DR Strings Electric Bass Guitar Strings
Click here for DR Strings Electric Bass Guitar Single Strings.
Not sure what length you need? This might help: Bass String Lengths by Manufacturer
Not sure what length you need? This might help: Bass String Lengths by Manufacturer
“The DR brand is all about quality strings,” and “these are absolutely phenomenal!” Both of these customer comments clearly show the enthusiasm many of our customers have for DR electric bass strings. These strings are distinguished by a number of special qualities - hand instead of computer controlled string winding, use of round instead of hexagonal cores on many of their strings, K3 “Hi-Performance” string coating in clear, color and neon, and drop tuning strings in a new patent pending construction. These features among others are found in twelve series of bass strings offered by DR.
Using a round instead of a hexagonal core makes a bass string more flexible while maintaining a brighter sound. Round cores can be found on Dragon Skin, Hi Beam, Sunbeam, Fat Beam, Jonas Helborg, Neon and Extra life Color Coated. Hex core strings are a bit stiffer, but equally bright and are used on the following series - Bootzilla, Drop Down Tuning, Long Neck, and both nickel and stainless wound Low Riders.
DR proudly takes the time to hand control string winding. Even though this is a slower process than computer assisted string winding, the human touch can compensate better during the winding process for the minor imperfections in the winding wire and creates a better string. Because bass strings have more mass than other strings, the advantage gained by the hand winding process is more discernible.
DR’s Hi Beam strings are fifteen sets of stainless steel, round wound on a round core and are their most popular bass guitar sets. Included in this series are 4, 5, and 6-string sets and long, extra-long and short scale sets. Wound on a round core, Hi-Beams are more flexible and less harshly bright than other stainless steel strings. They are also known for their long tone life, string to string consistency and balance, playing ease and non –abrasiveness on frets. Our customers say that the HI Beam sound is “Super Light, Super Bright, and super Funky (LR-30-120),” and has “…some of the richest fundamentals I've heard, a very pleasing sound with great detail and lots of interesting harmonics (LLR-40).” Their longevity and comfort is also praised by players - “these strings last three to four times longer than anything else I've ever used and they feel great (LMR-45-125),” and “these are bright, long lasting and have the low tension that I look for (LR-40).”
Low Riders are a series of ten sets with stainless steel, round wound on a hexagonal core strings. 4, 5, and 6-string sets in extra light to heavy gauges are available. Slightly stiffer than Hi Beams due to the hexagonal core, Lo Riders are very accurate for harmonics They provide a great depth of tone and have a big high end lending them well to slapping, popping and tapping. As with any DR string, they are consistent and have terrific string to string balance. Customers enjoy Lo Riders for their “deep sound” and their “stiffness causing less buzz” and “a great choice for playing fingerstyle modern rock on a fretted bass.” Another pleased player reports, “You get the crispness and clarity of stainless steel, with the warmth and body of nickel strings - best of both worlds! And they are relatively smooth to the touch (MH5-45).”
Nickel Lo Riders are nickel plated, round wound on hexagonal core strings designed for a more vintage sound and a smoother touch. They are available in nine sets of 4, 5, or 6-strings and in extra light to medium gauge. DR says “Lo-Riders Love to FUNK” and are balanced, last a long time and are have a lot of mid-range growl. They work very well on fretless basses. A NLH-40 player says, “First, you don’t have to work to get the sound to come out, it pours out effortlessly. Second, they feel awesome, are easier to play and have this loud, warm, midrangey sound that makes a jazz bass famous.”
Sunbeam bass strings are nickel plated, round wound on a round core in gauge ranges from extra light to medium. Eleven different sets are offered in 4, 5, or 6-strings and in short and long scale. These strings have both warmth and brilliance plus a smooth feel. Their lower tension means less stress on the instrument’s neck. An enhanced magnetic response compared to stainless steel occurs due to the nickel plated winding. “These strings lost their initial zing fairly quickly and settled into sugary smooth, melodic highs, very detailed mids with plenty of punch and growl, and nice tight controlled lows. Overall a well balanced sound that could be tweaked to almost any genre,” states an NLR-40 player. Another says, “…if you play with a lot of dynamics and nuance and you like a warm & colorful midrange, I recommend these very highly (NMR6-30-130).”
Fat Beams, stainless steel bass strings round wound on a round core, were developed with the help of Marcus Miller, the well known American composer, producer and bass player. Marcus Miller’s successful solo career has been complimented by his work with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Luther Vandross, among many others. He and DR technicians developed a round wound, stainless bass string with a “fatter, deeper, smoother” sound and a consistent feel from string to string and along the length of the string, while maintaining the flexibility of a round core string. Fat Beams are available in nine sets, including 4, 5, and 6-string sets and in light to medium gauges. “They're kind of the optimum hybrid string - with the deep gutsiness of stainless steel Lo-Riders, and the flexibility and smoothness of Hi-Beams - although Fat Beams may have just a bit more fundamental than either of the others,” explains a MM5-40 set player.
