DR Sunbeams vs. Pure Blues

[mikeswals]

My usual string sets are 40-100 Highbeams, and add a 125 B on the fivers.

I have a few basses that I've been experimenting with maybe keeping nickels on; namely my two similar single-pickup custom active 4 strings.
tried Pure Blues vs Sunbeams:
PB's not as bright on the top end, subdued. The midrange is more rounded and pronounced.
SB's are brighter up top, more shimmer. The midrange has the scoop, comparatively. Flexibility was same for both.

I wanted a brighter string than what the SB's were giving, so I put Ernie Ball Slinkys on both basses. Yes brighter, and the mids have a tad more grunt when slapped. So far I like that.
Next I'd like to revisit SIT nickel Foundations, as I once received a beta test set and they were very bright, but a production set didn't seem near as bright when I tried em a few years later.

Still on the nickel subject...
When I tried PB and SB 5 string sets, the B's in both die very fast, where the E-G lasts a super long time.

 

[emjazz]

My usual string sets are 40-100 Highbeams, and add a 125 B on the fivers.

I have a few basses that I've been experimenting with maybe keeping nickels on; namely my two similar single-pickup custom active 4 strings.
tried Pure Blues vs Sunbeams:
PB's not as bright on the top end, subdued. The midrange is more rounded and pronounced.
SB's are brighter up top, more shimmer. The midrange has the scoop, comparatively. Flexibility was same for both.

I wanted a brighter string than what the SB's were giving, so I put Ernie Ball Slinkys on both basses. Yes brighter, and the mids have a tad more grunt when slapped. So far I like that.
Next I'd like to revisit SIT nickel Foundations, as I once received a beta test set and they were very bright, but a production set didn't seem near as bright when I tried em a few years later.

Still on the nickel subject...
When I tried PB and SB 5 string sets, the B's in both die very fast, where the E-G lasts a super long time.

I’m guessing you felt that way about the B strings because you’re used to brighter strings in general. A friend turned me on to Sunbeams a few years ago and I’ve been using them since…mostly because they last so long. He keeps his sets on for over a year and he plays a lot. I’ve never had a problem personally with the low B dying more quickly. I just took a set off that I used on a bass for an Off Broadway gig for three months…that set was beyond dead, but they were evenly so. I just happened to replace them with High Beams…my first time trying them. Brighter for sure, and punchier! I’m hoping to find a nickel wound set that has that same midrange punch. So good!

 

[mikeswals]

emjazz,

I recently still had one 5 string pack of Sunbeams in my stash box. I decided to try them on Jazz 5. Sounded great for 2 weeks, and now the B is dull compared to the E-G.
Highbeams usually last me a year or sometimes more, and the B stays consistent aging as the rest. Ive just never had a Sunbeam B last... strange, I know. I've always liked SB's on a 4 string.

The passive Jazz 5 I mentioned above, I had bought several packs of Galli nickels and was using them up on that bass. The B stayed consistent in sound and age, and those stings were well over 2 years old. They had punch and snarl for sure!
Maybe I should try those next on my custom 4 strings?

 

[emjazz]

emjazz,

I recently still had one 5 string pack of Sunbeams in my stash box. I decided to try them on Jazz 5. Sounded great for 2 weeks, and now the B is dull compared to the E-G.
Highbeams usually last me a year or sometimes more, and the B stays consistent aging as the rest. Ive just never had a Sunbeam B last... strange, I know. I've always liked SB's on a 4 string.

The passive Jazz 5 I mentioned above, I had bought several packs of Galli nickels and was using them up on that bass. The B stayed consistent in sound and age, and those stings were well over 2 years old. They had punch and snarl for sure!
Maybe I should try those next on my custom 4 strings?

I really hope to try the Galli strings at some point. Have heard great things. Can’t seem to get them in the States

 

[Zooberwerx]

Slight de-rail....

I have a couple sets of TI Jazz Rounds which I purchased severely discounted a few years back. Really nice...my favorites, I dare say...but I'll be danged if I'll pay the price in the future. From what I've gleaned, the closest I can come without breaking the bank is the DR Sunbeams. Does this hold a modicum of truth or should I be looking elsewhere? I'm removing the TIJR longevity from the equation for the moment.

Riis

 

[mikeswals]

Slight de-rail....

