D'Addario Chromes User Group- Chromeys Speak Out!

[Moredator]

Got bored with my new stainless steel G string which had insane bell like harmonics. Switched rounds on and shag, same thing there. Both were cheap Harley Benton strings. I went ahead and pulled my old chromes out of the drawer and voilà, good sound. They have been on for 5 years at some point, but still feel pretty sticky. Maybe they are upside now and need to get played in again. My picking fingers stick to the lower string when playing and they make annoying slapback sound, hopefully it goes away. Tension is also pretty much.

I feel like I have converted back to flats though. I remember thinking they sound very dead by now, but they sound just alright and nice growls without any fretting hand finger noise. I might try out Galli or TI flats though. I hear TI flats are like spaghetti, which I like nowadays.

 

[kleinenenten]

I was in my local GC the other day, and they had a Schecter Stilletto 6 string on the walls. Noodled on it a little, then realized hey - these are Chromes! Forgot how much I liked those strings. They were nice and defined, with a smooth attack, great feel, and even tone across the spectrum. Made me debate putting my old set on my 4 string again and seeing how I think about them on my rig these days. I remember thinking I needed to cut a bit more, and struggling with that on flats but man - in that clean sort of context with room to breathe - those Chromes sounded heavenly. Probably not what I need for my heavy tones these days, though. But we'll see if I restring soon!

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Labella DTBF 760FL should also be added there … I’ve only seen 760FS

 

[dmc79]

Huge fan of the ECB80 set with a .55D replacement. Amazing on a Jazz Bass.

That's what I do, also.

Is anyone able to give the tension (lbs) of the .55D? It’s good that D’Addario state the tension numbers on the packaging of the Chromes sets, but I can’t see if they are stated on the packs of the ‘Superior Design Custom Singles’ as I can only see the front of the packets online.

I found out the expensive way that 50-105 (medium) & 45-100 (regular light) aren’t for me. I’m new to flats after over 2 decades of nickel plated rounds. GHS Pressurewounds were my gateway into flats - I loved the smoothness & reduced finger noise but wanted to cut out even more of it, so I’m trying flats & really enjoying it.

I decided to skip 40-100 (custom light) and go straight to 40-95 (super light). These are easily my favourite Chromes, I don’t feel like I’m fighting with them like I did with the heavier sets.

It seems a common complaint of Chromes is unbalanced tension and tight D & G strings. I gotta be honest, I barely use the G anyway, and the stock .60 in the custom light set is already way more playable than the .70 of the mediums and the .65 of the regular lights, but I’m wondering about getting the .55 single D to replace the stock .60 D in the super light set.

Here are the tension numbers (lbs) of the custom light set:

G: 37.83
D: 46.49
A: 42.58
E. 36.20

These are on the packaging but on the inside so can only be seen once the card outer is torn open.

I’d be really grateful if anyone can provide the tension (in lbs) of the .55D, thanks.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I'm using a 40-55-75-100 set, hoping the 55 would feel the same as the E and A. It does.

A 50 D is about 32 lbs, and a 60 D is 46 lbs, so it seemed reasonable to guess the 55 D as being 40 lbs.

That gave me 38 + 40 + 40 + 40 = 158 lbs.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Though npoas (not part of any set), the old D'addario String tension guide has the single .055 Chrome tension at D2 of 36.6lbf. If you use D'addario's String Tension Pro it gives 38.6lbf

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Is anyone able to give the tension (lbs) of the .55D? It’s good that D’Addario state the tension numbers on the packaging of the Chromes sets, but I can’t see if they are stated on the packs of the ‘Superior Design Custom Singles’ as I can only see the front of the packets online.

I found out the expensive way that 50-105 (medium) & 45-100 (regular light) aren’t for me. I’m new to flats after over 2 decades of nickel plated rounds. GHS Pressurewounds were my gateway into flats - I loved the smoothness & reduced finger noise but wanted to cut out even more of it, so I’m trying flats & really enjoying it.

I decided to skip 40-100 (custom light) and go straight to 40-95 (super light). These are easily my favourite Chromes, I don’t feel like I’m fighting with them like I did with the heavier sets.

It seems a common complaint of Chromes is unbalanced tension and tight D & G strings. I gotta be honest, I barely use the G anyway, and the stock .60 in the custom light set is already way more playable than the .70 of the mediums and the .65 of the regular lights, but I’m wondering about getting the .55 single D to replace the stock .60 D in the super light set.

