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GHS Boomers vs DR Pure Blues vs DR Sunbeams

Dincrest

Dincrest

Sep 27, 2004
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#1
Hello everyone,

Here's another string comparison insight thread where I'm seeking insight from esteemed TBers.

Disclaimer:
-I know a common answer will be "try a set for yourself and see" which I plan to do. I am a notorious "gotta try 'em all" string GASer. But it never hurts to ask for insight and start a conversation, yeah?

-I have tried searching on TalkBass, but information is scattered all over the place and direct comparisons between RC Boomers and Pure Blues is tricky to find.


The impetus for this thread:
My main/Excalibur bass (an Ibanez Soundgear SR4600) is currently strung with GHS Round Core Boomers 45-100 and the feel of those strings on that bass is absolutely perfect for me. The tone is wonderful too. My gut feeling is that GHS Round Core Boomers just might be my perfect match for that bass.

But I'm a string GASer and am curious about potential alternatives (round core NPS roundwounds) that might feel similar and cost a few bucks less.

DR Pure Blues seem to be the best-matched alternative to GHS RC Boomers, but has anyone compared them? How do the Pure Blues feel compared to the RC Boomers? About the same stiffness (because RC Boomers are the ideal "not too stiff, not too floppy, just right" for me). My experience with Pure Blues is limited. I remember liking them on a bass I briefly owned, but they were near the end of their life so I took them off.

How about DR Sunbeams (which are also NPS round cores). I remember trying those decades ago and finding them too spongy. How spongy are those compared to Pure Blues or even the GHS RC Boomers?

So, yeah, my thing here is seeking opinions/insights from folks who've tried GHS Round Core Boomers and DR Pure Blues and/or Sunbeams. Please and thank you.
 
#2
I've tried all three mentioned in the past, although three different times and on three different basses.

RC Boomers are the firmest in feel, followed by Pure Blues, then Sunbeams as the most flexible. RCB are also the warmest in the mids, while PB have a little more bite in the hi-mid (thanks to the nickel-steel alloy) and SB have a sparkly top end with somewhat polite mids.

You say the RBC are perfect both in tone and feel? You can always try the other two for yourself, but don't expect the same tone or feel.
 
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#6
Five or Six said:
When I was on the road, all I played were Boomers. My tech was a Boomer fan so, they were what I had. Never a complaint. I still use Boomers to this day. (I'll get the popcorn.)

Oh, I have used Daddario's without issues as well.
Click to expand...
I assume you mean the regular hex-core Boomers? I like those strings too (they don't take too long to break in and hold that great broken-in tone for months).

This is my first time using the Round Core Boomers and right now I like 'em even better than the hex-core ones.
 
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#8
I appreciate all the replies so far.

Pure Blues are on my short list to try. (My only experience with them was an old, near-death set so I'm curious how they are new).
Sunbeams, not so much (since what people say echoes my past experience with them)

My string GAS tendencies are also thinking of trying a custom set of SIT Foundations 45-60-80-100 down the road (since SIT doesn't have an off-the-shelf set of Foundations in a 45-100 gauge and those have thin hex-cores for a round core feel). I'm thinking those because I've liked SIT strings in the past (I've tried PowerWounds, PowerSteels, PowerFlats, and Silencers) and did NOT like direct competitor Dunlop SuperBrights (SuperBright steels died on me within days, And Dunlop's "red box" Hybrid Nickels, while great feeling strings, cliff dove like Wile E. Coyote after one gig).

I think I'll limit my string GAS to Pure Blues and SIT Foundations and then choose the best of the three (which includes RC Boomers) for my bass.

Thanks everyone for indulging my string GAS. I'll get over it... eventually, haha! (Strings are like Pokemon- gotta try 'em all).
 
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#9
michael_t said:
I've tried all three mentioned in the past, although three different times and on three different basses.

RC Boomers are the firmest in feel, followed by Pure Blues, then Sunbeams as the most flexible. RCB are also the warmest in the mids, while PB have a little more bite in the hi-mid (thanks to the nickel-steel alloy) and SB have a sparkly top end with somewhat polite mids.

You say the RBC are perfect both in tone and feel? You can always try the other two for yourself, but don't expect the same tone or feel.
Click to expand...
What ^^^^ said
 
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#10
I use both the DR Sunbeams and the DR Pure Blue bass strings. It depends on the bass. Mostly I would say DR Sunbeams but I have two basses that need more presence in the upper midrange that sound best with the DR Pure Blue bass strings. The Pure Blues can sound pretty aggressive. The high end sizzle calms down after a week or so. They are good if the bass is on the darker end of the tone spectrum. I think that they are about $26 a pack. You will only know by trying a set. Generally speaking the DR Sunbeams are my favorite.
 
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#12
The bass chooses the strings. I know that. And GHS Roundcore Boomers are very likely the one. But, it's human nature to try and test the "what ifs." If I try the Pure Blues during my next setup, then I'll know and won't need to keep asking. Maybe I'll like them better than the RC Boomers. Maybe I'll say, "they're good, but not as good as the RC Boomers." Maybe my bass won't like them. But I won't know until I try.

