I bought these as an experiment to see what flats were like for my American Jazz bass. I went with D'Addario, because its what i know and I've used them for 35 years for Guitars and basses.
The strings took a little getting used to, and i wasn't completely sold at first. But then- after about five months, the TONE became AWESOME. Smooth, silky, right there when you need it. And no scratching. Its hard to describe, but you will notice. I use fingers style for almost everything, so I haven't' had a need to use a pick. But that being said, I can't see why it wouldn't work with a pick.
Also, its hard to go back to rounds now. The scratching just isn't there for flats. I just bought a new American P bass, and it came with rounds. I just don't like the round sound anymore, so i ordered another set for the new bass.
Also to note, these 100-45 flats replaced my 105-45 rounds perfectly. They are stiffer, so you will need to adjust the action a tad.
-Good luck!
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From the manufacturer
MORE PUNCH, POWER & POLISH
D'Addario XL Chromes are the industry standard in flatwound bass guitar strings. They deliver a round, full low end without losing punch. Wound with flattened stainless steel ribbon wire, XL Chromes are then polished to unparalleled smoothness.
FEATURES:
- Wrap Material: Stainless Steel
- Wrap Construction: Flatwound
- Coating: Uncoated
- Number Of Strings: 4, 5
- Scale Length: Short, Medium, Long, Super Long
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"I have been rockin' on D'Addario strings since I first started." Gary Plays XL Chromes 11-50 |
"I've been using D'Addario strings for over 20 years. They're comfortable, they stay in tune, and they're very consistent." Robben Plays XL Chromes 11-52 |
"I am a professional recording and touring musician with over 40 years of experience. D'Addario strings are the best sounding and reliable strings I've ever played." Rudy Plays XL Chromes 45-100 |
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FLATWOUND CONSTRUCTIONFlat wound strings feature precisely flattened stainless steel wrap wire that is wound and polished to provide an ultra smooth feel and a full, mellow tone. |
HEX CORE CONSTRUCTIONPrecision drawn hexagonal core wire was pioneered by John D'Addario Sr. in the 1930's. This innovation allows the string winding to grip the core for superior dimensional stability and intonation. |
STRING WINDINGString winding equipment is designed and built by D'Addario's engineering team, producing more than half a million strings per day. Digitally-controlled string winding machines ensure productivity, accuracy, and consistency. |
WIRE DRAWINGD'Addario's in-house wire drawing machines produce musical instrument wire to our exact specifications. Control over materials, equipment, and quality allows us to deliver high performance products. |
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| XL Pro Steels | XL Nickel Wound | XT Coated Nickel | NYXL Nickel | XL Nylon Tapewound | |
| Customer Reviews |
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| Price | $22.95 | $21.99 | $32.99 | $29.99 | $52.99 |
| Tone | Super Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mellow |
| Wrap Wire Alloy | Stainless Steel | Nickel Plated Steel | Coated Nickel Plated Steel | Nickel Plated Steel | Flattened Black Nylon |
| Construction | Round Wound | Round Wound | Round Wound | Round Wound | Tape Wound |
| Coated | Uncoated | Uncoated | Coated (XT Treatment) | Uncoated | Uncoated |
Compare with similar items
This Item  D'Addario XL Chromes Flat Wound Bass Guitar Strings - ECB82 - Long Scale - Medium, 50-105 |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -13% $39.00 List: $44.99 | $39.99 | $10.49 | $39.99 | -14% $9.88 Typical: $11.49 | $19.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
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| Versatility | ||||||
| Brightness | ||||||
| Sold By | Blend Trend | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| instrument | Bass Guitar | Short Scale Bass Guitar | Bass Guitar | Bass Guitar | Bass Guitar | Electric Guitar |
| string material | Chrome | Stainless Steel | Nickel Steel | Stainless Steel | Nickel Steel | Chrome |
| string gauge | Heavy | Group 2 (45-105) | Medium | Group 2.5 (50-105) | Medium | Jazz Light |
Reviews with images
ECB81M - awesome replacement strings for my Ibanez AEB10E
