DR Black Beauty Strings // Bass Strings Review

[@ethanclem3383]

Just got a set of these in the mail today. After about 20 minutes of playing, I was tuning the A string and I heard a pop. It immediately drop tuned and then was un-tuneable. The wire had started unwinding from around the core wire. I didn’t do anything wrong and I am familiar with re stringing my bass. It’s always so disappointing to get something defective, especially because I love the way they look and feel and sound. Update: DR sent me a replacement set. They sound great and haven’t broken lol. 5 stars for customer service.

[@ethanclem3383]

Btw your reviews are amazing

[@adronge]

You should contact DR...they have great customer service and stand behind their products

[@daviddesmond2143]

You may have put it on improperly. DR has instructions which must be followed to get the best performance with the string. If you contact DR, they will do something about your problem. They replaced a string set for me in the past.

[@selfactualizer2099]

Ethan, it's just a defective part, it happens Just let them know and they'll take good care of you

[@connorhart7597]

Products always have a chance of malfunctioning. It's the companies response that really makes the difference. Bought a grille for my bronco years and years ago, they sent me one for a Durango, and wouldn't replace it. Never bought anything else from there again. Had a ridgid brand impact driver up on a pergola screwing in corrugated steel on the top, my buddy Abel (we called him Abuela cause he was old for the construction business) thought it would be funny to throw my drill down, it hit concrete, and broke in a few places, and the batteries wouldn't click in. Called em up, and they replaced it no questions asked. MASSIVE difference. It's worth paying extra for good customer service.

[@t.j.meechan682]

Great review man. I wasn't a huge fan of these strings when i tried them in the past, but like you said everyone has there own opinion. I will say i love the look of them if thats something that matters to you, then you will definitely love them. Have a good one brotha man!

[@RumblinMan]

T.J. Meechan yeah bro! I like them but do not love them. They take power away. Great to hear from ya man.

[@ChrisDavis1975]

T.J. Meechan Yeah I agree with you 100%.

[@BlackRootsAcademyOfSoul]

I just installed mine (heavy gauge) on my Status Graphite Custom S2 Classic 5 Strings Headless Bass yesterday. Let me see how that goes 🤞🏿 They sound great if your Bass is drop down tuned like mine is. Robust and tight. Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿❤️

[@erickh82082]

Haven’t changed my strings in 7 years and still sound fresh

[@RumblinMan]

THAT is cool!!!

[@doknox]

Good to know. Been 2yrs for mine so far. I was thinking I should change them but they still sound great. I think I'll wait. Lol

[@neilcarlonolasco1813]

I have my Dr Neon multi color for almost 3 yrs now. Still sounds great but thinking of replacing it with new ones.

[@joelalexander4513]

Are you gonna do neon again when you change them?@@neilcarlonolasco1813

[@FynnFTW]

oh.... you one of those....

[@boxnbanjo8757]

Always great in depth info and exceptional playing!

[@RumblinMan]

Boxnbanjo thank you!!

[@victorpandiwijaya9982]

Would you give personal opinion, which one better, Elixir or DR black beauty. Thanks!

[@RumblinMan]

Elixir.

[@victorpandiwijaya9982]

@@RumblinMan thanks for your reply!

[@ravelitschimo]

I agree. What do you think about Sheehans Strings? I like them for D-Tuning.

[@RumblinMan]

Gotthilf Bigamiluschvatokovtschvili I never have tried them! I’d like to though!!

[@aarondavis4341]

They definitely bring that "FENDER TONE",on that Pbass,they almost sound like a flatwound,they sound good on the jazz,that's what I'm thinking about getting these for,my jazz 5er

[@sabin97]

thanks for the review, you earned yet another like. i ordered a set of these today for my 6string....hopefully they will be good.

[@RumblinMan]

sabin97 thanks and God bless you!

[@calin3983]

Would they be good on an Epiphone EB3? Mainly for stoner rock. If not, what should I use instead?

[@RumblinMan]

You might like them!

[@wmg1958]

1. Is the "scooped midrange" sound something you could mitigate with EQ? 2. What is your "Go To" string set? 3. Mine is D'Addario ETB92 Nylon Tapewound, a great classic Rock/R&B set...how do you think these would compare to the Black Beauties?

