DR Sunbeams on a fretless?

[Stagelab]

I use D'Addario exl170 45-100 rounds on most of my basses. Pretty stiff and mid forward. I've tried La Bella Low Tension Flats and found them way too slinky.

Considering DR Sunbeams since they sit in the middle tension-wise between La Bella LTF and D'Addario EXL. Any reviews of Sunbeams here for fretless spefically? I read 40-100 would be the middle ground where as their 45-105 would feel about as stiff as D'Addarios.

My hypothesis is I'll have better control and ease over my vibrato with Sunbeams due to their flexibility. I just don't want super flimsy strings like LTFs.

 

[onda'bass]

I have a set on my fretless, feels and sounds good. They are looser than most, but not LTF territory.

 

[Lee Moses]

Great strings for fretless. I have never tried 40-100, and doubt I'll ever feel the need. Their 45-105 is very supple compared to most other strings I have used.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Per DR's ad copy, I'd go with the Lo-Riders 40-100 for fretless. Lower tension but with the desired stiffness.

 

[jimmyb]

Listen to any Tony franklin stuff. He's a sunbeams guy. Great player

 

[Stagelab]

Per DR's ad copy, I'd go with the Lo-Riders 40-100 for fretless. Lower tension but with the desired stiffness.

Maybe I'll try both. The Lo Riders 40-100 and Sunbeams 45-105. I think Sunbeams 40-100 might feel too floppy. I tend to play with a medium attack.

A quick google search brought me this reasoning for favoring the Sunbeams for ease and control of vibrato, for what it's worth:

Sunbeams (Round Core): Because a round core doesn't grip the outer wrap wire with sharp edges, the string structure is inherently more pliable lengthwise. When you roll your finger back and forth, the string yields to that micro-tonal stretching and compressing with very little resistance. This gives you a fluid, elastic feel that lets the vibrato bloom naturally.

Lo-Riders (Hex Core): The sharp corners of a hex core bite heavily into the outer wrap wire, locking the entire structure down tightly. This makes the string incredibly rigid along its length. When you try to rock your finger parallel to the string, it resists that micro-stretching, making the vibrato feel stiffer and requiring more physical effort from your left hand to get the pitch to fluctuate smoothly.

 

[nonohmic]

I've used DR Blues 40-100 on fretless. Are those similar? Cause they sound awesome.

Switched to LaBella RX Nickels which sound better though.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Maybe I'll try both. The Lo Riders 40-100 and Sunbeams 45-105. I think Sunbeams 40-100 might feel too floppy. I tend to play with a medium attack.

A quick google search brought me this reasoning for favoring the Sunbeams for ease and control of vibrato, for what it's worth:

Sunbeams (Round Core): Because a round core doesn't grip the outer wrap wire with sharp edges, the string structure is inherently more pliable lengthwise. When you roll your finger back and forth, the string yields to that micro-tonal stretching and compressing with very little resistance. This gives you a fluid, elastic feel that lets the vibrato bloom naturally.

Lo-Riders (Hex Core): The sharp corners of a hex core bite heavily into the outer wrap wire, locking the entire structure down tightly. This makes the string incredibly rigid along its length. When you try to rock your finger parallel to the string, it resists that micro-stretching, making the vibrato feel stiffer and requiring more physical effort from your left hand to get the pitch to fluctuate smoothly.

I have both sitting in the queue…just can't decide which set goes where.

 

[michael_t]

Considering DR Sunbeams since they sit in the middle tension-wise between La Bella LTF and D'Addario EXL. Any reviews of Sunbeams here for fretless spefically? I read 40-100 would be the middle ground where as their 45-105 would feel about as stiff as D'Addarios.

The Sunbeams 40-100 would actually feel even more flexible than the LaBella LTF. I would suggest the SB 45-105 set if you want them to be more flexible than the D'A but stiffer than the LTF.

I once tried the Subeams 45-105, the Nickel Lo-Riders 40-100 and D'A XL Nickel Balanced Tension set (45-107) back-to-back-to-back and found the SB to be the most flexible.

 

[DeltaPhoenix]

Might want to consider EB Cobalt flats. They aren't very low tension and are a mid forward/brighter flat.

 

[JazznFunk]

I use DR Sunbeams and Pure Blues on different fretless basses. IMO, if you want SLIGHTLY more tension and brightness, go with the Pure Blues. If you want slightly softer and a little less top end, you can't beat Sunbeams.

 

[logdrum]

I used Pure Blues on fretless. I did not like the SunBeams

 

[Lo-E]

Most of my fretless basses are strung with Sunbeams. Very smooth and very flexible. Upper clarity and strong low mids. A bit scooped in the true mids and upper mids.

On fretted basses I use D'Addario's balanced tension set often and, in a similar spirit, I custom ordered Sunbeams in 45-60-80-105. I've been very happy with those gauges and order them several sets at a time but I used the normal 45-105 set prior to that and I liked them, too.

 

[MonetBass]

Those are the only strings I'll use on my fretless. I recently tried DR Pure Blues on it, but after they mellowed out, they didn't sound good anymore. I went back to the Sunbeams.

 

[groovaholic]

Sunbeams were my fretless go-to for a long time; great strings!
But last year I bought a fretless and it came with D'Addario XT coated roundwounds.

I thought it sounded pretty great but went ahead and ordered a set of Sunbeams.
After a few days with the Sunbeams, I found that I actually preferred the D'Addarios, so I put them back on.

So, D'Addario XT coated roundwounds are my recommendation.
The added bonus is that they should feel REALLY similar to your current strings.

 

[bassbrad]

I have a set of DR Black Beauties BKB40 on two of my fretless basses and they sing and feel great. I also have the same set on a PJ feretted bass that also sound and feel really good.

 

[mdogs]

I use DR Sunbeams and Pure Blues on different fretless basses. IMO, if you want SLIGHTLY more tension and brightness, go with the Pure Blues. If you want slightly softer and a little less top end, you can't beat Sunbeams.

This is spot on. The only rounds I use are DR, depending on the bass I use Sunbeams, Pure Blues or Lo-Rider nickels. I use the same gauge for all of them, 45 to 100.

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

sunbeams are perfect for fretless. (really my favorite string for anything)

 

[Humabass]

I've used DR Sunbeam 40-100 on my 1998 Lakland 4-94 Ebony board fretless for 25 years. I'm mainly a DR string user on fretted basses (40-100) but have gone through many different brands over the years due to different basses and different scale lengths, but I've never put anything other than the Sunbeams on my Lakland. I suppose if I went through 10 different sets of strings I might stumble upon something I like better than the Sunbeams but my fretless sounds amazing. The mwah is ridiculous. I really have no reason to switch. I play with a pretty light touch which I think really helps with the dynamics and the expressiveness of the fretless.

 

[Stagelab]

I use DR Sunbeams and Pure Blues on different fretless basses. IMO, if you want SLIGHTLY more tension and brightness, go with the Pure Blues. If you want slightly softer and a little less top end, you can't beat Sunbeams.

Thanks. I generally like having more top end available to me considering I can always tame it with the EQ. I'll see if I can find some PB demos on fretless.

How do you decide which of your basses get which strings?