Gauge/Tension/Action confusion (flats)...

[makkE]

I'm confused.

got my new bass, Yamaha 1024 BB...

I put some flats on it (105-50 chromes), but I couldn't get the action anywhere comfortably playable without buzz.

Took it to my trusted dealer, and he said the action I wanted was pretty much impossible. (I had it set up the way I'd like it to be, with the buzz occuring).
He is setting the bass up at the moment, so I can see how it feels when set up by a pro (he has 40 years of experience, so I trust his judgement).

Now I am confused. With the rounds on it, it felt perfect, a lot easier to play, and the action at least felt a lot lower.
Is this due to the high tension of those chromes?

Do I need less tension and a smaller gauge of flats to get the same nice feel?

I am not too experienced in setup and flats.. on my squier, I could get a playable action even with the heavy labellas.

Would the lightest set of chromes feel better, or do I need a low tension-flat like TI ?

[FunkMetalBass]

Chromes are probably both higher tension and less flexible than the rounds you previously had on them. With that in mind, you should be able to achieve a lower action than you could with the rounds.

If you didn't adjust your truss rod too, the strings likely put more relief into your neck, increasing the string height over the board.

As far as fretting ability, that's tough to compare. With an equivalent setup (same string height everywhere), the Chromes should feel harder to play because they are stiffer and harder to fret. However, with lower action, the difference in fretting ability should be moot.

[Jay2U]

A 50 to 105 set of chromes produces a lot of tension. I'm using the 45 - 100 set (ECB81), which is also a bit stiff. The D-string is the toughest. It produces over 23 kg (51 lb) of tension. I'm trying to get an ECB84 set which is a little lighter like 40, 60, 80, 100.

[makkE]

Thanks for trying to help.

As it turned out, the fretwork on the bass is shabby.
It's being sent back to Yamaha now, with an angry letter from my dealer...

He said it was the first time he saw a bad Yamaha... Had to be me of course...

So, back to the old Squier for a week ...

[Jay2U]

I feel sorry for you. Fortunately you've got a good dealer over there, who wants to help. Let's hope the problem will be solved to your satisfaction. The Yamahas I tried in the local store were always in good condition.