DR Blue strings

rusty66 · #1 07-23-2007, 06:04 PM

Hey guys & gals. Anyone used these DR blue strings before, want to try them out on my passive Tomkins 5, but looking for some info first.
Im interested in the lifespan, tone, etc

any takers??

Cheers,

Rusty nuts

Jim Breece · #2 07-23-2007, 06:15 PM

I tried the reds on my passive Gecko and wasn't crazy about them. They just seemed like they had a little less brightness than my usual Sunbeams, which are not a real bright string to begin with. I don't rot strings very fast from sweat etc, so the extra life didn't matter much to me. On the other hand, they do look cool and lots of people do get extra life out of coated strings and like them, so I'd say try a set and see how they are for you. btw I believe the coated strings are all alike except for color, ie the red ones aren't "hotter", the black ones aren't "darker" sounding, etc. I play fingerstyle. If you're a pick player my experiences probably won't be very useful to you.

MohawkHarry · #3 07-23-2007, 06:46 PM

I have cool blues on my Geddy Lee jazz and I would say they are ok not super. Too early to tell how long they will hold up but tone wise I like them better than Elixers but not as much as Lowriders.

spudmaster34 · #4 07-23-2007, 06:52 PM

I have the Peacock Blues or whatever they are called and absolutely love them

MohawkHarry · #5 07-23-2007, 07:59 PM

It will look better when I put the black pickguard on but here it is with the new DR cool blue strings, these are bright blue the peacocks are a bit greener.

rusty66 · #6 07-24-2007, 06:32 AM

My tomkins has a deep green/blue trans colour & black leather scratch plate, so they should look cool. As long as they sound as good as they look I'll be right! I play finger style also (country rock) at the moment, so thanks for the advice & comments..... Keep em coming.

Cheers

Rusty

nastyn8c · #7 07-24-2007, 06:47 AM

I've never been much of a fan of coated strings. Believe me, I gave them more than a fair shot because I hate buying new strings ($$). I've just found that the coating seems to take a lot of brightness away. Strings ring better when there's nothing on them to keep them from ringing, and that includes coating.

If you like a darker tone, somewhere between new and dead, and want that tone to last, maybe coated strings are for you. But for me, and most people who are really concerned about being able to cut through the mix, they just don't work.

Chris Breese · #8 07-24-2007, 06:56 AM

They also come in silver.

AHbassist · #9 07-27-2007, 04:34 AM

the blues were okay, but they had a kinda wet feel to them.

Chris Breese · #10 07-27-2007, 06:54 AM

The Reds to me felt a little cinnamon-y...

rusty66 · #11 07-28-2007, 03:46 AM

May god help us if they bring out a brown set then!!!!

Now there's a marketing stratergy for five string bass players.

"The Brown note has never been soooooo Brown"!!!!!

Sorry

Rusty

rusty66 · #12 08-01-2007, 07:01 AM

Just popped the Peacock blues on my Tomkins. They sound great (as new string usually do!), I'll see how long they last etc. They also look **** hot against the blue/green paint job on the bass.

Thanks for all the info & pics guys.

Rusty

bassman1185 · #13 08-02-2007, 02:45 PM

I use Black Beauties and Red Devils, which are the same thing, just different colors. I keep a 50-110 guage set on my TBC, tuned CGCF for my hardcore band, and a 45-105 set on my spector for my church stuff. I've had the same set on my Spector for 7 months, and the D and G strings are still nice and snappy, although the E and A are getting a little bit dull. The same seems to be going for my TBC, although those have only been on for three months or so, but that bass gets a lot more of a workout than my Spector.

Out of the box, they sound like DR Hi-Beams that have been played on for a few hours, just enough that they have lost that brittle-ness, and they generally retain that tone for a good two months in my experience, depending on use. They're a touch more slippery than un-coated DR's, which is nice.

Overall, I love the strings, and I plan to keep them on my basses.

Chris Breese · #14 08-02-2007, 10:05 PM

Is it me, or are they just a touch shy in the mids?

CraigG · #15 08-02-2007, 10:18 PM

I used the Reds till the color started to wear off (didn't take long). Ok at the beginning but I thought they lost their brightness rather quickly.

Craig

MohawkHarry · #16 08-02-2007, 10:24 PM

Well coming over from LoRiders I would say they never had any brightness and sound dull through my Geddy's single coils.
I have legally tried to like these strings now and can say while they are a touch better sounding than Elixers I am not a coated string kind of guy. They all suck! but they look cool.