Hi-Beams vs. Fat beams

[grobe]

Both are steel with a round core. Can somebody explain the sound difference if there is one?

 

[mmbongo]

Fat Beams are wound at half speed, they have a fuller bottom end.

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[hbarcat]

These are the two strings I use the most on my basses and to my ears the HI beams are very bright with an exceptional amount of overtones in the high register. They almost sound like piano strings. The Fat beams are very similar but are a bit more subdued on the high end with less pronounced, but still noticeable overtones. I believe the Fat beams age a bit better although both sets age pretty well.

I tend to use the Hi beams for metal and the Fat beams for classic rock, funk, jazz, etc.




From DR's website:
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[SanDiegoHarry]

Sound dif, to me (and I use Fatbeams):

HiBeams - VERY crisp and ringy, with what seems to me to be lacking bottom.
FatBeams: More mids & lows, but a nice crisp ring. My fav strings to this point.

 

[Chrisk-K]

My Geddy and USA P are strung with Hi-Beams. Both create a massive bottom end. The Hi-beams on my Geddy are one year old and still zingy.

 

[Mrandrenv]

Good thread. Sounds like DR Hi Beams is what I'm looking for aswell.. I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to strings.

Last set I bought was D'Addario XL nickel round wound, and they sounded good when I put em on just like all new strings when you want that "crispy clanky" sound.. although it seemed that they went dead in just a week or two. How would you compare them with DR Hi Beams steel? (If you tried both, that is)

 

[Mystic Michael]

Hi-Beams have relatively more going on in the high mids.
Fat Beams have relatively more going on in the low mids.

Last set I bought was D'Addario XL nickel round wound, and they sounded good when I put em on just like all new strings when you want that "crispy clanky" sound.. although it seemed that they went dead in just a week or two. How would you compare them with DR Hi Beams steel? (If you tried both, that is)

Apples and oranges. You're comparing a nickel hexagonal-core roundwound string with a stainless steel round-core compression wound string. Differences are going to be pretty consistent with the inherent characteristics of each type of string - not based so much on the individual characteristics of each model...

MM

 

[conqr]

Fat Beams are wound at half speed, they have a fuller bottom end.

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this is my experience - the Fats are just as zingy at the top, but with a little bit fatter bottom.

 

[pbass888]

Tried my first set of fatbeams and all i can say is SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS. great all around. since i only have 2 basses now both jazzes ... i cant wait to try on the other one soon enough. Great low mid and bass tone as well as a smooth balanced sound across the strings, way less twangy and clanky than hi beams out of the box and more defined in the lower register I found ( had em on for about a 3 weeks now),. have a set of med guage 45-105 and they sound solid and deep for walking lines and great smooth and rich for solos ( I only play fingerstyle so cant comment on thumb style)

Sound dif, to me (and I use Fatbeams):

HiBeams - VERY crisp and ringy, with what seems to me to be lacking bottom.
FatBeams: More mids & lows, but a nice crisp ring. My fav strings to this point.

 

[steamthief]

Hi-Beams sound scooped, Fatbeams sound fat.

 

[SteveC]

Just put some Fat Beams on my 44-02. I usually use Hi Beams. I do notice a difference. More mids in the Fat Beams. They seem to sound more full. Don't know if I like them better or not. Have to play them a while to see.

 

[SteveC]

Played on church today. Wow. Lots of punch. Lots of low mods. Really aggressive.

 

[Nedmundo]

Never tried Hi-Beams, but have Fat Beams on my G&L SB-2, and I think they're excellent. They're thick down low, but have some stainless ring and crunch as well, with plenty of clarity. I've been using Lo-Riders on my Jazz basses, but due to fretting hand finger strain issues, I might switch to the more flexible Fat Beams, or perhaps just a lighter gauge in the Lo-Riders.

 

[seinzumtode]

I have both strings on my MIA Jazz and P.

Hi Beams on my P are crisp with emphasis on the high mids.

While the Fat Beams on the Jazz are warm and lack clarity in the mids.

 

[Igotsoul4u]

Fat beams are my favorite DR's. The have a perfectly boosted low end EQ that extends into the Low mids range (300hz) without sounding muddy. The top end clarity is perfect to my hears. Not to bright and not to dull. The good thing is that they tend to stay this way without dulling. I tried hi-beams once and they were to bright for my bass. As someone mentioned above, the fatbeams tend to be a little looser then Lo riders. The extra flex was a big selling point for me.

 

[adje]

Medium scale Alembic user here - was used to boosting the lows on my SWR rather heavily with the Hi-Beams (Bass control at 3-4 o'clock, Aural Exciter turned off because it just makes the bottom go wooshy) now with the Fat Beams the Bass control is just past 12 o'clock, and there's plenty of highs to spare. Highly recommended!

 

[Ron G]

Hi-Beams P-bass, Fat-Beams Jazz bass

 

[Stan_da_man]

I've had these strings back-to-back on my Jazz and there is very little in it. Both have the same tension and flexibility, both intonate really well. IMO -

Hi-Beams for a brighter string, a little more scoop and a slightly smoother feel.
Fat Beams for more mids, slightly better lows and the tiniest bit more tension.

 

[allboutbass]

I did try the Fat Beams on one of my Basses, a Jazz AVRI .. well they stayed there and haven't changed them, they last a long time. As I don't like bright strings I have not tried the Hi Beams.

 

[MrDinsdale]

I love the HiBeams, my go to string. If you're planning on using an octave pedal I found they really struggle to track them though compared to other strings.

Didn't have that issue with the Fats at least.