DR HiBeams - noisy and bright!

[IAmTheDood]

i bought 2 sets of DR Hi-Beams .. one for my 5 string shecter.. one for my new 4 string fender aerodyne.

man .. I don't like 'em. Rough to the touch, noisy (finger noise) .. and the sound is just awful bright.

not buyng those again.

I just wish coated elixers that came on my shecter were cheaper .. those were the best strings I've ever used!

[greeningep]

i could take them off your hands...

i love hi-beams, especially the extreme brightness and lifetime.
i had a set of elixers once, they were not too bad, but i wouldn't get them again, mostly because of the cost, though. to each his own!

[Tony G]

I find Hi-Beams to be a very musical string that respond incredibly well to variations in technique. Yes, they are very bright at first, and if you don't have a light touch with low action, you will cause a lot of fret noise.

But not one set of strings is right for everyone, and there are many, many brands to choose from. DR's may be a bit hyped here on the boards, and though personally I think they are deserving of it, I totally understand if they aren't for you.

[IAmTheDood]

yeah ...it's all about personal choice

they just ain't for me.

[JKT]

I just put a set on my P-bass last night. First time I've tried them. Very bright but I expect they'll settle down a bit and frankly, for what I'm using that bass for (tapping,chording and slapping) lately, I think they'll work just fine.

Next is to try a set of Labella deep talkin flats on the Barker for the other end of the spectrum...

JKT

[SteveC]

I like mine best after a few weeks of use.

[LowEnder2112]

i've been posting all over this board about how much i love elixers.

just buy them again. it's worth it.

[Drifta]

I find this really Odd.... I've had a set of flats on my fender jazz for the past year or so, and i play mainly reggae and ska, which traditionally calls for the flatwound sound....

However a couple weeks ago i switched to the HI beams, and i fallen in love with them. I don't know mabey my technique has changed, or i've gotten better, or my rig has been dialed in better --- but before i had tried the marcus miller sig set a while back and didnt really like them..But these, i really dig. I can get any tone i want out of them it seems, just very musical .

[rsautrey]

IAmTheDood, have you ever tried the stainless steel DR Lo-Riders? They are bright too but respond more like a traditional string due to the hex core. They have a little more thump to them than the Hi-Beams and feel a little stiffer which might be a good thing for you.

[IAmTheDood]

well I just went to guitar center over lunch to replace 'em ..

they only had elixers in a 4 string pack so I got one pack of those for my fender ..

then 2 more sets to try on my schecter .. d'aardio nickle brights .. and dean markley blue steel's.

Guess it's kinda like playin golf .. gotta play the golf ball ya like for your style of play

[Tony G]

I'm telling you right now, you won't like the blue steels. They are even brighter than DR Hi-Beams, and are rougher on your fingers.

[Philbiker]

It sucks and can be very expensive finding out what your taste in string is. Add in the fact that some basses tend to react very differently with different strings and it can be downright daunting.

I don't like Hi-Beams for the same reasons you've determined, but as others have mentioned, some people don't have those problems and they love them! Different basses, different styles, etc.

FWIW I hate Blue Steels -hate-them. They are great strings, but not my style.

It never ends. I love the Fender nylon tapewound strings so I figured I'd try their nylon filament strings, and I absolutely despise them on my electric, though they may eventually find a place on my acoustic.

[IAmTheDood]

Originally Posted by xgabriele

I'm telling you right now, you won't like the blue steels. They are even brighter than DR Hi-Beams, and are rougher on your fingers.

lol .. crap..

spent about $130 so far in the last two days .. hehe

[JGR]

i don't like them either - i find them too dry and scooped sounding.

on the other hand, i LOVE DR Lowriders - great grindy mids.

JR

[opivy3056]

Hi-beams mellow out pretty quick, and sound nicer when they do.

Maybe give them some time?

[pickles]

Give 'em a week or two.

If that doesn't work, stick to nickel strings.

[bassist324]

I've recently put on a set of HiBeams on my six string schecter for the first time, and I have to say that after a couple of weeks I only have one large complaint. My B-string has a very metallic (if that makes any sense) to it when compared to the other strings, and can be very obnoxious especially when tapping on it; it's like it has no warmth to it at all. But after a few weeks of using the strings I like the sound of the other strings, although I had to adjust my technique to make less noise and be more exact when hitting harmonics because they're not as pronounced on these as the elixirs.

[BassSurfer]

Originally Posted by JGR

i don't like them either - i find them too dry and scooped sounding.

on the other hand, i LOVE DR Lowriders - great grindy mids.

JR

A BIG +1!!!

I had High Beams.. dident like them went to Lo Riders.. and now everythings great! great midrange and with some more mid range control from the amp you can shape alot of nice sounds from these!

[scottbass]

Originally Posted by pickles

If that doesn't work, stick to nickel strings.

+1. I love the flexibility of DR's, but the Hi Beams were a tad too bright for me. I have fallen in love with the nickel-plated DR Sunbeams. Real flexible, but the nickel cuts down on the fret noise a wee bit and I find I can dig in a little harder with them and still like the sound.

The above opinion is worth exactly $0.02.

[Chili]

i've been wanting to try some DR high beams for a while now, but the shop i usually go to never has any in, ill just try somewhere else next time, i think ill try some DR Lowriders aswell.

has anyone tryed DR high beams on a MM Stingray, and what do you think of them on a stingray?