DR Dragon Skins vs Lo Riders

[kcducttaper]

Curious if anyone has played them in the same bass and what your thoughts are.

 

[GTHintz]

I've played black Beauty but the thing that I would say is unique about anything coated is the feel is definitely going to be different. Also anything coated will be less ringing and sparkling sounding than uncoated. Depending on your sound it might actually be what you want. I like bright rounds but I'm happy with broken in rounds. There's a point where the fatness in the mids are at the best and it's still got brightness but they settle in and that's my favorite sound. If you like that sound then the coated strings will be there in that tone fast. Lo riders are a great string but I believe the dragon skin are all hi beam strings with the coating. That'll make them feel a bit different because of the round core design. Basically those are the things to keep in mind when comparing the two.

 

[kcducttaper]

I run Lo Riders on my Schecter Stilettos (EMG's), but I just finished up rebuilding my Ibanez SR755 with Nordstrand Big Splits and an Aguilar OBP3 preamp (replacing the stock Bartolini MK1's). I put a set of Dragon Skins on it and I'm not sure I like them, TBH. They're still breaking in, but they seem to have a very poor "fret and finger noise to treble clarity" ratio. That and they just don't sound as crisp or clear as I'd like them to. They "make noise" without sounding as clear or defined as I'd like. I'll play them for a practice or two to really get an idea on them, but so far, I'm not liking it nearly as much as my Schecter EMG w/Lo Rider setup. I should've put a set on my Schecter to compare back-to-back, but oh well.

 

[Toptube]

I haven't played the new version of Dragon Skins. The old ones were pretty good. And had a bit more of a focused fundamental clarity in the notes, compared to Elixirs. But, they didn't feel as good to me. The first version of Dragon Skins could be a bit grabby and more abrasive on my fingers. And they didn't last nearly as long as Elixirs. Probably due to being a coated wrap wire. Rather than a finished string which was coated (Elixirs).

Of the currently available Stainless Steel strings: Low-Riders are, IMO, one of the best offerings. If you are looking for Stainless with a more complex midrange and overall, a more interesting tone. And Low-Riders in particular, having interesting things going on, top to bottom. They have detailed low mids, interesting mid-range, crisp/complex high-mids. They are punchy strings, too.

 

[Toptube]

I haven't played the new version of Dragon Skins. The old ones were pretty good. And had a bit more of a focused fundamental clarity in the notes, compared to Elixirs. But, they didn't feel as good to me. The first version of Dragon Skins could be a bit grabby and more abrasive on my fingers. And they didn't last nearly as long as Elixirs. Probably due to being a coated wrap wire. Rather than a finished string which was coated (Elixirs).

Of the currently available Stainless Steel strings: Low-Riders are, IMO, one of the best offerings. If you are looking for Stainless with a more complex midrange and overall, a more interesting tone. And Low-Riders in particular, having interesting things going on, top to bottom. They have detailed low mids, interesting mid-range, crisp/complex high-mids. They are punchy strings, too.

I have now used both version of the new Dragon Skins. You can find my comments in this thread:

Post in thread 'New strings from DR- wonderful strings'

Nov 11, 2025

I've had a Quantum Nickel set of Dragon Skins+ for a couple of days, on my Carvin Icon 5, with Nordstrand Big Singles.

Overall, the tone is pretty good. These definitely speak nicely in the high mid. And the tone is nicely balanced, from string to string.

They do lack a little of the juice and richness of the low-mid, which I am used to from GHS Roundcore boomers. These DS+ do not have a deep growl. More of a vocal high-mid purr/growl. (I have used the Pure Blues on this bass, before. and I would say the same about those, overall. However, the tone is not exactly the same.)...

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