Not as much as a review as my urging any drop tuned bassists out there to drop $25 and try these out. I got the heavy gauge .115 -.55 (didnt know at the time they had extra heavy. .125-.65. I play in a band that tunes to drop C. typical metal-core, hardcore, punk, metal band. For some time now I have been battling sloppy strings with not enough tension, or dealing wit buzz, and muddy notes after a day of use with GHX boomers, Ernie Ball, etc. I like a bright sound that I use through my sans amp di, a behringer head I just use for the power, I go outside of the ****** EQ and just line in, into a hartke 4x10 and a behringer 1x15. (not the best set up) But I cannot be happier with my sound at this point. I am having to borrow a Yamaha bass etc etc...you all can see that I dont have the best set up but the DDT's I hardly ever have to tune, they have the tension in drop C of strings tuned to standard E tuning. and have stayed bright and crisp for a few weeks. check them out guys. If you want a track I recorded using these strings to listen to check this out (yes its a link to a site to purchase the track but that isnt my intent, it is the only place we have this track up, so just hit play and give a listen, no purchase to listen ) thanks guys! Code: http://hugostiglitz.bandcamp.com/track/full-frontal-nihilism
I have only tuned to drop C (CGCF) but judging by the tension that the strings are at I believe they can be tuned well below this. Ill try it today when I head into the rehearsal studio before our show and ill post back tonight. One of the cool things is they stay in tune even when you do that new string stretch while first stringin' up. if you read the product description on their website it says something about it being eerie how they snap into tuning....and this is very true
A comfy set would look something like; .124 .084 .061 .043 Remember there is an extra whole step between the two thickest strings. The DDT sets are better balanced for dropping the entire set and not just the lowest string.
I went and tried tunings lower than "Drop C" and found that on my 4 string I can achieve great feeling tension on the lowest string down to about the A-A# range then my cheapo set up stopped producing a good sounding note. I do drop the entire set knuckle head. Standard tuning being EADG and me playing in DGCF and dropping the D to a C (drop C). But I do agree a good set would be .124 .084 .061 .043. I think I will be trying the Extra heavy set next just to test the waters they start at .125 I think it would be a ok setup
I ordered the 14-65 set for my baritone. Although it's not a bass, I'm extremely curious how low these can go, while still maintaining a comfortable feel and tone.
+eleventy billion to Hugo's experience I have used DR Hi-Beams as exclusively as possible for the last 10 years. In the last few bands I've been in, drop-C was required. My solution has always been to use a .110 E-string, with the rest in standard gauges. I prefer low action, but always had to compromise between tension and action height. I put on a set of those DDT heavies (same set Hugo is using) and took them to practice last night. Without adjusting my action at all, on an SBMM SB14, they were perfectly playable and clear all the way down to drop-A. Having played in drop-C for quite awhile, I can honestly say that I have never used or heard strings with this much definition in that tuning. They have a soft feel and excellent flexibility. I would say the tone of these strings is somewhere between the Hi-Beams and the Lo-Riders. Next up is to return my action to where I prefer to keep it.