While GAS can easily send any of us down a rabbit hole, string-GAS might be the least of the evils, since strings are the cheapest, easiest, and most reversible "mod" one can make to a bass to dramatically alter its tone and feel. Sometimes finding the right strings for a bass can take a while. I've gone down the string rabbit hole before. I'm just happy that, in this case, I can mostly avoid that. I already have a bird in the hand. I know my bass loves GHS Round Core Boomers. But DR Pure Blues often cost a buck or two less, so I have little to lose trying them on my next setup.
 
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#13
The most recent roundwounds on my Momose ash/rosewood '70s-style J-bass are 40-100 Pure Blues and the slightly heavier-gauge Round Core Boomers.
They both have the midrange complexity I like out of nickel plated steels, and both are flexible enough to play over the bridge pickup easily.
When Pure Blues go dead, you'll know it. Didn't keep the RCBs on long enough (not that I didn't like them, was trying some Fender 9050L flats).

I was surprised how much I like the RCBs - in 40 years of playing, hex-core Boomers are by far my least favorite roundwounds - stiff and dead-sounding.

@Dincrest - I agree, most of my experimentation in the last few years has been with strings, picks, and bridges - a lot cheaper than swapping basses, and in the case of strings it's really the simplest but sometimes most dramatic change you can make.
Go ahead, try the Pure Blues and report back!
 
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#14
Dincrest said:
Hello everyone,

Here's another string comparison insight thread where I'm seeking insight from esteemed TBers.

Disclaimer:
-I know a common answer will be "try a set for yourself and see" which I plan to do. I am a notorious "gotta try 'em all" string GASer. But it never hurts to ask for insight and start a conversation, yeah?

-I have tried searching on TalkBass, but information is scattered all over the place and direct comparisons between RC Boomers and Pure Blues is tricky to find.


The impetus for this thread:
My main/Excalibur bass (an Ibanez Soundgear SR4600) is currently strung with GHS Round Core Boomers 45-100 and the feel of those strings on that bass is absolutely perfect for me. The tone is wonderful too. My gut feeling is that GHS Round Core Boomers just might be my perfect match for that bass.

But I'm a string GASer and am curious about potential alternatives (round core NPS roundwounds) that might feel similar and cost a few bucks less.

DR Pure Blues seem to be the best-matched alternative to GHS RC Boomers, but has anyone compared them? How do the Pure Blues feel compared to the RC Boomers? About the same stiffness (because RC Boomers are the ideal "not too stiff, not too floppy, just right" for me). My experience with Pure Blues is limited. I remember liking them on a bass I briefly owned, but they were near the end of their life so I took them off.

How about DR Sunbeams (which are also NPS round cores). I remember trying those decades ago and finding them too spongy. How spongy are those compared to Pure Blues or even the GHS RC Boomers?

So, yeah, my thing here is seeking opinions/insights from folks who've tried GHS Round Core Boomers and DR Pure Blues and/or Sunbeams. Please and thank you.
Click to expand...

Suggest Dr Sunbean and Dunlop SBN a try.
 
#17
@Yahboy
Thanks for the suggestions. However, I greatly dislike Dunlop strings. I tried a set of Dunlop SuperBright steels and they went corpse-dumpster ploppy dead on me within days. I've also tried the Dunlop "red box" Hybrid Nickels and while they are a lovely and plush feeling string, they dulled out to near-death on me after just ONE gig! Dunlop strings do NOT play nice with my body chemistry.

I've thought about trying SIT Foundations (which are a direct competitor to Dunlop SuperBrights). I'd have to build a custom set, though, since those don't come in a 45-100 gauge. I've liked SIT strings in the past. Buuuuut, do I really need to overfeed my string-GAS?

And I'm leaning away from the Sunbeams because I remember them feeling too spongy for my tastes when I tried them years ago. Excellent strings, though, and ones I would recommend for anyone needing a flexible string. I like mids and some aggressive bite to my tone, which is why I'm thinking more Pure Blues, given @Stan_da_man saying they're somewhere between Sunbeams and Lo-Riders.

@winston
I've been hearing that about Pure Blues. I remember once procuring a bass with an old set of PBs and thinking they sounded decent, but one fine day they instantly went from decent to dead, like Wile E. Coyote dropping off a cliff. No decay period, just la-la-la-drop. Very different from my experience with regular hex-core GHS Boomers, which I felt broke in fairly quickly but held that great broken-in tone for several months. The Round Core Boomers sound fresher longer.
 
#18
You know what.....

Many of you are right. Upon reflecting, I have found the perfect match for my main bass in 45-100 GHS Round Core Boomers. So why mess with a good, no, great thing that just feels so right? Think less, play more, trust my instincts. I don't need to GAS, I need to BASS. The bass chooses the strings and it's clear this bass has chosen GHS Round Core Boomers.

(I'm also realizing that while having flats on my backup bass was a fun experiment... flats aren't my thing. But I know that bass likes balanced tension string sets, so on my next setup I'll give it a set of 40-95 hex-core GHS Boomers (maybe the Solidwound ones since they cost a few bucks less).

I appreciate everyone indulging my string GAS overthinking and the great conversation in this thread. Hopefully it helps someone else looking for their ideal NPS, round core, round wound string. Looks like I'm starting to settle on NPS rounds as my preferred string and GHS as my preferred brand (which is not a bad thing since they offer such a wide variety of strings for string GASers, and I've tried many of them).
 
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