Reuniting with Dean Markley Blue Steels

pickles · #1 12-19-2007, 05:28 PM

This may be premature, since I've only had them on an hour ... but so far I REALLY dig these, and the B string is fantastic! These were my go-to string when they first came out, but I have not used them in 10 or 15 years.

I've been searching and searching for a 5 string set that I like as much as I like hi-beams on my 4 string and have so far not been successful. Lots of great Bs and Es with ADGs I don't like. And the 5 string hi beam sets are great on EADG, with a marginal B.

Its not that the blues are exactly like hi-beams (they're not), but they've got a great sound and feel, and a killer low B all the way up to the 9th fret. Its usable at and past the octave!

If these hold on to their life a reasonable amount of time I may have my new 5 string set!

The bass is a 55-94.

Lorenzini · #2 12-19-2007, 07:28 PM

Pickles, I've heard a lot of **** about these strings, but to hear that you like them, that Andrew Gouche likes them, that Joel Smith likes them...

I've heard they die quick - is this true? I'll have to give these a shot. They deserve at least a shot!

dragoon419 · #3 12-19-2007, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pickles

This may be premature, since I've only had them on an hour ... but so far I REALLY dig these, and the B string is fantastic! These were my go-to string when they first came out, but I have not used them in 10 or 15 years.

I've been searching and searching for a 5 string set that I like as much as I like hi-beams on my 4 string and have so far not been successful. Lots of great Bs and Es with ADGs I don't like. And the 5 string hi beam sets are great on EADG, with a marginal B.

Its not that the blues are exactly like hi-beams (they're not), but they've got a great sound and feel, and a killer low B all the way up to the 9th fret. Its usable at and past the octave!

If these hold on to their life a reasonable amount of time I may have my new 5 string set!

The bass is a 55-94.

Pleased to see that someone else actually likes these strings. I tried them about a year ago with my first 5ver, a SR645, and loved the tone.

I found them really aggressive, maybe more so than DR Lo Riders. They had a wonderful growl when I used just the bridge pickup and a pick. Their tone was quite raw, especially raw if I cut the bass a tad and boosted the treble a notch or two. I did notice that the B string died before the other strings even started to, but that may just have been sweat and grime.

I have yet to put them on my ATK 305. But, I'm sure if I did I would not be disappointed.

pickles · #4 12-19-2007, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorenzini

Pickles, I've heard a lot of **** about these strings, but to hear that you like them, that Andrew Gouche likes them, that Joel Smith likes them...

I've heard they die quick - is this true? I'll have to give these a shot. They deserve at least a shot!

I'll tell ya in a month.

They're a gritty finish like a lot of stainless strings. But man, they sound great today. Thats one thing thats so special about hi-beams is that slicker finish.

pickles · #5 12-19-2007, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragoon419

Pleased to see that someone else actually likes these strings. I tried them about a year ago with my first 5ver, a SR645, and loved the tone.

I found them really aggressive, maybe more so than DR Lo Riders. They had a wonderful growl when I used just the bridge pickup and a pick. Their tone was quite raw, especially raw if I cut the bass a tad and boosted the treble a notch or two. I did notice that the B string died before the other strings even started to, but that may just have been sweat and grime.

I have yet to put them on my ATK 305. But, I'm sure if I did I would not be disappointed.

A lot of the time the lowest string will die first because you've always got your thumb anchored on it, or because you play it more than the higher strings.

These strings have aggressive highs, but also very punchy and growly mids and fat bass. Its a big tone.

Lorenzini · #6 12-21-2007, 01:46 AM

Pickles,
Put them on and first thing I noticed is a very similar tension to Hi Beams on my 35" scale 55-02. I have no idea if they are round or hex core, but they don't have very high tension a la Sadowsky or even D'Addario. More in between Hi Beams and Lo Riders.

I got them for $27.xx at GC and that's a great price compared to Hi Beams.

