I gave fat beams a shot.

[Drop1]

My views may be a little different form others. Just saying what I hear.
First feel. The g string definitely feels higher tension. Otherwise they feel the same.

Sound.
Compared to hi beams, they seem, like less.

Take the hi beams , move the upper peak the hi beams have even further up in frequency and you get fat beams.

The fat beams appear to be a bit lower in output. I truly feel like they are just hi beams with some mids removed. I don't sense any increase in low mids or lows at all. The lack of upper mids just makes them sound fatter down low.

So far I'm kinda liking them. I find the hi beams on my bass rather roary (is that a word?) And sometimes a bit honky. The fat beams are definitely neither of those to my ears. The fats are still plenty bright, but due to that lack of upper mids feel more laid back. A huge positive to me is less fret gank/clank. A down side is I like that super bright sound the fats don't have.
With the eq flat they are similar in sound to the hi beams just, but more neutral. You can tell they are from the same family.

The biggest place I notice a difference is when you start applying eq, particularly adding bass.
The fats round out a LOT more as you increase the bass levels compared to hi's.

I've gotten so used to the hi beams aggressive sound I'm not sure I can make the swtich. Gonna see how the fats age. I feel like they will wind up a little too mellow but who knows.

At least so far with the fats, I havent felt the immediate urge to rip them off the bass, so they have made it further than most other strings ive tried. I've got a box of over 30 different sets of strings with less than an hour of play time on them if that tells you anything.

One last thing. Dead spots seem to be even deader with the fat beams. I assume due to the lack of harmonics in the mids.

 

[michael_t]

Are you talking about how they sound to you on their own, or how they sit in the mix in a live band situation?

I've recently had opportunities to play a Jazz bass with Fat Beams and one with Hi Beams. Hi Beams did sound better to my ears on their own as they sounded more "lively", but Fat Beams actually sounded better in a live band mix with a punchy presence Hi Beams seemed to lack. Just my observation...

 

[Drop1]

Are you talking about how they sound to you on their own, or how they sit in the mix in a live band situation?

I've recently had opportunities to play a Jazz bass with Fat Beams and one with Hi Beams. Hi Beams did sound better to my ears on their own as they sounded more "lively", but Fat Beams actually sounded better in a live band mix with a punchy presence Hi Beams seemed to lack. Just my observation...

I'm alone. The more I play the fats, the more they just sound like 3 day old hi beams to me. I haven't cranked on the volume knob however.

On a side note, I do prefer the fat beams for recording now. It only took me about 30 seconds of playing though monitors to figure that out.

 

[eriky4003]

In a fury of trying strings I ordered Fats and Hi's at the same time. Loved the Fats with their bottom end and thought the high's were nice too. I switched to the Hi-Beams and couldn't wait to get back to the Fats. If I were to guess as to what strings I was using before buying the Fats, I would have said Dean Markley Blue Steels.

 

[Drop1]

I figured out how to put it perfectly into words

Hi beams = decent Alice n chains would

Fst beams = a pretty good representation of Micheal Jackson's billie jean.

That's about as clear as I think I could make it.

Your milage may vary. This was with both pickups even. Solo pickups is nowhere close to either on my bass.

 

[Ooba Tooba]

I love fat beams. Here is one of our new songs with me using them on a 5 string Fender Jazz Elite.

 

[Drop1]

In a fury of trying strings I ordered Fats and Hi's at the same time. Loved the Fats with their bottom end and thought the high's were nice too. I switched to the Hi-Beams and couldn't wait to get back to the Fats. If I were to guess as to what strings I was using before buying the Fats, I would have said Dean Markley Blue Steels.

I'm liking the fats the more I get used to them but I noticed something. The fats have about half the sustain of the hi beams. I don't mean perception. I mean sitting here with a stop watch. The fats have substantially less sustain.

 

[GTHintz]

I'm liking the fats the more I get used to them but I noticed something. The fats have about half the sustain of the hi beams. I don't mean perception. I mean sitting here with a stop watch. The fats have substantially less sustain.

Glad you're liking the fat beams. Ive been trying them on a Warwick streamer and I believe they are basically a little bit more thicker sounding than hi beams and as they settled in the tone has gotten fatter. They haven't lost all the brightness yet and it's been almost 6 months. I'm really impressed with them to be honest. The guy who mentioned Dean Markley Blue Steel I feel like those could be your next experiment if you decide to keep chasing strings. Ive been a fan of those for years and they fit in the conversation between fats and hi beams. Basically very similar to fats except a little bit brighter and a little bit stiffer. They are hex core vs round core but I'm noticing that they both are very close in proximity. Out of my 2 Warwick basses I prefer blue steels on 1 of them but I like the fat beams on the other.

