Chromes - Why choose over LaBella?

[Root 5]

They're often the only flats you'll find in a lot of guitar shops. I think that likely has a lot to do with their popularity.

I think it has more to do with the behemoth D’Addario is in the string biz

 

[Mike Vee]

Price

i dont mean to be daft, but do people really care about saving 10 bucks on a set of strings that will last a decade? how is this relevant?

 

[michael_t]

This IS THE P bass sound...

They're called "Precision Flats" for a reason.

 

[Mike Vee]

They're called "Precision Flats" for a reason.

I wish Chromes sounded like GHS, I like the Chromes surface feeling better. It's a lot like Fender 9050, which I also love the feeling of but hate the sound.

 

[Just Wrong]

@Mike Vee can we get a tl;dr of this saga?

 

[foal30]

Ok, still rambling. Hopefully this thread will help someone in the future.

The thicker GHS CM3050 is where it's at. I have been playing them for a few hours straight and they are just perfect. Amazing balance, great tone, they setup nice and low. Can't wait for a few months from now to see how they develop / evolve. HIGHLY recommended. This IS THE P bass sound. Even more than LaBella, in my opinion. They translate very well to different amps, too. SO sweet sounding.

Yes that set are very nice. Cool strings

Chromes are fantastic as well... they are just a different flatwound vibe. It’s nice to have both

 

[Mike Vee]

@Mike Vee can we get a tl;dr of this saga?

Yes, I’m completely OCD about strings, and I can’t stop until I find one that I feel is perfect. I went back-and-forth between chromes, LaBella LTF, and two different gauges of GHS precision flats. In the end, on this bass, the super light Chromes treated with Eucerin cream is where I’ve decided to land. They are the most flexible out of those discussed and they have the fastest feeling. The GHS was to grabby and slow even after Eucerin and they are ultra ultra sensitive to humidity in the air, making them even more slow.

 

[Just Wrong]

Yes, I’m completely OCD about strings, and I can’t stop until I find one that I feel is perfect. I went back-and-forth between chromes, LaBella LTF, and two different gauges of GHS precision flats. In the end, on this bass, the super light Chromes treated with Eucerin cream is where I’ve decided to land. They are the most flexible out of those discussed and they have the fastest feeling. The GHS was to grabby and slow even after Eucerin and they are ultra ultra sensitive to humidity in the air, making them even more slow.

The Chromes were more flexible? Which chromes are these?

 

[Mike Vee]

The Chromes were more flexible? Which chromes are these?

These are the 4 main strings I really test on my new American Original 60s bass:

LaBella LTF - a favorite of mine but just felt too loose and sloppy on this bass.

GHS Precision 3025 - amazing tone but I didn't like the grabby feeling of the strings, or "how" they flexed. The have loose tension but still not super easy to fret, and they don't setup low without clank, They feel thin/hard but still stiff to fret.

GHS Precision CM3050 - better feel than the above but still grabby and just a very thick string.
(I cleaned both GHS before putting them on and lubed them with Eucerin cream, still grabby/slow)

Chromes ECB80 - This was the first try that started all of this, and I really liked the feel of them. They setup SUPER low without any buzz or clank, even lower than the thick GHS, and they have a very very fast surface. Even though they are 95s, they somehow still feel thick in the hand. Compared to LTF, which I have used for years, the felt stiff at first and Iw asnt feeling the tone of the Chromes. But after trying a bunch of other strings, I was missing the feel. I put them back on, tried to break them in as hard as possible, rubbed Eucerin a few times, and now they are probably my favorite P bass string. That moment hit last night where I bonded and fell in love with this bass, and Chromes are responsible for that.

I also quickly tried:
TIs - too loose and bright on this bass
Cobalt Flats: too growly and hollow/bright on this bass (I love on Stingray)
LaBella 760FX - i just don't like this string at all

 

[Just Wrong]

Grabbed a set of ECB80 today. The first set of flats I ever tried, years ago, was the ECB81. Went down the rabbit hole and never gave Chromes another try.

I'm surprised at how much I like them. Balance, both tone- and feel-wise, is nice, and, like you said, while they're 40-95, they don't feel as thin as the GHS. They feel so much better than, well, pretty much every other flats I remember trying? So smooth, but not gross-smooth like DR Legends.

I think I've come to realize something about strings: I like mellow-sounding strings, but I like them bright (Chromes vs. La Bella, GHS flats; La Bella Black Nylons vs. Pyramid and D'Addario tapes) because then I get to choose how mellow I want them to be with the tone knob.

