- Apr 15, 2010
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In my case one string sounded weaker than the others, pickups don't have to do with it.
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Time to switch to Dunlop Super Brights!!!
- Thread starter mmbongo
- Start date
- Apr 15, 2010
- 3,914
- 7,324
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- Spector Artist
I have just the opposite experience with their durability, SS set was dead within a week. As for the price tag I agree but I prefer to pay more and get the strings that live longer after they break in. Superbrights SS just became lifeless in a moment, although the nickels lasted much longer, I moved them only because of one dead string of the set.
My set of nickels are still going strong. Very impressed with these. They play well with the EQ on the amp, and the tone knob. Good variety of sounds with highs or high mids that lie just in my VT Bass' sweet spot for nice crunch. It also sounds good through a buddy's Fender and matching 610, so I image the highs/high mids are right in a "real" tube amp's sweet spot as well. They seem to be holding up pretty well. The new string twang is gone, but I like where they've settled in at. they've held up pretty well to my 1-2 hours a day of banging on them.
See...that's my "problem" with these strings...I hate dead rounds, but I love the sound of the SB nickels once they go dead and lose that new string zing. So it's a constant battle in my head of whether I should change them or leave them alone. The current set I've had on my Precision since the beginning of December and they sound like flats when I play lightly with fingers but they still have that zing when I use a pick or play hard with fingers. After over a year of using them, I still can't make up my mind.
I don't like the harsh sound of *brand new* strings or something that has a crystal clear piano tone, so I leave them on until they are pretty dead. Then I get a system shock with the harsh highs of brand new strings. It's something that I feel like these strings do much better than the XL's did, which is staying at a sweet spot between harsh and dead. Sunbeams were the same way to me. Of course, that could be a body chemistry thing or a hundred other things.
I like the Dunlop SBs on the basses I have that can wear them, but I don't have enough bridge saddle adjustment to get the intonation right on my '93 Gibson T-Bird when I tried a set on it. I had to change out the saddle screw of the A string on my MIM body / Squier neck P-bass to get them intonated on that bass. It's strange. I've never had a bass on which I could not set the intonation until I bought / installed the Dunlop SBs, and it's every set of the four sets I have. I think the light core or whatever makes them feel slanky / low tension must require the extreme adjustment to set the intonation. The basses I have them on that had enought adjustment range required the maximum adjustment just to barely reach proper intonation on D & A strings.
Yeah that is strange. I switched to SuperBrights on six basses and they didn't need any more intonation adjustment than any other strings (little to none). It must just be with certain types of basses.
My one complaint about the the SB's is that from set to set I have to do fairly major changes in the intonation especially on the D strings. With DR Nickel Lo-Riders I would barely have to adjust but the difference on the SB's D string can be by as much as a 1/4". FWIW I'm using a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner.
I don't know for sure... But it seems like they keep adjusting the formula of these... Fine tuning them for improvements based on customer feedback etc...
I know for a couple of weeks a while back they didn't ship any while working on fixing something. Now seems there aren't as many complaints with current received sets so I think issues were addressed.
I know for a couple of weeks a while back they didn't ship any while working on fixing something. Now seems there aren't as many complaints with current received sets so I think issues were addressed.
FWIW they still sound and play great despite the weird intonation on some of the sets. I do wish they lasted a bit longer but my old favorites, DR Nickel Lo-Riders, don't seem to last me as long as they used to either.
I realize this may be an odd inquiry, but have there been discussions of other gauges besides what is available? I remember a mention of 50-110, but saw nothing else. If you are not at liberty to discuss this, that is fine.
It has been discussed and we have talked about it. A few of my customers asked about it when they first came out.
There are new things coming from Dunlop. More info will come around NAMM time (a couple of weeks).
There are new things coming from Dunlop. More info will come around NAMM time (a couple of weeks).
Could be, although a search of this thread for the word "intonation" finds several others that have experienced the same problem.
I have them on the aforementioned P-Bass, an 87 Peavey Foundation "S", a Jazz with an Edenhaus body & Fender replacement neck, and the top four strings of a Carvin LB75 (D'Adderio B String). All four of those have the A & D saddles adjusted to the extreme to get those strings properly intoned.
The basses that didn't have the adjustment range to get all the Dunlop strings intoned; a Peavey G Bass, the Gibson T-Bird, and a VM Squier 77 Jazz Reissue. I think the strings would work on the VM Jazz if I replaced the A saddle screw as I did on the P-bass. The other Jazz has a Schaller roller bridge that has more adjustment range or they probably wouldn't work on that bass either.
I'd think it's a lot more likely to be certain batches of strings considering all who mention having the same problem in this thread. The Peavey Foundation S mentioned above has probably had 50 to 75 sets of strings on it in it's lifetime and quite a variety. It was BEAD strung for a while. I've never adjusted its bridge saddles as much as was required to intonate the Dunlop SBs. The A & D saddles are hanging on about 3 or 4 threads and those are the BIG barrel saddles.
I also noticed some in this thread had issues with breakage. I had the ball end pop off the G string of one set, but Dunlop stepped up and replaced that set and threw in another set for the inconvenience.
I like the sound and feel of the strings where I can use them. Sure wish they would work on the T-Bird. It needs some brightness....
Well they've already mentioned the flats they've got coming. That should be interesting. Really hoping they pop out a Bass Fuzz Face in the MXR division.
My local music store gave me my first set of stainless steel SBs a while back and I maxed out the intonation on the saddle on the g string and it was still off plus there was a weird buzz from frets 10-12. I gave the strings another chance and I got the same thing. The store had me try one more set on the house and I haven't had the same problem since. I definitely think it was a defect in the string. They're great strings otherwise.
The basses I have strung with SB's needed the saddles quite far forward. I figured it's just the small core making the strings actually lighter diameter than they are actually stated.
I hope they come out with more single string gauges!
Would love a .035 and a .025 gauge for one of my basses.
I hope they come out with more single string gauges!
Would love a .035 and a .025 gauge for one of my basses.
I installed two more sets of these, in the past month.
two days before Christmas, installed a set. g string is borked. It sounds like it is twisted. But, I took as much care as I usually do, when installing it. And I have done a lot, to try and fix it. No kinks in the set, though.
Yesterday, I installed a set on my Carvin Icon, which has had the same set since May. The set from May, had kinks in both the G and D strings. But they were playable and otherwise sounded fine.
The new set seems perfect. Although, the brand new tone doesn't seem quite as noteable, as I remember. Still happy, however. But I am annoyed with what seems like a fairly high rate of manufacturing problems. After 5 sets of nickels and 1 set of steels: 3 sets of the nickels had problems.
two days before Christmas, installed a set. g string is borked. It sounds like it is twisted. But, I took as much care as I usually do, when installing it. And I have done a lot, to try and fix it. No kinks in the set, though.
Yesterday, I installed a set on my Carvin Icon, which has had the same set since May. The set from May, had kinks in both the G and D strings. But they were playable and otherwise sounded fine.
The new set seems perfect. Although, the brand new tone doesn't seem quite as noteable, as I remember. Still happy, however. But I am annoyed with what seems like a fairly high rate of manufacturing problems. After 5 sets of nickels and 1 set of steels: 3 sets of the nickels had problems.
