Thoughts about: The Bass Whisperer, DR Black Beauties, and The Perfect Bass

madbassplaya · #1 06-12-2009, 05:25 PM

Let me start this off by saying that I am not the type of player that just goes and buys something because someone famous endorses that brand of bass, string, amp, whatever. However, I respect Ed Friedland so much as a bassist and as a person and I respect his opinion on gear and will take his advice on things because he has pretty much done/seen it all over the years. So when Ed gave a review on DR's I listened.

lavaman67 recently posted Ed Friedland's review of DR strings. Here is the link:Ed Friedland's The Bass Whisperer Reports: DR Strings

I carefully read the review and Ed's description of the strings and then I listened to the sound clips to get an idea of what the strings would sound like. Now I realize that the string sound would vary because of his bass/amp he used vs. my bass and amp. AGAIN, I was only trying to get an idea of what they sounded like. This article excited me because 1. I've been dying to try some DRs out but they are fairly expensive and I couldn't make my mind up between the Nickel Low Riders, Sunbeams, and Black Beauties. Ed's article gave me insight on which strings I would sound like what I was hearing in my head.

I finally decided that the Black Beauties sounded really good to me and that is what I would like to try on my Stingray 5. I ordered the strings and put them on my bass and all I can say is WOW! Not only do these strings look KILLER on my Stingray but they sound killer too!

Here is what Ed had to say about them in his review:

Undoubtedly the biggest surprise for me was how much I loved these strings. From the minute I put them on the Jazz, I was knocked out with the tone and the feel. These are coated strings, and unlike other manufacturers implementation of this idea, the wrap wire gets coated before winding it on the core. These are not strings dipped in goop that kills sustain and shreds after a few weeks of playing. Worth mentioning: Extra Life strings are also made in a rainbow of colors, including Peacock Blue, Hot Pink, Silver Stars, Evergreen, and Red Devils—so you can get freaky if you wanna.

The coating gives the string a slick feel, and definitely decreases the string noise that comes with position shifting. The main purpose for the coating of course is to make the string last longer, sealing the wrap wire from moisture and grease, thus extending their freshness zone. I will confirm that claim as I took the Black Beauties out on two gigs before recording these samples, the second of which I ate a greasy hamburger on the break and went up to play immediately without washing my hands (something my momma always warned me against). But the viscous slime of animal fat, ketchup, and pickles rolled off like water off a duck's back—next time I'll try some Texas barbeque!

The Extra Life strings have a round core and start with a stainless wrap wire, so tension-wise they were on par with the Hi-Beams and Fat Beams. Fingerstyle, they exhibit a huge rounded bottom—even more pronounced than the Fat Beams, but with less mid-scoop. The coating may taper the high-end zing a bit, but the overall effect is a balanced tone that seems well-suited for any type of playing. Slapping the Beauties also confirmed the presence of more mids than the Hi-Beams or Fat Beams, and slightly less highs. This is more noticeable on a passive bass, but a preamp would bring them out. The strings are not dull sounding, just not as hyped in the high end as a non-coated string. Played with a pick, the Extra Life strings have big bottom, like the Fat Beams, but greater mid presence like the nickels. The high end is there for the attack, but a nice upper-mid grind also comes through, making me envision adding a little tube saturation for a killer rock tone.

Mr. Friedland's description of these strings is impeccable! The strings do have a ton of bottom to them. I am also a fan of these strings for the mid presence. One thing I hate about strings is the "break in" time it takes to get them to sound nice and warm. These strings don't really have that. They are nice and warm and have a big bottom right out of the box! They are not as "zingy" for lack of a better word as other strings. I am not a fan of Stainless strings and even nickel strings have a lot of high end to me at first but these are perfect...

Speaking of perfect, I ordered these strings from theperfectbass.com and just want to take a second to praise them for the great job they are doing. This is my second time to order strings from them. They have AMAZING customer service and will answer any question you may have. Super fast shipping and give a discount if you put "talkbass" into the promotion code box. All in all this was a great experience.

Thanks Talkbass, Ed Friedland, DR Strings, and The Perfect Bass!

Surly · #2 06-13-2009, 02:39 PM

I agree. Any comparison of these coated strings vs. pure nickels like Fender 7150's? Both are supposed to have the roundwound but "not so harsh" vibe. I was actually going to start a new thead about until I just saw this!

JimmyM · #3 06-13-2009, 03:24 PM

Love Ed, hate the feel of coated strings.

Surly · #4 06-13-2009, 03:37 PM

Yeah Ed's a cool dude.

LilRay · #5 06-13-2009, 03:42 PM

Ed Rules!

Never tried coated strings but I have used Sunbeams and Fat Beams both are excellent strings IMO.

DR Rules!

God Bless, Ray

madbassplaya · #6 06-14-2009, 01:45 PM

Played them this morning for our church service and the sound was huge!!!

Surly · #7 06-14-2009, 07:51 PM

I have to say, out of all the recordings, I did like the coated ones the best, Lo-riders with a pick sounds good too.

DeluxeRed · #8 06-14-2009, 08:08 PM

I really like my Red Devils (after using D'Addario and DMs), for playability, sound, and durability. I think they look smashing, and they never fail to get a double-take (especially from photographers, for some reason).

I'll have to read more of Ed's stuff.

Versatek6 · #9 06-15-2009, 08:43 PM

That article hit me the same way. I was waiting for my new "pre-owned" bass to arrive (US Masters EP51pj) and was trying to decide with what to string it. My first thought was Lo-Rider nickel since I have used and liked them. Reading that set of reviews swayed me to try the coated strings.

I have only about 30 minutes playing time on them right now, but my initial thoughts are that I think I like them. They feel good; I am still adjusting the set-up, but the initial sound is very nice.

After I get some time in on the new instrument and the new strings, I'll have more to add.

gjbassist · #10 06-15-2009, 08:51 PM

I liked the sound of the Black Beauties I had on my Spector. The only thing was that after just a couple of gigs the black would start wearing off and the silver would show through! I thought that for the price they should have retained their color longer. I do attack the strings fairly aggressively when I play though.