This is my first foray into flat wound strings. I'd read lots of recommendations on different forums about what strings to put on my acoustic/electric bass, an Ibanez AEB10e (medium (32") scale).A number of folks had these specific strings on this exact model bass, so I decided to give it a try.I'm a relatively new bass player I've been playing extensively for about 7 months, but have played electric guitar, keyboard and many woodwinds over the course of my life. I picked up my AEB10e from a friend who had not been maintaining it.I brought the strings over to a luthier to install and also assess whether other things needed to be adjusted. He popped the strings on and also addressed some bowing/action.While the bass overall plays better, I'm very delighted by the feel of flat wounds vs the much more abrasive "standard" round wounds that come on most basses. Very smooth.While I liked the sound of the old "dull" sound of the ancient strings (reminiscent of an upright!), I've quickly become accustomed to the response and pop to the sound.Next time I need to replace strings on my other basses, I'd definitely look to get an equivalent of the ECB81's in my scale.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2024
Size: Long ScaleStyle: Light, 45-100Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2024
Size: Long ScaleStyle: Medium, 50-105Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023
Size: Medium ScaleStyle: Light, 45-100Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2018
Size: Long ScaleStyle: Light, 45-132 (5-String)Verified Purchase
Been playing for a long time and I am in a band playing 60's through 80's music again. The roundwound strings I had been using just didn't seem to cut it for music from this period. Upper register notes just didn't have the authority necessary (strong mids) so I decided to go back to flatwounds. Did a lot of internet research and learned that the flatwound that appeared to me to be most respected by other bassists is the D'Addario XL Chromes. I'm here to say, these are the real deal and I think, through my bass's active tone controls, they have all the highs and lows I'll ever need for any kind of music. On one flatwound set I tried before (I won't mention the name), and on some roundwound sets, the B string was too hot compared to the other strings but with this set the string-to-string balance is excellent and, most importantly, my upper register notes have plenty of mid to cut through the mix and still sound like they came from a bass.
Pictured is my lovely Pedulla Rapture RBJ2-5 with a set of D'Addario XL Chromes ECB81-5, the lightest gauge set of Chromes. And for you fellow Rapture owners, the B string was a tiny bit tight but fit in the bridge without modification. I was a bit worried at first because I like keeping this bass in original condition. I have a very light piece of foam at the bridge to eliminate unwanted harmonics and add a little Jamerson thump, and yes, these strings do harmonics well. Some flatwound sets do not. I am very happy with this set of strings.
Oh, I need to add that my band plays tuned down one-half step. These strings handle that tuning exceptionally well at extremely low string height. The strings are a bit more taught than the roundwounds I previously had on this bass but not so much I cannot bend them easily. After setup (neck adjustment, string height and intonation) there is almost zero fret noise. I like that. These are great strings!
Pictured is my lovely Pedulla Rapture RBJ2-5 with a set of D'Addario XL Chromes ECB81-5, the lightest gauge set of Chromes. And for you fellow Rapture owners, the B string was a tiny bit tight but fit in the bridge without modification. I was a bit worried at first because I like keeping this bass in original condition. I have a very light piece of foam at the bridge to eliminate unwanted harmonics and add a little Jamerson thump, and yes, these strings do harmonics well. Some flatwound sets do not. I am very happy with this set of strings.
Oh, I need to add that my band plays tuned down one-half step. These strings handle that tuning exceptionally well at extremely low string height. The strings are a bit more taught than the roundwounds I previously had on this bass but not so much I cannot bend them easily. After setup (neck adjustment, string height and intonation) there is almost zero fret noise. I like that. These are great strings!
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2024
Size: Long ScaleStyle: Light, 45-100Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2023
Size: Long ScaleStyle: Medium, 50-105Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
Size: Long ScaleStyle: Light, 45-132 (5-String)Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
J.A
Excelentes cuerdas
Reviewed in Mexico on March 8, 2024Size: Long ScaleStyle: Medium, 50-105Verified Purchase
CocoaBeWhere
Awesome strings....so smooth!
Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2023Size: Long ScaleStyle: Light, 45-100Verified Purchase
CocoaBeWhere
Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2023
well worth the price!
Images in this review
Pablo Jimenez Perez
Las mejores Flats con sonido moderno
Reviewed in Mexico on February 10, 2022Size: Long ScaleStyle: Light, 40-95Verified Purchase
Marcolla
Toque suave por uma pequena fábula
Reviewed in Brazil on December 31, 2021Size: Super Long ScaleStyle: Light, 40-95Verified Purchase
Maria Paz Coe
Great product
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2024Size: Long ScaleStyle: Light, 40-100Verified Purchase
