DR Strings vs. others

[Chris Hales]

I've strung up a couple of basses with DR DDT and Pure Blues strings respectively and really like them for their soft feel and low finger noise.  Unfortunately, what I also notice is that they seem to go very dead very quickly and very suddenly - much more so that, for example, D'Addarios which seem to stay bright forever.

Is this just my imagination or has anyone else here noticed this, too?  Can anyone recommend a string has the smoothness of a DR string but stays bright like a D'Addario?

Cheers!


Chris  

 

 

Edited Saturday at 20:58 by Chris Hales

[Lozz196]

Might be worth trying Elixirs 

[Jamieboy]

That's not my experience with DR strings but YMMV of course. Pure Blues aren't meant to be overly bright so may not be easiest comparison. DR dragon skin plus are coated DR strings so they could be up your street if you like the feel of the brand but are focused on longevity. 

[Supernaut]

DR strings last a long time from my experience. Did you kink the string when installing? Cutting a roundcore string straight will kill it. 

[Jamieboy]

27 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

DR strings last a long time from my experience. Did you kink the string when installing? Cutting a roundcore string straight will kill it. 

Good point. Important not to overlook this.

[Chris Hales]

On 06/10/2025 at 15:25, Supernaut said:

DR strings last a long time from my experience. Did you kink the string when installing? Cutting a roundcore string straight will kill it. 

Yes, I did do that, so I'm pretty sure that's not the cause.  Also, I've had similar experience with DDT strings which have a hex core (and I think are stainless steel) so if there is a difference it's probably in the make up of the string.  I've noted that DR strings have more layers of thinner wrap wire, so maybe that's the difference?

 

 

On 05/10/2025 at 19:33, Jamieboy said:

That's not my experience with DR strings but YMMV of course. Pure Blues aren't meant to be overly bright so may not be easiest comparison. DR dragon skin plus are coated DR strings so they could be up your street if you like the feel of the brand but are focused on longevity. 

I'm not after a very bright sound and even with the Pure Blues I prefer them once they've settled in a bit.  My gripe isn't so much the longevity per se but that when they do start to go dull, they go very dull very quickly.  I have a couple of other basses strung up with D'Addario and Ernie Ball (both also nickel wound) so I'll see how they behave.

How often do you guys change you strings?  The Pure Blues have been on for about six months (probably an average of an hour of play each day) and are now really too dull to do anything useful.  

Cheers!