Dunlop Strings

[joeystrange]

Anyone used them?

Good? Bad? Ugly?

I'm thinking of trying them out. Just wondered if anyone had any experience of them.

[dannybuoy]

Only tried the nickels, but love em! Used to use DR Sunbeams but found these better and cheaper. I bought a 5-string set of steels by mistake once, they will be going on next time I change to give them a try too.

[Simon.]

Only on my squash racquet...

Seriously though, I didn't even know Dunlop did instrument strings. Interested to see what people’s opinions are.

[Coilte]

I have read lots of good reports about Dunlop strings. Unfortunately that was not my experience with the one set that I tried. They died within a week or two. Perhaps I got a dud set. Even before they died, I did not think they were anything worth getting that exited about. I use DR Sunbeams. They are not that much dearer than the Dunlops, (at least not on E Bay where I get my DR's) and I prefer the feel and tone. So I'll stay with the DR's.

[Dingus]

I,ve had a few sets of Dunlop nickels , and they have grown on me, after being fairly unimpressed to begin with. They aren't the brightest sounding nickel string, and that brand new string zip wears off them pretty quickly, but , like a lot of nickel strings, they still sound pretty good after that , and they seem to have a pretty fat kind of "rump" to the sound that is quite appealing and a good low midrange prescence. . When they first came out some people were touting Dunlops as a possible substitute for DR's , but I cannot really see where that is coming from . These strings neither sound or feel anything like DR's, and will not do as a replacement if you are a fan of that brand . I love Dr Sunbeams and think they are the best sounding nickel strings ever, but due to the round core construction the tension can be bit problematic on some basses when 105-45 is slightly too stiff for me and 40-100 is too elastic, so in those instances I have been using Dunlops recently. The Dunlops claim to be low tension strings, but they just feel like average tension to me, to be honest, and nowhere near as compliant as round core DR's.

I would say that Dunlops are a fairly decent all-round string and a viable alternative to something like D'Addario XL's , ( also very decent strings) which I find to be a bit brighter sounding and smoother-feeling than the Dunlops. If you want an affordable nickel string that stays bright sounding then I would recommend trying some Elites Players series , because they are as good in most respects as anything else more exotic that I have tried, but overall I think that , if you like the tension of any particular gauge on your bass, nothing can touch DR Sunbeams for overall sound , feel and longevity.

Edited January 31, 2014 by Dingus

[joeystrange]

Cheers chaps.
I reckon I'll try a set out and see how they go.

[Highfox]

I have Dunlop Nickel coated on all my roundwound stringed basses. I like them as well

[TRBboy]

I bought a few sets because they were cheap, and I've been pretty impressed! I use light gauge (.040" - .120") stainless 5-string set. I normally use D'addario Prosteels. The Dunlops sound great, they have a really nice big punchy low end for light gauge stainless strings, and a sparkling top end. I was a bit apprehensive about the .120" B, because it's lighter than anything I've used before, but it's great. Not flappy and nicely defined. Not sure at the moment if they're gonna last quite as long as the D'addarios, but I've had a set on my Ken Taylor since the start of December and they're still going strong but feel nice and smooth now. They seem to have quite a fast break-in time, and don't feel as rough as some SS rounds.

Worth a punt I think.