• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

DR Hi-beams...Tone Heaven

#41
tleebassist11 said:
After many years of trying about every brand of string, I have finally decided on the Holy Grail of strings, IMHO. For the longest time I played D'Addario EXL nickel strings. Tonally they were great, but I found that they died quickly and really caused my fingers to blister up after playing multiple sets night after night.
A little over a year ago I tried my first set of DR's! I believe my first set was the Lo-riders. They were very dubby and dark sounding to my ears, but I immediately could tell the texture and feel of the string was exactly what I was after.
I play Fodera basses and I had really been attracted to the bright and full sound of Anthony Jackson and wanted to try to replicate it. Due to my touring with Nico and Vinz, and the grace of God, I was able to acquire an endorsement with DR, which since has allowed me to try every type of their string. When I strung up my ash/maple bass with Stainless steel Hi-beams immediately my life was changed. I have never heard an E string sound so full, I think it is a combination of the tension and also the Stainless steel strings project more and cut through more in a mix. I know a lot of cats prefer nickel strings but I promise these are worth the try.
So heres the secret about these strings. When you first put them on, they are incredibly brittle and live sounding. Don't be discouraged!!!! lol!!
With every set of Hi-beams I've used, after using them for about a month, comes tone heaven. When they have died down just a bit from their original brightness they acquire this amazing lo-mid evenness that is just unheard of. They allow you to really milk the subtleties out of the bass and just get an absolutely ridiculous amount of expression from the string.
I know a lot of bassists are strongly biased or one-sided when it comes to string companies, but I just wanted to post this for anyone who is on the constant search for tone nirvana. I used D'Addario for ten years before realizing that there was this string out there that literally allows me to play my bass with ease and without resistance.
Just got some of their Pure Blue strings and am really looking forward to checking those out!!
Click to expand...

That's really cool you found YOUR sting in DR. I love DRs. I played, at most times on my P bass still do, DR low riders and fat beams. They are amazing. I love the feel, the balance, the brightness, the zing, the piano like quality, the sort of roughness to them yet they are smooth, the action. I even love how they smell!! haha I found high beams to die WAY to quickly for me. Maybe it's the way they react to the oil in my hands. But they are also round core which I'm not a fan of. But the low riders and fat beams rule. So I get your excitement. Very cool man. But, I use D'Addarrio pro steels on my main player, an ATK300, which are super bright and stay zingy for forever. Love that.

eriky4003 said:
Seeing as you have an endorsement, I'll recommend you also try the Fat Beams. Similar to the Hi-Beams in feel and brightness, but more booty.
Click to expand...

Fat beams are awesome.
 
#42
If they are available, and I'm not just screwing around with something, they are my go to string. There are a few basses I use Lo-Riders on, but for regular tunings on a 34" scale neck I tend to use the DR Hi-Beams. There are so many little tiny details about strings that are hard to put into words. Touch and durability are easy. The SS aren't too sticky, and DRs are strings that will last me for months. Tonally there is just something subtle about them that makes me say "there it is."
My biggest concern is price and availability. They are more expensive than bigger brands like Ernie Ball or D'Addario. They have a wide variety of string lines, but they aren't that easy to find in a store. Because I play CGCF on half my songs, getting a custom set can be tricky and expensive. BSO tries to be accommodating, but when I order a custom set it often takes more than a week.
 
#43
Dude, if I had to pick a string company to get an endorsement deal with, DR would most assuredly be my first pick. Congrats on getting hooked up with them!!

I love the hi-beams, but I've been using the SS lo-riders on a lot of basses lately with good results. I could be happy with either pair on a bass, unless I'm looking for flats. Anybody used the Legend Flats from DR? How do those sound?
 
  • Like
Reactions: tindrum, tleebassist11 and eriky4003
#44
I use Fat Beams and Hi-Beams on everything now except my fretless which has Sunbeams. I use the Fat Beams for standard tunings and the Hi-Beams for alternate tunings since the gauges I use aren't available as Fat Beams. So glad to finally be done string hopping.

