DR Strings

[Cato]

I've only tried Pure Blues guitar strings.

Nice sounding, very bright, but the tension on them was like nothing I've ever experienced on a set of guitar strings, to the point where I had to take them off after a couple weeks because it was interfering with both my freting and picking hands.

If the bass strings are the same (and they might not be as the guitar strings are pure nickel whereas the bass strings are apparently 'quantum nickel' - whatever that is)  it might be worth going for a narrower gauge than usual to compensate.

Edited July 23, 2020 by Cato

[Jakester]

I have Sunbeams and love them, but my absolute fave are Lo-Rider nickels - I keep returning to them time and time again. 

[mcnach]

40 minutes ago, PJ-Bassist said:

Revisiting an older thread.

I've had a little break from bass playing during lock down but have come back to it over the past few weeks, mainly using my J bass with rounds.

Picked up my P Bass last night which I'd restrung with LaBella Low Tension flats and didn't like it at all.  So  I'm probably going back to Roundcored roundwounds.

I've previously used Sunbeams and liked them but I've not tried Pure Blues at all.  Does anyone have experience with either of these and can summarise the differences?

 

The Pure Blues have a more pronounced midrange than Sunbeams, so they can sound a bit more aggresive to start with, but they're also mellower in the higher frequencies, a bit as if you had been using those strings for a bit, and they have less oompf in the low end. Just a bit. I like them on Precisions, I think they suit them helping them getting a tighter low end, and I 'tame' the aggressive midrange with the tone control as it's mostly the high mids that -sometimes- needs taming, for my taste.

[PatrickJ]

2 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

The Pure Blues have a more pronounced midrange than Sunbeams, so they can sound a bit more aggresive to start with, but they're also mellower in the higher frequencies, a bit as if you had been using those strings for a bit, and they have less oompf in the low end. Just a bit. I like them on Precisions, I think they suit them helping them getting a tighter low end, and I 'tame' the aggressive midrange with the tone control as it's mostly the high mids that -sometimes- needs taming, for my taste.

How's the tension of the Pure Blues?

I have 2 Sandberg V's , a VS4 with a vintage toned pickup and a VT4 with the stock Delano's

The VS4 has the LTF's that I want to replace.  Maybe I'll give the Pure Blues a go.

Edited July 23, 2020 by PJ-Bassist

[mcnach]

3 hours ago, PJ-Bassist said:

How's the tension of the Pure Blues?

I have 2 Sandberg V's , a VS4 with a vintage toned pickup and a VT4 with the stock Delano's

The VS4 has the LTF's that I want to replace.  Maybe I'll give the Pure Blues a go.

 

I find them similar to Fat Beams and Sunbeams, presumably because all these are round cores. Flexible/compliant but not floppy.

I've got Pure Blues on my Sandberg VM4 and I think they suit it well.

[PatrickJ]

Pure Blues arrived today and I fitted them to my VS4 this evening.  Really liking them so far, great tension and sound "played in" straight after fitting them.

[Chris Hales]

Really interested to see this thread.  I've been using DDT 40-100 strings recently and love the feel and the sound of them.  (Regular tuning, so the DDT bit is wasted on me!)

 

What I have found, though, is that after a few months the strings go dead really quickly.  (I've had them on a couple of basses with similar results, so I don't think I was just unlucky and got a duff set.)

 

Anyone else had similar experience with DDT strings?

 

For my next set I'm thinking of getting some Hi-Beams which I thing will be even "softer" under the fingers and by all accounts last very well.  I'd be glad to benefit from experience there, though - Have other people found DDTs don't last well and do people find Hi-Beams similar in sound and feel to DDT?

 

Thanks for your advice.

 

 

Chris

[NancyJohnson]

On 14/03/2019 at 08:51, NancyJohnson said:

The only DRs I REALLY liked were the Jonas Hellborg Signature sets.  Despite them being 40-100s , the windings were of a bigger diameter/gauge to that of what I'd consider as being regular strings.  They felt comfortable, good tonally.

I think these have actually been discontinued, but sets come up on eBay periodically; they're definitely worth a punt if you can find some.  I have one unused set that I'll use next time I'm swapping strings.

 

 

 

Just as an addendum to this, production of the Jonas Hellborg design strings moved to a different maker, Dogal, who are based and manufacturing in Venice.

 

I'm uncertain of the price... it's probably likely that I'll be in Venice again at some point, might swing by.

 

https://www.dogalstrings.it/en/perfect-pitch