D'Addario Chromes Flatwound question

[SquierBender]

dirty how so? what did you clean them with?

Plain old rubbing alcohol with some paper towels works.

I had the same do the same thing, just with a towel.
About the strings, these are great! Bright, but not to bright. You could even slap these! I found them to last 3 weeks, before the B and E went dead. Then I boil them and they sound new! These are perhaps the perfect fretless string. You also get players points on the packging for free Daddrio merchandise

 

[Mastermold]

I've never had a nicer, warmer sounding flat, on my old Precision, than the LaBella's. Just listen to Pino's P-Bass tone (he uses them on most of the other basses, as well). Different strokes...

Pino actually uses TI flats on his famous P-bass, but LaBella flats are great too. Personally I use both.

 

[Craig_S]

Pino actually uses TI flats on his famous P-bass, but LaBella flats are great too. Personally I use both.

I just watched Where The Light Is, to see for sure what he was using. I didn't see any red silk on the ball ends of the strings. That time around, it was wearing LaBella's. In the studio with PSP, his bass was wearing LaBella. I know the Pino sig model comes with TI's. I'm very sure he switches back and forth.

I should say I'm a long time fan of D'Addario strings. I have nothing against them. I used that brand for many years.

EDIT: I just got a better view of Pino's sig bass on the video. There is red silk on the ball end. He's using Thomastic Infeld flats.

 

[1954bassman]

I have Chromes on one of my G&Ls (L2500 fretted), and my thoughts are they are a stiff, and a very bright flat, I like them. Very smooth, and no fret rattle. I have TI Jazz flats on my L2500 fretless, completely different. Low tension, and very thick sounding.

chromes would probaby be a better choice at an outdoor gig where it would get very hot. TIs get rubbery, the chromes would play out stiffer in the heat.

 

[officialjlox]

When you guys say "bright" flat, how do they compare with rounds? Still significantly warmer or close to brightness of a round?

I had Roto flats on my Jazz a while back, but didn't like them for the music I was playing at the time. I'm either thinking of going back to them or to Chromes when I get my highway one P (eventually)

I like the idea of high tension flats on a P, but at the same time I don't necessarily want them so crazy that I need to worry about my neck needing adjusting. When I buy the P, I intend to have it setup immediately before leaving the store with a set of flats. I'm just deciding on which

 

[Mastermold]

When you guys say "bright" flat, how do they compare with rounds? Still significantly warmer or close to brightness of a round?

I had Roto flats on my Jazz a while back, but didn't like them for the music I was playing at the time. I'm either thinking of going back to them or to Chromes when I get my highway one P (eventually)

I like the idea of high tension flats on a P, but at the same time I don't necessarily want them so crazy that I need to worry about my neck needing adjusting. When I buy the P, I intend to have it setup immediately before leaving the store with a set of flats. I'm just deciding on which

I really like how Chromes sounds on a P-bass. And they do mellow with age just like any other flats, they just start off brighter than most. If you like tension, the heavier guage (.105 to .055) set is what you may want but the next set down (.100 to .045) is the set I tend to prefer.

 

[Mastermold]

I just watched Where The Light Is, to see for sure what he was using. I didn't see any red silk on the ball ends of the strings. That time around, it was wearing LaBella's. In the studio with PSP, his bass was wearing LaBella. I know the Pino sig model comes with TI's. I'm very sure he switches back and forth.

Could be. I switch with these all the time, no reason he couldn't too. I've got three P-basses I'm using right now, two with TI flats (one is a fiver) and one with LaBella 760FL flats. I've also got La Bella 760FLs on a Jazz and a G&L L-2000. Great strings, both of them.

 

[60's Bluesman]

the flats on my bass right now are from the mid 70's lol, they wont stay in tune tho so im hoping its the strings are wore out and not something more serious wrong with my bass. yea i pulled the trigger and got the chromes today, should be here in 2-5 days so we shall she if they work for me or not

 

[officialjlox]

I really like how Chromes sounds on a P-bass. And they do mellow with age just like any other flats, they just start off brighter than most. If you like tension, the heavier guage (.105 to .055) set is what you may want but the next set down (.100 to .045) is the set I tend to prefer.

How is the tension of the .105 chromes in comparison to the 760FL?

The reason I like the tension is because I've gotten very used to playing a jazz, plucking right near the bridge. I tend to pluck kind of hard and don't want to get an inordinate amount of clank. Some is fine, but I'd like to hear some notes in there too lol

 

[Medford Bassman]

I use Chromes on a SX P-Bass and a fretless bass and I love them. THe P-bass gives me the classic vibe for most of the music my band plays.

 

[dalkowski]

Love em on my P, seriously considering replacing the rounds on my Bongo with them. First flats I've ever put on a fretted bass.

BUT, the LaBella partisans have me leaning their way. Hey, try until you find what your like.

 

[Mastermold]

How is the tension of the .105 chromes in comparison to the 760FL?

