Dunlop Nickels vs. Dr. sunbeams; Did anyone compare these?

[BiigM]

Hi all.

I have used Dr Sunbeams on my Fender V and like them a lot.

Now I've gotten a new bass, a nordy VJ5, and have installed dunlop nickels on it. Sounds awesome.

It's offcourse hard to compare the two when it's on different basses.

Did any off you a/b test these strings against each other?

The thing is that here in denmark the dunlops are less than half the price of sunbeams!

[madbassplaya]

I have used dunlops before and really enjoyed them, I have a set of Sunbeams right now, and I really dislike their tone. Others seem to love them though...

[mmbongo]

Tell me what you dislike about the Sunbeams. I have a set here and I'm trying to decide what bass to put them on.

[BiigM]

anyone else familiar with both?

[madbassplaya]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

Tell me what you dislike about the Sunbeams. I have a set here and I'm trying to decide what bass to put them on.

Well, I did a lot of reading on here about the Sunbeams and decided to go with them. People talked about their warmth and how great they sounded on a jazz bass (which I have), so I bought a set from the local guy...and I hate them. They are not warm at all to me. They are very bright.

I wish I would have read this: Sunbeams vs. Nickel Lo-Riders: thoughts from DR strings

[stflbn]

Give them a bit to break in. Like a 4 -6 hours of actual playing or more. For me they seem to really soften up during that duration. They're quite a bit brighter when new.

[BiigM]

I agree about the sunbem needing to break in. Then they are very good!

How would you guys compare them to the dunlop nickels?

[jmain]

I agree that the Sunbeams come on pretty strong for a nickel string but mellow nicely.

I have a set of Dunlop nickels waiting in the wings while my JO5 is wearing Steel Lo-Riders. I'm a little nervous that the Dlops are gonna have the same tension as the Sunbeams, which is the reason I went with Lo-Riders. So not sure if/when they're going on.

[Ryan Mohr]

Originally Posted by madbassplaya

Well, I did a lot of reading on here about the Sunbeams and decided to go with them. People talked about their warmth and how great they sounded on a jazz bass (which I have), so I bought a set from the local guy...and I hate them. They are not warm at all to me. They are very bright.

I wish I would have read this: Sunbeams vs. Nickel Lo-Riders: thoughts from DR strings

From what I have read here, it seems like Sunbeams sound very different to different people. Some say bright, some say dark. Some say mid present, some say scooped. Some say thin, some say fat. For this reason I have never tried them.

[madbassplaya]

Originally Posted by stflbn

Give them a bit to break in. Like a 4 -6 hours of actual playing or more. For me they seem to really soften up during that duration. They're quite a bit brighter when new.

that's good to know.

[rappa29]

Originally Posted by Ryan Mohr

From what I have read here, it seems like Sunbeams sound very different to different people. Some say bright, some say dark. Some say mid present, some say scooped. Some say thin, some say fat. For this reason I have never tried them.

FWIW - I just put a set of Sunbeams on my G&L Trib L-2500.

To me, they can sound different depending on:

1.) If I'm playing in active or passive mode, pickup selection (neck, bridge, both), EQ, etc.
2.) What rig I'm playing through between (GK heads, GK NEO cabs and Avatar NEO cabs, SWR BBII Combo).

In my brief experience with them, I can get bright, dark, warm, scooped, fat, all depending on what rig I'm playing through and how I have my G&L set.

In all cases, I have my heads EQ'd flat and adjust to taste from the G&L (active\passive, treble\bass).

BTW - I have no experience with Dunlops but there are a few guys in the G&L Forum that have mentioned using them.