[@RumblinMan]

My go-to’s are the DR Strings Dragon Skin rounds, the Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats, and the Dunlop flats. I still feel like the Black Beauties weaken your tone, and I’ve heard them absolutely fail in live scenarios. But, some people like them.

[@rifleman7313]

Honestly I just started out learning to play Bass. However my Bass is black outlined sunburst with (black neck, black headstock, black knobs, black tuners). With silver frets, silver markings on the fretboard, silver markings on the headstock. So black strings would only be for appearance. As I'm nowhere near good enough to even tell the difference very much.

[@neilcarlonolasco1813]

Try using the neon ones like yellow or neon green. Those would pop out on your bass

[@rifleman7313]

@@neilcarlonolasco1813 Thanks for your thoughts and input.

[@neilcarlonolasco1813]

I have a same black bass, black body and neck and all with chrome logo print. I am also thinking of what to put either Dr Neon yellow strings or try the R. Cocco gold strings. Can't find any reviews on YT on that string

[@leonardpoindexter5289]

Watched your vid a few days ago. Decided to try them on my Tony Franklin fretless and man they sound great. Thanks for the info.

[@RumblinMan]

Awesome!! Congrats.

[@evenseb7574]

I tried them, and will not buy them again. Problem is, that they sound old from day one, and then the point of getting new strings is absent. The coating also disappeared in the right hand plucking area pretty fast. Think i will try to use some strong liquid to get the sort of plastic coating off, and use them as blank rounds. I never got used to the elixir strings either, that plastic feel to play on.. If the sound changes to the better, I will tell you!

[@jamesgretsch4894]

That's a beautiful bass you have. Is that Lake Placid Blue? Love the color and the black pickguard goes great with it.

[@dbanton83]

Great review mate. I’m getting these for my pbass👊🏾 respect

[@RumblinMan]

dbanton83 God bless you bro! Thanks for the kind words! 👊🏻

[@dbanton83]

I have got the strings . They feel, look and sound great

[@offtherealm5438]

The jury is still out.......for me.....for any bass string. I've liked many strings, but not sure if I ever loved any particular set. I just got a set of these DR Black Beauties....they sound OK, but lack some treble zing. Nonetheless I'm gonna try to record with them. In recent times DR in general has been my go to, due to the round core and lower tension. I hope they record good.

[@Integer_Overload]

I run a set of these on my Ibanez with a Tuber Screamer overdrive pedal. Love the way then play

[@RumblinMan]

T Conger nice!

[@shaggymotionless4269]

Ye I have a black ibanez, it currently has Neon strings on it but when those die I'm gonna try the Black Beauty strings

[@Integer_Overload]

@@shaggymotionless4269 very nice!

[@shardnz]

Fantastic review RM! Your guitar playing is always inspiring! The DR strings are top of my 'to try' list when my current strings need replacing. Thanks Rumblin Man and congrats on the growing Sub! You certainly deserve higher numbers!

[@RumblinMan]

shardnz always great to here from you my friend. Thank you for the encouragement. If you try DR’s bass strings, I recommend checking out the neon strings, or, for a more regular feel, the Pure Blues strings.

[@ChrisDavis1975]

I’ve got that same Squier, dude. I’m pleasantly surprised with its feel & sound. I have decided to keep the stock pickups in it for now. I did change out the pick guard for a faux black pearl one. I also put abalone topped black knobs on it too.

[@RumblinMan]

Chris Davis very nice upgrades bro!!! I was never blown away by the stock pickups. That said, I’ve never heard the stock pickups with anything other than black beauties on them, which done exactly make a bass shine.

[@ChrisDavis1975]

Rumblin Man Well, the reason I’m inclined to keep the stock pickups in there is every time I play it at church, I get compliments on its sound. I’ve had some higher end basses before & some of my bandmates say the Squier sounds just as good. These guys aren’t tone deaf either. 😄 It’s probably like a lot of other things: personal preference.

[@RumblinMan]

Chris Davis nice, man!! I’ve had the same experience with higher end Squiers. They sound just as good.

[@ChrisDavis1975]

Rumblin Man I’m enjoying the gear reviews & discussion!

[@Ninjatrouble]

9:36 MMMMM My ear holes are moist after that

[@jeffreyyyy3052]

Just broke my d&g waiting for mine look forward to it!

[@RumblinMan]

Not a serial killer Not a dealer sweet!

