Lo-Riders vs Blue Steels: Stiffness?

[Kerem Koseoglu]

Currently, I have steel DR Lo-Rider strings on my Sadowsky M5 (45-125). I like their sound, but I especially like their stiffness. I can’t get along with loose strings.

I also like the allegation that they won’t eat frets as fast as some other steel strings.

I’d like to try Sadowsky Blue Label steels (for experimentation), but I’m wondering if they are as stiff as Lo-Riders or much looser? And how do they compare in terms of sound and fret health?

I already tried Black Labels, although they felt OK, their sound wasn’t my cup of tea. That was a nickel set, though.

Since Sadowsky strings are only available through international orders around here, I’d like to hear firsthand experiences before enduring the hassle and cost of such an experiment.

 

[michael_t]

You might want to change the title indicating you're talking about "Sadowsky Blue Labels" in stead of "Blue Steels", which sounds like you're talking about "Dean Markley Blue Steels".

 

[michael_t]

I've used Lo-Riders 40-60-80-100-125 and Sadowsky Blue Label Stainless 45-65-85-105-130T on the same bass and found them to be very similar in term of overall stiffness. This means the Sads are more flexible when comparing the same gauges.

Another thing I noticed was the Sads were noticeably rougher in surface texture with more pronounced finger noise.

EDIT: Also keep in mind the low B on the Sads is tapered, which may or may not be a good thing for your application.

 

[GTHintz]

I've played blue label steel, Dean Markley Blue steel l and lo riders and all 3 are very close in stiffness but they will feel different in the amount of grab under your fingers. Lo riders and blue steels will be a bit brighter and grindy sounding. If you want mids all 3 are nice options. Especially for steels.