Chromes anyone?

h60 · Mar 10, 2009

I had always used TI Jazz flats on my former Starfires. I keep hearing good things about D'addario Chromes though. anyone here use them? and if so can you tell me if you use Medium (32") scale or short scale? the TI's are 32" scale and work perfectly.

gilded · Mar 10, 2009

Man, I love the TI Jazz Flats on my Starfire. I can't imagine that you'd like the Chromes more, unless you're just really bored and want something different.

Having said that, I've only used the Chromes on geetars, not basses. I've had sets on my Duane Eddy DE400 and a '53 ES175 in the past year. To me, they are okay, but nothing special. I like D'Addario strings, just not the Chromes.

Let me know what you find out!

h60 · Mar 10, 2009

if a local store ad TI's I'd be getting them. I may just mail order them thursday (payday). But I'm sitting in with an acoustic duo Sunday, and would like a decent set of flats before hand.

Ross · Mar 10, 2009

I used them on a P-bass for several years. I liked them well enough, but I guess that I'm really a roundwound guy at heart. I'm now back to using Rotosounds.

cheers
R

billbass1 · Mar 10, 2009

As a matter of fact, I have the Chromes on my 67 Starfire I.
Super Light Gauge .040-.060-.075-.095 Long Scale.
They sound very good.
Had Fender flats on previously, and these do sound better and
overall much brighter.

The TI's are great strings, probally even beter then the chromes, and I have them on several non Guild basses.
Never tried them, yet, on the Starfire, but plan to do so in the future.

Bluelizzard · Mar 10, 2009

I use both. I prefer the TI Flats on my 67 Starfire and other hollow and semi-hollow basses. They sound great and have a significantly lower tension which means less stress on the neck and body. I just bought a set for my recently acquired 69 M-85 II and plan on using it for a couple gigs this weekend.

I really like the Chromes on my 62 P-bass and my Jazz bass. They feel great, sound great, are easier to find and less expensive.

gilded · Mar 10, 2009

+ 1 on the low tension aspect of the TI strings.

Happy Face · Mar 13, 2009

They make a medium scale set which fit on my JS-II. (Just confirmed that on the JustStrings website.)

I put them on when I had the D'A Starfire as well and both sported TI Flats. Figgered it would provide some contrast. Didn't leave them on for long once I sold the Starfire.

I think I still have them sitting in my string drawer - I'll send them to you if you like so you can try them out risk-free.

h60 · Mar 14, 2009

I ordered some TI's on Thursday from Juststrings.com and they showed up today! I'll be sticking with these. They just feel and sound so right on a Starfire.

smokin-bear · Mar 16, 2009

Hope this thread isn't just about flats but i am getting great tone and feel from DR Jonas Hellborg strings on all my starfires and have given flats a rest for a while. The nickel just makes our bi-sonics sound huge. just my $.02, so sorry if this is off topic.

fronobulax · Mar 16, 2009

smokin-bear said:
Hope this thread isn't just about flats .

Don't worry about it. Thread veer is an LTG tradition.

And as long as we are talking about strings that fit a Starfire (and hence a JS as well) I would find it very helpful if people posted a specific item number or some way that I could be sure I just bought the exact same strings someone was suggesting. I admit I have not changed strings in 30 years but I keep bad mouthing the Guild humbuckers on the JS and feel a moral obligation to try different strings so I am in the market. Last time I kept getting sets that would not fit so a recommendation here that of strings that fit and sound good carries a lot of weight.

danerectal · Mar 16, 2009

I think higher tension works better with those Guild humbuckers on bass. Otherwise they truly do lack definition.

billbass1 · Mar 26, 2009

Just put a set of TI Jazz Flats on my newly acquired 1968 Starfire II a week ago.
There the Long Scale "JF344" .043-.056-.070-.100 , and they fit with no problems.
They sound, play and feel amazeing !
Much better then the chromes on my 1967 Starfire I .
The Hagstrom Bisonic PUPS and the TI's go perfect together .....

PeteyBass · Mar 26, 2009

Never tried a set Chromes... however I have tried Black Flat Rotosounds and felt they sounded like the death of high fidelity. Stay away!

mikko · Feb 20, 2011

fronobulax said:
I would find it very helpful if people posted a specific item number or some way that I could be sure I just bought the exact same strings someone was suggesting.

After custom made Pyramid set, I changed to D'Addario Chromes Flatwound ECB81M, gauges 45-65-80-100. Because I just recently changed to Chromes I can't recommend them yet, although they've been great so far. They're probably getting better when they break in. Don't do like I did and buy ECB81S set, they're way too short for Starfire.

bassmyf · Feb 20, 2011

mikko said:
fronobulax said:

I would find it very helpful if people posted a specific item number or some way that I could be sure I just bought the exact same strings someone was suggesting.

Click to expand...

After custom made Pyramid set, I changed to D'Addario Chromes Flatwound ECB81M, gauges 45-65-80-100. Because I just recently changed to Chromes I can't recommend them yet, although they've been great so far. They're probably getting better when they break in. Don't do like I did and buy ECB81S set, they're way too short for Starfire.

If a set of bass strings is way too short for a 30" scale Starfire, just exactly what would they fit? :?

Happy Face · Feb 20, 2011

A true short scale bass, like a Gibson EB-3.

fronobulax · Feb 20, 2011

Happy Face said:
A true short scale bass, like a Gibson EB-3.

Really? All the published info I can find claims the vintage Starfire and JS basses have a 30.5 scale length. Same claim is made for the Gibson EB-0 and EB-3.

This, with Guilds conspicuously absent, lists a Fender Mustang and a Hofner Beatle Bass as having scale lengths of less than 30.5.

Yggdrasil · Feb 21, 2011

I also bought a set of D'addario chrome shorts a few years ago - didn't fit any of the short scale basses in my stable at the time - a Starfire, a B30E, a Gretsch Broadkaster and an Alembic Stanley Clarke Signature.

D'Addario customer service was very good, though, sending me some Slowounds that would fit.

hieronymous · Feb 21, 2011

The distance from the ball end of the string to the saddle can be significant - scale length only refers to the distance between the saddle and the nut. Gibsons don't have a separate tailpiece, so the distance between the ball end & saddle is very short. There is definitely more space on a Guild. Alembics too - I use long scale strings on my short scale Stanley Clarke and they fit perfectly.

Not sure if this is the issue, but it can be a significant factor.

Gibson "ever-tilt" design:

Alembic with separate tailpiece (with Chromes, by the way):

Chromes anyone?

h60

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gilded

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h60

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Ross

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billbass1

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Bluelizzard

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gilded

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h60

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