 

[Root 5]

i dont mean to be daft, but do people really care about saving 10 bucks on a set of strings that will last a decade? how is this relevant?

I think we’d find many people’s string choices influenced by a $10 difference

 

[Mike Vee]

Grabbed a set of ECB80 today. The first set of flats I ever tried, years ago, was the ECB81. Went down the rabbit hole and never gave Chromes another try.

I'm surprised at how much I like them. Balance, both tone- and feel-wise, is nice, and, like you said, while they're 40-95, they don't feel as thin as the GHS. They feel so much better than, well, pretty much every other flats I remember trying? So smooth, but not gross-smooth like DR Legends.

I think I've come to realize something about strings: I like mellow-sounding strings, but I like them bright (Chromes vs. La Bella, GHS flats; La Bella Black Nylons vs. Pyramid and D'Addario tapes) because then I get to choose how mellow I want them to be with the tone knob.

yes! glad you like them! they will get even better over the next few weeks. after all the insanity obsessing over strings for this new bass, I have grown to love these super light Chromes. They just play so easy and fast but aren't floppy. They are NOT my favorite tone, but they aren't bad either and the playability and ease of setup makes up for the slight loss of tone (for what I do) compared to GHS / LaBella. They are just so forgiving with a really low setup. They just never seem to rattle or buzz. Hopefully a slightly evolved tone is coming soon, as most describe.

 

[Mike Vee]

I think we’d find many people’s string choices influenced by a $10 difference

that's a shame. if bass is your serious hobby or profession, and your bass costs 100s or 1000s...then why cheap out on strings, the most important part of your tone?? weird.

 

[dalkowski]

I put Chromes on my P years ago as a transition away from rounds, which I'd played all my life. I like 'em fine, but when one of 'em breaks I'll make the final transition to either LaBellas or TIs.

 

[Texican]

I’ve never tried Labella’s low tension flats, but I currently use their deep talking flats, and also currently use TI jazz flats.

I’m a big fan of EB cobalt flats, and have had good experiences with DR Legends, GHS precision flats, and Dunlop flats. I even like Fender flats.

I’ve also tried chromes a few different times, and they are my second least favorite flatwound string of all time, with Rotosound holding the title for my most hated flat. I know everyone’s opinion is different, but if my only choices were Chromes or Rotosounds, I’d just use roundwounds.

 

[Texican]

I put Chromes on my P years ago as a transition away from rounds, which I'd played all my life. I like 'em fine, but when one of 'em breaks I'll make the final transition to either LaBellas or TIs.

In my experience, Labella’s and TI jazz flats are very different, but they both have a very high quality tone and feel about them. To me they are like Ginger and Mary Anne, while Chromes are Gilligan

 

[dalkowski]

In my experience, Labella’s and TI jazz flats are very different, but they both have a very high quality tone and feel about them. To me they are like Ginger and Mary Anne, while Chromes are Gilligan

Thanks - I'll take your words under advisement, Li'L Buddy.

 

[Mike Vee]

I’ve also tried chromes a few different times, and they are my second least favorite flatwound string of all time, with Rotosound holding the title for my most hated flat. I know everyone’s opinion is different, but if my only choices were Chromes or Rotosounds, I’d just use roundwounds.

Did you ever try the super light set well broken in? Hell of a string. After applying Eucerin cream they are the farthest thing from rounds imaginable and have a really easy feel, both in tension and gliding. Im a big far of labella, TI and cobalts and now these are right up there.

 

[michael_t]

I have grown to love these super light Chromes. They just play so easy and fast but aren't floppy. They are NOT my favorite tone, but they aren't bad either and the playability and ease of setup makes up for the slight loss of tone (for what I do) compared to GHS / LaBella. They are just so forgiving with a really low setup. They just never seem to rattle or buzz. Hopefully a slightly evolved tone is coming soon, as most describe.

I can say the same thing about the Ernie Ball Group IV (40-95) stainless steel flats. Comfy but not floppy, so easy to set up for optimum playability. And I do like the tone! Smooth yet clear midrange without sounding quite as "metallic" as the Chromes.

 

[Mike Vee]

I can say the same thing about the Ernie Ball Group IV (40-95) stainless steel flats. Comfy but not floppy, so easy to set up for optimum playability. And I do like the tone! Smooth yet clear midrange without sounding quite as "metallic" as the Chromes.

how's the tension compared to super light Chromes? I remember group flats feeling a bit "harder" to fret - would you agree?