‘Best’ combination DR strings on Jazz and Precision

[Valentino]

Dear bass friends,

I have 2 basses:
- Fender American Pro 1 Jazz
- Fender American Elite Precision

And 2 pairs of strings:
- DR Fatbeams (45-105)
- DR Lo-Riders, Nickel (45-105)

My question is which strings would you put on which bass and why?

Do you Guys have experiences or opinions?

 

[michael_t]

NLR on P = punchy warmth with articulation.
FB on J = Full-bodied bottom with midrange bite and growl.

 

[dougjwray]

I would probably go the other way, because I've had the experience of Nickel Lo Riders "saving a Jazz Bass from oblivion" (i.e., being sold) at the last minute. They beefed up the low mids so much that they made the bass extremely usable for me. A complete makeover.
That leaves the Fat Beams on the Precision. Use of the tone knob will likely tame the brightness and add perceived mids, if that's what you want.

 

[Slade N]

I like LRs on a J

 

[mrjim123]

Only you can decide. Don't let a handful of opionions here influence you; it's a crapshoot.

 

[mikeswals]

I would return the Low Riders and get another FB set. I prefer the feel of them more

 

[Dr. Love]

Personally, I would prefer lo riders on both but since you already have the strings I would use the lo riders on the jazz and the fat beams on the P to maximize the sonic difference between the two. The jazz and lo riders are both more aggressive in the mids to my ears and P basses and fat beams are more hollow in the mids. Going the other way with the pairing I think would make them sound more similar.

 

[Salem6127]

I would return the Low Riders and get another FB set. I prefer the feel of them more

Seconded. Tried the entire DR catalogue and found the NLR by far the most underwhelming. Nothing they can do that DR's other strings won't do better.

 

[40Hz]

When in doubt I default to GHS Pressurewounds until I find something I like better. The Pressurewounds may not be the perfect string for every occasion. But IMO they do sound good on anything I ever put them on.

 

[Cleezmo]

Fat Beams on the Jazz every day and twice on Sunday, especially if you slap at all. Fat Beam slap tone on a Jazz is what I want a slap tone to be... Outside of slap, I think they sound great on a Jazz. I have a G&L JB that has only ever had Fat Beams and I can't see why I'd ever put different strings on that bass...

 

[dougjwray]

Seconded. Tried the entire DR catalogue and found the NLR by far the most underwhelming. Nothing they can do that DR's other strings won't do better.

Not my experience at all.
I found that the Nickel Lo Riders did for a Jazz Bass what Fat Beams, Hi-Beams and Pure Blues could not. (I didn't try Steel Lo Riders.)
We all perceive things differently, of course.

 

[LowendG]

My P's and J's that don't have flats only wear Nickel Lo-Riders. Love those punchy low-ish mids, minimal "zing", and ability to get thumpy.

 

[BobKos]

Every bass is different and each will let you know when you have found the right string for it. That said, I use Fat Beams on my #1 which is a Jazz Bass (kind of). It has Nord Big Splits and a preamp so that changes ALOT from a stock bass. I have Pure Blues on one of my P-Basses and they are absolutely the right string for that bass. That P-Bass is my favorite P-Bass FWIW.

 

[HowieD72]

DR Nickel Lo-Riders on both!

 

[burgerdj]

Ya gotta try Pure Blues….then put em on both basses. Of your options…FatBeams in the Jazz and the NLR on the P. The FatBeams are fabulous for a scooped tone and the NLR are very midrange heavy, particularly on a P.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Dear bass friends,

I have 2 basses:
- Fender American Pro 1 Jazz
- Fender American Elite Precision

And 2 pairs of strings:
- DR Fatbeams (45-105)
- DR Lo-Riders, Nickel (45-105)

My question is which strings would you put on which bass and why?

Do you Guys have experiences or opinions?

DR Lo Riders have been my go to string for the last 20 years. Doesn't seem like this DR string gets much love on this board, In the last 20 years I played over 1000 performances and a fair amount of recording sessions.I have never had a band mate, sound tech/engineer, or producer ever suggest me using another type of string.

I've used them them on a JB, PB, my current bass a PBj, and a Warwick Corvette STD. I play in a a band jam where usually there are 7 or 8 other bassists there, and i can't begin to tell you how many complements I get on my tone.

What you can expect is a good amount of service. I get about 75 hours of play before the tone starts to degrade. Not as stiff as GHS bass boomers but not as limp as over cooked pasta. The tone is refined solid and focused. These may not be the best option if you want very deep tone, but for all around playing they work well.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Put Hi-Beams on both.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

I vote Fat Beams for the Jazz, they’re great! I religiously put them on everything that would fit them for a long time.
I would put the Lo Riders on the P, but I personally rock EB Cobalt Flats on mine, they are incredible on a P

 

[Yahboy]

Piano clear Jazz bass tone ~ DR Lo rider , but SS.

 

[Bruiser Stone]

I second the opinion that each bass is different no matter the pickup configuration. After probably dozens of test drives, I arrived at Fat Beams for my 78 P bass. Easy to play, accentuated mids that can be tamed, and enough low and high end at my disposal. But they don’t sound nearly as good on my AVRI P bass, which is currently wearing Fender tapes. I thought D’Addario halfrounds sounded best on my former Jazz bass, but between your two choices if I were to obtain another J, I would try Fat Beams first because of my very favorable experience. They’ve got grunt that I don’t think anything nickel can emulate.