Uhm .. the Fender are very stiff and tend to sound too bright .. tried them and put them away in two heartbeats
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
D'Addario Chromes User Group- Chromeys Speak Out!
- Thread starter Rip Topaz
- Start date
The Fenders seem to take an extremely long time to break in but they do settle in quite nicely. They work well on Js but unsure about Ps (my P has old Chromes which I refuse to remove.
The chromes are pretty stiff, but maybe the fenders are stiffer? I'm pretty sure the fenders are lower tension, just because of adjusting the truss rod, but I know stiffness isn't equal to tension. I think both are pretty bright out of the box, but like all strings, they calm down. Probably faster for me, since I kill strings really fast (Elixirs are my main string). Maybe what you noticed was the same as I did, that after the brightness wears off there is still a little grind of some sort with the fenders. I can see a person who likes flats not liking that, for sure.
IME (the now-discontinued 9050CL set = 45-60-80-105) Fender flats aren't stiff at all.
I've tried the Chromes ECB84 (40-60-80-100) and the Fender 9050L (45-60-80-100). I would say they're fairly close in terms of stiffness. What I couldn't stand was the Chromes 45G and 65D in the ECB81 set (45-65-80-100).
The Fender 9050s are brighter when new, but the Chromes retain their brightness longer once broken in after 2-3 mths. At least that's my experience.
Yes, some sort of a metallic sounding grind remains with them ..
The Fender flats have not the great assortment of gauges characterising the Chromes.
I play the ECB84 model (40-100), if I’m not mistaken, and it’s just a tad stiffer than TI JF344, being the latter my favourite flats.
Fender flats, in comparison, are way stiffer and that’s the main reason why I put them away; it’s a pity since they are so cheap!
Again, a Fender 105 which proves to coil more easily than a 090 Rotosound is not stiff in my book.
Being a D’Addario Chromes and TI JF344 user I have to say they are definitely stiff .. it seems we’re am talking about two different planets here ..
My old but not very used (4/5 months) Chromes are quite mellow and were not extremely bright since the beginning.
This was the case with the two sets of Fender 45-105 I bought and, even more, the case of the two sets of Dunlop DFSB 45-105, worst sounding flats I’ve ever wasted my money upon.
In the end, this a Chromes lovers thread, where do Fender supporters think they came to?
What I wasn’t able to find when I bought the Fender flats was the 45-100 set which may be closer to the behaviour of the ECB84 set from D’Addario.
Note:
The ECB84 set of Chromes is even less stiff than the LaBella LTF-4A (low tension flexible flats) set !
Last edited:
The regular lights have been my go to for the last several years. Casady bass, Fender Bassman Pro 400. 90% pick, 10% fingers. Usually clean but occasional effects.
Conventional wisdom might suggest that roundwounds would be a better fit for the kind of music I play (call it post-punk I suppose) but whether live, at rehearsal or recording the Chromes percussive ‘modern’ top end and flatwound lows seem to work better than any other strings I have used.
Just my two cents.
Conventional wisdom might suggest that roundwounds would be a better fit for the kind of music I play (call it post-punk I suppose) but whether live, at rehearsal or recording the Chromes percussive ‘modern’ top end and flatwound lows seem to work better than any other strings I have used.
Just my two cents.
I’m back! Sold my Chromes last year but got the flats itch again and bought another 40-95 set. I like the feel better than the Roto 77 and Fender 9250 I have tried. I’m enjoying my new set very much!
Here’s my sound test of Chromes vs Rotos:
Here’s my sound test of Chromes vs Rotos:
It's not. Gunk is the tone killer, and given the way flats are wound there isn't as much room for gunk to build up.
As long as you like the tone they settle into, there's no reason why a set of flats won't last many years.
not sure what you consider long lasting but I got 5 years out of a set of TIs before they started to die.
My Tis have been on for 8 years! Still sound great ... never out of tune.
the bass I had them on I wanted to be a lively tone, I moved them over to my P bass and they are still great and never go out of tune. Guys get 10 years plus easy.
I've been using Chromes on my fretless for about a decade now. I'm only on my second set, and only that many because I wanted to try a different gauge.
I just this evening put some Chromes on my fretted bass. Flats on frets is new for me, but I dig it so far. I handpicked individual strings (.095, .075, .055, .040) to try to get the string tension as balanced as possible.
I just this evening put some Chromes on my fretted bass. Flats on frets is new for me, but I dig it so far. I handpicked individual strings (.095, .075, .055, .040) to try to get the string tension as balanced as possible.
