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Chromes - do the highs stay or go?

Chromes - do the highs stay after broken in?

  • They stay - you get thump with clarity

    Votes: 52 58.4%
  • They go - all you get is dull thud

    Votes: 18 20.2%
  • No freakin idea - carrots

    Votes: 19 21.3%

  • Total voters
    89
Thanks, you beat me to those comments so I don't need to repeat them.

I usually have them on one of my basses. I like Labellas for exactly what you mentioned: I think Labellas have a tastier low end. But Chromes have a nice high end after breaking them in, and they retain it for a long time.
For some reason when I play Chromes on a P bass, the sound, it reminds me of Bruce Thomas.
I like that :)
 
They probably are newer strings but in my opinion the Chromes lacked in all categories. Lows, mids and highs. I had Chromes on a fretless and replaced them with Monel flats and have been on for a few years and have held up better than the Chromes did
I take it that is with new strings, right?

Maybe, it'd be cool if there was a comparison video using, say, 5-6 year old sets to see how they change over time.
 
For some reason when I play Chromes on a P bass, the sound, it reminds me of Bruce Thomas.
I like that :)

I've had them on Js, PJs, and my Grabber and they do their thing nicely on them all. I love their growl when played with a pick, although, as someone mentioned earlier, that depends just as much on the signal chain.

They are plenty bright for me when broken in for fusion played up the neck. They have a mellowness in the upper register that sounds good for a very long time.

I'm putting them on my Aerodyne this weekend sometime. They're replacing some Fender flats. I just don't like them as much broken in as I do the Chromes. I just wrapped some Labellas around the posts of my new #1 last night, replacing the Chromes.

So for my tastes, Labellas>Chromes>>Fender flats. But I could play Chromes for the rest of my days and be perfectly happy.
 
I'm also in the Chrome's camp closely followed by Fender 9050s. I really like zingy new flats and tend to change them pretty frequently so I honestly can't attest to really old ones. I sure do like new ones though and I'm good with their feel both texture and tension-wise.
I have a short scale P with Chromes and a long scale P with Fender 9050. Both sets have the same playing time in them. I find the Fenders have a honky midrange and not much high end, whereas the Chromes are scooped in the mids and have a nice top end. Very different tones. Is it the strings or the scale lengths?
 
I grew up in a time where we were all trying to get away from that flat wound sound. Our heroes were Chris Squire, Stanley Clarke, Jaco, etc. It's difficult to "un-hear" the sounds you tried to stay away from as a kid. I am certainly accepting of all bass tones and strings, but flats just aren't my cup of tea. I've always liked that kind of "springy' sound from rounds.
 
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I use Chromes on a lot of basses. I have three sporting them right now
I think they hold up pretty well for a long time, but will eventually go, what I call dead, can be a year or two depending on how much an instrument is getting played. Then I change them. Really depends a lot on the bass, the EQ and the tone you use. For recording I can get that Chuck Rainy tone out of them almost no matter the age. For Live the need to have a bit more clank left in them.
I have a similar experience with TI flats which I have on 3 basses.
 
I have a short scale P with Chromes and a long scale P with Fender 9050. Both sets have the same playing time in them. I find the Fenders have a honky midrange and not much high end, whereas the Chromes are scooped in the mids and have a nice top end. Very different tones. Is it the strings or the scale lengths?
Can't stand Chromes for that very reason, they have a massive mid scoop and the mids that do have seem to be in that annoying muddy mid bass area
 
Just put a set of 105-50 on my P.
Great strings - love the tension and tone!
20210204_113455.jpg
 
I have a short scale P with Chromes and a long scale P with Fender 9050. Both sets have the same playing time in them. I find the Fenders have a honky midrange and not much high end, whereas the Chromes are scooped in the mids and have a nice top end. Very different tones. Is it the strings or the scale lengths?
I would think in your case that it's more the strings. Now if they were reversed on the scale length I would guess the opposite. Keep in mind I don't have a degree in rocket appliances.
 
I grew up in a time where we were all trying to get away from that flat wound sound. Our heroes were Chris Squire, Stanley Clarke, Jaco, etc. It's difficult to "un-hear" the sounds you tried to stay away from as a kid. I am certainly accepting of all bass tones and strings, but flats just aren't my cup of tea. I've always liked that kind of "springy' sound from rounds.
I dig that because that was my time zone ;)
Yet as I grew in my music appreciation I found myself exploring the bass sounds I didn't appreciate at the time.

Over the years I've, like many, have gathered more than one bass. So now I can experiment with different sounds and strings. I have played Chromes on a spare P bass. Now I'm running La Bella 1954s, the James Jamerson, Duck Dunn strings 52-110 :) Doing the whole bridge cover sponge rubber mute thing.
It's glorious:)
 
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I dig that because that was my time zone ;)
Yet as I grew in my music appreciation I found myself exploring the bass sounds I didn't appreciate at the time.

Over the years I've, like many, have gathered more than one bass. So now I can experiment with different sounds and strings. I have played Chromes on a spare P bass. Now I'm running La Bella 1954s, the James Jamerson, Duck Dunn strings 52-110 :) Doing the whole bridge cover sponge rubber mute thing.
It's glorious:)
I'd love to try the 1954s but I'm afraid I'll run out of truss rod. Massive tension. My P has a modern C neck which is quite thin. What say you?
 
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