Chromes are the perfect balance of tone, tension and feel. I love them.
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
I understand the balanced tension with those gauges, but how about the balance in terms of tone?
Good to know they work well for D-standard. I've been considering that option for my J-bass. How's the 105E string in that tuning for note definition?
All of my basses end up wearing Chromes sooner or later (although I'm not sure the new Dingwall will). Love 'em. Probably the best live tone I ever had was with my Bongo and Chromes.
I'll be sure to post about them and my Warmoth/Lotus F-less P-bass monster once it's assembled, though you might nab some Chromes for yourself by then
I confess I'm getting antsy to finish it, getting neck joint work done with the local luthier at the moment. I've quoted lz4005 below who has much experience with Chromes and fretless, hopefully he'll be kind enough to glide in and give you some thoughts.I saw you mention about hoping for better mwah from strings you've tried. Maybe Chromes will help, although, I get the feeling that good mwah is a combination of what the hands/fingers are doing, as well as, as I've read here and there, the finger board material - in as much as some people have coated theirs with various substances.
A friend sent his to Gary Willis of Tribal Tech for his style of treatment, not sure what he uses. I've also heard of some sort of epoxy treatment - but don't go by me. I'm pretty sure it's discussed at length here somewhere.
-- Once mine is done, since it has a super nice ebony fingerboard, I don't plan on doing anything to it, only to make my hands and eq work at coaxing the basses own distinct mwah out of it, perhaps a meuw, or a meow. Even a nice bhwow would be welcomed, that sort of french horn flavor that Jaco used to conjure. Though I'm thinking he treated his fingerboard with something after defretting. A need to review that, it's been ages since
I read about it - back before THE INTERNET - jeepers i'm mummifying faster than i'd like :-/
Honestly, I do not, and have never seen any tonal benefits in unbalanced sets. YMMV.
The 105 (to me it is not an E string) is working great tuned to D on a 34" scale. Defintion is not lacking, IMHO, but you may have to adjust your picking attack. In comparison, I have the same gauge LaBellas on my 30" short scale, also tuned to DGCF(!). They work OK , even on such a short scale (but unit weight may differ slightly from the d'Addarios), but that is borderline. Ideally, I think 107 or 108 would be perfect, but I am happy with my approximation.
One thing is for sure: Trying out DGCF is probably the simplest "customization" you can do, and it is totally reversible. You have to adjust truss rod and intonation, of course, but I do that (i.e. truss rod adjustment) routinely anyway with the change of seasons.
Disclaimer: DGCF and balanced tension is very much a personal preference. There are probably reasons why people are happy with "standard" string sets and standard EADG tuning. So: Even if I am an active promoter of my choices, they may not be right for you. Some consider them nerdy, slightly exotic and plain unecessary.
@Shardik, thanks for your input.
I'm with you on that. Ever since I started playing bass, 45-60-80-105 has always made better sense to me than 45-65-80-100. I must have a well-balanced brain.
According to the D'Addario Tension Guide, the 105D weighs in at 32.9 lbs., which is a little less than what I'm used to, ie 38-42 lbs. Just wanted to make sure there is still enough to work with.
You're right. Experimenting with a set of strings is far cheaper than investing in a 5-string bass for the sake of having two extra notes (D & Eb).
I'm with you on that. Ever since I started playing bass, 45-60-80-105 has always made better sense to me than 45-65-80-100. I must have a well-balanced brain.
According to the D'Addario Tension Guide, the 105D weighs in at 32.9 lbs., which is a little less than what I'm used to, ie 38-42 lbs. Just wanted to make sure there is still enough to work with.
You're right. Experimenting with a set of strings is far cheaper than investing in a 5-string bass for the sake of having two extra notes (D & Eb).
Have Chromes on my P5 and fretless P, and they would be PERFECT for my Dingwall Combustion if I could get a set that is long enough, but alas. To me they retain enough harmonics and bite with the tone knob open while getting plenty deep & thumpy when rolling it off, perfect for what I want. Not too expensive either.
They were the first flats I tried, and after experimenting with other brands I have come back to them. Great strings, don't need a number
They were the first flats I tried, and after experimenting with other brands I have come back to them. Great strings, don't need a number
Basically Bob - 45
I agree, tallboybass. When I switched to flats, it seemed as though even though they aren't necessarily a bad choice of flatwounds, Chromes were kinda like the black sheep of the flats family. I figure this is because they are a very different string compared to other flats.
For me, those differences are what drew me to Chromes. I can still play the same as I do on roundwound strings but still get the character of flats. The perfect choice for me.
It's actually a fun conversation at gigs when someone asks me about my basses and when they notice that I'm using flats, I get raised eyebrows. Not to brag, but I play a more "lead" style of bass, mostly out of necessity. And most of the more busy players seemed to use roundwound strings.
I play in a classic rock band but with only one guitar much of the night I am left to fill in a bunch of extra sonic territory. I'm cool with that because I've always leaned more towards busier bassists like Geezer Butler and Billy Sheehan. Not trying to put myself up there with them but you can definitely hear their influence in my playing.
I'm always up for talking about my gear to other players, because my rig is "interesting". I use an Apogee Jam as an interface and plug my bass into my iPhone 5S running Jamup Pro and Bias for my effect and amp sims. I use a stage amp but could totally turn it off and not notice a difference. I regularly go through entire band practices without even turning my amp on.
