DR shootout - Sunbeams vs. Loriders: A mini review.

Pneuma · #1 08-03-2006, 08:07 AM

DR shootout - Sunbeams vs. Loriders: A mini review.

Set wt. Medium 5, .045-.105 +.130 (DR doesn’t make a 5 string set of Sunbeams with a .130, I had to order a 4 string set and add it as a single)

I’ve had the same set of DR nickel Loriders on my Cirrus 5 since February. I liked the feel, and the sound was good, but I’d decided I wanted to try something just a little different, to see what effect it could have on the B string tone. The B string on my Cirrus sounds great open and below the low D, but it gets a bit hollow sounding from the D on up the neck.

I’d thought about it for a while, and decided to go with a set of Sunbeams, to see if the round core design would change anything. Basically, the only difference between the Sunbeams and the nickel Loriders are the core design, with the LRs being hex, and the SBs being round. I got the exact same gauges, since I liked what I had mostly.

Upon the change, I gotta be honest, I can’t tell much of a difference. The Sunbeams may be a little more flexible, but it doesn’t seem like a huge difference. This surprised me, because I bought the hex cores originally because they were supposed to be stiffer and tighter. They feel basically identical to my fingers, since they are both nickel wound. And by “identical,” I mean great. They are just easy strings to play.

Sonically, I honestly can’t tell a big difference either. At least not one that I wouldn’t attribute to having fresh strings anyway. My B string still sounds fine. It may have a little more growl in the mid – upper frets, which was what I was looking for. But I can’t honestly say that just a new set of LRs wouldn’t have done that too. Everything else sounds about the same. Slapping, popping, fingerstyle… they’ve all got life.

Overall, I’m not disappointed really. I really liked the Loriders, they’ve been the best string I’ve ever used. I basically found out that I can use either of these strings almost interchangeably. I’ve had the new strings on for a week or so. If they open up and sound different in a few weeks, I’ll update with that.

I’ll probably clean up the LRs, and do another swap out in the future just to double check myself.

Then, in another 5 or 6 months, I may try Hibeams, Fatbeams, or Longnecks. Dunno on that last one, though. I’ve only had one set of tapercore strings, and I really didn’t like them.

Thanks,

P.

Michael Jewels · #2 08-04-2006, 04:18 PM

Nice review, Pneuma.

I've never tried Sunbeams, but I did have a couple of sets of Hi Beams on my Stingray, and liked them a lot, that is until I tried Lo Riders. I love Lo Riders!

The Lo Riders seem to have a more focused sound especially in the lows and low mids. I also like the stiffer feel, which I equate with slightly more control ove the strings when playing fingerstyle. I also think that Hi Beams and Dean Markley Blue Steels feel and sound very similar on the same bass.

All sets I'm referring to have been stainless steel, and on a Stingray 4.

Hopefully others will chime in with their findings.

Mike

slap_happy · #3 08-04-2006, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pneuma

Set wt. Medium 5, .045-.105 +.130 (DR doesn’t make a 5 string set of Sunbeams with a .130, I had to order a 4 string set and add it as a single)

P.

Actually, I have a set of sunbeams with a 130 guage low b. I think its 40, 60, 85, 105 and 130, but I'm not sure about the E and A strings. I got them from juststrings.com I think on the box it says "custom set" and then lists the guages.

Interestingly, I just got done making the same switch, except the other way. The other day I took some 2 month old Ernie Balls off my SR5 and put some used but cleaned Sunbeams on it. The d string had broken and that's why I had taken the set off originally, but I repaired the d string with my getto-fabulous methods and so it was good as new. I had forgotten how DR's just add so much life to bass, they sounded great, nice and bright, lots of growl, and great slap tone without boosting the highs at all. One thing I did notice was that I felt like I was getting less of the note I was playing and more of the harmonic zingyness. (I can't think of another way to describe it.) The zingyness and growl was something I had missed with the Ernie Balls but the loss of the fundamental note had me wondering. It was kindof like I had turned the enhance know on my Eden up, but I hadn't. In the end, I attributed this to the fact that the Sunbeams were lighter guages than the Ernie Balls, and thus brighter. Anyway I have a big show comming up and didn't want to be playing it with a repaired d string, so I got some nickel LoRiders today, my second set (45-130) and put them on. Their newer than the Sunbeams so they had more brightness, but I can't tell if there was an improvement over the problem i mentioned above with the sunbeams, maybe I just got used to it. They sound great anyway! I, on the other hand, did feel like the low beams were quite a bit tighter, which I like. This wasn't just that the d and g on the sunbeams were lighter guage, I noticed it more in the b, e, and a strings. I liked the tone from my first set of high beams a tiny bit more, but I couldn't get buy the fact that my fingers didn't move as easily on the stainless steel, and they were always getting caught, so I'm sticking with nickel, and I think I'm sticking with the low riders. After all, as it says on the box, "LoRiders <-<3<3-<< to funk." (Thats and arrow and some hearts. I can't draw a dude on a harley with the keyboard though.) And DR strings, IMO are the best around. They sound fantastic.

Pneuma · #4 08-07-2006, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slap_happy

Actually, I have a set of sunbeams with a 130 guage low b. I think its 40, 60, 85, 105 and 130, but I'm not sure about the E and A strings. I got them from juststrings.com I think on the box it says "custom set" and then lists the guages.

You're right. They don't make a .045-.105 with a .130. I should've been more specific.

I haven't ever used a lighter set of strings. I'm kinda heavey handed, and I'm scared of them.

P.

hervetlse · #5 08-15-2006, 06:57 PM

Like Michael Jewels, my favorite strings are dean markley blue steel and 3 month ago (after reading here that the DR HiBeam were the best strings for slap) i bought a set of Hi-Beam, and i have to say that i love them like the blue steel.

I never tried the lo-Riders or the SunBeams, but i've heard some samples of the DR Bootzilla that are coated (like the Elixir) and i would like to try a set.

Any of you have tried the Bootzilla?