Dunlop Marcus Miller strings another fail

[gimmeagig]

When the Dunlops first came out I bought a few sets. All the sets that had dead strings in them. Dunlop sent me a whole box to make up for my troubles. I thought that was nice of them.But even in the box they sent me were dead ones. But I went back to my D'Addario Pro steels.
Then when the Marcus Miller strings came out I bought another set and sure enough I had a dead string in the set. Last week I installed a different preamp in my 1974 Fender Jazz Bass. I wanted to make it even more "Marcus" that it already is. so when I saw they had a good price on the Dunlop Marcus Miller strings on Amazon I bought another set. What was I thinking?
Three of the Dunlops sound crystal clear and the A sounds like a flatwound. How is that even possible?
I've been a bass player for over 45 years and I do know how to install strings and there is nothing wrong with my bass. I put the D'addario set back on and even though the set was not brand new, all the strings ring equally clear and zingy. I'm so glad I bought my strings through Amazon. I can return them them for a refund. This was it, as much as I love Marcus, I'm going back to D'Addario. I must have bought hundreds of sets over the years and I have never had a bad Prosteel string ever.

 

[31HZ]

I don't buy strings on Amazon and I've never had a dead string (mostly DRs but some Dunlops) in 35 years, just to offer a data point.

 

[MaxSpinrun]

I tried the MM SS Super Brights when they first came out. Loved them, lasted a long time, retaining brightness on ALL strings. Then they changed. Same experience as yours. Started getting dead strings. Complained to Dunlop, compensated, but kept happening.
Switched to ProSteels as well. Very consistent.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Are they round core?

 

[Dincrest]

I do not like Dunlop strings either. I tried a set of Superbright Steels and they went corpse dumpster dead on me in a matter of days. Unlike GHS Boomers which break in quickly and hold that broken in tone for a few months, these Dunlops were okay the first day then dropped of a cliff like Wile E. Coyote. No gradual decay, just plop. I know they are a perennial favorite on TalkBass (and I did try them beause I'm a notorious string GASer), but they were awful.

I also tried the Hybrid Nickel Dunlops (in the red packaging). Short version: Those strings felt amazing, but failed in every other way.

Long version:
I LOVED the plush texture feel of Dunlop Hybrid Nickels and their flexibility under my fingers was perfect. Not too stiff, not too spongy.... until I tried putting them into drop-D. Then it turned into flop-D and I've never had a 105 string do that. I prefer a 100 E, so... I also disliked that despite them being marketed as a good string for heavy music (due to Jacob Umansky's promo videos), they were too polite and low-output for even light rock. And they damn near died on me after ONE gig.

Maybe it's my body chemistry. Mine kills Dunlops and Ernie Balls within days. Whereas other say theirs last forever. For me, DRs seem to last forever. I could put a set of Hi-Beams on a bass and they would still sound fresh a full year later. I joke that when other strings are breaking down, DRs are barely breaking in.

And with you OP about D'Addario ProSteels. I once tried out a preowned bass that had a set of D'Addario ProSteels that had probably been on there for years... and they didn't sound too bad. I wouldn't have to do much to my EQ to gig with dead ProSteels.

 

[brstma]

I’ve seen quite a few posts about fake knock off strings on Amazon

That being said, I’ve ordered a lot of strings from Amazon, including Dunlops and I haven’t had any that I thought weren’t genuine. Got some DR fat beams on the way now

 

[Fuzzbass]

Dead strings happen. In the decades I've been playing I've experienced them with many brands, most recently with a set of D'Addario NYXL, but one bum string won't put me off a set.

The only time I consistently got dead strings was in the mid 80s when I was using Rotosound RS66 It got so bad that I quit the brand for decades, but I've resumed using them and have had good luck with three sets.

FWIW I don't recall ever having a problem with either DR or Elixir, two brands I commonly use, but it may well be luck of the draw, as I don't believe any manufacturer is perfect.

I've never bothered to report a dead string to a manufacturer, but I suppose I should.

 

[Patrick Dorn]

I did have similar issues with the Marcus Miller Strings. Another issue, they didn't last long.

 

[tleebassist11]

The super brights might be the most inconsistent strings out there!

 

[Swerve]

Something has always been off about Dunlop rounds, I can't quite put my finger on it, well I can, but they never work for me. I was in love with their flats for a few years until I started getting sets that wouldn't intonate. D'Addario was pretty much all I played for 15 years and they never let me down. I've since gone back to them and the consistent quality is still there.

But yeah I love buying strings from Amazon. Get a bad set? Super easy to return and get your money back. Don't have to talk to the manufacturer, no emails, no dealing with music stores that may or may not accept the return. Just a few clicks and then drop them off somewhere like Whole Foods.

