DR Neon, Fender nickel plated and bassstringsonline - First Timer

[Blue Dragon]

Had my first order from Bassstringsonline.com recently and thought I'd post about it. I had decided to get a bit adventurous. My experience with bass strings is really pretty light. Mostly I just buy basic steel roundwounds and am done with it, but I thought I'd try something new with this order. Bought the yellow ones to liven up my otherwise black Ibanez sb900le.

Again, I've like 0% experience with anything but stainless roundwounds. The idea was mostly just to liven up my stage presence a bit, since I don't exactly leap about the stage. But I'm very happy with them I must say. They do sound a LITTLE less piano-like than I'm used to, but they sure look nice on an all-black bass I can tell you, and I think I have more versatility with that (very!) slightly less metallic sound.

As for the Fender nickel plated strings, I may just have a tin ear. Figured to stick with Fender for my Precision. They sound and play just fine, but I honestly can't tell much difference with what I had before except that they're newer and thus a bit brighter.

As for bassstringsonline.com - what can I say? Got what I expected when I expected at a price that was pleasantly unexpected. Very happy of course! First order in what is likely to be a long relationship I predict.

 

[michael_t]

They do sound a LITTLE less piano-like than I'm used to...

It's quite alright for your bass not to sound like a piano.

 

[Blue Dragon]

Thought I'd mention this after I've played these DR Neons for a while. I'd seen in an old thread about them someone mentioning that they can be more abrasive to your fingers.

I can now vouch for this. I've got some pretty solid callouses but after my first night of at-home practice playing these they did a number on my index finger.

I'm over it now and fingers are toughened to them. I still like the strings, but apparently SOMETHING about them does seem to be more demanding on the fingers than my old standard steel round wounds or my new nickel round wounds. Again, it's nothing that can't be overcome. I played with the band and no problem at all now that my fingers are a bit tougher. So I'm not really dissing them, just pointing out that there is indeed some noticeable difference.

 

[rockinrayduke]

Jason and BSO are the best.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Strange to read. DR Neons have graced my bass for a year now and I play several hours every day. The strings are much easier on my fingertips than Rotos, in my memory (noted I've not used Rotos in 30 years). I'm not noticing my fingers to be particularly calloused.

 

[Blue Dragon]

I guess 'your mileage may vary'. Frankly they FEEL smoother to me than my old strings, and I have really come to love the sound of them. But that's what happened to me anyway.

Nevertheless I'm keeping them, no doubt. Took just a day to get over it so it really wasn't a big deal. I've never been good at describing a sound, but whatever the sound is, I do like it. And the distinct look is of course the primary draw. Now the only concern I have is if the coating wears off or gets particularly discolored over time from my playing. But certainly nothing like that yet.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Thought I'd mention this after I've played these DR Neons for a while. I'd seen in an old thread about them someone mentioning that they can be more abrasive to your fingers.

I can now vouch for this. I've got some pretty solid callouses but after my first night of at-home practice playing these they did a number on my index finger.

I'm over it now and fingers are toughened to them. I still like the strings, but apparently SOMETHING about them does seem to be more demanding on the fingers than my old standard steel round wounds or my new nickel round wounds. Again, it's nothing that can't be overcome. I played with the band and no problem at all now that my fingers are a bit tougher. So I'm not really dissing them, just pointing out that there is indeed some noticeable difference.

I didn't find them to be more abrasive. I did find the string to feel clammy though, unlike a regular string and different than other coated strings. While they look great I am not a fan of those strings. I didn't notice any more finger wear than any other string but my fingers are pretty thick at this point.