DR Strings Black Beauties Electric Bass Guitar Strings - .045-.130 Medium-heavy

I own 10 bass guitars and use a variety of DR string models on all of them. One of my favorite DR sets is their Sunbeams, which I use on all of my short scale basses. I was looking for something with a coating to try on my 4003 and had read good things about these Black Beauty strings which I discovered are basically coated Sunbeams, just like the other DR coated strings like the Red Devils! Prior to swtitching over to these I had been running with DR Lo-Riders on my 4003 which I also use on my Fender Jazz Basses. Contrary to the nice top end bite I get from these on my 62 and 73 Jazz, I just wasn't getting the classic RIC tone I wanted out of the 4003 with LO-Riders installed, so this is why I decided to give these a try. I had been running with DR Red Devils on my Fender Jaguar and my Gretch DuoJet for a long time so I already knew that these coated DRs have a great tone, reduced fret clatter and easy on the fingers to boot, so I already knew there was a good chance these Black Beauties were going to deliver what I was looking for. After installing them on the 4003 and adjusting the truss rods to account for the reduced string tension compared to the Lo-Riders I was thrilled with the results! These strings have proven to be the perfect match for the Rickenbacker! I am getting that classic 4001/4003 tone in spades and with the added bonus of less string noise when sliding, and much reduced fret clank when playing fast runs up and down the neck. Because these are coated, you need to take care when installing them that you don't just yank the strings through the bridge as you install them, otherwise you risk scraping off the micro-thin coating. When installed properly, you should not have to worry about the coating coming off with normal use. I use a pick most of the time and have not seen any evidence of the coating coming off where the pick contacts the strings, or in any of the most commonly played sections of the fingerboard. Have to take these 1-2 Star reviews on here with a grain of salt based on my own personal experience with these... I have read a few bad reviews on here complaining about the coating coming off or the strings being dead out of the box. I can't comment on the dead string issue, but in terms of the coating coming off, it sure sounds to me like these folks failed to read the instructions about using care during installation. If you just pull these quickly through the bridge holes like normal strings without regard for the coating, there is a very high probability that you will fracture the coating which will eventually result in the coating cracking off the string over time. I have DR coated strings on 6 of my 10 guitars and none of them have ever had a problem with the coating flaking off or the strings going dead prematurely. Two of my guitars have had a set of Red Devils on them for over 14 months and they still sound great even after hundreds of hours in the studio. In conclusion, I have nothing but high praise for these strings and recommend them for anyone looking for a high quality coated string with great tone and feel. The black strings also look really cool against the black JetGlo finish of my 4003! If you are looking for the same string in a different color, check out the Red Devils or the Cool Blue versions! Same string, just a different color coating.

Insanely good strings, great feel on the fingers, and the sound is exactly what i needed, be aware that these are coated so you won't be grounding your bass when touching the strings! (If you have hum on the bass) Normal roundwounds without coating made my fingers bleed while playing songs with a lot of slides, this one never made that happends, pretty happy with these strings, would recommend!

Added the perfect look to my handmade custom built P-Bass.

I'll start off by saying that I've been a big time DR fan for over 10 yrs and used DR's exclusively during that time. I took a chance about a year ago and decided to try the BB's and fell in love! This is the 4th set of BB's that I've ordered and they won't be my last... I really like them! They sound amazing and the feel is that of a regular non-coated string only they don't stick to your fingers like regular strings sometimes do (which is what causes blisters)... Especially if your hands sweat a lot. I am an agressive finger-style player and I absolutely love these strings! They look great, last longer than regular strings and sound just as good and better and they really make my Warwick's colors "pop" in the light. My only complaints are that a little bit of the black finish did wear off of the strings near the bridge (over the pickups) from extreme playing stresses on 2 of the 4 sets I've used. But, even with some of the finish wearing off of the string, I didn't notice any tone loss. Keep in mind, the black strings are difficult to see in the dark while on stage but it isn't something that one couldn't get used to. Both of my basses "sing" and "growl" with the BB's and they look evil awesome! I play in several bands from the most extreme death metal to the 1,4,5's of country and these are my strings of choice... I've used them in the studio recording, live shows and rehearsals. I am an agressive bass player and not very nice to strings... I thump on um! The set that is on my Warwick Streamer 4 string has been on for about 3 months and have 4 gigs, 10 rehearsals and a lot of playing hrs on them and they still sound 70% of new! The set that's on my Thumb 5 string bass has had the BB's on even longer and they still sound atleast 50% of new! Wish I would've discovered these earlier, could've saved a lot of money from having to buy regular strings every week!

Great strings... however, they do have a slight oil feel to them, which causes me to have to think more about sliding up or down. I do use hand cream on all of my basses though, so I can slide more easily. So far, that "sticky" feeling hasn't gone away after using them for a couple of weeks.... but, they have a great sound, a bit more on the modern sound; it's been a challenge to alter my EQ settings to get more in the mellow and warm Blues range. I bought them because all the hardware on my bass is black, and they add to the effect. A good set of strings for the money....

Great tone!

Bought these for a Schecter session 5. Looks killer. Black strings with black hardware on a natural satin finish is perfect IMO. Not as vibrant in tone, but on par with other coated strings. Would definitely recommend if you want the look.

These strings are Fantastic!!!! Great sound, great feel!!!! Make sure you completely open the box before installing to read the very important information!!

purely awesome product!

良い

Love the BBSs. Tone is great, crisp and bright and the longevity is a big plus. These strings have lasted me a year in the past with only a slight loss of tone. They are a little more expensive than regular strings but it’s definitely worth the investment.

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I use these strings mainly on a passive bass, although I have just upgraded the tone capsule on an active bass and that will get a set of these too. When you install them, they are very bright and you can shape a real grind into the tone. Which very much suits the punk and metal that I play. You can take that away with the tone pots, maybe just play with your thumb and get a real deep jazz sound. Naturally, picking at the neck gives you a great sound. I used to buy DR flatwounds for my BEAD bass. I’m not too sure if I’ll go back to flats as these share similar traits, eg with the coating, they are pretty smooth Great strings for great price. I would prefer a 130 string for the B.