I have a couple sets of TI Jazz Rounds which I purchased severely discounted a few years back. Really nice...my favorites, I dare say...but I'll be danged if I'll pay the price in the future. From what I've gleaned, the closest I can come without breaking the bank is the DR Sunbeams. Does this hold a modicum of truth or should I be looking elsewhere? I'm removing the TIJR longevity from the equation for the moment.

Riis

The easy thing about Sunbeams is they're available nearly everywhere, and you can find em for $21-24 bucks without having to look hard.

 

[mouthmw]

Recently I put Pure Blues (45-105) on my fretless. I'd say they have slightly more 'bite' than Sunbeams, but the feel of them is pretty much the same.

Finally had a band practice yesterday so I got to test out Pure Blues (45-105) with a band (RHCP covers). First things, they sounded great on my Stingray, nice and spanky.

The feel - hmmmm. It was a bit strange to me. Playing live (especially RHCP stuff), I tend to dig in a bit more. I found Pure Blues both too soft and too rough feeling at times. I felt like I was slipping off the strings during some of the faster passages and fills. I had a very similar experience with Sunbeams in the past when it comes to flexibility and tension, but I remember them not feeling rough on the fingers unlike Pure Blues. My right hand fingers would either slip off the string or get a bit caught on the string during playing yesterday. I think I'll give Sunbeams a try as well this weekend, just to compare the two, but if I can't do the round core thing (again), I'll just go back to my tried and true Super Slinkies, at least for my Stingray. For playing softer and playing at home - Pure Blues were great. Oh, and they were excellent for slapping.

Maybe I just need to get used to them a bit before giving up on DR round core strings. The tone was really great.

 

[Passinwind]

Finally had a band practice yesterday so I got to test out Pure Blues (45-105) with a band (RHCP covers). First things, they sounded great on my Stingray, nice and spanky.

The feel - hmmmm. It was a bit strange to me. Playing live (especially RHCP stuff), I tend to dig in a bit more. I found Pure Blues both too soft and too rough feeling at times. I felt like I was slipping off the strings during some of the faster passages and fills. I had a very similar experience with Sunbeams in the past when it comes to flexibility and tension, but I remember them not feeling rough on the fingers unlike Pure Blues. My right hand fingers would either slip off the string or get a bit caught on the string during playing yesterday. I think I'll give Sunbeams a try as well this weekend, just to compare the two, but if I can't do the round core thing (again), I'll just go back to my tried and true Super Slinkies, at least for my Stingray. For playing softer and playing at home - Pure Blues were great. Oh, and they were excellent for slapping.

Maybe I just need to get used to them a bit before giving up on DR round core strings. The tone was really great.

I just put a set of the VWPB strings (040-095) on one of my fretless fours, which I also tried the lightest gauge Sunbeams on a few years ago. That bass was specifically built for T-I Jazz flats, so playing with a very light touch has always been expected. And I almost never dig in, unless playing upright. FWIW, the PB feel noticeably smoother to me than the Sunbeams did, and actually pretty similar to the GHS Pressurewounds I've been using for the last few years as far as finger noise and fingertip wear. Not sure I'm sold on the extra mwah/mid growl from the Pure Blues though, I will need to hear that in some appropriate band contexts to decide. Perfect for my ruder originals from the 90s and 00s, I'm thinking. My bass went from a polite woody jazz/Americana feel to something more like my old Travis Bean, which is very cool in one way and totally not what I was expecting at the same time.

 

[mouthmw]

I finally tried Sunbeams VS Pure Blues at home (both 45-105).

The tension and flexibility are very close, Sunbeams are maaybe just a smidge more flexible, but I can definitely see that both strings are made with the same round core, with what feels to me the same number of windings around it and just a different wrap wire material.

DR's quote when I mailed them about this a week ago: "Pure Blues and Sunbeams, both round core and both wound at the same medium tension. We have heard that the discernible player can feel a softer touch on the Sunbeams but if that is true, it’s not by much. The main difference in the construction is the nickel alloys used on those sets." - I very much agree with this.

