DR Extra Life Black Beauties...Holy ****

MadMan118 · #1 06-14-2009, 01:30 AM

So I put my first set of DR's on today, as set of Black Beauties. Beauties indeed. I' ve always liked the sound of a fresh set of coated strings, however the soon shred and flake, and so does the tone. Not these while Ive only had them on 8 hours, the tone is nothing short of jaw-dropping, and theyve so resisted my greasey post-fried chicken fingers. Great mids but a good overall balance, plus the colors are a nice touch as well, these are my new go-to strings.

6stringbassist · #2 06-14-2009, 08:11 AM

I bought a set of these recently, and to be totally honest they're a very expensive waste of time.

£50 for a 6 string set.

I've used DR strings for years, usually nickel lo-riders, and I love them. They last for ever and sound great.

The black beauties are a waste of money though. The black comes off so what's the point ?
The black started to come of the 1st set within about 30 minutes. I only play fingerstyle, and have a very light touch.
I took them back to the shop and had another set, but the same thing happened to those too.
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madbassplaya · #3 06-14-2009, 08:14 AM

I hate to hear you did not like them.

I just put a set on my Stingray 5 and I absolutely love them so far. I guess time will tell if I like them in the long run.

6stringbassist · #4 06-14-2009, 08:15 AM

I loved the sound, I just hoped they would look black for rather longer than they did, instead of black with silver spots.

lavmonga · #5 06-14-2009, 08:17 AM

I tried these recently, and I was used to a brighter ernie ball slinky sound, I was a little disappointed at first that these didn't deliver the snap or crack of my usuals, but overall they deliver a much more solid subdued punch tone. I don't really know how to put it into words well. I jammed with a few people and I can honestly say they sit in a mix better than an other strings I've ever used. I am a happy convert now (for one bass, still use EB Slinkys on most of my others).

Zooberwerx · #6 06-14-2009, 08:20 AM

Just put a set of "reds" on my Modulus. Wonder if they'll disappear under stage lighting like red ink?

Riis

Surly · #7 06-14-2009, 05:35 PM

I want to try a set of these for a P-bass, after reading Ed's reviews and actually LISTENING to soundclips, I think they may work for a nice warm tone but not as harsh as regular rounds.

walknbluez · #8 07-07-2009, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surly

I want to try a set of these for a P-bass, after reading Ed's reviews and actually LISTENING to soundclips, I think they may work for a nice warm tone but not as harsh as regular rounds.

I just got a P-bass strung with Black Beauties and although I haven't played it in the mix yet, by themselves they have a real good sound and not too harsh.

The only thing is the set I have seem thinner than the standard fender roundwounds that come stock on a Fender p-bass.

Blueszilla · #9 07-07-2009, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6stringbassist

I loved the sound, I just hoped they would look black for rather longer than they did, instead of black with silver spots.

I have sets of these on 3 basses (all black) and have been more than pleased. I love the sound and the look. It took at least a month before I noticed any wear and that was under my plucking hand.

Maybe it's body chemistry, the local humidity levels, old stock? Not sure, I'm a convert, I'll use 'em until something better comes along, all IMHO of course.

RCCollins · #10 07-07-2009, 03:48 PM

they're definitely not as bright or crisp as DR uncoated SS strings. somewhere inbetween the nickel-plated and SS

I liked them way more than I expected to but I went back to sunbeams

**Mulebagger** · #11 07-07-2009, 03:49 PM

I've put them on all my basses for a couple years now. I can keep a set on my basses with regular gigging for a year or so and I love the sound! I don't care about the black wearing off. just a sign of use I guess.

I especially love them on my fretless!!!

Boostedrex · #12 07-07-2009, 03:50 PM

I've had a set of these on my 4 string Ibby for about 4 months now. And with daily play (fingerstyle only), they aren't showing any wear and still sound as fresh as they did straight out of the box. I will admit that my body chemistry seems to be pretty gentle to strings and I have a fairly soft touch. So that might have something to do with it. That said, I really like these strings and will continue to use them on this bass.

walknbluez · #13 07-07-2009, 03:51 PM

Are they normally thinner than regular strings or did I just happen to buy a bass that was pre-strung with light guage?

Trapezius · #14 07-07-2009, 07:35 PM

I tried a set of these too. The first thing I noticed is they miss the "zing" of fresh uncoated strings... but that goes away pretty quickly anyway. I can't afford changing strings often enough to keep that sound, so I'm pretty satisfied with these so far. They seem to keep the sound for ages.
The black does wear off, for some reason mostly on the A string. I dig into the strings with long fingernails on all strings, strange it only shows on the A.

I like them, they feel great. I'll probably stick with these.

kirkm24 · #15 07-09-2009, 05:42 AM

I bought a set and was kind of dissappointed. They are basically just Hi Beams with a paint job. They sound just like Hi Beams after they've been worn in. Mine shed pretty bad too. Every time I was done playing, there would be tiny little black flakes all over my finger tips and on the bass itself. Needless to say I only kept them on my bass for a couple of days before deciding to switch. I don't like the floppiness of Hi Beams or BB's. A coated hex core string might be a nice option.

jordie65 · #16 07-09-2009, 06:08 AM

i found these strings to be great for me. after a few solid band jams i noticed the black coming off around some frets and under my plucking fingers and while they lost an element of their aesthetic appeal the tone remained good for a very long time...took much MUCH longer than regular rounds to get to that "dead" stage which was the main reason i tried coated strings.
personally i dont like that brand new round wound zing so these scored points with me in that out of the box they had that slightly broken in sound

WRXbase · #17 07-15-2009, 04:20 PM

I've got a set of the Blacks on my Human BaseX oc.5 and love how they feel/sound. Almost fretless/flat. Nice and smooth. No super bright zing. It's a BASS guitar.

I'm trying to track down a set of the Mellow Yellow and am coming up short. Thoughts?

billybrix · #18 07-16-2009, 03:48 PM

I put a set of BBs on a passive Jazz w/DiMarzios about two months ago. I play daily for at least an hour and gig between 1 and 4x/week. I play fingerstyle, pick and slap, depending on the project or the song. I haven't seen any flaking yet and as near as i can tell the tone is about the same as it was when I put them on -- crisp and thumpy but not too brite. I definitely need to crank a touch of highs on the pre-amp for some songs.

I was thinking about putting a set on my P instead of the LaBella Quarter Rounds I've been using, but I doubt I could get that same flatwound tone I need with that bass -- so probably not gonna bother. Might try a set on my active BCR tho.

Overall I'd say if you like the sound of a roundwound string better when it's a week old you'll like these right out of the package. Coating should be a hair easier on your frets (or fretless) as well.

cb56 · #19 07-16-2009, 04:07 PM

Tried them once. Killed them in a week. Went back to Elixirs.

Webtroll · #20 07-16-2009, 04:10 PM

I use them on my Warwick LX5 fretless and they sound better than the flats I've tried on there. Sucks to chew up the fingerboard like that but I'm willing to trade off a shorter fingerboard lifespan for tone. I had a red set on a candy apple red P for a while and they looked great and sounded pretty good but I went to chrome flats for the traditional tone (I have other basses for bright sounds). I've toyed with trying different colors on my nearly black fretless just for the fun of it; and between the fun colors and great tone what more could I ask for? Aside from a lower price that is...