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DR Jonas Hellborg strings - what do you think ?

iuserneim

iuserneim

Feb 7, 2009
344
30
germany
#1
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hi

i'm thinking about checking out these strings.
they are made in a different way:
there is a round stainless steel core, and ONLY ONE layer of pure nickel wrapped around it.

these strings MUST sound different.

now, i played stainless steel strings from beginning to now, and i like the snappy high end i get from them.
nickel is said to have less high end, but stainless steel is said to lose the high end quick, and then have less high end after a short period.

what do you think ?

experiences, opinions, maybe even reviews from guitar magazines, if you have any...
 
#2
I truly respect Jonas Hellborg as a player and as an innovator (the Status Jonas Hellborg bass was a step forward) so I was really intrigued to try these strings. Anyway, last year I tried them on my Dingwall Super PJ 4

Before that, I had tried GHS contact core ("dry" sounding for my taste), Chrome flats ("thicker" sounding, yet not singing) and couple of more that I just could not care less.

When I placed them on the Super PJ 4, the bass instantly achievedc VERY singing mids, vibrato was very easy and expressive, great fingerstyle tone with nice clarity

I am anxiously waiting for the 5str set to be released
 
#3
cool decription.

you know, i'm looking for a set of strings that last long, too.
i mean, don't sound dull after a too short period.

i was using the cheap (but good) warwick red label strings before. i really like them. but because i respect jonas hellborg as an inovator (not only as a musician), and i see that he thinks about stuff, i thought his signature strings might be good.

so, you would recommend them ?
did they stay good sounding for more or less time ?

i also like to play slap stuff. how do they sound when slapped ?
 
#5
They've been on for some time now. They still sound fine (I know what you mean about using the Warwick red label, and I agree 100%)

Slapped they don't sound scooped. They sound articulate with body, yet detailed

PS this belongs to the "Strings forum"
 
#7
sorry, didn't know there was a strings-forum. now i do :-)

the video in bassplayer.tv helped, but since there is nothing to compare to, it was just another "yeah, sounds nice" kind of video....

fullrangebass, you played warwick red labels, too ?
maybe you can give a little comparisson on how they feel different, sound different, and how long they stay usable compared to the jonas hellborgs ?!
the red labels can be used for a half year without problems. they'll lose some of the high end sparkle, but still are quite bright, i think...
 
#8
I've got nothing but love for Mr Hellborg but...I had a set of those strings put on my Les Paul Bass (today)and they were different . The G and D strings were within the "normal" tonal range you'd expect from DR strings. However the E and A strings were a different story . They seemed to sound muffled or muted , and the deal closer was that the A string rattled and didn't really sound musical. Now maybe I got a hold of a bad set (or at least a bad A string)...but I couldn't live with that sound ( I tried really hard to make do ...but it wasn't happening!). They weren't on my bass more than an hour , I went and got some Marcus Miller Fat Bottoms and kept rolling. I had bought 2 sets of Hellborgs but because of the defective A string...I'm returning both sets to the store where I bought them for 2 mores sets of Fat Bottoms. :hmm:
 
#10
fullrangebass said:
I truly respect Jonas Hellborg as a player and as an innovator (the Status Jonas Hellborg bass was a step forward)
Click to expand...

I absolutely agree (they are great basses!).

I tried some of these strings and I was very pleasantly surprised. They bring me lots of burpy, colourful midrange which I love. However, sadly they didn't make me play as well as Jonas does! :mad:
 
#11
iuserneim said:
sorry, didn't know there was a strings-forum. now i do :-)

the video in bassplayer.tv helped, but since there is nothing to compare to, it was just another "yeah, sounds nice" kind of video....

fullrangebass, you played warwick red labels, too ?
maybe you can give a little comparisson on how they feel different, sound different, and how long they stay usable compared to the jonas hellborgs ?!
the red labels can be used for a half year without problems. they'll lose some of the high end sparkle, but still are quite bright, i think...
Click to expand...

IMHO and IME the Warwick Red Label sound very bright "wire-y". Once they loose the sparkle they still sound scooped and "dry" to my ears. Usable for a long time though

The DR UFO strings sound "juicy" and very singing (esp when doing glissando and vibrato). I have them on my Dingwall SJ 4str for a year now and they still have life in them

I am waiting for the 5str set to be released (maybe in summer).
 
#12
I tried them about 4 months ago on my 4 string. i loved everything they did for my bass. It's hard to describe what that was but it was just a more focused sound that I could control with just my finger. If they would come out with a 6 string set I would stock.
 
#13
ok.
so you would recommend the UFOs over the red labels ?
do they stay fresh just as long ?
(i'm not one of those bass players who like the sound of old, dull strings)

how do they feel compared to the red labels ?
i guess, not that rough on the fingers... (although the red labels are rough only their first day)

how about string tension ?

are the UFOs good for slapping ?
 
#14
There's something about these strings that I really like. To me they have less complex harmonic overtones which makes for very musical mids and clean high notes. I saw someone wrote that the core is round which makes sense... a lot like Sunbeams and low tension although I think they may be higher tension than the Sunbeams.

I'd highly recommend trying them. It's a different sound to play with plus there not real expensive. I've had no problem with the different "feel" due to the single wrap. And I've had mine on for a while and they still sound great. I play finger style only though so...

One note, make sure to keep plenty of length to wrap the E and A with because you only have the core to work with. Being round I feel like it's ready to slip. That may be because I put a Hipshot drop-D on there.

I'm also hoping for a 5-string set by summer. Last I checked they were waiting for "permission".

dunc
 
#16
iuserneim said:
ok.
so you would recommend the UFOs over the red labels ?
do they stay fresh just as long ?
(i'm not one of those bass players who like the sound of old, dull strings)

how do they feel compared to the red labels ?
i guess, not that rough on the fingers... (although the red labels are rough only their first day)

how about string tension ?

are the UFOs good for slapping ?
Click to expand...

They stay fresh for a long time (in my hands at least)
They feel softer, coarser, but NOT rough
They are good for slapping as well as fingerstyle. They don't have the harsh highs of the red labels, but they have clear singing highs
 
#17
I think they are great for slapping. They still have the great "pop" sound with more of the tone from the note.

As for the feel, it took a few days to get used to it. They have a much different feel than nickel strings but not as harsh as steel.

Over-all a great string I would still be using if they had it in a 6 string set.
 

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