Four types of coated strings are made by DR – Extra Life Color Coated, Neon, Dragon Skin and Bootzilla. All use DR’s patented KM coating which many musicians say produce a sound equal to uncoated strings with more volume, clearness and expression, and with the added advantage of corrosion resistance and longer tone life.
The Extra Life Color Coated strings are DR’s Sunbeam, nickel plated, round wounds with a black, red or silver K3 coating. They are available in 4, 5 and 6-string sets and in light to heavy gauges (including one tapered string set). Our customers say that the Extra Life Color Coated strings have “the stainless steel sound with a much smoother feel,” and have much less string noise, are nicely tensioned and have better tone than other coated strings.
The Neon strings are DR’s High Beam, nickel-plated steel, round wound on round core strings with K3 coating in super bright green, orange, yellow or pink. These strings have amazing stage presence and even glow under a black light. Each color is available in medium gauge in 4, 5 and 6 string sets. “These green strings will attract attention as well as do a great job for the player” is a comment similar to those made by many Neon players who report great sounding, striking looking strings that are great for performance.
Dragon Skin’s are DR’s latest coated string. They have K3 clear coated their High Beam, stainless steel, round wound on round core strings. Six sets include 4, 5 and 6-string sets in light to medium gauges. DR boasts that these strings have more sound than most uncoated strings and have excellent tonal qualities.
Bootzilla sets are comprised of clear coated, stainless steel, round wound on a hexagonal core strings and come in two sets each of 4 and 5-strings. Developed with Bootsy Collins, who played with James Brown and is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bass player, these strings claim “Inner Planetary Funkmanship” and have a distinctive “crunchy” tone.
One of DR’s most recent string innovations is their five Drop Down Tuning sets in 4 and 5-strings options. These strings are made with a unique patented pending construction that enables accurate drop tuning with a clean, clear and consistent presentation. Our customers are impressed by these strings. One says that they “hold tuning well, have a full sound, consistent output string to string, intonation holds after adjusting and tension is good (DDT-45),” and “these strings are amazingly bright in dropped tunings(DDT-55)!”
Long Necks are taper core, stainless steel, round wound on a hexagonal core strings. They are available in seven sets of 4, 5 or 6-string sets from light to medium gauges. The tapered core string is wrapped only once around the core where the string goes over the bridge. This gives these strings more stability in the lower registers with more clarity and focus. A happy customer says, “I really like the tapered design, especially on the low B which helps with the note definition. Low end is beefy, and the top end is very smooth, not harsh at all. If you're looking for an aggressive sound, these are not the strings for you. Even though they are stainless steel, they are much more laid back in sound than most SS strings.”
The Jonas Helborg Signature set is comprised of pure nickel, single wrapped on a round, steel core strings. “The fundamentals are clear and the nickel coating makes the Helborg strings much easier on the fingers and the frets than other rounds I’ve used,” states a Helborg customer. “These strings are definitely worth a try if you are looking for a nickel-tone string that supports well in a band setting,” says another player. Customers also report that with these strings “the fundamental is cleaner, deeper and louder.”
Using a round instead of a hexagonal core makes a bass string more flexible while maintaining a brighter sound. Round cores can be found on Dragon Skin, Hi Beam, Sunbeam, Fat Beam, Jonas Helborg, Neon and Extra life Color Coated. Hex core strings are a bit stiffer, but equally bright and are used on the following series - Bootzilla, Drop Down Tuning, Long Neck, and both nickel and stainless wound Low Riders.
DR proudly takes the time to hand control string winding. Even though this is a slower process than computer assisted string winding, the human touch can compensate better during the winding process for the minor imperfections in the winding wire and creates a better string. Because bass strings have more mass than other strings, the advantage gained by the hand winding process is more discernible.
DR’s Hi Beam strings are fifteen sets of stainless steel, round wound on a round core and are their most popular bass guitar sets. Included in this series are 4, 5, and 6-string sets and long, extra-long and short scale sets. Wound on a round core, Hi-Beams are more flexible and less harshly bright than other stainless steel strings. They are also known for their long tone life, string to string consistency and balance, playing ease and non –abrasiveness on frets. Our customers say that the HI Beam sound is “Super Light, Super Bright, and super Funky (LR-30-120),” and has “…some of the richest fundamentals I've heard, a very pleasing sound with great detail and lots of interesting harmonics (LLR-40).” Their longevity and comfort is also praised by players - “these strings last three to four times longer than anything else I've ever used and they feel great (LMR-45-125),” and “these are bright, long lasting and have the low tension that I look for (LR-40).”
Low Riders are a series of ten sets with stainless steel, round wound on a hexagonal core strings. 4, 5, and 6-string sets in extra light to heavy gauges are available. Slightly stiffer than Hi Beams due to the hexagonal core, Lo Riders are very accurate for harmonics They provide a great depth of tone and have a big high end lending them well to slapping, popping and tapping. As with any DR string, they are consistent and have terrific string to string balance. Customers enjoy Lo Riders for their “deep sound” and their “stiffness causing less buzz” and “a great choice for playing fingerstyle modern rock on a fretted bass.” Another pleased player reports, “You get the crispness and clarity of stainless steel, with the warmth and body of nickel strings - best of both worlds! And they are relatively smooth to the touch (MH5-45).”