 

[eriky4003]

Glad you're liking the fat beams. Ive been trying them on a Warwick streamer and I believe they are basically a little bit more thicker sounding than hi beams and as they settled in the tone has gotten fatter. They haven't lost all the brightness yet and it's been almost 6 months. I'm really impressed with them to be honest. The guy who mentioned Dean Markley Blue Steel I feel like those could be your next experiment if you decide to keep chasing strings. Ive been a fan of those for years and they fit in the conversation between fats and hi beams. Basically very similar to fats except a little bit brighter and a little bit stiffer. They are hex core vs round core but I'm noticing that they both are very close in proximity. Out of my 2 Warwick basses I prefer blue steels on 1 of them but I like the fat beams on the other.

Loved Blue Steels but now that they are not made by Dean Markley, I was worried about trying them again and being disappointed.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Would be interested to hear your thoughts on Lo-Riders (I prefer the SS ones), as the hex core makes them stiffer than the Hi-Beams. I have them on an Ibanez SRX3EX and they are pretty rad on that particular bass.

I really dug in on an Ibanez P/J I modded (with DiMarzio Model P/J pickups) recently and suddenly remembered how brutal and rude the Hi-Beams sound. Definitely aggressive, but that's how I like that particular bass.

 

[mdogs]

The never ending string quest. I am in the camp that believes the bass decides the strings, but I absolutely have my favorites. I was a Blue Steel user for a number of years before I switched to Hi Beams in the early 90's. Used Hi Beams for about 20 years. In about 2010 I either had a credit at Amazon or a gift card, not sure, but I bought a set of what were at the time Marcus Miller Fat Beams. They were perfect for me, less high end zing than Hi Beams but still plenty of it, stronger mids and DR longevity. Used them for about 10 years but have since moved on to nickel strings because I lost the need for zing.

 

[Drop1]

The never ending string quest. I am in the camp that believes the bass decides the strings, but I absolutely have my favorites. I was a Blue Steel user for a number of years before I switched to Hi Beams in the early 90's. Used Hi Beams for about 20 years. In about 2010 I either had a credit at Amazon or a gift card, not sure, but I bought a set of what were at the time Marcus Miller Fat Beams. They were perfect for me, less high end zing than Hi Beams but still plenty of it, stronger mids and DR longevity. Used them for about 10 years but have since moved on to nickel strings because I lost the need for zing.

I agree 100% that each bass wants the strings it wants.
I play an ibanez sr 800. Noy exactly a line of basses known for being tonal giants. I've gone through SO many sets of strings on this bass trying to find the right ones. That aggressiveness of the hi beams really helps this bass. The fat beams are pretty good. They record very well. They are more aggressive than a lot of strings without the downfalls of super aggressive strings like the hi beams.
I need more time for my ears to adjust to them. I still haven't made up my mind if I will buy more fats or not. Thr fact I'm even considering it is a good thing. If I couldn't find hi beams for some reason, I wouldn't hesitate to use fat beams. I do know that much.

 

[Drop1]

Would be interested to hear your thoughts on Lo-Riders (I prefer the SS ones), as the hex core makes them stiffer than the Hi-Beams. I have them on an Ibanez SRX3EX and they are pretty rad on that particular bass.

I really dug in on an Ibanez P/J I modded (with DiMarzio Model P/J pickups) recently and suddenly remembered how brutal and rude the Hi-Beams sound. Definitely aggressive, but that's how I like that particular bass.

I may give lowriders a shot. I don't think they will be my cup of tea but just about every week I buy 2 sets of strings. A set of hi beams and a set I haven't tried yet. Maybe I'll buy the low riders next.
The higher tension would be my main put off. I love the bendy feel of the hi beams, especially having played on those super stiff feeling elixirs for so long.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

The higher tension would be my main put off. I love the bendy feel of the hi beams, especially having played on those super stiff feeling elixirs for so long.

I've been using the .100-.045 set and it's easier on the fingers. Feels about the same compared to a typical .105-.045 for me.

 

[michael_t]

I agree 100% that each bass wants the strings it wants...

Agreed. Ever since I got my Yamaha BB435 in early 2023, it's been a bit of a struggle finding just the right string for it...until recently when I've finally come to a realization this bass "wants" stainless steel rounds. I've been trying out the SIT Fusion Wound Stainless for the last couple of weeks, and so far so good. I'll also be try the SIT Power Steels next for comparison. This has been an eye-opener (and ear-opener) for me as I've always shied away from SS rounds in the past.

