Regarding DR-Black Beauties

jcalo · #1 06-05-2009, 07:35 AM

I am Seriouslly considering using a set od the DR-Black Beauties however I have some reservations regarding:
1.) Cost
2.) Do they really last longer than any of the others such as the DR-Sunbeams.I have typically used them and find that they can easily last for six months retaining a great sound.

dmusic148 · #2 06-05-2009, 07:47 AM

Yes, they last longer. How much I can't say as I change them every month or so. The color will wear off eventually, especially if you use a pick.
Beware the heavy set-they have a taper wound E that wouldn't work on my bass because the tapered part was too long and this resulted in warbling.
They sound great but ultimately I gave up on them as I don't like how they feel. Went back to Hi beams.

Fretlessboy · #3 06-05-2009, 02:59 PM

they do last longer...

lmfreeman9 · #4 06-05-2009, 04:49 PM

I've got them on a fretless Ibanez PJ and they get a fantastic midrange mwah, but do not thump like my preferred flats.

UncleFluffy · #5 06-05-2009, 04:54 PM

They last well, but the coating will come off where you pick/pluck fairly quickly. Not something you can notice from more than a few feet away though.

Sound is fine, I can't really hear a difference due to the coating.

Meatrus · #6 06-06-2009, 03:27 PM

My opinion would be that they do last a long time, but they sound pretty dull from the start to me. So they may keep sounding like they did when new, but they sounded dull then also!

Just my opinion, and I don't want to upset anyone.

ad9000 · #7 06-07-2009, 08:40 AM

Quote:

My opinion would be that they do last a long time, but they sound pretty dull from the start to me. So they may keep sounding like they did when new, but they sounded dull then also!

+1
I found them to be just dull enough to be unusable, if that makes sense. Some people have said the red and blue coated sets are actually brighter, but I'm not willing to spend the money to find out.
As far as coated strings go, I've tried the DR's, GHS Infinity Steels, D'Addario EXP's and Elixirs, and the Elixirs still win as far as I'm concerned. I toured with them for a month, playing almost every night in a very humid climate, and they were just barely less bright when I was done.

Jim Breece · #8 06-07-2009, 08:50 AM

If you get six months out of Sunbeams now you probably don't have the kind of skin chemistry that turns strings black and rots them out quickly. If that's the case and your strings go dead mostly due to fretwear you may not notice much difference with coated strings. I tried the red ones and felt that they sounded a little deader from the start, so I went back to Sunbeams.
DR doesn't make any claims about different sounds from different color coatings. I haven't compared the colors, but I tend to think that some people may hear a brighter sound strictly because they see a brighter color.

Meatrus · #9 06-07-2009, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ad9000

+1
I found them to be just dull enough to be unusable, if that makes sense. Some people have said the red and blue coated sets are actually brighter, but I'm not willing to spend the money to find out.
As far as coated strings go, I've tried the DR's, GHS Infinity Steels, D'Addario EXP's and Elixirs, and the Elixirs still win as far as I'm concerned. I toured with them for a month, playing almost every night in a very humid climate, and they were just barely less bright when I was done.

That makes sense, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks they are a little dull, as a lot of people seem to love them.

I'm sure there couldn't be a difference in the sound of the different colours, as the way I understand it its just a different colour, and that couldn't make much of a difference (if any).

Jcalo, you might want to consider Rotosound Nexus, they are black like the DRs and from what I have heard sound really good.

Webtroll · #10 06-07-2009, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmfreeman9

I've got them on a fretless Ibanez PJ and they get a fantastic midrange mwah, but do not thump like my preferred flats.

i have em on a Warwick fretless and they sound great

jcalo · #11 06-08-2009, 08:28 AM

Thanks guys. I tried a set of Black Beauties over the weekend. Loved the sound on my 1980 Yamaha BB-1200. However, I can see/hear what some of you are referring to as dull sounding. That could possibly accentuate itself over time. Meatrus-Thanks for the recommendation on the Rotosound Nexus. I've used Rotosounds in the past. At some point I'll try a set.