The coolest thing about using the setup I do is that I'm able to use amp and effect sims of the actual stuff used on the recordings of the songs we play. Again, classic rock. So if the bassist on the recording used, let's say, a P-bass into an SVT, I'm able to very closely mimic the original tone via my iOS rig. Fun stuff.
I haven't heard any outright bad things about Chromes, just that they're "different". That difference is what made me fall in love with them as my string of choice.
I guess we can call ourselves Chromeys!!
I agree, tallboybass. When I switched to flats, it seemed as though even though they aren't necessarily a bad choice of flatwounds, Chromes were kinda like the black sheep of the flats family. I figure this is because they are a very different string compared to other flats.
For me, those differences are what drew me to Chromes. I can still play the same as I do on roundwound strings but still get the character of flats. The perfect choice for me.
It's actually a fun conversation at gigs when someone asks me about my basses and when they notice that I'm using flats, I get raised eyebrows. Not to brag, but I play a more "lead" style of bass, mostly out of necessity. And most of the more busy players seemed to use roundwound strings.
I play in a classic rock band but with only one guitar much of the night I am left to fill in a bunch of extra sonic territory. I'm cool with that because I've always leaned more towards busier bassists like Geezer Butler and Billy Sheehan. Not trying to put myself up there with them but you can definitely hear their influence in my playing.
I'm always up for talking about my gear to other players, because my rig is "interesting". I use an Apogee Jam as an interface and plug my bass into my iPhone 5S running Jamup Pro and Bias for my effect and amp sims. I use a stage amp but could totally turn it off and not notice a difference. I regularly go through entire band practices without even turning my amp on.
The coolest thing about using the setup I do is that I'm able to use amp and effect sims of the actual stuff used on the recordings of the songs we play. Again, classic rock. So if the bassist on the recording used, let's say, a P-bass into an SVT, I'm able to very closely mimic the original tone via my iOS rig. Fun stuff.
I haven't heard any outright bad things about Chromes, just that they're "different". That difference is what made me fall in love with them as my string of choice.
I guess we can call ourselves Chromeys!!
Like I said, the 105 is an approximation, or a compromise, if you will. Nothing wrong with trying 110 instead, IMHO.
They work great for fretless. But I think most strings work great for fretless. It all depends on what sound and feel you want. On my piezo fretlesses I want to be able to get a more upright-like sound for jazz gigs while still having the sustain of an electric.
I use pressurewounds on my electric fretless because I want a different sound out of that bass than out of the piezo ones.
Mwah, in my experience, is about setup and technique.
You can get it on any normal fingerboard surface with any string (that isn't dead) and just about any pickup location if you have a smooth, flat board with very little relief and low string height. Everything else just makes it easier and more pronounced by emphasizing mids and increasing sustain.
Last edited:
I use Chromes on my American Special P Bass. I love the tone.
I tried to put back some rounds on it lately and, while I liked the tone playing alone, I felt something was missing when playing with mly band. Put the Chromes back and "yessssssss, my cool tone is back !!".
I bought them as an experiment since I played rounds during 20 years, almost convinced that I would remove them a couple of days after. And I was wrong : these strings really shine and have a very nice presence in the mix. Punchy and present, and they work very well with overdrives.
In my case (heavy rock, pick and finger playing), they give a nicer presence to my bass than the rounds I used to have. More clarity but in a lower range than the rounds (hard to explain).
I tried to put back some rounds on it lately and, while I liked the tone playing alone, I felt something was missing when playing with mly band. Put the Chromes back and "yessssssss, my cool tone is back !!".
I bought them as an experiment since I played rounds during 20 years, almost convinced that I would remove them a couple of days after. And I was wrong : these strings really shine and have a very nice presence in the mix. Punchy and present, and they work very well with overdrives.
In my case (heavy rock, pick and finger playing), they give a nicer presence to my bass than the rounds I used to have. More clarity but in a lower range than the rounds (hard to explain
).
Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't even realize the Chromes even came in .110, which weighs in at 36.5 lbs. for D. Perfect!
Just when I thought I was done with the Chromes in favor of the Fender 9050, you (and this whole thread, thanks to @Rip Topaz) got me turned back on to them with this "balanced-tension set for D-standard tuning" idea.
There is still hope for me to be counted as one of the Chromeys in the near future after all.
I have gotten my d'Addario Chrome singles from basstringsonline. If you can wait (they sometimes have things on backorder), the service is great, and the price competitive. (I am not affiliated in any other way than being a customer). More about it here:
Official: BassStringsOnline.com discussion thread | TalkBass.com
Official: BassStringsOnline.com discussion thread | TalkBass.com
I have a question for you guys: anyone is using the ECB84 set?
I used to love the sound of Chromes, but I coudln't stant the unbalanced tension in "couple of strings" of the 45-100 and 50-105 sets. when I was into them, D'Addario didn't have the ECB84 set, which is 40-100.
how do you feel with this set?
I used to love the sound of Chromes, but I coudln't stant the unbalanced tension in "couple of strings" of the 45-100 and 50-105 sets. when I was into them, D'Addario didn't have the ECB84 set, which is 40-100.
how do you feel with this set?
ECB81's on my Ibby Sr500..........buttersmooth when playing....and mine seem to be getting sweeter sounding the longer they stay on the bass.......deep, mellow , old school sound.
use fingers and also a pick.
If nothing else they are a little on the stiff side though. Might go lighter gauge at some point.
use fingers and also a pick.
If nothing else they are a little on the stiff side though. Might go lighter gauge at some point.
