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DR Black Beautie Strings - never again....


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Just a little rant about the DR Black Beautie strings - I've had 3 sets of them now and EVERY single packet had a fault with them. The second and third set were replacements from the supplier after both had faulty (dead) strings and I've just strung my Vigier with the third replacement set and lo and behold its got a duff G string.

Absolute and utter overpriced rubbish. I've gone back to Ernie Ball hybrid slinkys that I've used for years with not one duff set - they sound better to me and are consistent.

I only tried them because of good reviews and fancied giving them a go - I should realise by now to not believe most things you read in reviews....

Rant over.....moving on !!

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To be fair I haven't tried the other strings in the DR range and, to be honest, I don't think I will. I can accept that there will sometimes be bad strings but to have 3 separate packs all with the same problem (dead strings) is unacceptable. The fact that they are marketed (and priced) at a premium level makes my experience with them even more disappointing. But hey, you live and learn - it isn't the first and certainly won't be the last bad purchase I make....

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it's a shame because from what I hear, they are very quick and eager to try and resolve problems to the customer's satisfaction. Not only that but most people who actually get a good set tend to rave about them. I wanted to try their Neon range for a while but all the reports of bad QC have put me right off.

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No complaints about their customer service both in the UK and USA - they sent a replacement set out very quickly (which was faulty ahem...)

It's just a shame that this product seems to be so inconsistent (in my experience)

They do seem overpriced for what you (don't) get. Even if they were under £20 / pack it would be unacceptable to have such a perceived high failure rate.

As I said - i won't be using them again and will stick to a more reliable and consistent manufacturer.

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I went through a phase of using them because they sound nice, feel nice and look so cool but, yes, the black chips off very quickly if you are a heavy-handed pick player like me. You can touch it in with marker pen but it isn't the same and eventually I got fed up with paying a lot of money for them. But, I never had an issue with quality - maybe it is a current qc issue?

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Another duff G string here as well. This is my second set in about 2 years and the G sounded duller than the others. I got in touch with the place i got them from and they sent me a new G.
The funny thing is i never fitted it. I needed to use the bass for a couple of gigs in the meantime and just got used to it, or never really noticed it.

Im sticking with BB's as i think they feel nice, sound good and look good with a maple fretboard.

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Sounds right, i bought a set recently that had a completely dead G string, but in fairness to them they replaced it without fuss nice and promptly. I'd never pay full price again for them though, really not that special.

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I had a set of the new coating BB's, liked the feel, the only problem I had with them is that they caused some kind of interference and crackle (like a grounding issue) on my basses, tried it on an active Ray and also passive P and Jazz and they did it on all of them, through different amps as well. Not sure if it was down to the coating or what? Nice strings otherwise.

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I used to love them. Once they changed the coating and 'improved' the formula I had a run of dead G strings and they lost their zing really quickly. The last straw was an A string breaking on a sound check.
I use D'Addario's now at less than half price and they are lasting a lot longer than my last sets of DR's were.
It's a real shame as they look so good on a bass.

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[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1368698767' post='2080251']
I had a set of the new coating BB's, liked the feel, the only problem I had with them is that they caused some kind of interference and crackle (like a grounding issue) on my basses, tried it on an active Ray and also passive P and Jazz and they did it on all of them, through different amps as well. Not sure if it was down to the coating or what? Nice strings otherwise.
[/quote]

I think you're right. Ive been trying to figure out when the slight buzz has been coming from with my P bass, and noticed it only happens with the BB's on.


[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1368699952' post='2080269']
I used to love them. Once they changed the coating and 'improved' the formula I had a run of dead G strings and they lost their zing really quickly. The last straw was an A string breaking on a sound check.
I use D'Addario's now at less than half price and they are lasting a lot longer than my last sets of DR's were.
It's a real shame as they look so good on a bass.
[/quote]

Agreed. The older coating was much nicer IMO. I do like the tone and look. It was only the look that attracted me to them at first, I thought they would look great on a my white Jazz, but i grew to love them very quickly onc ei started playing them.

I had a set of Orange Neons when they first came out but never really took to them.

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  • 11 months later...

Hi folks, the same problem happened to me twice. I ordered a Black Beauties brand new set and the G String sounded flat and dull as hell. I asked for a replacement and I had a single G string shipped right away. When it arrived, I set it up and...same thing, dull string. So, I'm basically done with the Black Beauties, but I'm disapointed because they look neat and sound great when they're not dull. So, I was wondering if the same thing happens with the other colored coated DR K3 strings (Red Devils, Cool Blue) and also the neon coated ones. Is it only a problem with the Black Beauties or with all the coated DR k3 strings. Because I really liked the sound of these coated strings and find it neat to have colored strings on my bass. As well, I'm starting a video game music band and having some blue neon srtings would be the balls! Thanks for replying, that would be much appreciated.

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[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1399834402' post='2448178']
The neons have duff G strings as well. Plus they die after about 2 gigs, faster than uncoated strings. Oh and the coating comes off and makes a mess of your fretboard and hardware.
[/quote]
Christ, and I thought I hit them hard.
Just had a thought, you have to make sure you're don't damaging the coating when you pull them through the bridge

Edited by PaulWarning
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Never again Neons and Black Beauties ! ... neons have no sound at all and black beauties sound like guts.
Now experimenting with Nexus - black coated from Rotosoiund - first impression was negative but slowly with time I change my mind.
I find them interesting, selective, delicate - plenty room for expression ... probably not good for playing hard
Generally I stay with good old D'Addario although they age fast

M

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[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1399834402' post='2448178']
The neons have duff G strings as well. Plus they die after about 2 gigs, faster than uncoated strings. Oh and the coating comes off and makes a mess of your fretboard and hardware.
[/quote]

Wow how hard do you play?? I've had neons on my 4 string for nearly 4 years now, and only just starting to flake a bit on the E string where I use the pick (not often I grant you, mainly fingerstyle player) Admittedly I hate 'bright' string sounds anyway, but to go through a set in 2 gigs? wow!

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