New balanced tension nickel strings from DR

[cassius987]

Looks like DR now has a Victor Wooten signature set for their popular new "Pure Blues" nickel wrap, round core strings. Based on the gauges, I would suspect the string tensions are very well balanced (I'm guessing around 30-35 lbs per string on a 34'' scale). I just ordered a set and will update this thread with my thoughts later.

http://www.bassstringsonline.com/DR-Pur ... _4218.html

[jps]

Ha!

So, that's where VLW jumped ship to. There used to be a Fodera Victor Wooten Signature string set (.040-.055-.075-.095 - see a pattern there?). I bought a set and really loved their feel and tone; I put them on the 2030GF I used to have. That bass was amazing sounding, and I was able to play just like Vic.

[bottom4]

I used the Fodera versions also. Always a DR fan. Will have to check them out for my Fodera

[cassius987]

I finally installed these on my 4003S tonight. Had to add a bit of relief in as they are slightly lower tension than the previous set (D'Addario XLs, balanced tension set 45-107). They really do sound very close to steels yet play and feel quite a lot like Sunbeams (nickel wrap, round core). I'm really impressed so far! I'll update after I've gigged them a few times.

[cassius987]

I got to hear the strings through house mains today. I love the tone, which pairs very well with the Ric sound. There are fewer low mids compared to traditional nickel strings in favor of high mids. It's hard to believe they're not steel outer wrap. The only drawback might be that the sound doesn't "sit in the mix" as naturally, yet it pierces through with a more natural presence thanks to the upper mids bump. This is probably ideal, as you can restore just enough low mids with an EQ if desired.

[cassius987]

I just wanted to follow up on these strings as a sort of long-term review. Again, I'm using the 40-55-75-95 set on my 2015 4003S... which I am loving more and more over time.

These strings really do sound like steels with the feel of nickels, as advertised. The only downside of this is they can be rather aggressive sounding when you pluck hard, and sometimes may just want to add some dynamics (not a gnarly growl). Perhaps it's the combination of nickel output + steel tone because lowering the pickups helps a lot with this aspect. Although I have been debating to replace these for a few weeks, hearing them through nice speakers keeps drawing me back in. I think they are here to stay for a good while. That said, I plan to A-B them against Sunbeams to see what I'd rather have as my main rounds. The .055'' D string is probably the only serious flaw in terms of output, as it can suffer a volume dip (barely audible, but I can hear it if I try) compared to the others. (People worried about weak E strings will have nothing to complain about here.) This must be why most light gauge sets are 40-60-75-95, throwing off the tension balance to get the output about right.

I'd qualify that while they sound like steels, they're probably nothing at all like Rotos. I have very little experience with those strings, not really loving their feel.

[Benjamin]

Not exactly the same, but I switched to DR strings on all my basses a few years ago. I am a stainless player but I would consider a set of these DR nickels on my fretless P/J bass. I don't play flats except on my old Japanese semi-hollow RM Tempo short scale.

Running Lo-Riders on the 4003. Almost Roto-like zing, last longer and perfect tension. Hi-Beams on the Epi Ripper. Again perfect tension and fantastic tone. Comparing the two, the higher tension of the Lo-Riders on the shorter scale Ric feel almost the same as the lower tension Hi-Beams on the longer scale (34") Ripper.

[iiipopes]

Back in the mid-'90's, when GHS Progressives were the "new" string, I liked the tone but didn't like the gauges and tensions. So I started doing the rough math and came up with 45-60-80-105 then. Yes, we all know that due to the differences in core diameters and wrap configurations, it is not exact, but these gauges felt a whole lot better than the set gauges and were close to the RIC factory string gauges. So to me, on my 4002, "balanced tension" is nothing new. I have been playing a "balanced tension" set, albeit custom ordered as singles, for over twenty-five years.

[cassius987]

Lately I have started to find that near-balanced tension can sometimes be better than perfect balance. Specifically, it seems that balanced sets sometimes have a modest drop in D string volume.

[iiipopes]

Lately I have started to find that near-balanced tension can sometimes be better than perfect balance. Specifically, it seems that balanced sets sometimes have a modest drop in D string volume.

Indeed. It is because the pickup top is usually flat, but the strings follow the crown radius of the fingerboard. So the D string is farther away from pickup than the G string. String volume varies inversely as the square of the string's distance away from the pole, not linearly. So all it takes is a little extra distance to perceive dropped volume, in spite of the larger mass of the D string which induces a stronger signal in the pickup.

That is why the "traditional" sets of strings ended up something like 45-65-80-100, so not only does the D string have more mass and can induce the same level of signal, but the A string has even more mass, so no compensation is necessary, and the E string was usually smaller diameter for two reasons: 1) so it didn't "boom," and 2) retain flexibility, which retains overtones, which promotes tonal consistency string-to-string.

[aceonbass]

Since the package doesn't say anywhere on it that the strings are balanced, and the gauges are in the typical increments of .05", I'd say they are anything but balanced.

[cassius987]

Since the package doesn't say anywhere on it that the strings are balanced, and the gauges are in the typical increments of .05", I'd say they are anything but balanced.

You may want to look again -- 40/55/75/95 generally produces a balanced light gauge set. I've played a few, and I can report with some confidence that these do feel very well balanced. My only complaint is a slight D string volume drop -- which happens to me a lot on balanced string sets.