• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

New DR Dragon Skin + Stainless. = Not impressed at all..

CrimsonGhost

Supporting Member
Nov 14, 2000
1,175
1,671
Visit site
Hey all, as we know String choices are always very subjective.

I'm a big fan of strings that are a bit different and love seeing new innovation but I just set up these Dragon skin+ stainless strings last night on my J, played them for about an hour.

The idea is very unique with how the cores are also coated but they are just really odd.

For stainless they feel nice. They kind of feel more like a nickel string which is most likely the wrap coating. In 45-105 roundcore they really don't seem any more flexible than a standard hexcore. When I clipped the strings to size the correct way for roundcore I took the clipping and unwound it to check it out. You can see the plastic coating they show in their marketing and how it locks in the outer wraps. Perhaps my old eyes are just bad but the cores don't really seem round or hex as they appear to have a faceted edge.


Response: again very different. Slap/pop sounds pretty lively. But so do my labella super polished which are a month old. Fingerstylle response is just weird. They are dead and bright at the same time. Fingerstyle tone again just strange. They are dead and just not responsive and seem to fight you until you really dig in really super hard. No growl..

Tone-wise again just odd. It's like this new design just sucks out frequencies. So they are extremely mid scooped. Some may like that but going from bass to bass with my rig even with flats or semi flats, or rounds I have to mess around with my amp settings to get them to cut by adding mids and turning down bass since the E is overwhelmingly boomy. Makes a jazz bass just dull and pickup volume manipulation just generic and undistinctive. Another note. I have used to 66s for years and never had any fretwear issues, I don't fret like kingkong. But after an hr or maybe 2 with these right off a fresh level and crown I'm already seeing marks on the frets.

It's like a wierd super dead nickel string that is still snappy when popped.

Again very subjective, some folks might love these. But pretty bummed out for the price. Let's throw on a fresh set of labella rx nickels and see how they compare.

I like DR. But again just bummed out especially for the price point of double a traditional non coated set.
 
Last edited:
Elixirs are the only coated string that works for me. Assuming the Black Beauties are the same coating as the dragon skin, I have noticed they sound very different, but I thought they lost a lot of high end, not mids. I kind of liked the sound, but if they have a new coating I've never tried that. The old coating did virtually nothing to make them last longer for me, so I do not use them. I do use Sunbeams, and I like them a lot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Steve Slate
Have you ever tried Elixirs? My experience with them has been exactly how yours was with the dragon skins, so I'm wondering if you may just not like coated strings.

"They are dead and bright at the same time" hits the nail on the head. Lots of fans of coated strings, but they're not my cup o tea.
 
  • Like
Reactions: steamthief
Have you ever tried Elixirs? My experience with them has been exactly how yours was with the dragon skins, so I'm wondering if you may just not like coated strings.

"They are dead and bright at the same time" hits the nail on the head. Lots of fans of coated strings, but they're not my cup o tea.
I have tried elixirs in SS. They actually weren't too bad compared to the DRs that just pissed me off soe ding that much on the and being so bad.
 
For the last year or more I've been a LoRider SS fan. I just put a set of Elixir SS on my JB5 mia and I'm really impressed!!
Lots of bottom end and highs too and I Love the B string!!
I was wanting to go with a 125 for the B but went ahead and bought the set with a 130......glad I did!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: KJMO
After using Hi Beams for many years I tried out the Dragon Skin + stainless on my 6 string. I really liked them at first I thought they sounded great. A set of Hi Beams usually lasts me about a month of heavy playing and I was getting an extra couple weeks out of the Dragon Skins. In the past two weeks I've bought two sets, both were completely dead in a couple of days. I always crimp them when installing, I'm no stranger to using round core strings. Not sure what's up but for 50 bucks a set, I'm officially out. Ordered a set of Hi Beams for a little more than half the price last night and I'll stick with those from now on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tindrum
I tried the nickles. Very similar in tone to Pure Blues. The feeling….a little odd…scratchy if that makes sense. Kinda like they had 1000 grit sandpaper on them. The sound though…..really great….for 2 days. A string totally dead (and yes I installed them correctly). Never again. Sticking with regular DR's. They last me forever anyway.
 
