mcnach Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 Fat Beams arrived today. VIsually they look very much like the ones in the bass... this could be a winner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 i got dunlops which look similar - also punch full sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 9, 2013 Author Share Posted February 9, 2013 Thanks to those who suggested the Ernie Ball strings. No, they are not the strings in my SUB, but I put them in a Jazz and they feel and sound great. I think I like them better than my usual D'Addario ones, as they are not as bright and seem to have stronger low mids... Still haven't tried the Fat Beams... maybe later today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Hurry up, we need to know what you think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 9, 2013 Author Share Posted February 9, 2013 Ok ok... so I changed strings at last. The Fat Beams look a bit less shiny than the old ones The windings on the E and A strings look identical, but the wire around the D string looks a bit thinner on the Fat Beams... so unless they have changed, perhaps my strings were not Fat Beams after all. Also, the E string's taper starts a bit later on the Fat Beams than on my old strings... but only by about 8mm or so... As they claim their operation is very "manual" then maybe it's normal to have this string to string variation. Conclusion through visual clues: very close, but I am not certain they are the same strings I had. However... I first just replaced the G string. That's the one that broke in the slapfest that is Blackeyed Blonde, and was replaced onstage by a G string from a D'addario XL170 set, and found to be noticeably wimpier on the lower midrange... So I put the new G string on... and besides extra brightness (it's new!) it sounded very well balanced compared to the EAD from the old set. The string felt a bit stiffer than I remembered... but can't be sure. What I know is that it's not wimpy sounding, I liked what I heard. So I replaced the other three. They feel good. They don't feel much different from my old strings, if at all. The sound is glorious. Very full. They are bright, but not clanky, and the treble control on the SUB takes care of it very nicely. They sound fat, but well defined. Strong midrange, as several people said. If my old strings were not Fat Beams, they were very similar tonally, that's for sure. So, I guess I will use this bass tomorrow (and take the Stingray as backup, with the Ernie Ball Cobalts on, which I'm starting to like after the ultra bright zing started to die off)... That will be the proper test. If it sounds as clear and powerful as I'm used to, using the same rig, at the same place, with the same band... then I won't care whether my old strings were Fat Beams or not, and I'll know that my future strings will be Fat Beams. Thanks to everybody who participated in this (fascinating ) thread and helped me find the Fat Beams. They sound great, at least the the volumes I was allowed at this time at night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 (edited) I know stainless steel strings look a bit dull, they also sometimes feel a bit "grabby" under the fingers when they're new but after a week or so they seem to smooth off, maybe they'll get shinier too! Anyway they should last you a while, I put some on my Jazzes back in September and they're only just starting to go off a bit. Edited February 10, 2013 by Fat Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Great! I'm sure you will love 'em in all situations. Fat Rich is right, they can feel a bit sticky when new, but they become more playable over time and they progressively sound better too, imho. And as has been said more than once here, they last for ages. Another thing I noticed with them is that they stay in tune almost immediately, they don't seem to stretch much from new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 Well, I played the Fat Beams last night. They are good strings... but they did not have that punch the other strings had... They sounded "hefty" in the house, but once in "real life", they were nice, but lacked a bit of body compared to the ones I had on. Hmmmm. So, yeah, pretty nice strings, I have to say I like their tone and I'm quite likely to buy them again at some point. But I don't think they are the same ones I had. Ah well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Might just be because they're super fresh out of the packet, they might sound more hefty when they lose their initial zing. As mentioned before, I find Status Hotwires have the strongest fundamental, plus a little top end zingyness. And they're cheap too, maybe give them a try next.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 [quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1360604225' post='1973197'] Might just be because they're super fresh out of the packet, they might sound more hefty when they lose their initial zing. As mentioned before, I find Status Hotwires have the strongest fundamental, plus a little top end zingyness. And they're cheap too, maybe give them a try next.. [/quote] It is possible that as they get more use they turn more into what I like. Actually, I don't think I really like ANY string fresh from the packet, I need to "grease them up" a bit first. I have to say they feel and sound good, and maybe upping up the gauge on the G may be more to my liking... and that way I'll get away from the Marcus Miller shadow On another slightly related note... the "boring" Ernie Ball strings are a bit of a revelation. I put them on a Jazz, and they are pretty nice too. And it makes me wonder... because they look a LOT like the old strings I had on the SUB. A lot. I said they were not the ones on the SUB... but I don't know what I was looking at, as the string ends are identical and so is the winding wire... There is a difference in the way the E string tapers at the headstock end... but then the old E was a 105 and the one I have here on the Jazz is a 100, so that can account for the difference. I know it's a different bass... but I'm taking this one to rehearsal tonight... let's see. Status Hotwires. I keep hearing about them. I guess I should try them at some point too. This is one thing I miss about guitar... strings were so cheap, and you even get extra strings on some sets! Experimenting on strings for bass it's expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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