Here are the tension numbers (lbs) of the custom light set:

G: 37.83
D: 46.49
A: 42.58
E. 36.20

These are on the packaging but on the inside so can only be seen once the card outer is torn open.

I’d be really grateful if anyone can provide the tension (in lbs) of the .55D, thanks.

Why not replace the 75 with a 70 single for A as well and have gauges 40 55 70 95. The tension per string will be even

 

[Yahboy]

It might be brilliant, but there is an error in it. La Bella LTF's should be classified as 'very low tension' as per TI Jazz flats. The total tension of LTF-4A is a whisker less than that of JF344

But in real world LTF4A has slightly stiffer feel in hand than JF344 .

 

[TomB]

But in real world LTF4A has slightly stiffer feel in hand than JF344 .

Once again highlighting the difference between “tension” and “feel”. Great example.

 

[dmc79]

I

I'm using a 40-55-75-100 set, hoping the 55 would feel the same as the E and A. It does.

A 50 D is about 32 lbs, and a 60 D is 46 lbs, so it seemed reasonable to guess the 55 D as being 40 lbs.

That gave me 38 + 40 + 40 + 40 = 158 lbs.

Though npoas (not part of any set), the old D'addario String tension guide has the single .055 Chrome tension at D2 of 36.6lbf. If you use D'addario's String Tension Pro it gives 38.6lbf

Thanks. I've never looked at D'addario's String Tension Pro Calculator before. I found the numbers all 4 of the Chromes stock sets, but I'm still not sure how to find the tension of the single strings on there, as the drop down menu just says 'select a string set', then when I click the red box 'View available strings', it just brings up the single strings of the stock set you've already clicked on. How do you view single strings on this tool? Anyway, the 38.6lbs you state for the .55 D seems perfect.

Why not replace the 75 with a 70 single for A as well and have gauges 40 55 70 95. The tension per string will be even

Thanks for this suggestion. I've ordered the .55D and will see how I get on with my 'custom' 40-55-75-95 set. My Super Lights are nicely worn in by a few weeks, so I'll have to play the heck outta the new D to get that new zing out of it. I like a fairly bright flat anyway, but the D is always super lively on new Chromes!

As per my above comment, hopefully someone can tell me how to find single strings on the tension calculator so I can see what this is for the .70A.

It's frustrating how unevenly balanced the Chromes sets can be, in particular how tight and stiff the D & G can be compared to the E & A.

 

[dmc79]

Here are the tension numbers (lbs) of the custom light set:

G: 37.83
D: 46.49
A: 42.58
E. 36.20

Weirdly, D'Addario's own online tension guide doesn't even match what's printed on the packet of the ECB80 Super Lights. The above numbers are from the inner packet (total tension shown is 163.09), the below are what the calculator states:

G: 37.8
D: 48.1
A: 40.3
E: 36.20

Total tension: 162.4

These match ok for the G & E, but are quite off for the D & A. How are we supposed to know which figure is right? Would you go with the online numbers or the packet numbers?

 

[Prodigus Filius]

As per my above comment, hopefully someone can tell me how to find single strings on the tension calculator so I can see what this is for the .70A.

You don't have to select a set to use STP . Note it says 'optional' for the string set box. Just select instrument, number of strings and hit 'let's get started' . Choose all parameters for the string(s) you interested in , scale length, pitch, contruction, material etc and hey presto you'll get the tension spec

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Weirdly, D'Addario's own online tension guide doesn't even match what's printed on the packet of the ECB80 Super Lights. The above numbers are from the inner packet (total tension shown is 163.09), the below are what the calculator states:

G: 37.8
D: 48.1
A: 40.3
E: 36.20

Total tension: 162.4

These match ok for the G & E, but are quite off for the D & A. How are we supposed to know which figure is right? Would you go with the online numbers or the packet numbers?

The tensions on the packet could be of older stock predating whatever updated tension calculation inputs D'addario does currently, reflected in the online tension specs, be it the stats on the product page or via STP

 

[dmc79]

@Prodigus Filius Thanks for the help on navigating the string tension site.

Just put the .55D on. I must admit I feared the wrong string was put in the packet when I saw it had a green ball end (D is usually black), I even put the digital calipers on to check it was the right one. Thankfully it is, but it just caught me out with having the green ball end.

