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TI Flats vs D'Addario Chromes

jedgargroover

jedgargroover

Jul 26, 2008
153
11
#1
I've been using Chromes for a few years and love them. I keep hearing about how great the TIs are though. I do find that the Chromes (and I only like the .45 - .95s) can be a bit floppy at times...not much but a little. I don't like the feel of high tension flats like Jamersons and the like. Just not for me.

So far the Chromes are the closest thing I've found to "perfect" strings for me. I put 'em on my P bass, roll the tone off about 95% and I'm a happy camper, with or without a pick.

So are the TIs worth the $ in terms of checking out?
 
#4
jedgargroover said:
I've been using Chromes for a few years and love them. I keep hearing about how great the TIs are though. I do find that the Chromes (and I only like the .45 - .95s) can be a bit floppy at times...not much but a little. I don't like the feel of high tension flats like Jamersons and the like. Just not for me.

So far the Chromes are the closest thing I've found to "perfect" strings for me. I put 'em on my P bass, roll the tone off about 95% and I'm a happy camper, with or without a pick.

So are the TIs worth the $ in terms of checking out?
Click to expand...

I'd say don't bother if the Chromes are working. Ultimately, once they finally die down, the TI's will end up with a very similar tone so it probably won't buy you anything.

One nice thing about the TI's is they only require a very light touch to get a good pop out of them. I have TIJF's on my Carvin BB76F and I hardly need to touch it to get a clean note out of it. The bad thing is, digging in doesn't really make them respond as well as a higher tension string like the Chromes. On my Bunny they just kind of go "whack" when I hit it hard.

I'm also disappointed with the sustain of TIJF's on my Bunny. They decay pretty quickly, a little more than the Carvin LaBellas it originally came with. I may end up just going with rounds instead to compress the sound a little bit and give some more sustain.

So my vote would be to just stick with the Chromes unless you just have 40 or 50 bucks burning a hole in your pocket....

LS
 
#7
I find the 45-105 Sadowsky Flats a little stiffer than I like on a fretted. And I usually use Med rounds. I tried them on the same bass with a fretless neck and the 45-105s felt better their as the action was a bit lower.
 
#10
I just got a set of 40-95 Chromes for a jazz. I also have TIJFs on a bass. Even the light Chromes are quite a bit stiffer and less sensitive than the TIs. They are starting to lose that metallic brightness, but they have not gotten a lot looser. I prefer the feel and responsiveness of the TIs. So, if you like the Chromes, you might want to stay with them. On the other hand, you might fall in love with the TIs, but they are pretty different, in a way you say you don't want.
 
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#11
7flat5 said:
I just got a set of 40-95 Chromes for a jazz. I also have TIJFs on a bass. Even the light Chromes are quite a bit stiffer and less sensitive than the TIs. They are starting to lose that metallic brightness, but they have not gotten a lot looser. I prefer the feel and responsiveness of the TIs. So, if you like the Chromes, you might want to stay with them. On the other hand, you might fall in love with the TIs, but they are pretty different, in a way you say you don't want.
Click to expand...
:cool:
Well said.
I've used both strings.
I can't play Chromes anymore.
TIs are it for me.
My favorite string ever.
 
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#12
Try the D'addario EN71 halfrounds. They're the best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned. They have a nice deep and mellow sound when playing fingerstyle but really jump out when you play aggressively or get into some slap bass. I recently replaced my Chromes with a set of these and absolutely love them.
 
#13
canadian_man_44 said:
Try the D'addario EN71 halfrounds. They're the best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned. They have a nice deep and mellow sound when playing fingerstyle but really jump out when you play aggressively or get into some slap bass. I recently replaced my Chromes with a set of these and absolutely love them.
Click to expand...
I got theese ENR71 too- Im disappointet : They sound like roundwounds , and they are NOT halfs -just a tiny bit less round. Cold ,metallic and far too many overtones - hope they get "darker" with the time. I had some halfrounds some years ago-REAL halfrounds - actually flat on the top and with some space between the "turns". Cant remember the brand... Gibson ?
Usually I use flatwounds (Daddario) - Sounds really good for some years ,but then looses too many overtones.
 
#14
I just took off a set of 7yo Chromes. I've use TI Flats on other basses and always loved the tone and how they felt. I've never considered them "floppy". In fact, when I put them on my bass, I set the relief to .12 at the 7th fret (just as Fender recommends) and my string height is 7/64's at the 17th fret...just as recommended. No buzzing or other issues.

The thing you need to be aware of with the TI flats is they sound very much like broken in rounds when you first put them on. Not "zingy" like new rounds...but they sound like a roundwound to me. Once they break in and get a little finger funk in them, they are absolutely beautiful strings. Worth $100? Maybe? But I like 'em.
 
#16
jedgargroover said:
...Chromes (and I only like the .45 - .95s)...
Click to expand...
Oh, what set is the 45-95 ones? I used (for many years) the Super Soft (40-95) set but replaced the .060 D string with a .055 to bring the set into better balance. TI JFs are only slightly lower in tension than what I was using in Chromes but the tone is different; I prefer the TIs at this point.
 
#19
The Labella low tension flats are in between the light chromes and TI's. I have TI's on one bass and Labella on the other. The Labella strings are smoother and a little more tension than the TI's. The perfect string I think. Great tone and string balance on the Labella's.
 
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#20
I use both Chromes and TI flats. Totally different strings. Chromes break in to a very classic flat sound, muted lows with a little clank. Where the TIs hold their sustain a little more and are more even tonally. They do not have that classic flat sound. I love the Chromes on the Fenders for that Vintage thing and the TIs work great on my fretless and my hollowbody.
 

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