 

[Neck Diver]

Once again the majority of string complaints I see on Talkbass involve people buying them from Amazon. Buy from the manufacturer or a music store. This won’t solve the problem 100% but will help greatly.
Back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

[Five or Six]

When the Dunlops first came out I bought a few sets. All the sets that had dead strings in them. Dunlop sent me a whole box to make up for my troubles. I thought that was nice of them.But even in the box they sent me were dead ones. But I went back to my D'Addario Pro steels.
Then when the Marcus Miller strings came out I bought another set and sure enough I had a dead string in the set. Last week I installed a different preamp in my 1974 Fender Jazz Bass. I wanted to make it even more "Marcus" that it already is. so when I saw they had a good price on the Dunlop Marcus Miller strings on Amasszon I bought another set. What was I thinking?
Three of the Dunlops sound crystal clear and the A sounds like a flatwound. How is that even possible?
I've been a bass player for over 45 years and I do know how to install strings and there is nothing wrong with my bass. I put the D'addario set back on and even though the set was not brand new, all the strings ring equally clear and zingy. I'm so glad I bought my strings through Amazon. I can return them them for a refund. This was it, as much as I love Marcus, I'm going back to D'Addario. I must have bought hundreds of sets over the years and I have never had a bad Prosteel string ever.

All I've ever used is Ds or GHS. Maybe I've been lucky, but never an issue with either.

 

[michael_t]

Are they round core?

No. Dunlops are all hex. Marcus Miller has a thicker core wire than the regular Super Brights for added stiffness.

 

[logdrum]

Just get the DR Fat Beams if you need a Marcus Miller sound

 

[eriky4003]

Sorry to hear about all the bad strings. I am a big MM DSB fan and have not had a dud for over 12 yrs but do source my strings from Gtr Strings & Beyond. I would second the DR Fat Beams suggestion but would say the Fats are little more polite than the MM DSB which I believe are the closest string to Roto 66s that I can find (honourable mention to DR Lo-Riders).

 

[GTHintz]

I’ve tried both regular super bright steels and Marcus super bright steels and they both were pretty lifeless. There’s something about the tone I can’t get along with and I am not surprised by the negative feedback. The crazy part is that the original rounds now called signature series are polar opposite. They always give me a great tone and consistency. Les claypool and Nick Shinzielos among other pros are playing them and it’s easy to see why. They are grindy punchy and aggressive and hold up well to a beating. I’d describe them as aggressive but musical due to how well rounded the tone is. I’d say they sound closer to how the Marcus miller fat beams did than the super brights do. If you can picture a fat beam but a bit brighter and stiffer you’d have a signature series Dunlop. The super brights never made sense to me because they sound deader and there’s nothing super or bright about them. If I worked at Dunlop I’d rename them super dulls. Or super duds. lol

 

[60bass]

I remember years back I used some Dunlop strings but I just never thought they were that good they didn't hold up. Then I had a person bring in a five-string bass to me to put on my bench here at home and and do new strings and a setup. I said what kind of strings do you want and he said I really don't care but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg. So I found some dunlops that were on sale.

While I was installing them I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my my thumb. To the point where it drew a little bit of blood. So naturally I pulled the string back off to take a look at it to see if it was something on the string or on the bridge that stabbed me. So, this is what I found on a brand new Dunlop five-string set. There were actually two of them that looked like this but this one was by far the worst. I mean if you get stabbed and it draws blood you know there's some bad QC going on.

This will absolutely be the last set of Dunlop strings that I ever buy.

How'd you like to get bitten by that?

 

[JimmyM]

I use the SB nickels, and I did have a few bad strings in the early stages, but I liked them too much and Dunlop gave me great CS, so I stuck with them. I don’t change strings very often anymore, but I did get a couple new sets a year ago and the one I put on a bass is fine. I don’t use them on all my basses but I do really enjoy them. Sorry they didn’t work out for you guys.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I use the SB nickels, and I did have a few bad strings in the early stages, but I liked them too much and Dunlop gave me great CS, so I stuck with them. I don’t change strings very often anymore, but I did get a couple new sets a year ago and the one I put on a bass is fine. I don’t use them on all my basses but I do really enjoy them. Sorry they didn’t work out for you guys.

Dunlop had some major winding QC issues a few years back....the durn things wouldn't intonate. I was hoping this had been remedied on all levels because I really like the SuperBrights and they're reasonably priced. Dunlop sent me two cartons more than a decade ago and just now using the last set.

Riis

 

[logdrum]

I just remembered that my Ernie Ball Stingray 5 came with Super Bright Marcus Miller set nwe in the box and I did find them uneven and dull as well. I still have them and moved them to my Squire V with active EMGs and same story. These strings were hardly used, B was Nasal, E and D were dead as if they were dead Rotosounds but just the 2 strings, Disappointed

Plus they are the most expensive US made flats at one point they were more expensive than TI ( when using the AMZ trick of searching for accordion accessory ) After the T's kicked in , no more hope for bargain TI's. I think the Pro Steels are the best bang for the buck specially if you are a 6 string player