Mixed feelings on the tone, which I feel will die down in a few days, especially after my outdoors gig tomorrow night, and I'll see what they "really" sound like. If they die and keep those sweet sweet mids and highs that Hi Beams do, this may be a great new string for me. One thing I can't live with is the feeble low B on Hi Beams. Lo Riders are a favorite for me as well and they have a great low B, but the B on Blue Steels are very very very good and clear through to the 12th fret.
Oh yeah, the slap tone on these strings are off the hook.
The jury is still out on how useful the midrange voicing is on these strings once they break in. Again, Hi Beams are king of that for me.

Pickles, thanks bro. I'll keep up to date on this thread of my own thoughts as the days and weeks progress.

pickles · #7 12-21-2007, 07:53 AM

Totally agree. I don't like the E-G on lo riders, and the B is better than a hi beam, but still not that great IMO. I've also tried longnecks, which feel somewhere between lo riders and hi beams, including the low B which is just slightly better than hi beams. I've even tried doing mixed sets, and am always bummed on the tone change.

I really dig the impact and punch the blue steels have, and I hear a growl that I'm hoping will survive when the highs fade a bit. This is a slap/fingerstyle bass for me, so the fresh Blues sound amazing to me on here.

Mr. Pickles · #8 12-21-2007, 08:06 AM

I'm in the same boat... I haven't used Blue Steels in about 10 years or so, but I loved them for their brightness and tension. IMO and IME, they didn't die-out any quicker than the GHS Boomers, Smith Burners, or D'Addarios that I used in the 90's. Glad to hear that they are still a decent option at present. I just might have to throw a set on my 5er.

Walbodiddy · #9 12-21-2007, 10:30 AM

Just chiming in with my experience with aging Blue Steels and why I no longer use them). I, too, love the sound and feel of fresh BS. I used them exclusively for some time a few years back, thinking that changing strings once a month was just what I had to do to be happy with my sound.

Then, I tried Hi-Beams. I didn't like them quite as much in the first two weeks. A bit harsher, to my ear, without the sweetness in the mids. But at three weeks they still sounded lively. When I got to four weeks, all set to swap the set out, I realized they still sounded great. They kept on sounding great for months.

I loved Blue Steels for the first two two weeks. I hated them after a month. I can play Hi-Beams for 3-4 months before totally disliking the sound.

It should be noted that I no longer prefer a tone as bright as I did at the time I made this comparison. I may just pick up a set of Blue Steels and see if they still sound dead at 1 month, or just less bright.

attackbass · #10 12-21-2007, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorenzini

Pickles, I've heard a lot of **** about these strings, but to hear that you like them, that Andrew Gouche likes them, that Joel Smith likes them...

I've heard they die quick - is this true? I'll have to give these a shot. They deserve at least a shot!

I used dean markley blue steels on bass whilst recording a few weeks ago. I killed a set in about half a day. Even when I put a fresh set on they still weren't amazingly zingy or new sounding.. maybe I had some dud sets. One of our producers put some dean markley string on an acoustic 6 string and also complained they sounded dead.
Good thing I wasn't paying for the strings. Think I'm going to to stick with D'Addario Steels.

pickles · #11 12-21-2007, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walbodiddy

Just chiming in with my experience with aging Blue Steels and why I no longer use them). I, too, love the sound and feel of fresh BS. I used them exclusively for some time a few years back, thinking that changing strings once a month was just what I had to do to be happy with my sound.

Then, I tried Hi-Beams. I didn't like them quite as much in the first two weeks. A bit harsher, to my ear, without the sweetness in the mids. But at three weeks they still sounded lively. When I got to four weeks, all set to swap the set out, I realized they still sounded great. They kept on sounding great for months.

I loved Blue Steels for the first two two weeks. I hated them after a month. I can play Hi-Beams for 3-4 months before totally disliking the sound.

It should be noted that I no longer prefer a tone as bright as I did at the time I made this comparison. I may just pick up a set of Blue Steels and see if they still sound dead at 1 month, or just less bright.

