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Time to switch to Dunlop Super Brights!!!

#921
mouthmw said:
Yea these are definitely something to get used to. I'm still trying. At first I loved them, loved the soft supple feel, but I'm starting to miss a bit more tension for a bit more of that staccato funk stuff, digging in harder (especially live) and fast 16th note fills are harder for me to pull off. I love the tone, my left hand loves them too. My right hand is starting to complain a bit lol.
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You're describing my experience with the Sunbeams to a tee! ;)
 
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#923
jwilson67 said:
And there you go! A perfect match for you. Sorry you are dealing with these issues in your hands. About 2 years ago I started developing numbness in my right (plucking) hand and discovered a few things about why it was happening. 1 - I was pre-diabetic and this was already starting to affect my nerves, 2 - I was playing my bass too high up and this was causing circulatory problems, and 3 - I figured out that the sharp corners of my Carvin LB75 were actually creating circulatory issues in my arm due to where I was resting it on the body! I switched over to my ESP Jazz as my main instrument and these problems have all but disappeared.

I will also say this - I have found that I have to work less hard to get tone from higher tension strings with lower action than lower tension strings with higher action but again everyone's MMV. Just my two cents.
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Sorry to hear that but glad your finding something that works for you.

While I wouldn't say I've lightened my touch as much as I need to I have taken off quite a bit of time and now that I've getting back to it I'm retraining myself and these strings have allowed me to do that and still get a satisfying tone. Worked on the farm then as a bicycle mechanic for 20 years and just tore my hands up. Broke and smashed fingers, knuckles and my wrist many times.

My action is the same, maybe lower than I was getting with the DR’s and I play over the bridge pickup 90% so it’s always high tension. For about a year of two before switching to Dunlops I was doing custom sets of 100-80-60-45 Lo-Riders and that worked pretty good but I was playing a lot at the time and I was only getting one or two weeks out of a set (my hands don't really sweat much either).

My issue is in both hands and even though I don’t pluck with my right ring and pinky my the pain messes with my plucking fingers in pain and muscle memory. Was just destroying my finger tips on 4 hour gigs with heavier tension strings, played a gig with medium Chromes on the Jazz and it killed me! At this weekends gig I was playing a bunch of songs that had that plucked-at-the-base-of-the-neck kind of tone and I will say that I've had to alter my touch when playing that far forward. It's a different feel to try to do Motown, mid/neck pickup kind of stuff if your dependent on that tight, bouncy string but so far I've been adapting in a good way.

The other reason we use Super Brights; Finley likes them, he says they're delicious.
B47A0CC0-F4B3-4C36-BD94-33ED7B2F70DE.jpeg
 
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#924
rmars said:
Sorry to hear that but glad your finding something that works for you.

While I wouldn't say I've lightened my touch as much as I need to I have taken off quite a bit of time and now that I've getting back to it I'm retraining myself and these strings have allowed me to do that and still get a satisfying tone. Worked on the farm then as a bicycle mechanic for 20 years and just tore my hands up. Broke and smashed fingers, knuckles and my wrist many times.

My action is the same, maybe lower than I was getting with the DR’s and I play over the bridge pickup 90% so it’s always high tension. For about a year of two before switching to Dunlops I was doing custom sets of 100-80-60-45 Lo-Riders and that worked pretty good but I was playing a lot at the time and I was only getting one or two weeks out of a set (my hands don't really sweat much either).

My issue is in both hands and even though I don’t pluck with my right ring and pinky my the pain messes with my plucking fingers in pain and muscle memory. Was just destroying my finger tips on 4 hour gigs with heavier tension strings, played a gig with medium Chromes on the Jazz and it killed me! At this weekends gig I was playing a bunch of songs that had that plucked-at-the-base-of-the-neck kind of tone and I will say that I've had to alter my touch when playing that far forward. It's a different feel to try to do Motown, mid/neck pickup kind of stuff if your dependent on that tight, bouncy string but so far I've been adapting in a good way.

The other reason we use Super Brights; Finley likes them, he says they're delicious.
View attachment 2799355
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Well, whether Finley likes them or not is very important! Our cats always know when I'm changing strings because I sit on the floor when I do it. They try to play with the old strings while I'm taking them off!
 
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#926
Well, I just got me a set of Super Brights for my RW Jazz Bass. The bass is a beast, the tension with the new Fender strings is wound up so tight and the action is kind of high I thought I was gonna die!

But, then I adapted and love it! I do have a "heavy touch" and conquered this bass. For some reason I'm very creative on this bass! But I will take it to my tech for some "sweetening" and put the Dunlop's on. We'll see what happens...
 
#927
jwilson67 said:
Well, whether Finley likes them or not is very important! Our cats always know when I'm changing strings because I sit on the floor when I do it. They try to play with the old strings while I'm taking them off!
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NKBassman said:
Loose strings make the best cat toys.
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Yes, he loves to help change strings but when I’m practicing he will hook his claws or teeth and actually pull the string out and snap it into the frets. I always worry he’s going to bite the strings while I’m playing and break his teeth.
 
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#928
Finally got the 45-105 set of DR Sunbeams today. I've put them on my jazz and yes, they are slightly less flexible and slightly tighter than Super Brights 45-105. I even feel that the gauge is slightly bigger (I know all about the compression stuff they do to both DR and Dunlop, it's all good), which isn't weird since Super Brights are practically 40-100 after compression and DRs are closer to 45-105. Anyways, it's not a big deal, just something I felt since I'm used to years of 45-105 use. Sunbeams are a bit smoother feeling too, the tone is not as a bit more mellow, a bit smoother, but it's all gonna be in the same ballpark once they break in a bit. I honestly like the sound of both strings.

Anyways, since Dunlop SBs ended up being just a bit too low tension for me, I'm giving Sunbeams a chance now. If I end up needing more tension, I'm back to Slinkies 45-105. :)

Super Brights (nickels) tone was awesome. The only reason I'm switching is the tension. They are still awesome.
 
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#929
I switched to the SB's recently and have had good results. I was a bit concerned about the tension but they're fine for me I was using Slinkys previously. I have them on a Fender P5, an Ibanez soundgear and a Musicman Sterling and they work well in all situations. I'm getting good life out of them too even with all the outdoor Florida gigs I do!
 
#930
How would you rank the SB Nickels against D'Addario XL's? I used to love normal Dunlops until they sort of dropped in quality and now I've switched to super light D'Addarios. I'm tempted to try the SB's though.
 
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#931
FLV said:
How would you rank the SB Nickels against D'Addario XL's? I used to love normal Dunlops until they sort of dropped in quality and now I've switched to super light D'Addarios. I'm tempted to try the SB's though.
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SuperBrights will feel less stiff, have a deeper bottom end, and a crisper midrange. High end will be smoother and more 'airy' sounding.

XL's have a harsher midrange and more brittle high end.
 
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#932
mmbongo's description is pretty right on, although I used XL's for 30 years before switching and I wouldn't call the XL midrange harsh or the treble brittle. Maybe a little more pronounced, but can't say I ever thought of them in those terms. And to me, the Dunlops sound like if you took Rotosound steels and XL nickels and merged the best aspects of each into one string.
 
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