TI Jazz flats and Chromes which is brighter ? Which cuts more?

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shoulderpet

Sep 24, 2015
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#1
Am a huge fan of TI Jazz flats and have no intention of changing strings anytime soon but am curious about Chromes as they are the other flat that is generally well received for getting a good lively (for flats) tone.
I know these are both on the brighter side of flats but just wondering which is brighter and which gives the more cutting tone?
 
#6
I use both. I think Chromes have a little more top end, which results in a little more "bite" in the attack. I generally don't play with a pick. If I'm doing older rock stuff, I like the chromes, as I get a more pick-like attack with my fingers. In most cases, I prefer TI for a nice strong strong attack without getting clanky.
 
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#7
Thats a tough one. As far as which is more "cutting", I might have to say Chromes when new because they just have this weird metallic thing going on that never bothered me for years, but recently I cant stand them. TI's Jazz Flats are bright though, but seem less "meaty" than Chromes. TI's have a lot of sustain, too, and are very musical. Chromes have a lot of sustain, but maybe a little less than TI's, and although they also are musical, they will get a little "deader" sounding over time and lose that high end zing.

Also keep in mind the tension of both sets. TI's may require you to change your attack and/or action because they are so low tension, if you have a heavy right hand they may flub out for you. Only reason I have them on a bass is I prefer flats, but the particular bass they are on has a neck that doesn't seem to like higher tension flats and I had to keep cranking the truss rod on that bass, so I threw on some TI Jazz Flats and had to back off on the truss rod quite a bit and the bass is much happier now! Not my favorite string, but it's a nice change from the other flats I have on my P's.
 
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#12
shoulderpet said:
Am a huge fan of TI Jazz flats and have no intention of changing strings anytime soon but am curious about Chromes as they are the other flat that is generally well received for getting a good lively (for flats) tone.
I know these are both on the brighter side of flats but just wondering which is brighter and which gives the more cutting tone?
Click to expand...

My opinion; Chromes are about 10-1 brighter than TIs from new. After thorough break-in, it could be a tie, depending on the type of pickup under them.

More cutting? Up for debate. TIs are "middy", but so are broken in Chromes. Chromes are stiffer, which might allow digging in a lot more aggressively, and make us think they have more cutting tone. I'd still say Chromes probably retain enough high mids to be more cutting.

Advice; if going from TIs to Chromes, buy buy the lightest gauge Chromes available so you & your bass don't experience as much "tension change shock".
 
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#15
shoulderpet said:
Am a huge fan of TI Jazz flats and have no intention of changing strings anytime soon but am curious about Chromes as they are the other flat that is generally well received for getting a good lively (for flats) tone.
I know these are both on the brighter side of flats but just wondering which is brighter and which gives the more cutting tone?
Click to expand...

EB Cobalts are pretty lively too, although less flat sounding.
 
#17
Am I the only person here who’s having trouble reconciling the notion of wanting to cut through (the mix) using flatwound strings? ;)

About all I can say about TIs vs Cromes is that TIs work well with everything I’ve ever put them on. I only liked Chromes on one PB I own that has an Aguilar 4P-60 in it. I didn’t care for the sound of them on anything else. YMMV.

If you’re looking to keep the flatwound vibe but want a little bit more in the complex and warm mids department, plus just a tiny hint of brightness, try LaBella Copper White Nylons. These don’t sound like the old black nylons by any stretch. Totally different sound and feel. I tried every traditional set of tapewounds out there at one time or another. None of them lasted more than 20 minutes before I pulled them off whatever I put them on. The LaBella copper whites, on the other hand, are now on my list of favorite strings. Highly recommended. :thumbsup:
 
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#19
It's a matter of EQ and if they fit together sonically with the bass they are on IME, so if you had a bass with the same EQ on the same amp and put both string sets on after each other, it would depend on the band you're playing in.
Try both and see if any of them fits your bass and prefered EQ, mess around some with the EQ and if possible the mix as well, then see which you like the tension and playability of the most and keep those.
I've experienced that the TIs fits more basses than chromes, and generally sound better with a so called flat EQ both live and in the studio, but certainly not on all kinds of basses. As the timbre of the two strings are really different in terms of sounds, I'd go for both and keep the ones you like.
In the beginning of their lifes Chromes would certainly have more highs but they will lose those highs fairly soon, whilst the TIs keeps their tone for a lot longer, their broken in tone is a lot brighter to my ears at least than the Chromes.
I hope you find what you are looking for, but I would recommend trying lots of different EQs and amp placement/different amps as well as tecnique to get a brighter sound before changing from a fairly bright string to another.
Good luck!
 
#20
Chromes have more zip than TI’s and to me better overall top end as well. While TI’s are great I found myself digging in on some songs to get more punch and digging in with TI’s is not a good thing.
 
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