Hi beam Low E sounds terribly muddy. Dud or did I possibly break the core?

triggervision · #1 03-03-2008, 08:17 PM

I guess I'll buy a single but it sounds like turd.

Just wanted to know what you guys thought.

christle · #2 03-03-2008, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by triggervision

I guess I'll buy a single but it sounds like turd.

Just wanted to know what you guys thought.

Likely a dud...

rickfan63 · #3 03-03-2008, 08:39 PM

Contact DR. They will likely send you a replacement. I've played DR's for years and never gotten a dud at all. They are good strings.

Arx · #4 03-03-2008, 08:43 PM

If you broke the core, you would have a nice pile of coily wire.

triggervision · #5 03-03-2008, 09:39 PM

yeah. It's definitely a dud then. It's a 110. and I tune half step down but there is hardly any tension at all and it is extremely dull. I'll email them and see what they can do if anything.

pickles · #6 03-04-2008, 07:50 AM

Bizarre, I've never had a bad hi beam. I'd also make sure the core is not twisted, and that the setup is OK (double check the neck relief).

Arx · #7 03-04-2008, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by triggervision

yeah. It's definitely a dud then. It's a 110. and I tune half step down but there is hardly any tension at all and it is extremely dull. I'll email them and see what they can do if anything.

The tension will not be any lower than any other string of that weight tuned to that pitch. That's physics. As for the dullness, who knows. I've never run into a "dud", but I don't change strings often.

Lorenzini · #8 03-04-2008, 10:27 AM

Contact DR!

triggervision · #9 03-04-2008, 10:38 AM

Contacted them. They are sending me a new one. Arx, I have these same strings on my MusicMan and the tension on the low E is ok. I would think that it will be ok on my Thumb as well. I used to tune standard and Dadg with .45-.105 and now I'm tuning half step down and c# g# c# f# so I upped the gauge to .50-.110. This gives good tension with the music man and thought it would for my thumb too. If not, why would it work for my MM and not Thumb? Curious....

Thanks for all the input by the way.

Arx · #10 03-04-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by triggervision

Contacted them. They are sending me a new one. Arx, I have these same strings on my MusicMan and the tension on the low E is ok. I would think that it will be ok on my Thumb as well. I used to tune standard and Dadg with .45-.105 and now I'm tuning half step down and c# g# c# f# so I upped the gauge to .50-.110. This gives good tension with the music man and thought it would for my thumb too. If not, why would it work for my MM and not Thumb? Curious....

Thanks for all the input by the way.

Well, if they're the same scale length, and the same weight/unit length, then the tension will be the same. It may either just be a subjective difference (maybe you're wailing on it harder than you otherwise would to compensate for the dullness?), or there's a major defect and the string is lighter than it should be, though I would expect something like that to be visible.

Are you judging tension by your fretting hand, or how floppy it is while playing?