DR Pure Blues vs Fat Beams

[Stan_da_man]

Has anyone done a direct comparison between these two?

I know the tension in the same gauge should be pretty much identical and the Fat Beams will be a little rougher because they're SS.

Do the Pure Blues come even close to that SS brightness? Do they make up for it with more mids?

 

[twinjet]

Has anyone done a direct comparison between these two?

I know the tension in the same gauge should be pretty much identical and the Fat Beams will be a little rougher because they're SS.

Do the Pure Blues come even close to that SS brightness? Do they make up for it with more mids?

I have no experience with Sunbeams. With Pure Blues, you'll notice a deep, yet clean tone. There is no new string zing, but if you want something to give you that sweet piano tone, those strings will do it.
DR Pure Blues!!!

 

[Stan_da_man]

Sunbeams? I was asking about Fat Beams.

 

[twinjet]

Sunbeams? I was asking about Fat Beams.

Whoops. Also not experienced with those.

 

[Stan_da_man]

Anyone?!

 

[BrentSimons]

Paging @eriky4003
Best wishes,
Brent

 

[eriky4003]

Thanks, Brent! I'm here!
Fat Beams - piano-like tone with additional booty. I didn't get involved in this thread as I haven't tried Pure Blues so cannot compare. If you want piano-like tone with more mids (and still some booty) go with the Marcus Miller Dunlop Super Brights.

 

[Stan_da_man]

Thanks for the reply.

My main question is I love Pure Blues fresh on but that brightness fades quite quickly - I was hoping Fat Beams would be similar to PBs but retain that original brightness longer. Judging by your answer I think it does...

 

[eriky4003]

Stan_da_man,
I find the tone lasts long with Fat Beams. I do place my bass back in its' case and wipe down the strings after playing and find the tone stays for 2-3 months which is when I usually replace (YMMV). Our band plays only a few times a year with a 3 hr rehearsal once a week and maybe another 2-3 hrs practice at home a week but I switch up my basses so these strings may only see 5-10 hrs a month of play.

 

[Stan_da_man]

Wow - Fat Beams really didn't do it for me this time. Maybe my set wasn't good but these really aren't bright for SS strings. Next stop Hi Beams...

 

[eriky4003]

Really? I'm wondering if you got a bad set. The Hi-Beams should give you what you want.

 

[BrentSimons]

Really? I'm wondering if you got a bad set. The Hi-Beams should give you what you want.

I agree. The Fat Beams are just slightly less bright than Hi Beams but have more mid content.
Best wishes,
Brent

 

[tylerwylie]

Sounds like maybe you should try EB Cobalts. I've been rocking these on my fretless and I love the tone, hard to describe compared to stainless steel vs nickel.. but maybe something worth giving a shot?

 

[RumbleMan3]

I myself am debating between the exact two strings!

I like the idea of fat beams nice high end, but are they lacking the warmth and mids, and I would rather not Steels.
And I like the idea of pure blues, as they are nickel, and have the warm punchy midrange, but do they have the high end.

Is this accurate description of the strings? What are the differences in sound, feel, and which lasts longer?

I play at least 2 hours a day, on average, and I dont want to be buying strings every month, which I guess is expected, but I want to get the most use out of them and for them to stay in the most tip top shape for as long as possible.

I know DR make great strings, long lasting and consistent, and either choices should be great, but I would love to be filled in a bit more. Thanks!


PS i know this thread has been quiet for a while but I thought it's betting restarting an old thread than starting a whole new one and getting people complaining about repeated threads!

 

[RumbleMan3]

Stan_da_man,
I find the tone lasts long with Fat Beams. I do place my bass back in its' case and wipe down the strings after playing and find the tone stays for 2-3 months which is when I usually replace (YMMV). Our band plays only a few times a year with a 3 hr rehearsal once a week and maybe another 2-3 hrs practice at home a week but I switch up my basses so these strings may only see 5-10 hrs a month of play.

This seems reasonable amount of time I guess?

 

[eriky4003]

RumbleMan3,
I still haven't tried Pure Blues but another choice with a crisp high end and more booty would be DR Lo-Riders. They can be in steels or nickel. I'm embarrassed to say that I had a set of nickel DR Lo-Riders on a bass once but I didn't notice a remarkable difference between the nickel and steels. I only realized after reading the packaging but I had a set of Lo-Riders on my Rickenbacker and my Yamaha 4 string around the same time so I must claim ignorance.
If you take my Lo-Rider suggestion seriously, shelling out for only three sets of strings seems reasonable to me with the possibility of finding your 'one and only' set to go with your bass. I can say my string searches were more in the 5-10 sets.

 

[RumbleMan3]

Has anyone here actually tried both?

What I want to know is, what differs between the two strings?

Which out of fat beams or pure blues have more bass?

Which have a stronger midrange?

Which are brighter?

Which last longer?

Which feel rougher/softer on the fingers?

Which one has a tighter/looser tension?


If anyone is able to answer at least a couple of these it would be much appreciated thanks!

 

[redwood]

I don't know about the longevity question, and I'm a poor source because I have acid hands (and now play coated DR's exclusively), but this may help with the tone questions
https://www.drstrings.com/sound-samples
I think it's a pretty fair comparison. Probably the best you'll get for quality sound samples and consistent playing on each type.
As far as roughness, that's subjective too. Many players don't find Rotos really rough. For me they burn through my skin.
And for tension, the round cores (if I recall, all of the "beams" are round core) will have a looser feel than hex core. Gauge has an impact though too.
Hope this helps.

 

[michael_t]

what differs between the two strings?

Pure Blues = Nickel alloy on a round core.
Fat Beams = Stainless Steel on a round core. Slow wound.

Which out of fat beams or pure blues have more bass?

The bottom end is deeper and a little more focused on the FB.

Which have a stronger midrange?

They both have a good midrange (compared to Sunbeams/Hi Beams) but the PB are warmer.

Which are brighter?

FB, being stainless steel, do have a bit more zing up top.

Which last longer

My personal experiences with either of them are not extensive enough to answer this question.

Which feel rougher/softer on the fingers?

PB are smoother in surface texture. Nickel alloy vs. Stainless Steel.

Which one has a tighter/looser tension?

Very similar in overall stiffness and playing feel. Both slightly tighter than the Sunbeams.

DISCLAIMER: It's been more than a few years since I tried the Fat Beams so the above comparisons are strictly based on my subjective recollections.

 

[MynameisMe]

I have recently tried both.
I am a big fan of the pure blues. I like nickel round strings anyways.
Fat beams are rougher and much brighter. In my opinion they make too much noise versus the PB.
The PB are much softer on my hands. I like the way they Sound.
I wish I could be more descriptive.
Sorry.
Edit: I just pulled the flats off my P Bass and put the PB on it.
Previous I had them on my Lakland. Before I put the Fat Beams on.