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Ever wonder why Chromes are fairly bright for flats?

ggvicviper

ggvicviper

The Barky One
Supporting Member
Jul 16, 2011
3,000
1,339
East Meadow, NY, USA
#1
I love Chromes. They are capable of fairly bright tones for a flatwound string, as well as the thump.

I was putting on an old D'Addario Chrome B string on a bass, and the string broke at a point, unwinding the flat ribbon. I found something interesting inside:

Link Removed

Yep! Chromes are flat steel windings wrapped around a roundwound string. No wonder they are brighter than your average flat. For those of you that already knew this, sorry to repeat the info, but I just found this out. Very shocking!
 
#5
Yea tapewounds are the same and I found out how easy they are tto cut and have unwrap :hmm:

That is interesting to know on the Chromes and can see why they never break. I think TI JF have silk or thread under them between the core or am I wrong?
 
#6
bassbully said:
Yea tapewounds are the same and I found out how easy they are tto cut and have unwrap :hmm:

That is interesting to know on the Chromes and can see why they never break. I think TI JF have silk or thread under them between the core or am I wrong?
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Yeah, I bumped the bass a little on a doorway and the A string unwound quickly. I must have bumped it just in the right place.

TI flats have a silk layer between the wraps. I think they are the only ones who do that.
 
#7
jasper383 said:
Yeah, I bumped the bass a little on a doorway and the A string unwound quickly. I must have bumped it just in the right place.

TI flats have a silk layer between the wraps. I think they are the only ones who do that.
Click to expand...

If memory serves, many upright steel strings are wound in a similar fashion, thought it might not be silk exactly. It keeps them somewhat flexible and also provides a natural sort of mute to keep strings from sustaining for an unnecessarily long time (a bow is used for infinite sustain if needed).
 
#14
JimmyM said:
I honestly don't think of Chromes as bright at all. I think LaBellas and TI's are way brighter. For that reason, I usually use Chromes ;)
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Looks like they're not so different after all, huh? I remember you not digging the TIs for basically being what you can see in that picture of the Chromes.

Chromes and TIs are all I've played for the last few years, and this definitely adds an interesting spin. IME, the Chromes are by far the brighter string - bright enough to pass for rounds in the first few months. The distinction to me is the midrange voice and tension, but honestly, they're both just plain great.
 
#16
superfunk47 said:
Looks like they're not so different after all, huh? I remember you not digging the TIs for basically being what you can see in that picture of the Chromes.
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Yeah, well what the hell do I know about making strings? ;)

Well OK, it's something else making TI's sound like rounds in disguise. Silk wrapping keeping dirt out maybe?
 
#17
OzzyGreg said:
.


Really?
I definately hear a brighter tone from Chromes compared to TI JF344 flats.
Mind you, both sets are near new. Maybe with age they will swap "brightness scale" position?

Just goes to show how different all of our ears are! :)
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Ya, the Chromes will go dead while the TI's never go dead. I swear the set I had were as bright as the day I bought them 4 months later.

But LaBellas took the cake for being bright, but in a totally thumpy dead-string way.

At least that's how I hear them. As always, YMMV.
 

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