Anyways, I measured my action at the 12th fret and it stayed the same. The main difference to me was the the feel of the string and the tone. Sunbeams gave me a more familiar nickel-plated feel, they felt a bit smoother/softer than Pure Blues which to me feel kind of in between nickel and steel (but more towards nickel) . My Pure Blues are a month old, but haven't been played more than like half an hour a day maybe, plus one band practice (I did manage to pretty much kill EB Super Slinkies during one band practice, so there's that), but they still sound fresh. Sunbeams, being brand new, sounded more polite and nicely broken in out of the box.

My takeaway - I went back to Pure Blues after half an hour playing Sunbeams. I love the extra bite and a bit more aggressive sound they provide, it's great for the funk/punk/rock stuff I use my Stingray for. They settled in nicely and they feel smoother to touch now too. I hear a bit more mid content compared to a bit more scooped Sunbeams tone, but both are very nice strings.

It's Pure Blues for me now.

 

[emjazz]

I'm surprised to read some people are saying that Pure Blues are more aggressive, while others say that they're warmer in the top end. Are folks meaning more aggressive mids?

 

[mouthmw]

I'm surprised to read some people are saying that Pure Blues are more aggressive, while others say that they're warmer in the top end. Are folks meaning more aggressive mids?

Yeah, I hear more pronounced high mids on Pure Blues. The top end is a bit more extended (when they’re fresh) on Sunbeams, but they’re more polite overall (in the mids). PBs growl more IMO.

 

[will4bass]

Interesting to read that some find the SB more bright whereas others rthink the PB's are brighter. There is a lot of perception here. I feel the SB's are a bit more 'balanced' with sweeter top end whereas the PB's are a bit more 'aggressive', but not harsh. I have never done an A/B test on the same bass and setting in the same time, but thids isd what I recal. I like both but find PB's more versatile since they can do that bright slaphappy thing too. The feel of both strings is great: not too light, not yoo heavy. My 5 cents.

 

[DieTired]

Interesting to read that some find the SB more bright whereas others rthink the PB's are brighter. There is a lot of perception here. I feel the SB's are a bit more 'balanced' with sweeter top end whereas the PB's are a bit more 'aggressive', but not harsh. I have never done an A/B test on the same bass and setting in the same time, but thids isd what I recal. I like both but find PB's more versatile since they can do that bright slaphappy thing too. The feel of both strings is great: not too light, not yoo heavy. My 5 cents.

It is interesting the different perceptions. I originally tried Sun Beams due to many reviews saying they’re warm, fat, and full sounding. While they do have some of those tones, they felt quite anemic sounding compared to GHS Bass Boomers. Bass Boomers have the sound I love, but the tension gets to me over time. Being somewhat letdown with Sun Beams, I tossed some Pure Blues on my bass and suddenly achieved that full, beefy tone again. So in my head, I want to say PB are darker than SB. I don’t think that’s actually the case though. I think PB have more low mid presence that thicken up the tone and are perceived as being darker (for me). Neither string is lacking in high end for anything that I do, but PB have more “heft” to their sound under my fingers.

 

[emjazz]

It is interesting the different perceptions. I originally tried Sun Beams due to many reviews saying they’re warm, fat, and full sounding. While they do have some of those tones, they felt quite anemic sounding compared to GHS Bass Boomers. Bass Boomers have the sound I love, but the tension gets to me over time. Being somewhat letdown with Sun Beams, I tossed some Pure Blues on my bass and suddenly achieved that full, beefy tone again. So in my head, I want to say PB are darker than SB. I don’t think that’s actually the case though. I think PB have more low mid presence that thicken up the tone and are perceived as being darker (for me). Neither string is lacking in high end for anything that I do, but PB have more “heft” to their sound under my fingers.

(Be sure to try round core Boomers)

 

[DieTired]

(Be sure to try round core Boomers)

I have used them many times and I’m a fan. They do die quite quickly. If the PB last longer, they will likely be my go-to string. If not, I might try Dragon Skin or just go back to roundcore boomers.

 

[emjazz]

I have used them many times and I’m a fan. They do die quite quickly. If the PB last longer, they will likely be my go-to string. If not, I might try Dragon Skin or just go back to roundcore boomers.

I had the same thought originally, they do get a bit darker quite quickly…but now I think of that as them breaking into what they actually do…because they then stay the same for a long time. I’ve had the same set of round core boomers on my fretless for maybe four years now. I don’t play that one every day, but they still sound great. But yeah…if you want that original out of the pack brightness then I can totally understand.