DR HandMade Strings

[marnold***]

Marnold, which bass strings did you like best? I think Rotosound makes a special "high tension" set for a certain kind of bass. Maybe you got them instead of the regulars. A lot of dudes at talkbass.com really like rotosounds, especially the flats which are very popular there; Thomastik seem to be the ultimate in quality flats but are around 60 dollars US. A lot of guys I know use roundwound Rotosounds. Everything seems to be stainless, even the "monel" alloy Rotosound uses. I would like to try nickel wound flats or pure nickel flats.

I liked the DR Hi Beams way better than the Rotosounds. The ones I had were the normal ones. Something about a different core gives the Hi Beams a looser feel. I tried stainless strings to brighten up my dark Spector. I like the SIT nickel strings that came with my LTD. They have the same tension/feel as the Hi Beams. Eventually I may try Hi Beams on the LTD or just stick with the nickel ones. Back in the day, I used GHS Boomers on my Peavey Fury.

It is entirely possible that I got a set of Rotosounds that was dead from the factory. Whatever the case, the Hi Beams were like night and day. They are highly recommended on TalkBass.

A set of bass strings lasts me _years_.

[NWBasser]

I liked the DR Hi Beams way better than the Rotosounds. The ones I had were the normal ones. Something about a different core gives the Hi Beams a looser feel. I tried stainless strings to brighten up my dark Spector. I like the SIT nickel strings that came with my LTD. They have the same tension/feel as the Hi Beams. Eventually I may try Hi Beams on the LTD or just stick with the nickel ones. Back in the day, I used GHS Boomers on my Peavey Fury.

It is entirely possible that I got a set of Rotosounds that was dead from the factory. Whatever the case, the Hi Beams were like night and day. They are highly recommended on TalkBass.

A set of bass strings lasts me _years_.

I'm converted to DR from rotos too.

I found the roundwound Swingbass 66s to go dead relatively quickly and had a rough feel.

The Fatbeams hold their brightness much longer and have a better feel to them. They sound really, really good too.

Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Definitely!

[marnold***]

I'm converted to DR from rotos too.

I found the roundwound Swingbass 66s to go dead relatively quickly and had a rough feel.

I agree with that as well. They were rough to the point of almost feeling sticky. The Hi Beams don't feel like that, although these SIT nickels are even slicker.

The Fatbeams hold their brightness much longer and have a better feel to them. They sound really, really good too.

Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Definitely!

The only gripe I have about the stainless ones is that when I play with a pick (a medium pointed V-pick) I get a distinct metallic tone that is not particularly pleasing. At least the DR strings aren't as expensive as the aforementioned Thomastik flats. Of course, one set of those will outlast the bass itself.