DR Dragon Skin Plus

[Jamieboy]

Tried a set of these as I saw they're relatively recently introduced and my low riders needed replacing. Figure I'd try something coated to see if they last much longer, which can only be a good thing, right.

 

Got the "quantum" nickle 45-100 set and fitted to a sandberg california tt4. As far as im concerned this is a great match. The bass is already pretty bright and clear but these seem to have tightened up the low end further and just sound great to my ears. Maybe not to everyone's taste, of course.

 

They did seem to have a bit of friction against the fingers to play straight out of the packet but after playing in for an hour or so it's either gone or I no longer notice it.

 

If they last well, then I've probably found a string I'll stick with. For now.

 

Wonder if anyone else has tried them and their thoughts.

[Robert Manning]

I also just got a few sets of these exact strings. 
 

normally use elixir nickel light or super light. 
 

found them to be quite expressive and responsive due to the round core (I think) compared to the elixirs 

 

using them on a p bass + and a jazz

 

if the different kind of coating works almost as good as the elixirs I may be a convert - but will have to live with a bit to see how long it takes for them to die. 
 

they’re on Amazon for £26 which is pretty cheap which gave me the nudge to try them - I just hope they stay that price ha!

[Jamieboy]

Yeah i agree. I've got elixirs on my pbass (which tbh I don't use often) and def find the dragon skin plus more flexible and responsive. More "bounce" If that is a thing?!?

 

26 quid sounds mega value, nice one. Think I paid 33 or so but that's still way less than elixirs and similar to low riders which are what I'd been using on my main bass previously. 

 

I'll try to remember to report back in a couple of months re how they're lasting. 

[funkle]

Interested to hear how all this turns out. I’ve just cottoned on to Elixir Stainless Steels and they sound and feel great. It’s got me looking at the Rotosound Nexus as well as the Dragonskins. 

[Supernaut]

Still give me finger burn after changing the formula. 

[Jamieboy]

So I've just taken off the dragon skin plus strings I put on in January. They lasted well for most of that time but did die off quite a bit over the last few weeks. That is home practice for 30-60 mins  probs 5 days a week with a rehearsal or gig every couple of weeks.  YMMV of course. Had hoped for a bit longer, but really great strings.

[Chienmortbb]

On 01/03/2025 at 12:19, funkle said:

Interested to hear how all this turns out. I’ve just cottoned on to Elixir Stainless Steels and they sound and feel great. It’s got me looking at the Rotosound Nexus as well as the Dragonskins. 

I love the Nexus and am surprised they are not shown more love. 

[brickers]

@Jamieboy how long would you say these last compared to something like dr hi beams? i usually use flats so don't have a clue how long rounds last. just got some hi beams, which i love the flexibility and sound of but still not sure of the zing and the texture. dragon skins look like they might be the fix!

[Jamieboy]

Hi @brickers

 

I've used DR low riders and Fat Beams, but not high beams, so can't make a direct comparison. Compared to those I'd say the dragon skin plus last longer but not dramatically so, like elixirs do. I much prefer the feel over elixirs though - but I guess that's an entirely personal thing.

[acidbass]

Recent convert to Dragon Skin also.  I use them both on 4 string J bass and 5 string multiscale Dingwall.  I believe they are coated Hi Beams.  Great string with plenty of bounce and life!

[funkle]

I’m getting a little tired of the higher tension of Elixir SS, even the lighter sets. I do like how smooth they feel though. 
 

Does anyone know if the Dragon Skin steels feel very grippy? I might try the quantum nickels if so…or maybe I’ll get round to the Rotosound Nexus sets I keep thinking about…

[fretmeister]

This thread is interesting to me.

 

I think I'd like to try some coated strings on my Pingray. I usually have a problem with nickel skin reaction, but this would let me have more choice.

 

I'm thinking about Elixir's but open to others.

 

On 05/03/2025 at 16:03, Supernaut said:

Still give me finger burn after changing the formula. 

 

Is this a reaction to DR's coating material?

 

On 20/07/2025 at 09:45, funkle said:

I’m getting a little tired of the higher tension of Elixir SS, even the lighter sets. I do like how smooth they feel though. 
 

Does anyone know if the Dragon Skin steels feel very grippy? I might try the quantum nickels if so…or maybe I’ll get round to the Rotosound Nexus sets I keep thinking about…

 

I want something smooth feeling as well. I've got flats on other basses so I want rounds on this bass but I do like to minimise string noise.

 

What coated strings have the lowest finger noise?

[Jamieboy]

Well, we're all different of course but I don't get any reaction or finger burn from the DRs. As I said originally there was a slight friction for the first hour or two but then nothing.

