DR "Legend" Flats

[dfp]

just finished a cover band gig on DR flats on a P bass. very easy to play and lower tension than most flats, very much a light gauge feel, even though they are marked 45-105. they put out somewhat less sound than the 49-109 La Bellas i took off, but there's a volume knob for that. the DRs sounded pretty good, very even across the 4 strings, warm but not totally dead, capable of good old school slap tone. the loose feel was a fun change of pace, really invites one to over play if so inclined

[eyecandy]

how are the tension of the hi beam flats? compared to chromes 45-100?

[dfp]

i think the DR flats are lower tension. i've used chromes in mixed sets, 45-105, and the DR G and D are certainly lower tension, b/c the DRs measure somewhat under the gauges they report (see comments above) AND the round core makes them more flexible too. the A and E DRs are lower tension than 85 and 105 chromes, and the DR A and E being larger than the 80 and 100 chromes, might have similar, or perhaps slightly lower tension, b/c the chromes are hex core (stiffer) and the DR are round core (not as stiff).

by way of comparison, i think round core strings 45-105 feel lower tension than 40-100 hex core. not sure if that's a correct perception, but the flexibility of round cores gives me the perception, at least.

[eyecandy]

great.. I'm getting dr flats next... just switched from ghs flats to dr hi beam, the transition made me miss my old jazz bass low end growl... by far i liked the hi beam ss rounds but it won't work for me, I tried the chromes 40-100 before, honestly they sound nice on the recording but doesn't sound full to me..

[RoosSQ]

I know this is an old post, but there seems to be a lack of info on the DR Flats.

I put some DR Flats on my Warwick Corvette Std. They are pretty high tension... higher tension than Rotosound 77s which I had on prior to these.

As mentioned in other posts, they are very smooth/tightwound. Feel great on fingers.

I think I like the tension of the Rotosounds better, as they are a bit lighter. But I like the tone of the DR's. Sound great.

[armybass]

I just ordered a set of Hi Beam Flats..... would love to hear about these strings from folks who have used them. I hope they are what I thought they were. I read a lot about "DR Flats" but now I am wondering if what I read about was the DR Legends and not the HI Beam flats.

[Gizmot]

I put a set of Legends that have been sitting in my desk drawer for at least two years on my Warwick last week - and I love them! I could be wrong - but I think these are fundamentally different than typical flatwounds. These are regular wound strings that are then polished to eliminate the ridges. There are probably other brands that do this too. But on my Warwick, these strings sound phenomenal. The strings have tone instead of the dull thud of normal flatwounds. The only thing to complain about is that the silk winding near the ball end of the E string was too fat to go into the tailpiece as tightly as I'd like it.

[jasper383]

Originally Posted by armybass

I just ordered a set of Hi Beam Flats..... would love to hear about these strings from folks who have used them. I hope they are what I thought they were. I read a lot about "DR Flats" but now I am wondering if what I read about was the DR Legends and not the HI Beam flats.

I have had DR Hi Beam flats and DR Legend flats on basses over the years. As far as I can tell, same strings.

[armybass]

Originally Posted by jasper383

I have had DR Hi Beam flats and DR Legend flats on basses over the years. As far as I can tell, same strings.

Yes sir I think you may be correct. I ordered Hi Beam flats because they were the only DR Flats I saw listed but I got them Friday and the package says "Legends". All good, can not wait to try them out!

[Mastermold]

I tried some hi-beam flats a few years ago, didn't care for them. They were okay but I liked La Bellas, TIs and Chromes better and those new Fender flats are also nice.