I may give lowriders a shot. I don't think they will be my cup of tea but just about every week I buy 2 sets of strings. A set of hi beams and a set I haven't tried yet. Maybe I'll buy the low riders next.
The higher tension would be my main put off. I love the bendy feel of the hi beams, especially having played on those super stiff feeling elixirs for so long.

Make sure to go down in gauges when trying the Lo-Riders. I once tried the DR Sunbeams 45-105 and the Nickel Lo-Riders 40-100 back-to-back and ended up liking the NLR better for their slightly firmer feel despite small gauges.

 

[GTHintz]

Agreed. Ever since I got my Yamaha BB435 in early 2023, it's been a bit of a struggle finding just the right string for it...until recently when I've finally come to a realization this bass "wants" stainless steel rounds. I've been trying out the SIT Fusion Wound Stainless for the last couple of weeks, and so far so good. I'll also be try the SIT Power Steels next for comparison. This has been an eye-opener (and ear-opener) for me as I've always shied away from SS rounds in the past.



Make sure to go down in gauges when trying the Lo-Riders. I once tried the DR Sunbeams 45-105 and the Nickel Lo-Riders 40-100 back-to-back and ended up liking the NLR better for their slightly firmer feel despite small gauges.

Michael is warming up to steels eh? Welcome to the party! Hahaha

I may give lowriders a shot. I don't think they will be my cup of tea but just about every week I buy 2 sets of strings. A set of hi beams and a set I haven't tried yet. Maybe I'll buy the low riders next.
The higher tension would be my main put off. I love the bendy feel of the hi beams, especially having played on those super stiff feeling elixirs for so long.

if you want something very close to lo riders but less stiff feeling Blue steels or Dunlop stainless steels will be at home to you. Something else I'll add is that I have an SR 505 and I get a great tone with both of those strings. I tried fat beams on it and wasn't as impressed. They went on the Warwick and they did great. Still playing them after 6 months even. To my surprise however I find that DR black beauties sound really nice on the SR505. The coating feels different but I like the tone. It's not quite hi beams and not quite fat beams but it draws from both. Maybe those could work too.

 

[Drop1]

Agreed. Ever since I got my Yamaha BB435 in early 2023, it's been a bit of a struggle finding just the right string for it...until recently when I've finally come to a realization this bass "wants" stainless steel rounds. I've been trying out the SIT Fusion Wound Stainless for the last couple of weeks, and so far so good. I'll also be try the SIT Power Steels next for comparison. This has been an eye-opener (and ear-opener) for me as I've always shied away from SS rounds in the past.



Make sure to go down in gauges when trying the Lo-Riders. I once tried the DR Sunbeams 45-105 and the Nickel Lo-Riders 40-100 back-to-back and ended up liking the NLR better for their slightly firmer feel despite small gauges.

I was the same way. I stayed away from SS for decades. I just couldn't deal with the way they felt.
On a whim I tried hi beams and that steel sound immediately grabbed me. It was a TOUGH adjustment though. I have a whole thread here about my journey adjusting to SS. It took over a month just to get competent with steel but it was worth it.

 

[michael_t]

Michael is warming up to steels eh? Welcome to the party!

I'm very surprised how well I'm adjusting to playing SS rounds. SIT Power Wound Nickels have been working out great on my Yamaha TRBX505, so I wanted to try the two versions of the stainless steel rounds by SIT - Fusion Wound (formerly Rock Brights) and Power Steels - on the BB435. Eddie Speedy at SIT Customer Care has been nothing short of amazing! It was Eddie and his excellence in customer care that won me over to the SIT.

 

[michael_t]

I have a whole thread here about my journey adjusting to SS. It took over a month just to get competent with steel but it was worth it.

It was your post about your experience with Hi Beams that has had a positive impact on me. You said to give them time to adjust instead of being too quick to give up on them based on the initial feel. And it's been paying off for me big time. So, THANK YOU for the advice!

 

[GTHintz]

I'm very surprised how well I'm adjusting to playing SS rounds. SIT Power Wound Nickels have been working out great on my Yamaha TRBX505, so I wanted to try the two versions of the stainless steel rounds by SIT - Fusion Wound (formerly Rock Brights) and Power Steels - on the BB435. Eddie Speedy at SIT Customer Care has been nothing short of amazing! It was Eddie and his excellence in customer care that won me over to the SIT.

My experience with sit has been really cool company but I haven't really found strings that I really liked. The only ones left to try are foundations. Everything else I've tried is too mellow and/or didn't have much output which were the rock brights. I know it's gotta be the bronze in the core. Interesting experiment but not what I was looking for.