What else feels and sounds like SS Lo-Riders?

[Naigewron]

I'm loving the DR Stainless Steel Lo-Rider strings.

However, DR strings are really hard to come by in Norway, so I'm looking for an alternative. Is there anything else that compares? Specifically the stiffer feel and the clarity of tone.

 

[thisheregiraffe]

I only had a brief experience with them, so perhaps I am wrong, but D’Addario Pro Steels could be worth a try for something in the same style as Lo Riders. You might find they feel a bit rougher on the fingers though. IME nothing (that I’ve tried) beats DR when it comes to the smoothest feeling SS strings.

GHS Super Steels also get good marks from people, but I’ve never tried them so I can’t really speak from experience on how they compare to Lo Riders. And I’ve no clue if GHS strings would be really readily available in Norway either.

 

[michael_t]

IME nothing (that I’ve tried) beats DR when it comes to the smoothest feeling SS strings.

This is true. The SS Lo-Riders are smoother in texture than any other SS rounds I've tried. It may be hard to find a match in that regard.

GHS Super Steels also get good marks from people, but I’ve never tried them so I can’t really speak from experience on how they compare to Lo Riders.

The Super Steels are very different in their tonal character. I would describe the LRs as being "modern and refined with clean crispness", while the Super Steels are more "vintage" in their character with a bit more grit and grind. Not as smooth in texture, either.

 

[Naigewron]

Good call on the smoothness. Damn, I might just have to keep importing them then.

 

[GTHintz]

Objectively I found the closest string to lo riders are Ken Smith Rockmasters. They were really close in feel and tone except I thought they were just a little better on the particular bass I used them for. Good luck finding a Norwegian distribution center though but good news is that they are easy to come by online. Something else you might like are Sadowsky Black Label strings. They are a really high quality string and Sadowsky has a distributor relationship with Warwick so at least you might find some in Europe since Warwick brings them to Germany. I have played blue label strings and they are great too but black labels will be brighter and closer to lo riders in feel. Hopefully you find a good solution.

 

[Stan_da_man]

Roto 66s sound similar but are more coarse on the fingers.

 

[GTHintz]

https://www.bassbuddha.com/brands/sandberg/ I don't know if you've tried these but they are Sandberg strings they put on their basses. They are stainless steel and roundcores like hibeams which are a close relative to loriders. I never have tried them but this company bass Budda is in Denmark and you would probably get a better deal in shipping than I would in the US for instance.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

You can get DRs from lots of European online stores with very low shipping costs. Lord of the Strings in The Netherlands is my personal favourite. Very fast delivery, typically within one working day (plus shipping time) and excellent customer service. The only negative I can think if is that they don't sell Pyramid strings.

If you keep your order small they will ship it in a padded envelope that will usually avoid customs processing. With Norway being outside the EU this means you will get VAT deducted at checkout and no additional VAT or customs processing fees upon import. With the low shipping costs you will probably end up getting strings cheaper than over the counter in Norway.

Saitenmarkt in Germany is also a very good option (and they sell Pyramid, including a great selection of singles) but in my experience they can often be a bit slower than their listed delivery times. Shipments from Saitenmarkt may also go under the radar of the customs officials but this will depend on your choice of shipping option. Generally the cheapest, slowest option will usually (but not always) avoid customs processing fees + VAT as long as you keep your orders small enough for a padded envelope but the faster, more expensive shipping options will not.

Of course you also have bigger online stores like Thomann but their shipping costs are considerably higher and you won't avoid customs processing fees + VAT. Probably not worth it if you're just ordering a set of strings.

 

[Stan_da_man]

Sandberg Basses | Bass Buddha I don't know if you've tried these but they are Sandberg strings they put on their basses. They are stainless steel and roundcores like hibeams which are a close relative to loriders. I never have tried them but this company bass Budda is in Denmark and you would probably get a better deal in shipping than I would in the US for instance.

Sandberg strings are definitely not roundcore.

 

[GTHintz]

I'm only going off of what I read from that link. I've never had them in my hands so I don't know.