DR Hi Beams.. E breaks?

[__HM__]

I *love* these strings. Just tried em for the first time, they sound fantastic. The response, the punch, the brightness, its all there.

..However.

I bought 2 packs. When I strung the first low E on my P bass, the fattest part of the string reached the tuning peg (even though I got the proper scale length set) and when I began tightening the peg, the string snapped, instantly.

Sh*t. There goes a $26 set of strings.

So I string it with the second set, a little more carefully. All goes well, I fall in love with the strings, yada yada etc etc.

3 days later, Im tuning from DADG to standard, aaand.. POP goes my low E.

HOW CAN I PREVENT THIS TRAVESTY.

I love these strings, but there has to be a way around them breaking all the time! I feel that if I buy a short scale set, they'll be too short.

Suggestions?

 

[CrewsControl]

Call DR on the phone. They may send you a new set of different strings to solve your problem. Their customer service is really excellent. I got a free Hibeam XL 5-string set just for calling and asking them a question about what strings to put on my bass.

 

[__HM__]

...hm. good plan. Will do, thanks.

Still wish there was a solution to prevent future breaks.. :/

 

[ksandvik]

I've been misusing a set of DR Hi-beams for the last six weeks, have not had time to change them out, constant slapping/popping and similar misuse, no breakage. Yes, contact DR and ask for a new set, sounds like you found one unique instance of a bad set of strings.

 

[__HM__]

I've been misusing a set of DR Hi-beams for the last six weeks, have not had time to change them out, constant slapping/popping and similar misuse, no breakage. Yes, contact DR and ask for a new set, sounds like you found one unique instance of a bad set of strings.

I called em and left a message (what big corporation promises a call back? That alone blew me away!)

I do think its odd they they broke (I slap frequently as well, though I think that'd make it more likely for my D or G to break..)

I think it's *especially* odd that 2 low E's broke in a row...

 

[Johnny Alien]

Where did they break? At the saddle? At the post?

 

[__HM__]

Right where they first begin to bend at the post. Hipshot ultralites.

 

[murphy]

They were probably faulty.
email DR and I am sure you will be satisfied
great company

 

[BigOkie]

Interesting. I just had a B string(!) break in exactly the same way with a set of Hi-Beams week before last. Sounds like DR has a little QA problem. Nevertheless, this kind of thing can happen in manufacturing and I love their strings and will continue to buy them (unless they don't fix their problem).

 

[mmbongo]

Try to keep them from going around the post. Can you string them through body?

 

[Justybuddy]

I played 5 string Hi Beams on my Sadowsky jazz for years. All of a sudden I am stringing up a new set and pop goes the B string. No tension yet, the string was just starting to bend at the peg. Must be a fluke. I went back to GC to return the pack and they gave me another. Pop goes the B string. Again I return the pack...the employees were starting to suspect that I had a burr on the peg, but I assured them that I had no burr. That B string also broke, so I brought the bass and the strings into the store where the bass manager decided to string the bass himself (show me how its done). B string broke. At that point I decided it was time to part ways with DR. After about 6 months of missing the Hi Beam tone, I emailed customer support and the apologetically sent me 4 free packs. Impressive. I string the first set and the universe fell back into order. All was well. I figured it must have been a bad batch. THE NEXT 3 PACKS...POP...POP...POP. Unreal.

So I'm back to missing Hi Beams. It surely does seem like DR has some quality control issues to sort out. Every pack of strings I've had on the bass since have been fine. Still no burrs.

I tried to search for others who were having the problem back when I was and found nothing...I just got excited when I saw this thread.

 

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Make a more aggressive bend before citing the string. Leave it longer like more than a centimeter. Have as many wraps around the post so the pressure on the core is distributed across more of it.

 

[GK Growl]

Please see my post from a few days ago:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f16/fender-bass-users-who-string-top-load-875317/

It seems that the issue is the large part of the wrap going around the peg. This should not happen. Rotosound even has a disclaimer on their website that this will not be covered under warranty. It seems that DR needs to start doing like D'Addario and other string makers and offer different scale lengths for different types of instruments. I broke (2) stainless steel DR Lo-Riders at the peg right where the 105 gauge started wrapping around the post.

 

[GK Growl]

Here's the warranty info from the Rotosound website. It's rather ironic that on my 34" scale Fender Precision (strung through the bridge) that the "long scale" Rotosound set that most people would use actually wraps around the tuner the wrong way!!

"BASS STRING
SCALE LENGTH GUIDE Please Note
When fitting Rotosound Bass Strings, be sure that the silked part of the string ONLY is wound around the machine post. If the speaking length of the string is wound around the post, the string may then be prone to breakage. This type of breakage is not covered by our normal warranty."

 

[murphy]

my B string broke at the bridge saddle
They sent me a replacement.
nothing bad since then
4 sets on

 

[__HM__]

So.. They returned my call. Not only did they actually listen to my voicemail I left (they understood my problem in detail, it was like they were reading it off this forum.. lol) but they owned up to a glitch in quality control, and are sending me two new sets! Hell yes. More companies could learn from them.

 

[murphy]

Great news....I love DR

 

[Dave W]

I've had that exact issue on a number of low B strings with Hi Beams. Every time DR has taken care of it, but I got sick of it happening and finally switched to a different brand of string for that bass. When I'm changing strings I can't be without one of them until a new string ships to me (or in DR's case,an entire new pack), and I'm not buying multiple packs to combat it either.

I think it's a well known issue on DR's part. I think it only happens in certain circumstances, which makes it difficult to fix unless they make multiple string lengths.

It only happens on one bass where the tuning peg is very close to the nut. The fat part of the string starts wrapping around the post and it pops while bringing it up to tension. I want to say it's happened on 4-5 occasions.

 

[__HM__]

It only happens on one bass where the tuning peg is very close to the nut. The fat part of the string starts wrapping around the post and it pops while bringing it up to tension. I want to say it's happened on 4-5 occasions.

This, exactly. It snaps on my P bass because the angle's too sharp for the low part of the string, so it breaks instantly. I suspect they'd do fine on my Warwick, though.

 

[Mike M.]

I've tried various sets of DR's lately (4 and 5 string) and haven't had any problems due to breaking. Don't know if this will help or not, but when winding a new string I really take my time doing it giving the new string time to bend. In between winds I also periodically grip the string (lightly but firmly) starting at the nut and I'll run down the length of the string to the bridge to be sure that the string isn't twisting. Make sense?

I've done it this way for years and years and have never had a problem. Fact is, I've never broken a bass string........yet!