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DR Hi-Beams E going dead before A D and G

marmadaddy

marmadaddy

Supporting Member
Oct 17, 2005
992
1,054
Rochester, NY
#1
I've recently started experimenting with different strings after using Bass Boomers 45-105 almost exclusively for years.

I tried DR Hi-Beams 40-100 and liked the tone and feel quite a bit but I've had one issue: the E string has gone dead after just a couple of gigs while the other strings still sound quite bright and new. This has happened with two sets in a row.

I've never had this happen with strings before and I've been playing for over thirty years.

Has anyone else experienced this with this brand?

I'm planning on continuing to experiment with other strings so if you have any recommendations for strings that are comparable, I'd appreciate the input.
 
#5
I used the Hi-Beams for a while but recently switched to the Lo-Riders and I love the crisp bright sound of them. Never had a problem of any of the strings going "dead" yet.
Do you wipe your stings down after each use? Wash your hands before you start playing to get the oils and dirt off your hands? Make sure your saddles and nut are in good shape. Try putting a little graphite on the saddle or nut to see if it help them to slide and seat in better. Hope this helped....if not, then good luck! :p
 
#6
tdub0199 said:
Do you happen to play on the E string more than the rest?
Click to expand...

As I said, I've been playing over thirty years. That's thousands of gigs, hundreds of sets of strings, over a dozen different basses and I've never had this happen before. My playing style didn't suddenly change, the brand of strings did.

CElton said:
Are you making sure the E string has a good "witness" point over the E saddle? Since it's a little thicker, it's always a good idea to push down on it just over the saddle before you tune it to pitch.
Click to expand...

See reply above. The way I put on a set of strings hasn't changed, nor has the saddle.

Dragonback07 said:
I used the Hi-Beams for a while but recently switched to the Lo-Riders and I love the crisp bright sound of them. Never had a problem of any of the strings going "dead" yet.
Do you wipe your stings down after each use? Wash your hands before you start playing to get the oils and dirt off your hands? Make sure your saddles and nut are in good shape. Try putting a little graphite on the saddle or nut to see if it help them to slide and seat in better. Hope this helped....if not, then good luck! :p
Click to expand...

Brand new corian nut that had a bit of graphite applied with the first set of DRs. The bridge gets inspected every time I change strings. It's really odd.

All I can think is that I bought both sets of strings at the same time so perhaps they were made at the same time and had the same defect? I can't imagine this is a real problem with the brand, there are too many players here who rave about them.

I'll give the Lo-Riders a try next, thanks.
 

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