I was also on SS Lo-Riders for a while but the tension was kind of rough on my fretting hand technique. I dropped down a gauge to 40-125 but then didn't like the lack of thickness. The Roundcores hit the sweet spot for me - thicker gauge with better flexibility.
 
#46
I like the hi beams. I also like them best broken in a bit. But even straight out of the package, their bright new string sound is very musical. Too bright, too new, all of that, but doesn't make me cringe like a lot of the others. That really surprised me because I was a guy who hated new strings, and with the hi-beams I go, well it's a sound. And occasionally I don't roll off tone to hide the newness, and I mess around with that sound they have new. Sounds like hifi modern RnB bass to me.

It feels to me like they they wear out quickly, but I don't know if that's true, I'm guessing it's more that when a hi-beam reaches that point where it's a dead string, it's dead dead. There is no more snap or much of anything you will beat out of that dead horse. Whereas some others will linger on in half-life for a long time.
 
#49
I've used Sunbeams, Hi-Beams. and Pure Blues from DR on a variety of basses. I especially like their nickel wound sets.

I've had no complaints about any of them. DR makes a really nice string.

My guitarist GF swears by their 'skinny sets' for her Strat collection.
 
#50
eriky4003 said:
Seeing as you have an endorsement, I'll recommend you also try the Fat Beams. Similar to the Hi-Beams in feel and brightness, but more booty.
Click to expand...


Agreed. I use Fat Beams on almost all of my fretted basses. I haven't played Hi-Beams in years and I recently used them again when I bought a fretless that required very long strings. Longer than the ones on my 36" Contrabass. I have a DR endorsement too and got the recommendation to try a set of Hi-Beams on it and they sound and feel amazing. Pretty surprising since I normally use Nickel Sunbeams on all of my fretlesses.
 
#52
Could someone tell me what are the differences between the HI/FAT BEAM, the Lo-RIDER and the PURE BLUES?
I currently use D'Addario EXL 165. I love their super bright and clean sound, heavy bottom and last long. I never tried DR, but willing to give a try after reading this thread.
According to what I've read the Lo-RIDER seems to fit my needs, but maybe you guys would advise me something else?
 
#53
baxter_x said:
Could someone tell me what are the differences between the HI/FAT BEAM, the Lo-RIDER and the PURE BLUES?
I currently use D'Addario EXL 165. I love their super bright and clean sound, heavy bottom and last long.
Click to expand...

Hi Beams = Stainless Steel on round core.
Fat Beams = SS on RC, similar to HB, except "slow wound" for slightly more bottom.
Sunbeams = Nickel-Plated Steel version of Hi Beams.
Lo-Riders = Hex core, they come in both SS and Nickel versions.

EDIT: Sorry I forgot about the Pure Blues... They use a special nickel alloy ("Quantum Nickel") wound on a round core.

And yes, the Nickel Lo-Riders would be the closest equivalent to the D'A XL Nickels (also hex core), except the LRs are not quite as bright and a lot smoother in texture. For something brighter, try the SS Lo-Riders.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: waynobass and baxter_x
#59
Hi Beams are a great all-around string, and if you use another brand, they are a good gateway to appreciate the qualiy of DR. For me, my first couple basses had flatwounds, and I liked the tension but needed more bite, so I looked for the highest tension roundounds that werent too bright and found DR Nickel low-riders. they are huge and dark and feel great. recently I tried the Pure Blues on my five string because I wanted a little more brightness, and they delivered! They are a little less tension (round core), but have a nicely even sound from treble to bass. best of both worlds in my opinion - really liking the Pure Blues!
 
#60
I've tried them on my jazz a few times and put them on my t-40 when I first got it. Maybe I need to try the low-riders. I'm normally a Rotosound guy. The brightness and definition of the beams are great but I need a little more low mid grunt out of them.

Make no mistake, DR makes a quality string. I've just yet to find the one for me
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back