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are DR DDT's the way to go?

#4
They are very dark sounding I found as well. Especially coming from something reasonably bright in like Hi Beams or something. But if you're OD'ing the crap outta your signal, we probably don't have the same tonal goals.

And that's a different issue than the tension thing but yeah I experienced the same. They take some getting used to but you know pretty quickly if you like them or not. I"m the latter.
 
#5
Hibeams are round core and would not be my first choice. I would think the DDT's or the Low riders would be a better choice. I get all of my DR strings from bassstringsonline.com:

Welcome to Bass Strings Online - Your Custom Bass String Shop...

You can build sets of DR's there as well. Be sure to sign up as a VIP (which is available to ALL tb members). :)

Jason SLaPiNFuNK is a tb member and owns the above mentioned site. He was very knowledgeable in helping me pick a set of strings that were right for me. Which was DR Sunbeams.
 
#6
knuckle_head said:
The DDT .115 is an awesome D string - the rest of the .115 set gets pretty tight in D standard.

When you tune/d to E standard what gauge do you like for your E? I can suggest a near-perfect set if I know that . . . .
Click to expand...

ive been using 105 for a while now. the hibeams were nice for e standard since the goal was to be heavy on the treble. im looking for a darker sound with a little bit of high end crunch, but the way i have my rig set up there's more than enough treble to go around.
 
#10
If you are drop tuning the DDT's will help you get those lower tunings without sacrificing too much string tension. They feel the same has Hi-Beams under the fingers. The outer windings look / feel identical.

You can always experiment with higher gauges for lower tunings...

For DGCF the "Medium" or "Heavy" DDT strings will work for you.
Medium: .045 .065 .085 .105
Heavy: .055 .075 .095 .115

The higher Heavy set will be higher tension once tuned DGCF than the Medium.

As far as other string types... If you want a string that feels different under your fingers and sounds different all together, Half Rounds or Pressure Wounds are definitely an option.

I have personal experience with a set of Pressure Wounds tuned Eb Ab Db Gb on my Fender P-Bass using these gauges - .044 .062 .082 .105 . I love the sound and feel of them there... Going down another half step they may feel a bit "slinkier" but shouldnt be overly floppy. Pressure Wounds are a more rigid string / less flexible than a standard round wound. These are punchy without too much finger noise and a nice midrange growl...

Half Rounds aka Slick Rounds aka Brite Flats have the same string flexibility of Round Wounds since they are basically round wounds with the outer windings shaved flat. A company makes them in gauges .049 .062 .084 .108 that would work great for your D G C F tuning. These strings started out thicker and end up at these gauges after half of the outer windings have been shaved off. These will be more thuddy and punchy with not as much high end as rounds. In the mix they sound like brighter flats.


Flatwounds - I currently am using a set of the heavier flat wounds on my P-Bass. If I was tuning them E A D G I would not be as happy with them as I am tuning Eb Ab Db Gb. They still feel great at D G C F. Depending on the sound you are going for these can work. but they do not have near the flexibility as the Half Round option depending on the style music you are playing....
 

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