DR Fat-Beams vs Lo-Riders

[Swerve]

I’ve recently been in love with DR Fat-Beams. My first foray into DR strings. I love everything about them except the tension. They’re just a tad too bendy. Are Lo-Riders essentially the same string with just higher tension due to the hex core?

 

[michael_t]

I’ve recently been in love with DR Fat-Beams. My first foray into DR strings. I love everything about them except the tension. They’re just a tad too bendy. Are Lo-Riders essentially the same string with just higher tension due to the hex core?

Yes, the LR are stiffer than the FB when comparing the same gauges. They're not the same string tonally, but close. The lows on the LR are tighter with a little more punch.

 

[jivetkr]

I was on a round core kick for a while & played fat beams & high beams. Recently switched to low riders & the tension is alot beter especially if you dig in. I also have to tune up less often with low riders.

 

[Steve Slate]

I have LoRiders on my JB 5 and right now Love them. They have a low end that I love plus plenty of everything else. I've had them on for over a month now. Played out once but played everyday at home and are holding up and setting in very well. I really love the B string. Its tight and plays up the neck with great definition!!
I've been using Dunlop MMs for some time which are good but this a step up IMO.

 

[bassist4dalord]

It just so happens that my two electric basses are wearing these strings- Schecter Raiden Special-4 tuned BEAD with SS Lo-Riders and a SBMM Ray5 with Fat Beams.

My #1 for the past two months has been my Schecter. The Lo-Riders feel great and have really fantastic tension and tone. I would definitely buy these again.

The Fat Beams are great strings, particularly for a bass that has a single pickup at the bridge; being round core encourages playing closer to the bridge. That being said, I don’t think I’ll get them again. Nothing bad, I just don’t love these strings.

Try both! That’s always the correct answer.

 

[J-Mags]

I've tried both, but not in the same gauge. They both sound great, and fairly similar. I think the Fat Beams sound a little more distinctive. They have a bigger, slightly looser sound with a bit more midrange. I think I prefer the Fat Beams, but the Lo Riders were great too. Any differences aren't night and day. Here's a comparison video I found:

 

[GTHintz]

Bumping this thread after trying Fat beams. Ive been wanting to try these for a while but finally got around to it. Compared to both high beams and lo riders i think these are a little less bright overall. They definitely have that low end and are voiced to work well with low mids. They feel stiffer than high beams and very close to lo riders. I think they are working great with the bass i put them on. Ibanez sr505. I was trying to get a thicker tone and fat beams did that. They are hitting the mids on the preamp in a way i was hoping for. They have that different round core sound when plucked and whats nice is the fullness to tone which balances out things. I thought hi beams were lacking fullness and these have exactly that. They feel close and sound similar to another string i think compliments the ibanez sr sound Labella RX stainless. As it relates to Lo Riders i think those are also in a similar category of stainless rounds that also sound pretty full and have some mid definition. Itll be interesting to see how these fat beams settle in and what happens after they do so. I find them so far to be right there with Fodera Stainless strings to be the nicest sounding round core strings ive tried. Those 2 are actually very similar in feel and tone. Id recommend Fodera to anyone who wants a similar thing to fat beams but not DR.