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D'Addario chrome flats = pretty bright!

OzzyGreg

OzzyGreg

Jun 7, 2008
1,488
471
Illawarra, NSW, Australia
www.tz350.com
#1
.
A "nothing" thread really, and I'm sure this comes as no surprise to those who are familiar with these strings but.......

I recently fitted a set of D'Addario chrome flats to my P bass. (I've never used flat strings before.)
I am surprised at just how bright they are! In fact, I reckon they are almost as bright as some roundwounds I have used in the past.

.... BTW, this is not a criticism, just and observation. I love 'em so far. The smooth feel is awesome!

They are still effectively brand new, so I'm expecting them to lose some brightness with age.

Greg
 
#2
They are good strings. On my old Jazz I have the chomes on my my E & A strings and R. Cocco Nickel rounds on my D & G strings, weird, but I like it. The chromes being brite- fit right in soundwise w/out string noise on the coarser larger strings. There not as mellow/thumpy Motown as other flats, (which I like) but have a bit of rock sound to them- IMHO. P.S> I don't like a flatwound "G" string for some reason- kind of wimps out- don't mind the "D" flat though. I picked rounds that have a higher tension to match the tension of the flats as not to warp my neck in the long run.
 
#4
I've been keen on flats for a while... fitted a set of chromes this weekend. not sure I like the tension on G & D (they're .45 - .100's) but the tone is to die for. Such smooth, loud mids, and very good fundamental (I think I'm hearing low E, not just it's harmonics)

If they stay like this I'll be very happy, I've read they lose the bite after a week of playing though :(.

We'll see, I like the variety the bite / twanginess of new strings, but flats are something else. I'll never be 'flats forever' but I've found a great new sound, and the feel is something I prefer to the jaggedness of rounds.

Still digging my dying roto nickel rounds and waiting on SM77's...
 
#10
I'm about to venture into the flat realm and am curious about what gauge to get. I've been using D'Addario Nickel 45-100 sets for years. If I get the 45-100 Chromes, would it be it pretty easy transition? (And require minimal neck adjustment to compensate for the tension?)
 
#11
As flats go, Chromes are fairly high tension strings. TIs are very low tension, while GHS and Pyramid flats are somewhere in between. For your gauge of rounds, the GHS set might be a good starting point when comparing string tension.

It's certain that some adjustment of the neck will be necessary after swapping over to flats. You'll also need to set the action and intonation. I predict you'll be able to lower the action a bit without buzz issues.

Good luck!
 
#13
lm183902 said:
I'm about to venture into the flat realm and am curious about what gauge to get. I've been using D'Addario Nickel 45-100 sets for years. If I get the 45-100 Chromes, would it be it pretty easy transition? (And require minimal neck adjustment to compensate for the tension?)
Click to expand...
Yes it will. The Chromes are a little less flexible than the XL's, but the tension is about the same. I use XL's and Chromes in the same 40-95 gauges and all I've had to do when switching between the two is reset the intonation.
 
#14
JimmyM said:
Yes it will. The Chromes are a little less flexible than the XL's, but the tension is about the same. I use XL's and Chromes in the same 40-95 gauges and all I've had to do when switching between the two is reset the intonation.
Click to expand...

Thank you for pointing the difference between stiffness and tension. Chromes have a hex core making them less flexible feeling but the tension is pretty much the same as similar gauges rounds.
 
#15
I have two P-basses, one with medium Chromes and the other with lighter Labella flats. Both sets of strings are fairly old, but the Chromes still can do an "almost" roundwound tone however, without the super highs. I play with a pick a lot and really like the Labella tone there. Both are nice strings, just a little different!
 

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