 

Speaking purely about smoothness/string noise, IMO Elixirs are the smoother/less noisy of the two, althoigh the DRs are smoother than their uncoated strings. However, also IMO I don't like the Elixir higher tension and lack of zing/chime compared to the dragon skin plus. All personal preference and I'd say both are good options depending on which details you prefer.

[funkle]

Good responses. I’m going to try these Dragon Skins out then. Though one thing I need to check - do they allow strings to ground properly at the bridge? (i.e. Is the coating conductive?)

[acidbass]

I would say that there is a little bit more grip than Elixirs, but not really noticeable.

[Supernaut]

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

This thread is interesting to me.

 

I think I'd like to try some coated strings on my Pingray. I usually have a problem with nickel skin reaction, but this would let me have more choice.

 

I'm thinking about Elixir's but open to others.

 

 

Is this a reaction to DR's coating material?

 

 

I want something smooth feeling as well. I've got flats on other basses so I want rounds on this bass but I do like to minimise string noise.

 

What coated strings have the lowest finger noise?

Not a reaction. I have no allergies. Their coating is just really rough when doing slides. 

[fretmeister]

Thank you.

 

I will flip a coin as to which to try first then!

[Supernaut]

I really like D'Addario XTs when going down the coated route. 

[Jamieboy]

5 hours ago, funkle said:

Good responses. I’m going to try these Dragon Skins out then. Though one thing I need to check - do they allow strings to ground properly at the bridge? (i.e. Is the coating conductive?)

Never had any grounding issues that I've been aware of, on any coated string. Is that really a thing? 

[funkle]

27 minutes ago, Jamieboy said:

Never had any grounding issues that I've been aware of, on any coated string. Is that really a thing? 

Yes, it is. I have had an issue on my Precision with it. Turns out my Precision doesn’t have pickup polepieces that are grounded. So, if I don’t have a good path to ground (e.g. because the strings are coated in non-conductive material), I get a ton of noise touching the polepieces. Like when Elixirs are installed. 

Edited July 22 by funkle

[funkle]

Ok, just stuck stainless steel Dragon Skins on my dual Precision pickup bass. 45-100. 
 

They are very sticky to start off with - as @Jamieboy said. They sound like Hi Beams to me (Fat Beams have a little bit more in the mids). 
 

They feel looser tension than Elixirs. As Jamie said, they are not as smooth as Elixirs. I’m not sure I feel a mega difference between these and other DR strings. 
 

I’ll play with these for a while and report back. 

[funkle]

Ok, I’ve played on these a couple of weeks. They’ve settled in. I’ve played an hour or more on these most days. 
 

They have a great feel. Not hard to fret, very flexible. I like DRs for this a lot, the round core is a great feel. 
 

A lot of the high end has worn off for me. I didn’t expect them to mellow quite this fast.
 

The tone is acceptable but they have a strange sort of dulled tone - it kind of sounds like they are wrapped in something. Which, I guess, the core wrap wire is. 

I’m not sure I’m convinced of these over other DR steels. They feel better than Elixirs - lower tension - but for my chemistry, they don’t seem to stay brighter any longer. I probably prefer Fat Beams overall. 
 

I’ve been doing a lot of string dating on other basses.

 

Rotosound Ultramags 40-100s are wonderful sounding but very tense feeling on my left hand, much like Elixirs. I had to take them off, they were noticeably hard to fret. But they sound a bit like Swing bass strings, very crunchy and good low end. Bizarre how different they feel to Roto steels of the same gauge and reported tension. 
 

Rotosound SM66s (40-100 Swing Bass set) feel amazing in terms of tension and sound utterly amazing when they go on, but I seem to kill them off after a couple of weeks. They are acceptably mellow now but have kind of lost the magic of the beginning days. I guess I’d use these if I was going to change strings frequently and had more time and money. I literally have never heard my maple neck P bass sound as good as when these went on. Great sound. 
 

I’m either going to try DR Pure Blues 40-100 or TI Superalloys next. I think the Pure Blues ‘Quantum Nickel’ is probably type 52 Alloy, like the Ultramags and the Superalloys.  
 

It seems hard to get the magic triad of ‘sounds like steel, feels like nickel’, acceptable string tension, and tone durability. Ah well. 

[Clarky]

I had Dragon Skins on the Fender Geddy Jazz I sold a few months back. They were on the bass when I bought it so were perhaps a year or more old. I found them a bit odd feeling and the E was dull and a bit lifeless compared to the other strings, as if there was too much coating compared with the ADG.

 

I much prefer DR Pure Blues 40-100 for similarly forgiving tension (round core) but somewhere between warm and bright tone, whether played pick or fingerstyle. They feel very high quality and I have those on two of my 3 basses. They also have the advantage ... for me ... of being almost identical in tension with TI Flats, if I want to swap between flats and rounds or vice versa.