Nickel Lo Riders are nickel plated, round wound on hexagonal core strings designed for a more vintage sound and a smoother touch. They are available in nine sets of 4, 5, or 6-strings and in extra light to medium gauge. DR says “Lo-Riders Love to FUNK” and are balanced, last a long time and are have a lot of mid-range growl. They work very well on fretless basses. A NLH-40 player says, “First, you don’t have to work to get the sound to come out, it pours out effortlessly. Second, they feel awesome, are easier to play and have this loud, warm, midrangey sound that makes a jazz bass famous.”
Sunbeam bass strings are nickel plated, round wound on a round core in gauge ranges from extra light to medium. Eleven different sets are offered in 4, 5, or 6-strings and in short and long scale. These strings have both warmth and brilliance plus a smooth feel. Their lower tension means less stress on the instrument’s neck. An enhanced magnetic response compared to stainless steel occurs due to the nickel plated winding. “These strings lost their initial zing fairly quickly and settled into sugary smooth, melodic highs, very detailed mids with plenty of punch and growl, and nice tight controlled lows. Overall a well balanced sound that could be tweaked to almost any genre,” states an NLR-40 player. Another says, “…if you play with a lot of dynamics and nuance and you like a warm & colorful midrange, I recommend these very highly (NMR6-30-130).”
Fat Beams, stainless steel bass strings round wound on a round core, were developed with the help of Marcus Miller, the well known American composer, producer and bass player. Marcus Miller’s successful solo career has been complimented by his work with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Luther Vandross, among many others. He and DR technicians developed a round wound, stainless bass string with a “fatter, deeper, smoother” sound and a consistent feel from string to string and along the length of the string, while maintaining the flexibility of a round core string. Fat Beams are available in nine sets, including 4, 5, and 6-string sets and in light to medium gauges. “They're kind of the optimum hybrid string - with the deep gutsiness of stainless steel Lo-Riders, and the flexibility and smoothness of Hi-Beams - although Fat Beams may have just a bit more fundamental than either of the others,” explains a MM5-40 set player.
Four types of coated strings are made by DR – Extra Life Color Coated, Neon, Dragon Skin and Bootzilla. All use DR’s patented KM coating which many musicians say produce a sound equal to uncoated strings with more volume, clearness and expression, and with the added advantage of corrosion resistance and longer tone life.
The Extra Life Color Coated strings are DR’s Sunbeam, nickel plated, round wounds with a black, red or silver K3 coating. They are available in 4, 5 and 6-string sets and in light to heavy gauges (including one tapered string set). Our customers say that the Extra Life Color Coated strings have “the stainless steel sound with a much smoother feel,” and have much less string noise, are nicely tensioned and have better tone than other coated strings.
The Neon strings are DR’s High Beam, nickel-plated steel, round wound on round core strings with K3 coating in super bright green, orange, yellow or pink. These strings have amazing stage presence and even glow under a black light. Each color is available in medium gauge in 4, 5 and 6 string sets. “These green strings will attract attention as well as do a great job for the player” is a comment similar to those made by many Neon players who report great sounding, striking looking strings that are great for performance.
Dragon Skin’s are DR’s latest coated string. They have K3 clear coated their High Beam, stainless steel, round wound on round core strings. Six sets include 4, 5 and 6-string sets in light to medium gauges. DR boasts that these strings have more sound than most uncoated strings and have excellent tonal qualities.
Bootzilla sets are comprised of clear coated, stainless steel, round wound on a hexagonal core strings and come in two sets each of 4 and 5-strings. Developed with Bootsy Collins, who played with James Brown and is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bass player, these strings claim “Inner Planetary Funkmanship” and have a distinctive “crunchy” tone.
One of DR’s most recent string innovations is their five Drop Down Tuning sets in 4 and 5-strings options. These strings are made with a unique patented pending construction that enables accurate drop tuning with a clean, clear and consistent presentation. Our customers are impressed by these strings. One says that they “hold tuning well, have a full sound, consistent output string to string, intonation holds after adjusting and tension is good (DDT-45),” and “these strings are amazingly bright in dropped tunings(DDT-55)!”
Long Necks are taper core, stainless steel, round wound on a hexagonal core strings. They are available in seven sets of 4, 5 or 6-string sets from light to medium gauges. The tapered core string is wrapped only once around the core where the string goes over the bridge. This gives these strings more stability in the lower registers with more clarity and focus. A happy customer says, “I really like the tapered design, especially on the low B which helps with the note definition. Low end is beefy, and the top end is very smooth, not harsh at all. If you're looking for an aggressive sound, these are not the strings for you. Even though they are stainless steel, they are much more laid back in sound than most SS strings.”
The Jonas Helborg Signature set is comprised of pure nickel, single wrapped on a round, steel core strings. “The fundamentals are clear and the nickel coating makes the Helborg strings much easier on the fingers and the frets than other rounds I’ve used,” states a Helborg customer. “These strings are definitely worth a try if you are looking for a nickel-tone string that supports well in a band setting,” says another player. Customers also report that with these strings “the fundamental is cleaner, deeper and louder.”