 

[UntitledProject]

@Prodigus Filius Thanks for the help on navigating the string tension site.

Just put the .55D on. I must admit I feared the wrong string was put in the packet when I saw it had a green ball end (D is usually black), I even put the digital calipers on to check it was the right one. Thankfully it is, but it just caught me out with having the green ball end.

The 55 is the largest g string, the 60 is the smallest d string (for color coding)! When I put my first balanced tension set of chromes together over 13 years ago I did the same double take. Two greens and no black.

 

[dmc79]

You don't have to select a set to use STP . Note it says 'optional' for the string set box. Just select instrument, number of strings and hit 'let's get started' . Choose all parameters for the string(s) you interested in , scale length, pitch, contruction, material etc and hey presto you'll get the tension spec

Thanks for that, I can see the individual string tensions now. Weirdly when I put the parameters in, and click 'view available strings', their site says 'String is not available for individual purchase' for the G, A & E (I guess they're all in the Super Light set anyway) but the .55D single string is. I'm in the UK anyway, and can get single strings from Strings Direct. But I still think it was slightly cheaper to get the Super Light set and an individual .55D, than to buy all 4 individually.

Swapping out the stock Super Light 60D for a custom 55D brings these tensions:

G: 37.8
D: 38.6 (stock .060 is 48.1)
A: 40.3
E: 36.20

Total tension: 152.9 lbs (with stock 60D is 162.4)

If I was ever to replace the stock 75A with a custom 70, it would bring the 40.3 down to 35.5, for a total tension of 148.1

Anyway, my custom Super Light set at 152.9 is much better than the crazy Medium set at 216.1 (224 shown on packet) which was the first Chromes set I tried.

The 55 is the largest g string, the 60 is the smallest d string (for color coding)! When I put my first balanced tension set of chromes together over 13 years ago I did the same double take. Two greens and no black.

Thanks. If I replaced the stock 75A with a custom 70A, would the same thing happen, in that I guess 70 is technically the largest D string, so that would be a black ball end instead of the usual red one for an A string? It would be pretty weird to have these ball ends, though I guess once the strings are on I wouldn't even think about it:

40G (green)
55D (also green)
70A (black)
95E (brass)

 

[dmc79]

The tensions on the packet could be of older stock predating whatever updated tension calculation inputs D'addario does currently, reflected in the online tension specs, be it the stats on the product page or via STP

Thanks, I guess the STP site is more accurate than whats printed on the string packets then.

 

[Moredator]

New ecb81 set on last one got too boring after 5 years with practically no sustain on E, it stopped vibrating after 2 seconds lol. really lovely sound when fresh! very focused low end unlike my TI jazzes. smooth tops. good to have both flavours as they really are quite different. these went on my trbx304 which i use as a rock bass due the heavy output pups.

I must say that I much prefer the TIs string to string sound. These sound like two different instruments on E,A/D,G now but maybe they will settle. Not a bad thing, just different flavour. These are unbelievably bright! Very different sound than my 5 yo set. I like.

 

[Moredator]

One thing annoys me and I experienced this even with my old set so it's not likely going away. My picking fingers stick to the strings I am muting and when I release them they vibrate a bit. It doesn't always happen and probably relates to sweating or such but it sounds really bad. Thankfully I was planning to use this bass to play with a pick anyways so not the biggest problem.

Also, my D is pretty significantly lower in output than the rest. Might be a bad string? It seems to lack lows too even compared to G. Too bad I bought these from a friend so unlikely that Daddario would give me a replacement string. Not sure if it's a problem or just how they are supposed to sound, but it seems unbalanced soundwise.

 

[UntitledProject]

One thing annoys me and I experienced this even with my old set so it's not likely going away. My picking fingers stick to the strings I am muting and when I release them they vibrate a bit. It doesn't always happen and probably relates to sweating or such but it sounds really bad. Thankfully I was planning to use this bass to play with a pick anyways so not the biggest problem.

Also, my D is pretty significantly lower in output than the rest. Might be a bad string? It seems to lack lows too even compared to G. Too bad I bought these from a friend so unlikely that Daddario would give me a replacement string. Not sure if it's a problem or just how they are supposed to sound, but it seems unbalanced soundwise.

If you still have the packaging, I think D'Addario will replace them using info from the pack.