[@h.b1035]

What size strings would I need for my fender jazz bass ???

[@RumblinMan]

the bass conisseur I always recommend light gauge.

[@h.b1035]

@@RumblinMan Ok thanks

[@chiphargis3703]

What’s your opinion about putting these strings on a Sire M2 second Generation 4 string?

[@RumblinMan]

Chip Hargis depending on the style of music you’re playing, I think these could sound really great on a Sire.

[@chiphargis3703]

Rumblin Man Funk and Jazz?

[@RumblinMan]

Chip Hargis great for that

[@danewallace9196]

Are you kidding? They sound amazing, I've never heard a P bass sound so good, great bite. The jazz bass sounded even better, even more bite. I might try these on my Modulus Quantum 6. I suspect it could be a winner, warming up the lows and highs coming from the high 'modulus' graphite construction...

[@RumblinMan]

Dane Wallace meh. Depends on genre I guess.

[@skincareprove5598]

I value the content on content . Many thanks!

[@RumblinMan]

SkinCareProve thank you!

[@turq1824]

What do you think about putting these on a Warwick?

[@RumblinMan]

Worth a try! I’ve decided I don’t like these strings though.

[@owenbakker1743]

What pedals/effects are you using on the jam at the beginning?

[@DreidMusicalX]

I was looking for reviews on these pickups when I asked you about these strings on your other video. I just ordered the Jazz pickup and a Hipshot Kickass 4 Bridge for this new bass I got to upgrade and make it my own little style. I'm not as good a Bass player as a I am a guitar player thats for sure. But I'm learning. Ill be getting the P Pickups of these in a couple weeks. My wife gets on me if I spend too much money at one time on musical stuff. haha! But thanks for the videos and giving me something to think about. I subscribed and looking to more of your videos.

[@RumblinMan]

DreidMusicalX thank you bro!! God bless and enjoy the gear. 😃

[@billytscherne4643]

Well done vid. In your opinion nickels or steel on active thax

[@RumblinMan]

Billy Tscherne thanks very much for the kind words! I appreciate it. I personally would choose steel over nickel, but a great alternative is nickel-plated steel.

[@crypticdon]

I thought these strings were terrible. They steal sooo much punch and power. Ran a set on mt 4003W into a SVT and seriously couldn't believe the amount of punch these strings remove

[@RumblinMan]

crypticdon I absolutely AGREE 100%.

[@alejandrotrama9072]

Same opinion here. Did you find a nice coated strings for the bass. (Mine is Squier Classic Vibe 50s precision bass) Thanks in advance

[@crypticdon]

@@alejandrotrama9072 Rotosound Nexus are pretty awesome

[@strat-oq1hx]

Great video and strings!!

[@RumblinMan]

Strat_ 5198 thanks bro!!

[@KingBollock]

I’d love to hear a comparison between these and Elixir Nanoweb coated strings. I have the Elixirs on a couple of basses and I love ‘em, but I tried some other strings on my Warlock and I hate them, so I am thinking of getting Elixirs for it as well (but they’re so bloomin’ expensive!). I was wondering about the Black Beauties because I thought black coloured strings would look ace on the entirely black Warlock. I once tried flatwounds on it and couldn’t get a useable sound with them (they’re now on a different, passive bass and they sound lovely on it).

[@RumblinMan]

KingBollock hey man. Thanks for sharing. Maybe you need something brighter on the W bass?? Honestly, I hate the Black Beauties at this point. They just don’t sound lively to me and don’t play that great. Have you tried MJC Ironworks strings??? Their stainless steels are pretty sweet.

[@KingBollock]

Rumblin Man Almost immediately after posting this I found a video of someone who did a side-by-side comparison of Elixirs and Black Beauties. I thought they sounded really good, surprisingly bright and growly considering some of the reviews I have read (by people that both like and dislike that characteristic). However, one thing that most of them seem to agree on is that they feel rough. The thing I like the most about Elixir Nanowebs is how smooth they feel (and, to me, they sound awesome). Rough strings would be a deal breaker for me, no matter how cool they might look, and the look of the Black Beauties is the only reason they turned my head in the first place. I haven’t tried Ironworks strings, I shall give them a look but, at this point, I am thinking of sticking with Elixirs. There was a time I would never have considered spending £40-£50+ on a set of bass strings, I begrudged spending £15. But I once filled in a questionnaire for Elixir and they sent me a free 5 string set. It worked, they hooked me right in! So, thanks for the reply, you have probably saved me a lot (relatively speaking) of money and hassle. I might have still given them a go if I had another, lesser used bass that I could move them onto, but the only other four string that I have has Chromes flatwounds on it and they sound lovely and will probably outlive me.

