D'AddarioXL Chromes Flat Wound Bass Guitar Strings - ECB81-5 - 5 String - Long Scale - Regular Light, 45-132
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D'AddarioXL Chromes Flat Wound Bass Guitar Strings - ECB81-5 - 5 String - Long Scale - Regular Light, 45-132

4.7/5
Product ID: 1363652
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Details

  • Brand
    D'Addario
  • String Gauge
    Medium
  • Color
    Silver
  • Instrument
    Bass Guitar
  • String Material Type
    Chrome
🎸Mellow Tone
🔧Hex-Core
🇺🇸Made in USA

Description

🎶 Elevate Your Sound, Join the Elite!

  • RICH DARK TONES - Elevate your sound with warm, mellow bass.
  • CRAFTED IN THE USA - Support local craftsmanship with every strum.
  • ECO FRIENDLY REWARDS - Earn points while you play with recyclable packaging.
  • UNMATCHED SMOOTHNESS - Experience the silky feel of flat wound strings.
  • PRECISION ENGINEERING - Hex-Core design for flawless intonation.

D'Addario XL Chromes Flat Wound Bass Guitar Strings (ECB81-5) offer a unique blend of smoothness and rich, dark tones, perfect for bassists seeking a mellow sound. Made in the USA with a proprietary Hex-Core for durability and precision, these strings also come with a rewards program for eco-conscious musicians.

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Have a Question? See What Others Asked

Will these fit Ibanez Mikro, 30" from string end to nut. 32-35" to turning peg?
I've been using D'Addario Nickel Round Wound 45-105 bass strings. Will these strings require a setup for my bass, these are higher tension strings.
Which set of the xl chromes would be best for a harley benton stingray?
Will these work on an acoustic bass? I know they are designed for electric bass, but I have heard of people using flatwound on their acoustic basses.

Reviews

4.7

All from verified purchases

C**.

Almost perfect for my Squier Bronco.

I order the Short Scale variety (ECB81S). Despite the flat winding, it has plenty of that clanky clank sound I love from the single-coil pickup. I guess my bridge is kind of short because the fabric wrap on the low E intruded a bit into the vibrating part of the string, but a simple spacer took care of that (see pix). My bass is 30 inch scale length.

Y**T

Awesome strings, even better customer support

These strings are just awesome. I find the tension to be not that stiff while still providing that dark flat wound tone. These also deliver in the upper midrange frequencies (P bass with tone all the way open, dunno if that's actually considered "upper midragne") and it just sounds so beautiful... About their CS! These were my first after market bass strings and I cut the A string a little bit to short, so I had it buzzing at the nut. Totally my bad, but that didn't stop D'Addario from sending me a replacement string! Such a class act, I wouldn't expect that kind of service on every single f*** up a customer make, but it's nice to know they have your back.

A**R

Great flats!

these strings are great. Very bright at the start but once you get into them for a little bit, they’re nice. The string texture is like a double bass. It’s very smooth. overall great! they work perfectly with a squier bronco

S**R

Chrome Flats: How have I never tried these before?!

I know how. I'm not exactly a bassist or (up til now maybe) frequent bass player.I've always played guitar and dabbled here and there on bass, in both cases with bright, round-wound strings. In my experience, flat means it's time to change strings. A little less true these days on guitar but still a general rule of thumb for me.I've been getting more into bass lately and realizing, while I can appreciate springy, pop punk bass with a pick, and other tasteful trebly treatments, I prefer to play boomy, bassy bass. To get the sound I want is fairly easy. Turn down the treble, tone knob, and don't change strings.Tried a bass recently that I was told had flat-wound strings on there - maybe even tape-wound. Definitely not a new set on there either. But I was digging the inherent smoothness of the sound without any harmonics of going up and down the fretboard in the way. So I gave these flatwounds by D'Addario a shot and I was blown away. They sound great, not like I am playing rubber bands. Definitely plenty of clarity to work with, while in the zone for the tone I want.I have another set by another brand to try - actually, two sets I had to combine to get the string gauges I want. That's another thing, D'Addario has these in my preferred 40 60 80 100 which is obviously way better than getting two packs of strings and throwing away half of them.Anyway, great work D'Addario! Always in the pocket with me for great sound 🤘

R**N

Excellent

Excellent strings for my short scale acoustic/electric bass. Great sound and no extra noise sliding.

G**H

Reliable flat wound bass strings - don't leave home without them

I have flat wound strings on a couple of my basses, and noticed that one of my Gretch basses needed a new set badly. I've been using D'Addario strings since the 1970's and have never had any complaints. I play a lot of 60's Motown music, and flat wound strings are perfect for that music style. If you haven't tried these, give them a shot next time you change strings - I think you'll like them a lot.

J**Y

Decent flatwounds

These sound pretty good. Have them setup on a jazz bass and they are very warm. Quality strings with a smooth feel making it easy for slides. Sizing was perfect for my use on a long scale bass. Honestly, not my favorite flatwound strings, I feel the sound to be lacking and string tension too high, but definitely get the job done.

R**N

Really liking these. Great E string tonal quality.

I have a through-body Mustang bass. Since I bought it, I always used LaBella Mustang Flats because of the perfect fit... I'm surprised more strings don't market specifically "for Mustang". But these strings, in the medium-scale set, are PERFECT for a through-body Mustang.Also, the sound is excellent. The E string has (at least on a brand-new set) just about the liveliest sound I've ever heard on an E string. Ya know how sometimes playing a note on the A string vs the E strings, even on a brand-new set, sounds way, way different in tonal quality? That problem is really minimized with these strings -- again, at least on a brand-new set. I'll be keeping any eye out for how the E string deadens with time, but as I get a better ear with time, I find that I need to replace my strings about every 3 months anyway, otherwise everything starts sounding dead to me. Too bad Thomastik-Infeld doesn't make their Jazz Flats in a scale for through-body Mustangs, those suckers sound good forever! (hint hint, T.I.!)Anyway, these strings seem to have noticeably better sound than the LaBellas, especially on the E. I really like the gauge too, they just feel right. May have to become a lifelong d'Addario fan!ADDENDUM AFTER GOING THROUGH SEVERAL SETS: Still loving them! I usually get 3 to 4 months on a set, and then the dullness starts to kick in too much. Although even after 4 months, you might really like the sound, they still sound good, they still play well, and they still stay in tune -- they just don't have that lively bright quality like a newer set. They also age very, very nicely, in that each string ages equally, even the E string, which is really surprising since I've found that the E string (with other brands) tends to go duller faster than other strings, and gets to be way-too-dead very quickly. Not these babies!!! The E string, even after four months, sounds comparable in tonal quality to the other strings and still has good sustain... again, just losing that brightness to age at the same rate as the other strings.UPDATE: after many, many sets of these strings, they are still my favorite for a Mustang Bass instrument with through-body strings. They sound good for a long time, getting "deader" very gracefully, including even-balanced aging and tone on the low E. They sound so good aged, that it shocks me when I throw on a new set and hear how bright they are!! I'm like, whoa, sure, they weren't bright after all that time, but man they still sounded sweet!

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