D'addario Chromes or Fender 9050's?

[Type-55]

Just put a set of Fender flats on my bass and was surprised that they have a metallic sound when playing them finger style.
Coming from LaBella LTF's they are more lively sounding, a little more growl and better string to string balance.
I hope the zing smooths out. The string tension is close to LTF's. Not a huge difference. Could be effected by action.
I changed strings because I wanted a little better pitch definition from string to string and a little brighter sound.
Time will tell.

 

[michael_t]

Just put a set of Fender flats on my bass and was surprised that they have a metallic sound when playing them finger style.
Coming from LaBella LTF's they are more lively sounding, a little more growl and better string to string balance.
I hope the zing smooths out.

I never liked the 9050 flats when they were new; too bright and "clangy". Give them a couple of months, and they will settle into a nice low-mid-focused punch and grind without the annoying clang up top.

 

[Pocket4]

Lots of happy time with the 9050s and my experience with the Chromes has disappointed, but in that case it may due to the over-long patience needed to break in Chromes. Not worth it.

 

[Chauffer]

Just put a set of Fender flats on my bass and was surprised that they have a metallic sound when playing them finger style.
Coming from LaBella LTF's they are more lively sounding, a little more growl and better string to string balance.
I hope the zing smooths out. The string tension is close to LTF's. Not a huge difference. Could be effected by action.
I changed strings because I wanted a little better pitch definition from string to string and a little brighter sound.
Time will tell.

They'll mellow out after playing for a week or two.
My favorite strings but I wish they made them in short and medium scale. Hate having to cut so much off...

 

[michael_t]

My favorite strings but I wish they made them in short and medium scale. Hate having to cut so much off...

If you want to try something that's close to Fender 9050 both in tone and feel, Ernie Ball Stainless Steel (not Cobalt) Flats may be an option for you. The good news is they're now available in "short scale" in two sets of gauges, 45-105 and 50-110.

Stainless Steel Flatwound Electric Bass Strings | Ernie Ball

 

[wraub]

I have Chromes on my P Bass and they're not clanky and I can bend strings as much as I want. They've been on the bass for a really long time, maybe that's why. With the tone knob I can dial in bright or thumpy as desired, getting almost roundwound sounds but without finger/string noises. Great for recording.
Just saying- don't rule out Chromes, just maybe be ready to let them take a while to get where you want.

 

[hasbeen]

I never liked the 9050 flats when they were new; too bright and "clangy". Give them a couple of months, and they will settle into a nice low-mid-focused punch and grind without the annoying clang up top.

9050's are definitely "livelier" out of the pack compared to some others. They were designed that way with some intent. The goal was to have a flat set with a bit of a "contemporary" spin on them. I can see where some may consider them a bit "bright". You're right though as they will settle in after a bit.

 

[MrAB4003]

I bought my first set of Chromes (over Fender 9050s) yesterday for three reasons:
1) I tried the 9050s on a few fretlessi I tried at a local music store. The strings were just OK to me. Nothing special tonally.
2) I love D'Addario's Nickel Rounds, so I'm interested to see what else D'Addario has to offer.
3) Curiosity.