[@RumblinMan]

KingBollock yeah Chromes rock. And I would agree that Elixir has excellent customer service!! You might wanna try DR Strings Pure Blues bass strings. I think you’d like them. They sound bright and they’re smooth to the touch. I had them on a bass for many months and really loved playing on them.

[@CNick75]

So if I am playing with a pick with some slap mixed in and I want something between flats and rounds then these might be the way to go?

[@RumblinMan]

StrangerDanger in my opinion, you would like these. To me, that’s exactly where they shine.

[@CNick75]

@@RumblinMan Thanks, I have heard about noise because of the coating. Any issues with hum?

[@RumblinMan]

StrangerDanger interesting. No, I haven’t experienced any noise from the strings. In fact, I think they deaden the sound a bit. Just my experience. The K3 coating is a lot different than the other types of coating out there like NYXL and Elixir.

[@CNick75]

Rumblin Man what I mean is electronic hum not string noise. Sorry

[@RumblinMan]

StrangerDanger I get electric hum from a lot of basses, but it usually doesn’t have much to do with the strings.

[@petertribby]

Great review. I really appreciate your clean channel and nice talent. God bless you as well.

[@RumblinMan]

petertribby thank you for this very nice comment!!

[@christophervaphiadis6177]

What are those tuning machines on your jazz bass?

[@RumblinMan]

Christopher Vaphiadis standard tuners

[@ricardopacheco1680]

Could I put these on my acoustic bass?

[@RumblinMan]

You could, but it wouldn’t sound great.

[@jasoncothran5020]

Great review. I have become a fan of the daddario NY XL strings. My only gripe is that the new string sound doesn’t last that long.

[@RumblinMan]

Jason C. Hey bro! Thank you. Yeah - honestly, I haven’t tried the NYXL bass strings because everyone I talk to disses them! 😭

[@jasoncothran5020]

@@RumblinMan you should give them a try if you get a chance.

[@RumblinMan]

Jason C. I’d like to!!

[@davidgoode7416]

Awesome!

[@eddybass68]

first let me say you da man rumblin man!! the black beauties though are a decent string for some things, theyre not very mid friendly. definitely mid scooped sounding. mids mids mids bass players best friend.

[@WoodysPickle]

Getting a Ernie Ball MusicMan Stingray. Going tog get some Black Beauties for it

[@funkbasscorsario1400]

Awesome strings & review!!

[@RumblinMan]

Funkbass Corsario thank you my brother in the Lord!

[@t.j.meechan682]

I don't know if you have ever checked out the band Moe. but i think you would like them. Rebubula is a great song. Just a little advice for some inspiration if you are looking for it. Appreciate ya Rumblin Man!

[@RumblinMan]

T.J. Meechan I’ll have to check that out bro!! Thanks.

[@bowds7]

Has anyone tried these on a frett less bass? Do they give a good growl?

[@bassimprovjams3772]

XT is the way to go!

[@mjblanco3114]

This is perfect for my bass I have a cort b4 that has bartolini soapbars in it and has a huge emphasis on the mids

[@neilcarlonolasco1813]

I bought the same 2 months ago. I got the all black cort b4. I am thinking on what string i am going to get.

[@jayronsacor1227]

How's the coating?

[@RumblinMan]

Slippery.

[@jayronsacor1227]

@@RumblinMan how many month Before the coating disappear

[@RumblinMan]

@@jayronsacor1227 I think the coating could last at least a year.

[@chris44130]

These strings sound AMAZING on my Fender Kingman V2

[@RumblinMan]

christopher luman Awesome! That’s an acoustic bass right?

[@chris44130]

An acoustic electric. It sounds great for Sunday morning church service.

[@RumblinMan]

christopher luman NICE, bro!! I love the Kingman basses!

