DR Hi-Beams VS. LaBella Hard Rockin' Steels

[513rocks.com]

OK, ive been a nickel round wound string player for life. When i first got my Sadowsky, it had steel strings on it, i liked the sound but they were a little rough on the finger tips so i bought a 5 pack of nickel Sadowsky strings and thats all ive used on the bass for the last year. I ran out of strings this weekend and happened to have a set of LaBella Hard Rockin' Steel strings that i received from a bass purchase in a drawer. I put those on Friday and took them to the gig. I (and my band and soundguy) was shocked at the sound i got. It was my dream sound, i didnt think my Sadowsky could sond even better but it souned AWESOME! Saturday night, the strings calmed down alot, almost too much. The strings have sat in a drawer for a couple years so im thinking that might be it. Well i search and researched steel strings here on talkbass and found out alot of sadowsky users use steel strings. It seems like everyone uses DR Hi-Beams.
So here is my questions, Are hi-Beams better than the Labellas? do the last longer? I really like the tapered E string on the labellas. Are hi-beams tappered? Where can i find the best price on the net for Hi-beams? I found a site that sells the LaBella HRS strings for $15.55 a set but the cheapest i found hi-beams for is $22.50. Are they worth the extra money?
Thanx for the time, i expecially want to hear from the Sadowsky guys on the board thats tried both and know the deal.

[KJung]

I use HI Beams on my RV5 (actually on almost all my basses) and I love them.

They are very sizzly (like most roundwound SS strings) for the first few hours, but then settle down nicely. They stay reasonably bright (kind of that 'after one full gig' tone) for longer than any other SS string I've ever used. They have somewhat loose tension relative to some other brands, which I like, and they are the smoothest feeling SS strings I've ever come across.

The E (nor B) is tapered, so it's just a little tight getting it through the back of the Sadowsky bridge... but it's not a problem.

They sound particularly good on the Sadowsky J basses. I use a 45-125 set, and the E and B string feel and sound great. I find the Sadowsky SS to sound a little 'upper mid clanky' on the Sadowsky J's (they sound great on the moderns).

The Hi Beams are the best SS roundwound I've come across in many years of playing.

[snowdan]

i have just installed a set of 40-60-80-100-128 labella HRS on my neck-through bass. btw the .100 E is not tapered. the .128 B is.

the bass has before seen:

ghs bass boomers
DR Hibeams
DR lo riders
D'addario XL nickel

i like the HRS best. growly mids, tight bass, not sizzly, SUPER low B. and i mean super.

less refined than the XLs but cuts through better. feel a little rough, but no problem.

if you want smooth mids and a Hifi sound, go DR. if you want growl and cut, go HRS.

[513rocks.com]

i want to try hi-beams so i can compare them myself. i really loved the hard rockin steels. i use .105 and it was tapered.

where can i find the cheapest hi-beams on the net? for 15.55, the labellas might be my string just for the bargain standpoint.

[smitcat]

I have tried numerous types of strings, and I always end up going back to hi beams. I tried a set of labella hrs about a month ago, and didn't like them as much.
To me, the labellas are a little darker sounding. I believe they are hex core, and a little stiffer. The Hi beams are round core, and are much brighter. I was originally a rotosound fan, but just couldn't get any life out of them. This was a great replacement, and last much longer.
Hi beams are going to be more expensive, by around 5 or 10 bucks, but they last a long time. Well worth the money, imho.

[pickles]

They're pretty different in tone but similar in feel. The HRS set has a much better low-B, but thats not an issue if you're a 4 string guy.

The HRS are all about low mids and fatness, with just enough crispness to keep things defined.

The Hi-beams are all about growl and extended highs.

I love both.

[scuba steve]

hi-beams are awesome. end of story. the only strings i will ever put on my basses...

[513rocks.com]

Originally Posted by smitcat

Hi beams are going to be more expensive, by around 5 or 10 bucks, but they last a long time. Well worth the money, imho.

so.... $22.50 a set is probably the best price im going to find?

[57pbass]

I have a set of HRS on my Glaub P Bass.. I am very happy with them and will pick up a second set for my P/J

[babaseen]

I've played both extensively on my Sadowsky Modern 5...I prefer the HRS for tone and feel. DRs are over rated IMHO (guess I like the sizzle) and they do not last very long (not worth the extra $$$)

[513rocks.com]

i guess im going to have to try a set of high beams and decide which one i like best. seems to be about 50/50 here.

