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DR Extra Life Black Beauties...Holy ****

#21
I have been using black beauties for a few years now. I've been a fan since I put them on an old Fender a while back. They fit my style and tone.

I just recently strung the up on my DE Zodiac. Immediate different in tone. Great feel as well for finger style. Look great on the black and silver DE as a bonus. I haven't had the problem with the coating coming off unless I go nuts playing with a pick. Otherwise I have a soft touch and lucky that I don't have sweaty fingers.........

The pricing does hurt a bit. When I first starting using them a few years back I could get them at GC for $25. Now there are almost $40 (4 string). I've ordered an Epi Tbird Pro-V and would love to throw on a set of Black Beauties, but the 5 string sets are even more........
 
#25
I once strung my Squier Precision with the DR Black Beauties. I thought I liked them until they died. I don't know why that bass destroys strings. If I played it still I would look at the bridge for burrs but the wiring harness is rotten. The neck also feels wrong. It doesn't get any of my play time, which is unfortunate because it looks awesome.

I find that I like strings until they die and then the experience totally ruins that set for me. I liked the Black Beauties until they died; now I don't think I'll ever get them again. The same thing happened with some D'Addario rounds and some DR Hi Beams. I still would like to keep Hi Beams on my Fender Jazz, though. My Squier Jazz came used with some nice D'Addario rounds that sounded and felt awesome.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend Black Beauties but that is due mostly to the fact that they were ruined for me by a dead set. I was unimpressed with how long they lasted. They were only on the bass for about a month, if I recall correctly.
 
#26
6stringbassist said:
I bought a set of these recently, and to be totally honest they're a very expensive waste of time.

£50 for a 6 string set.

I've used DR strings for years, usually nickel lo-riders, and I love them. They last for ever and sound great.

The black beauties are a waste of money though. The black comes off so what's the point ?
The black started to come of the 1st set within about 30 minutes. I only play fingerstyle, and have a very light touch.
I took them back to the shop and had another set, but the same thing happened to those too.
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That is rather pricey, I've gotten mine from evilBay or [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] .
It took quite a while for my set to wear out. I use them on my Lakland 55-01 and after a month or so you can see silver where I pluck the most. The sound is fantastic imho. Perhaps the flaking in an hour problem was a bad batch if you had that happen to two sets in a row.
 
#27
just got my first set on my jaguar bass, and they sound awesome, because they are slightly mellower they actually don't portray the annoying fret buzz that can't be cured on the 14th fret of the top string, which is handy. sound and look awesome too, wonder how long they'll last though........hmmm.....
people seem to have very good or very bad experiences with them, seems opinions are polarised..... its quite tense actually


OH and also i was relieved to find that though they are heavier than my usual guage of string, they were still highly playable, could do all my vibrato and string bend stuff without any real difficulty, which i really like
 

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