100
ECB80 - Long Scale 40-095: .040 .060 .075 .095
ECB84 - Long Scale 40-100: .040 .060 .080 .100
ECB81 - Long Scale 45-100: .045 .065 .080 .100
ECB82 - Long Scale 50-105: .050 .070 .085 .105
ECB80SL - Super Long 40-095: .040 .060 .075 .095
ECB81SL - Super Long 45-100: .045 .065 .080 .100

D'Addario doesn't list a 45-105 set either: http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFa...68&familyid=18

[FretlessMainly]

Originally Posted by capcom

You probably didnt notice it before when you were using lighter gauge strings because the force to press the strings on the fret was still at a managable level for you. But once you switched to heavy gauge strings thus the tension increased the problem arised more significantly.

This causes extremely unneccessary tension on left hand at especially from first to ~like 5th or 7th fret...

"Extremely unnecessary" being a subjective term stated as fact.

I like this extra work. 20 years as a double bass player and I don't want my electrics to feel like a cheap toy in my hands. Just an FYI. One man's perfection is another man's pile of crap.

[Pbass4003]

FYI I was sort of trolling about the 45-105 set (with a hope of being proven wrong). It doesn't exist. Reg light is 45-100, Medium is 50-105. I would be a happy camper if there was a 45-105 set because I love the (IMO) supple feel of the reg light set, but would love some more tension on my E for the rare occasion when I drop my Hipshot to D.

[joelb79]

Originally Posted by Rip Topaz

Two suggestions:

Try the lighter gauge, as suggested.

And also, wait a few days, let them settle in, and do a complete setup. Lowering the action helps, but you'll have to kinda train yourself to play lighter to compensate or you'll end up choking the notes.
Setup is EVERYTHING when it comes to flats. If they're too hard to play, your setup needs tweaked.

+1, especially the setup advise. That set of chromes you bought (which is probably 105-50 if the E is 105) has a higher tension of around 45-50lbs per string, way above what most rounds have. Try lowering your action by adjusting the truss rod to remove the added relief.

[Road-Dog]

My mistake, pardon me 105-50. I just meant thick and heavy and forgot the actual gauge of the G string. Have not put a new set on in a couple years.