Chromes - do the highs stay or go?

[basss]

I've been trying a bunch of different strings on my p bass trying to find the right fit. Flats are doing it for me and I've gone through a few sets but haven't found the right fit. I love the thump but want to retain some highs - I'm not necessarily going after an old school tone. I'm not going for a mid forward sound prefer something with more depth and brightness. So far Dunlops have gotten me close but once they settle they're a bit dark for me.

This brings me to chromes. I've read a bunch of reviews here but there seems to be a lot of disagreement. Some say they settle to a dull thud and others say there's highs that never leave even after broken in.

 

[blacktocomm]

I have multiple basses wearing Chromes and every set has dulled considerably. You may want to give the Ernie Ball cobalt flats a spin. Ive had them on my Peavey T20 for a few years now and they have retained their highs much more than the Chromes.

 

[One Way]

On my p bass I've sampled Chromes, LaBella Deep Talkin Flats, EB Cobalt Flats, and GHS Precision Flats. For my ears and MIM Fender P, the favorites are Chromes and GHS. The GHS definitely have a really cool old school "woody" sound. The Chromes loose some of their new string zing however, in my experience retain plenty of highs so that the bass tone knob offers a wide selection of available tone.

The more I see opinions related to string tone the more I think there is a correlation with the amp we're playing through to come to our conclusion. Just my opinion.

 

[wraub]

I've been using Chromes for years, mainly because they're always easy to find, and they work. They are not my favorite flatwound sound for all things, but ime they get pretty close for most things, and they retain plenty of highs, which works well in live situations especially well.
If anything, I wish there was more thump, but EQ can help with that.
They work well for recording, too.

I think my current set has been on for about 4 years.

 

[michael_t]

I love the thump but want to retain some highs - I'm not necessarily going after an old school tone. I'm not going for a mid forward sound prefer something with more depth and brightness. So far Dunlops have gotten me close but once they settle they're a bit dark for me.

Fender 9050 = Full-bodied and punchy bottom with nice low-mid grind and smooth top.

This brings me to chromes. I've read a bunch of reviews here but there seems to be a lot of disagreement. Some say they settle to a dull thud and others say there's highs that never leave even after broken in.

I've tried the Chromes ECB84, 40-60-80-100.

They started out alright, but the 100E eventually lost clarity and definition, while the 40G stayed annoyingly bright and "twangy". No such issue with the Fender 9050L (45-60-80-100).

 

[MCS4]

In my experience, Chromes have more high end than most flats, and this stays true as they get worn in. However, there definitely is a significant drop in highs over time, as is the case with every set of flats or rounds of any kind that I have tried. So, a worn-in set of Chromes will have more highs than an equally worn set of most other flats, but it still will be a noticeably less than a brand new set.

 

[jallenbass]

Here's what mine sounds like at 4 years of age. Fender American Standard Precision with Lindy Fralin stock wound pickups.

 

[basss]

Fender 9050 = Full-bodied and punchy bottom with nice low-mid grind and smooth top.\

I did try the fenders. I like them but they are a more mid focused sound. The mids that are there are sweet but I missed the thump of the Dunlops and the Dunlops have fat mids too. I can maybe see the Fenders sitting in a dense mix better but the Dunlops sound sweeter IMO. Looking for more of a scooped sound than either of these strings have - more upper mids than the Dunlops but more thump and edge than the Fenders.

Here's what mine sounds like at 4 years of age. Fender American Standard Precision with Lindy Fralin stock wound pickups.

That actually sounds pretty sweet! Still a fair amount of upper mid clarity for sure. Do these still thump like flats when amplified?

 

[michael_t]

Looking for more of a scooped sound than either of these strings have - more upper mids than the Dunlops but more thump and edge than the Fenders.

You're describing the La Bella DTF.

 

[basss]

You're describing the La Bella DTF.

I've tried both the DTFs and LTFs on different basses. IME they get too dark. They get a beautiful smokey thump but in some of the denser mixes I play in it comes off as a very simple thumpy sine wave like sound. The upper mids fade too much to let any growl come through in a mix. The overall presentation is a bit more old school than what I'm looking for.

 

[Killing Floor]

There are overtones in some positions. The brightness out of the package settles down after several hours and then they are consistent for months. I like them. If the tension feels goof to you they'll be a favorite. They seem to last longer than 77s.

If you can't bond with light tension strings like TI you'll love the Chromes. They do have a great attack.

 

[wraub]

Agreed on the tension- the feel is important, and Chromes to me feel good and are very consistent.

 

[jallenbass]

That actually sounds pretty sweet! Still a fair amount of upper mid clarity for sure. Do these still thump like flats when amplified?

To my ears they do.

 

[Jeff Scott]

This recording was made with 8 year old Chromes that have been swapped out a couple times on different basses.

 

[SLPimp]

Only flats I'll play. I love bright, clanky strings. I play pro steels exclusively, unless I have a bass with too much treble (like a Mustang) and the Chromesleg me keep some of my preferred tone.

 

[iiipopes]

In my experience, they start out almost as zingy as steel rounds. Then they fade to the horrible, torturous, death of worthless thud.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Some say they settle to a dull thud

It's mostly the same person who writes that. Which is not to say nobody then subscribes to those posts, but most of them do have the same author.


Can I venture the hypothesis that it may depend on the individual's skin chemistry, just like with other strings?

 

[Phaidrus]

This recording was made with 8 year old Chromes that have been swapped out a couple times on different basses.

Nice thumpy tone!

 

[AceOfBassFace]

I really liked the sound, feel and stiffness of chromes on my P, but they really lacked highs or high mids after settling in for a month or so. Ended up taking them off and going back to rotosound swing bass ss roundwounds for my main P.

TI flats are much brighter with more pronounced high mids, but aren't as stiff as I like. I have those on another P. The stiffness is about the same as a medium-light roundwound set. That said - they do sound really great, and they're quite a bit easier to play for long gigs.

 

[Andy V.]

The Chromes loose some of their new string zing however, in my experience retain plenty of highs so that the bass tone knob offers a wide selection of available tone.

+1
That's been my experience as well.

My Yamaha BB is strung with an 11YO set of .45 Chromes and, even though that new string zing faded away a long time ago, I used to play this bass live very often before the pandemic and, with an outboard pre and comp, it sat really well in the mix for hip hop, pop and classic rock.