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D'Addario

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

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Availability: Only 4 left in stock, order soon!
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Size: Long Scale


Style: Light, 45-132 (5-String)


Features

  • MELLOW TONE - XL Chromes are a flat wound electric bass string, which provide a mellower tone than round wound strings.
  • SMOOTH, DARK TONES - Chromes stainless steel flattened ribbon wrap wire is precisely polished for unparalleled smoothness and a dark, yet warm tone.
  • HEX-CORE - Like all DAddario bass strings, XL Chromes are made with our proprietary Hex-Core, ensuring perfect intonation, consistent feel, and reliable durability.
  • EARN REWARD POINTS - Chromes sets have a code on the recyclable VCI bag, which you can register to earn Players Circle points.
  • MADE IN THE USA DAddario bass guitar strings are made in the USAdrawn to our exacting specifications at our New York production facility.

Description

XL Chromes are among the warmest, mellowest bass strings we have to offer. These flat wound strings provide an ultra-smooth feel and a dark, yet warm tone, while allowing movement across the fretboard with no finger noise. Made with a high carbon steel core, Chromes stainless steel flattened ribbon wrap wire is expertly wound onto a series of interlocking under-windings, then precisely polished for unparalleled smoothness and a tonal presence which blends beautifully into the mix. Made for 5-string basses, 45-132 Regular Light gauge strings take our most popular bass gauge and add a low B-string. From the Manufacturer ECB81-5, the 5-string version of D'Addario's best-selling Flatwound bass strings, are known for their warm, mellow tone and smooth polished feel. With the addition of a .132 low B, Chromes deliver a deep, rich low bottom end which makes them the flat wound choice of Jazz, R&B and Pop musicians. Fits long scale basses with a string scale length of up to 36 1/4 inches. D'Addario Chromes Bass strings are wound with flattened stainless steel ribbon wire which is polished to an incredibly smooth surface. Delivering a distinctive damped, but tone-rich sound that only flatwounds can produce, D'Addario Chromes are the world's most popular flatwound strings.D'Addario, the world's largest manufacturer of musical instrument strings, is known as The Players Choice with a reputation for unsurpassed quality and consistency. D'Addario's innovative packaging reduces waste and provides protection from corrosion. All D'Addario strings are manufactured in the U.S.A. using proprietary, digitally controlled, state-of- the-art machinery for unmatched performance, set after set.

Brand: D'Addario


String Gauge: Medium


Color: Silver


Instrument: Bass Guitar


String Material Type: Chrome


Item Weight: 5.9 ounces


Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6 x 0.8 inches


Item model number: ECB81-5


Is Discontinued By Manufacturer: No


Date First Available: December 5, 2006


Color Name: Silver


String Gauge: Medium


String Material: Chrome


Number of Strings: 5


Material Type: Stainless Steel


Size: Long Scale


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Sunday, Feb 1

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Smooth strings.
Size: Long Scale Style: Light, 45-100
These are the best strings. They last forever, and are very quiet, they are gentle on your fingers.
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2025 by Tiffercat
    • Best Bass Strings - Hands Down!!
Size: Long Scale Style: Light, 45-100
Why did you pick this product vs others?: For you bass guitar players that want deep rich bass and a comfortable feel without all the scratchy finger noise, these are the strings to get! They are solid performers that play well and stay in tune. Well worth the money. Before you order make sure you know the scale of your guitar because these strings come in different sizes. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2025 by D. Nov
    • Meet and exceed expectations.
Size: Long Scale Style: Light, 45-100
Flat wounds are always good on a bass guitar. The sustain, tone and volume is amazing. The product arrived quickly and installed easily. Time will tell how they hold up for gigging.
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2025 by R. M. Strohm
    • Really liking these. Great E string tonal quality.
Size: Medium Scale Style: Light, 45-100
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! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2019 by R. A. Edington
    • Awesome strings, even better customer support
Size: Long Scale Style: Light, 45-100
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. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2025 by YT
    • Really nice strings that add new options to my sound
Size: Long Scale Style: Medium, 50-105
Been playing bass in a cover band that plays a wide range of mostly danceable music: Pop, Top40, R&B, Funk, anything groovy. I play two Fender Jazz Basses. One is a standard MIM and the other is a Japanese Aerodyne with P/J pickups. I have been playing Rotosound Swing Bass Roundwounds on both. But.... I have been noticing that with this kind of music I was always turning down the tone and bridge pickups to get a deeper sound like on most of these original tunes. Also found myself playing the Aerodyne almost all the time because of the P Bass pickup and it's tone. Went online and researched various options for getting that genuine tone from the 60's and 70's and learned that Flat Wounds are where it's at. Caught some great videos on YouTube about these strings and decided to give them a try. I'm glad I did! They are a huge step in the direction I was trying to go. Put them on the Aerodyne, gonna keep that one as my groovy axe and the MIM Jazz will keep the roundwounds for when I need to rock out and want that great lively tone they produce. The flatwounds feel smooth slick and amazing to play. They are a bit stiffer with more thud than rounds and also have less ring. Which is good for certain kinds of music. I noticed with them I don't have to mute open strings as much and they naturally produce more of a deeper thumpier sound. They have great sustain, so they're not deader, just have less of the higher overtones of rounds. I also noticed that my tone knob is way more responsive with these strings than with rounds. Using the tone knob and blending in the bridge single coil pickup give me a much wider range of tones now than I ever had before. Go figure. I can also crank up the tone and the bridge pickup and get very close to a roundwound sound for certain tunes and not have to change basses. Overall, I am very pleased with these strings and the way they have added more options to my sound. I would recommend them to anyone looking to broaden their pallet of sound or discover for themselves the deep soulful funky tones these strings produce and why they are such a big part of some of the greatest music ever recorded. MORE BASS!! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2013 by C. Varga
    • Ver Nice
Size: Medium Scale Style: Light, 45-100
These work well for me. They feel good and they sound good.
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2025 by Richard Fowler
    • Good product just takes time to break in
Size: Long Scale Style: Light, 45-100
I have been on a search for the perfect bass guitar string. I have these on several of my basses. The tone is good they feel great. They do take awhile to break in. The are “sticky” at first and it takes a bit for that to go away. Not sticky like wet or gummy but my finger does not easily glide across them and release when new. Better as the age. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2025 by Erin sullivan

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