[ibz]

Wow these are pretty opposite sounding as far as SS roundwounds go.. The Hi-Beams have extended high's, looser tension and fairly mid-shy with decent bass. The HRS are slightly stiffer, feel better IMO, and have a lower mid growl, with average highs and lows. A really "alive" sounding string due to its present midrange voicing. This seems to counter well against the mid-scoop natured preamp that are in the Sadowskys.

[DavePlaysBass]

I would say the HRS are looser feeling. Maybe it is because I play the 40-60-80-100-128T set. On my Sadowsky RV5 this is what I have tried and the order:

Sadowsky Steel 45-105-130: stiff and clanky. High end sizzle that I have not really felt since I wore down the frets of my 61 jazz with Rotos in the 80's in Dayton, OH.

DA XL Nickels 45-100-130: my neutral point. I liked them at first but they started to sound too much like DA Nickels and less like the Sadowsky I had originally bought

DA ProSteels 45-100-130: Better. I really dug the punch and low end clarity. They had a tamer top end then the Sadowsky Steels. They lacked some upper mids maybe and sometimes seemed to get lost in the mix.

Sadowsky Nickel 40-100-125: When the DAs went dead the steel clankiness chased me back to nickel for a couple of weeks. Still no takers. They did not seem all that bright. The DA XLs were brighter.

Ken Smith Steels 45-100-128: Not bad. Mids were better. Top end was tamable. Just did not really like them enough to buy another set. They did not really seem to do anything musical for the bass. Not sure how else to say it.

La Bella Hard Rockin Steels 40-100-128T: Great B. Great punch. Low end clarity. Highes that are sweet and tamable. Mids that are present. The B is the best. The feel seems a bit smoother than many steels. Definitely smoother than the Sadowsky steel, and I hear they come from the same factory. But they are not the same construction IME. This is the only set I have bought twice in a row for this bass.

I also tried my free set of Elixirs for about 10 minutes. They were way to subdued. Ended up putting worn DA XLs back on and they seemed brighter.

IME, my Sadowsky was made for steels. Not sure if it is the Rosewood / Alder thing or the pickups and preamp. But the steels really seem to make it sing and snarl and punch.

Dave

[ibz]

Originally Posted by DavePlaysBass

La Bella Hard Rockin Steels 40-100-128T: Great B. Great punch. Low end clarity. Highes that are sweet and tamable. Mids that are present. The B is the best. The feel seems a bit smoother than many steels. Definitely smoother than the Sadowsky steel, and I hear they come from the same factory. But they are not the same construction IME. This is the only set I have bought twice in a row for this bass.

Actually you're suspicions about different construction is right because the Sadowsky's aren't made by LaBella. They're made by R. Cocco.

[snowdan]

+1 on the HRS praise. i play 40-100-128 too. great B as said. they cut through like a hot knife through butter. while i always maxed out the rehearsal space amp with other strings, i hve quite a bit of headroom with the HRS now. believe it or not. the growl is amazing.

[robb.]

Originally Posted by 513rocks.com

OK, ive been a nickel round wound string player for life. ... I put those [HRS] on Friday and took them to the gig. I ... was shocked at the sound i got. It was my dream sound....

i have a peavey cirrus BXP that i have been considering going to steel strings with for a while. i just put my first ever set of la bella strings on it last night and had the same reaction. they just sound alive and aggressive, but in a way that is very even.

i have played a lot of DR strings, and in the past i had been really happy with sunbeams on a jazz bass. after i switched to dimarzio ultrajazz pickups, every DR string seemed a little bright until they settled in. but what i like about DR strings is that after they settle in, they don't really change much for a long time.

we'll see if the HRS match DR in longevity, but for initial tone, it's been since i first tried d'addario slowound strings that i have been this happy with a set of strings when i first put them on. i have also bought a set of d'addario prosteels for comparison, but i am guessing already that i'll prefer the HRS. i was looking for a string that is a little mid shy without being too overtly scooped. i know the prosteels are a little scooped, but not as much as, say, sadowsky or lo-riders.

and my cirrus is definitely happier with steel strings than nickel!

robb.

[Thunder_Fingers]

the Labella HRS is some of my favourite strings ever, im currently going around and exploring strings, but so far Labella and Optima strings are my top choices of feel and tone.

[SGT. Pepper]

Hi-Beams won't eat you frets.