I totally agree, but I've never had great performance from the hi-beam low B (don't know why) ... so I'm thinking it might be worth it to change strings more often on my 5s. My 4 strings will continue to wear hi-beams ... I LOVE those strings. I've got a set thats literally a year old and they still sound great to me .... round and growly.

pickles · #12 12-21-2007, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by attackbass

I used dean markley blue steels on bass whilst recording a few weeks ago. I killed a set in about half a day. Even when I put a fresh set on they still weren't amazingly zingy or new sounding.. maybe I had some dud sets. One of our producers put some dean markley string on an acoustic 6 string and also complained they sounded dead.
Good thing I wasn't paying for the strings. Think I'm going to to stick with D'Addario Steels.

Sounds like your dealer might have had low turnover, and thus sold you very old strings.

Though, compared to DA steels, anything will sound dull. For my taste, pro steels are unusably bright on most basses.

attackbass · #13 12-21-2007, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pickles

Sounds like your dealer might have had low turnover, and thus sold you very old strings.

Though, compared to DA steels, anything will sound dull. For my taste, pro steels are unusably bright on most basses.

It is unlikely as I'm pretty sure they came from Dean Markley direct. DA steels sound rad to me.. I know what you mean about being very bright initially but they wear nicely over a week or two and are pretty durable

Lorenzini · #14 12-22-2007, 11:09 PM

Pickles,

These strings are really bright!
I did an outdoor gig. Humid and cold, like 50 degrees & a ton of humidity. Flipping freezing! My sweaty/clammy hands were very odd... Numb even because of the temps.

However the strings are still really bright and lively the next day. I'm going to give them a week, or sooner IF they die like so many people talk about.

steve4765630 · #15 12-23-2007, 12:49 AM

They do die a little faster than usual, but the candle that burns brightest fades fastest. Blues are great right out of the package and can sustain life by about double if you wipe them down after every usage.

Lorenzini · #16 12-25-2007, 03:13 PM

Well these are still great strings.
Not my favorite, but I suppose if slapping was my main schtick I'd really really love them. They are awesome for slap, double thumping, slap/plucking. Fingerstyle not so good. I need a string that can slap well and have nice sweet mids for a straight-ahead jazz gig every once in a while.

IMO Hi Beams do the crispy slap thing, while also being great fingerstyle strings. Wish Hi Beam B string was as good as Blue Steels! Also I bet Blue Steels sound awesome on a PASSIVE jazz bass.

I'll definitely keep these on until they completely die and then it's back to Hi Beams. Til then, I'll be enjoying them. Thanks Pickles!

Lorenzini · #17 12-26-2007, 09:11 PM

Paging Pickles... Pickles...You have a call on the 3rd floor.

Curious to know if they are "holding up" and if your assessment is similar to mine.

mozarwasagenius · #18 12-26-2007, 09:13 PM

I actually like Blue Steels (4 strings) and don't like them when spanking new... I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

What roundwounds are recommended for Precision bass players?

Lorenzini · #19 12-27-2007, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mozarwasagenius

I actually like Blue Steels (4 strings) and don't like them when spanking new... I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

What roundwounds are recommended for Precision bass players?

It really depends on what tone you're going for.
But I would recommend DR Sunbeams. They are the nickel version of Hi Beams. Sweet sweet strings and I can imagine them sounding sweet on a P bass.

As far as broken in Blue Steels... We'll see. By January 1st I will have THOROUGHLY broken these strings in, as I have some high paying (read: also high practicing) gigs coming up and I'll put in over 30 hours in the next 6 days.

PICKLES: Still waiting for you

neuromancer · #20 12-27-2007, 09:10 AM

I used them in the early 90's, stopped after a few years, and then went back to them (and SR2000's) a few years back. I'm not sure what changed about them in that time, although I love the sound of them now. Of course, if you aren't big on brightness you can go ahead and pass on them altogether.