D'addario Ecb81 Xl Chromes Flatwound Bass Strings

I bought my first set of Chromes for my Rickenbacker 4003 because I wanted to tame its overly aggressive Nordstrand pickups. I did so on the advice of several other TB-ers and I'm glad I listened to them. I was also curious about trying Chromes because I love D'Addario's Nickel Rounds.

I'm not normally a flats player, but the Chromes are very nice. They're smooth to the touch, not sticky (especially after cleaning them with rubbing alcohol before putting them on my bass), and they sound nice. They're still brighter than most flats, but they're slowly mellowing out over time.

Prior to Chromes, I've only ever had a set of Rotosound 77s and a set of La Bella Gold Flats. Neither of them can hold a candle to the Chromes. Both are way too stiff in standard tuning and in D Standard (my normal tuning). But the Chromes are a nice tension in D Standard. If you like your strings a little loose, you might want to try the gauge down. I was going to get the medium gauge (50-105) for D Standard, but I got the light gauge and it's just right.

I recommend getting Chromes if you want a nice set of flats. They're the best set that I've ever played (so far).

I put the Chromes on my MIC Squier CV P bass a few days ago and I am lovin' these strings! I had (what I thought) was an issue with the E and G strings sounding a bit dull compared to the A and D strings. However, after a few days of playing, the strings seemed to "even out". The Chromes get great punch and they feel so darn good. I have to run them through the true test however by playing in a "live/rehearsal" setting. That is happening in 3 more days.

After purchasing a secondhand Ibanez SoundGear neck through fretless bass I decided to clean it up, set it up and provide it with new strings, even though the feel of the previous ones felt really good.

I purchased some Steve Harris signature rotosounds -130s, but they required the setup to have a high string clearance and were quiet ‘floppy’.

I searched around for the string type that the bass came with, using only my knowledge of the colour coded beaded ends as my guide (this was my first bass after many years).

The D’addario Flatwound 100s are the exact feel I was after, and are currently still on the bass after 6 years and going strong (Note: this is not my main player though).

The bass also never seems to go out of tune - I would say mainly due to the structure of the bass and it’s neck, but the strings must play a part also.

I have also put D’addario Flatwounds ie. chromes on a short scale Fender Mustang - Medium length ones required on the short scale when having to string through the body.

I would purchase the flatwounds again - but I doubt I shall need to on these two basses for a while.

Cheers
R A