Elixirs are the only coated string that works for me. Assuming the Black Beauties are the same coating as the dragon skin, I have noticed they sound very different, but I thought they lost a lot of high end, not mids. I kind of liked the sound, but if they have a new coating I've never tried that. The old coating did virtually nothing to make them last longer for me, so I do not use them. I do use Sunbeams, and I like them a lot.
I tried two sets of the Dragonskin + strings, and I like the sound of them. Very warm and nice sounding. I've never had a string that sounded similar. They did not last any longer than regular strings though, which for me is one gig. Back to Elixir.
 
I had a set of the stainless steels on my avri jazz bass and while they felt rough compared to other strings I'm used to, they sounded really good live, in the band mix. Very present and I could hear the upper part of the neck notes well. I needed that jazz for D standard tuning though, so I took the dragons off. Haven't been back to them.
 
Hey all, as we know String choices are always very subjective.

I'm a big fan of strings that are a bit different and love seeing new innovation but I just set up these Dragon skin+ stainless strings last night on my J, played them for about an hour.

The idea is very unique with how the cores are also coated but they are just really odd.

For stainless they feel nice. They kind of feel more like a nickel string which is most likely the wrap coating. In 45-105 roundcore they really don't seem any more flexible than a standard hexcore. When I clipped the strings to size the correct way for roundcore I took the clipping and unwound it to check it out. You can see the plastic coating they show in their marketing and how it locks in the outer wraps. Perhaps my old eyes are just bad but the cores don't really seem round or hex as they appear to have a faceted edge.


Response: again very different. Slap/pop sounds pretty lively. But so do my labella super polished which are a month old. Fingerstylle response is just weird. They are dead and bright at the same time. Fingerstyle tone again just strange. They are dead and just not responsive and seem to fight you until you really dig in really super hard. No growl..

Tone-wise again just odd. It's like this new design just sucks out frequencies. So they are extremely mid scooped. Some may like that but going from bass to bass with my rig even with flats or semi flats, or rounds I have to mess around with my amp settings to get them to cut by adding mids and turning down bass since the E is overwhelmingly boomy. Makes a jazz bass just dull and pickup volume manipulation just generic and undistinctive. Another note. I have used to 66s for years and never had any fretwear issues, I don't fret like kingkong. But after an hr or maybe 2 with these right off a fresh level and crown I'm already seeing marks on the frets.

It's like a wierd super dead nickel string that is still snappy when popped.

Again very subjective, some folks might love these. But pretty bummed out for the price. Let's throw on a fresh set of labella rx nickels and see how they compare.

I like DR. But again just bummed out especially for the price point of double a traditional non coated set.
I couldn't disagree any harder...I find the strings to have a really pure sound, and last longer than Elixir or Ernie Ball stings. I've now permanently made the switch to DragonSkin+ and am super happy with them
 
I've participated on this string sub-forum for quite some time. I always try to be as objective as possible with strings regardless of brand. With that said, so much of what we like is subjective. On that note, I love Dragon Skins.

I worked with Bobby Vega quite a bit in my Genz Benz days. I asked him what strings he likes. His reply was "I let the bass tell me". Fair enough; I never forgot that saying.

Both basses in my avatar get Dragon Skins. I love the tone, feel (finish), and degree of flexibility. The tone is nice and "focused" and full-bodied while still being rich in harmonics. On top of that, the last longer than any string I've tried. Henrik Linder from The Dirty Loops said they were a game changer for him. He's an incredible bassist that uses many techniques and he definitely plays the full-range of the instrument.

Full disclosure: I am NOT what someone would call a "meat and potatoes" bassist so, YMMV
 
Last edited:
I have never had issues with DR strings in the past. I came online to see if I was the only person having an issue with the dragon skin. Within one month, one of the strings was completely dead (and I'm used to crimping the end on install) The description of feeling dead and bright at the same time is also accurate for me. Will not be using the dragon skin again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tindrum
I love DR Strings and I tried the Dragon Skins not long after they were introduced. I put them on a Yamaha 605FM bass and although they weren't terrible, they didn't wow me like other DR Strings regularly do. I bought another new bass not long after I installed these, so I can't say how they sounded and felt after they aged
 
DR hyped these pretty hard. I think they were pretty proud of their results. It seems, however, that the general consensus on these is a fairly strong "meh". I'm a diehard DR guy but I was not impressed at all. Tone wise they were ok but they felt terrible and after a few days I had a string that was completely dead. I really wanted these to work. No thanks.