The reason I like the tension is because I've gotten very used to playing a jazz, plucking right near the bridge. I tend to pluck kind of hard and don't want to get an inordinate amount of clank. Some is fine, but I'd like to hear some notes in there too lol

LaBella doesn't publish tension data like D'Addario does, but subjectively I'd say the 760FL set feels like it's in between the .105 and .100 Chromes set tension-wise, but much closer to the .100 set.

For Jazz, you may want to try LaBellas first for their tone, they are more traditional sounding for flats.

 

[floatingaxe]

I'll admit that I haven't tried other flats, but I have Chromes on my defretted Ibanez BTB 5 string. I prefer the .95 set. I paired them with a single .132 B for more even tension and I'm very happy.
Less mid-range (a little brighter) tones and better mwah dynamics.

 

[guitardefector]

Great strings, although I recently bought the "NEW" Fender flats and they are almost identical to DA Chromes...and only $18.99 on MF. I think Chromes go for $29 and up???

 

[One Drop]

I like both, but settled on Chromes for my Harmony H-22 HB. The extra high mids sound great on this bass, give it a lot of definition to balance the big lows and low mids.

I love Labellas on Js and Ps, but prefer Chromes on this Harmony, and also on a Epi Rivoli that I've played strung up with both at different times.

 

[88ric2030]

I have two hollow bodies strung with Chromes (Jay Turser violin bass and a 90's Korean '58 Denelectro Longhorn re-issue) , and a Ric 4001. I like the Chromes a lot, they are more like a smoother version of half rounds (more like quarter rounds), not traditional flats like GHS Precision Flats, which are real, traditional flats. I have a set on my Squier Bronco and they sound great, especially when played with a pick. I am considering switching to GHS on the violin bass. I think that calls for thumpier traditional flats. While the Chromes are way better than the rounds that came stock on it, they are still not quite what I want on a hollow body. I think the Chromes however are the most versatile flat, especially for a solid body player who wants the playing feel of flats without sacrificing too much top end and sustain.

 

[Mike]

i love chromes and have tried nearly every brand of flats on the market. i use 40, 60, 80, 100 gauges and they perfrom flawlessly even when tuned to D.

 

[rekesbass]

88ric2030,(or anyone who can answer) what kind of sound are you getting from the chromes and 4001 combo?..I'm kind of afraid to not have rounds on my Ric..Do you still get the Ric growl and bite with them or is it more of a McCartney thump? right now I have(old) Chromes on my jazz and I kinda dig the old school vibe but,I really liked them when they were new and I kinda want to try'em on my Ric,but, once I cut them for the Ric I will not be able to use them on the Jazz if I don't like it..

 

[ljazz]

You must have kept the same set on for that long. Chromes are the second brightest flats made, as far as I can assess.

I've never had a nicer, warmer sounding flat, on my old Precision, than the LaBella's. Just listen to Pino's P-Bass tone (he uses them on most of the other basses, as well). Different strokes...

Yeah, just listen to Pino's tone..... except, he uses LaBella's on his down-tuned stuff..... TIJF's on standard tuning.

To the OP.... it all really depends on your tonal goals, and how long you're willing to break in a set. If you want thump, then Labella's all the way. Especially the heavier gauges. But if you're after something a bit more aggressive than TIJF's, but still want the singing mids, then it's chromes all the way. And if you give them a good six months or so to break in, you'll see those highs gradually roll off. Then you'll be left with a bit of thump, and those beautiful singing mids. My newest set of Chromes have about 8 months on them. At about three months I noticed very little was coming through the horn in my cab anymore. Excellent. And DA's quality control seems to be better than ever (I've had real nightmares with incorrect/bad gauges in sets over the years).

The key to flats is to be patient through the loooooooong breakin period.

 

[JerBo]

I've used 105 Chromes on my P-bass for the past 5 years or so...
At first they are very bright and I would have to turn my tone knob down a lot, but they get to be very warm sounding to me. As others have said, they don't have as much thump to them.
The first set I had on for over 3 years, I'm on the 2nd set now. I put the old ones on a Michael Kelly ABG and they made the bass sound very nice, and PLAYABLE.
I probably won't change the Chromes on my P for a long time, BUT... After MUCH uncertainty and hesitation I finally picked up a set of LaBella 760FL flats for my 70's Jazz.... I absolutely LOVE them. I was really worried that they would be too low tension and be a little too mellow, but I'm REALLY glad I decided to go with them. They sound AWESOME on my J-bass! The tension is great for me, and I like a tighter string. Aside from the beautiful tone they have to be the most balanced sounding(from string to string) I've ever used.
I still like the Chromes on my P, but I may be switching to LaBella's on that one as well after I see how they settle in.
But off the bat, I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice the LaBella's sound and feel.

So I like the Chromes, but the LaBella's really made my J-bass come alive, and they haven't even really broken in yet.

If you use a pick, I might suggest going with the Chromes...

The Chromes are also cheaper, and I ALMOST went with what I was familiar with, but I'm really glad I put down the extra for the LaBella's.