[@frankperricone2065]

I Wanted to try something different, I usually use Roto sounds Rounds on my Fender P and on My 2014 Squier P with PJ pups, in fact it's a Lake Placid blue Squier that I put a Fender Highmass bridge on and my Fender J I put D'Addario chrome XL flats, once and I will make a change on one of basses but I usually got back to what I like. So for my Thunderbird I decided to try the Black Beauties for a change because a buddy of mine put them on his P bass and I tried his bass and I like the way they felt, not paying attention much to the sound and I put them on the Thunderbird and they feel nice but did not like the sound. Then I tried them on a different Squier P and did not like the sound. So they feel good to me but could not get a good sound out of to totally sounding basses. Took them off the Squier and put back the rounds, so now I have a $35 pair of pretty much new strings that I will probably not use, and I tried, between the controls on the bass and the EQ on my amp I could not get a usable sound, even 2 different amps, an Ampeg and Fender Rumble. Anyone want to buy a pair of faily new strings. Ha Ha

[@RumblinMan]

I feel ya. I heard a friend use a set of these live, on a really good bass… but they took all the power out of the sound. They’re some of the worst strings anyone can use.

[@frankperricone2065]

@@RumblinMan That probably took the wind of him, itsO.K. trying new strings, or trying a new pedal at home or rehearsal, but has to take the enthusiasm out of you playing live in front of people knowing something feels wrong or sounds wrong. It happens, that's why I try new things at practice.

[@RumblinMan]

@@frankperricone2065 yeah man. I feel ya on that.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

I have to agree I have them on ONE of my basses also my other basses have XT nickle plated stainless steel .

[@Trejay93]

That jazz bass demo made my ears cream

[@danielschmaderer]

I absolutely hate the black beauty strings. While they sound nice and feel nice at first, I’ve used them 3 times and every time the black coating wore off, it was absolutely painful to use. Never had that issue in my life with strings. Am I the only one who has this issue?

[@RumblinMan]

Yeah the black coating definitely wears off.

[@danielschmaderer]

@@RumblinMan I was fine with them wearing off, I just didn’t like how it felt like razor blades, which I’ve never felt with strings before. Thought it was a bad batch until I got them again a second and third time. Couldn’t deal with it anymore, especially when playing shows and dealing with it throughout a set.

[@RumblinMan]

@@danielschmaderer yeah. There’s nothing worse than when a piece of gear slows you down on stage.

[@ericzinc111_]

What’s the bass piece in 0:00 to 0:52 in the beginning?

[@RumblinMan]

ericzinc 111 just made it up!

[@ericzinc111_]

Rumblin Man nice 👍

[@ericeastman2427]

They kinda remind me of a seasoned string set like if your looking for that broke in sound. When you get them they sound very trebly and a dark sounding bottom end very focused bottom end the problem with these strings the G string has no balls and goes flat fast very fast actually the whole set goes dull quick not what you would expect from strings that are coated you would thing they would last longer but no the same as any other uncoated string maybe go dull faster Boomer's are really the uncoated string that holds its tension. Not to count out DR altogether the dragon skin bass strings are worth it because they hold there life way longer then uncoated strings

[@RumblinMan]

Great observations.

[@nayr87]

I actually use the 5 string set on a four tuned to standard as the beauties are extremely low tension my strings are E 120 A 100 D 80 G 60 With any other strings it's not doable but I find it works really well and they last as long as you run them down with iso

[@mjmason75]

Always round wounds for me!!

[@joedecker3900]

Great for Black Sabbath

[@Unlocked985]

I like the strings just don’t like percussion or pj basses

[@j.juarez9526]

Great review. I'm on the fence with DR becuase I really did not like the Bootzillas.

[@RumblinMan]

Yeah I feel ya. I probably won’t get Black Beauties again just for some of the reasons I mentioned in this video. I do however really like the DR Pure Blues strings.

[@TheTake0verTTO]

I have a 4 string bass and I use the 5th string as the top string and it sounds good for like doom stoner metal 😂😂

[@GabrielMillerd]

I would take a moment and look at the wave form on what the string is doing versus your others, you seem to have the gear right there. This and other strings comparisons might speak well to what you were trying to articulate.

[@vetoedimpersonator4478]

Nice

[@RumblinMan]

Vetoed Impersonator thank you sir!

[@BlackRootsAcademyOfSoul]

They sound like Flats. 🤔

[@skmaritime_5]

TOO MUCH TALK..AWESOME PLAYING BUT TONE DOWNM THE TALK NOT CONCERNING STRINGS