DR Strings Black Beauties BKB-45 Coated Black Bass Guitar Strings – Medium Gauge, Medium Scale (BKB-45)

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.

Bought these several times love them and they look and sound amazing!

Best looking strings amazing sound quality, material fair price… There was no way I could not buy these strings and besides they make my guitar and Bass look stage ready and heck it looks like it’s ready for a Photoshoot for a cover of a magazine

Hard to beat the price. Not a real fan of the sound or feel, but I spent less to sell a bass and they look really great.

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....

Been using the DR black beauty strings for a while they sound great and very, very happy with them would definitely recommend

Been using these exclusively for the last ten years on my Kubicki. They have bright but not brassy tone, feel great, hold tune, last for months, and look badass against a black fretboard.

I love these strings. They have a ton of growl and play incredibly well on a Fender Jazz Bass.

I would guess that if you are reading this, then you are either already a DR String user, or are tempted but are not quite sure whether to pull the trigger. If you're already a DR user and haven't yet tried these, then do. They are another tonal and sonic dimension to the already wide range of what DR have to offer. I've used them both through a live amp setup and through a amp sim/cab IR and they sound utterly gorgeous. To those who are not sure, maybe trying DR's for the first time, these strings are an absolutely lovely sounding string from the moment you put them on (remember to open the pack and read the instructions from DR, there's a difference with fitting these strings) but these are not the string you should judge DR "as a brand" by, these work really well on basses that have tons of mids as they knock some of that out and brighten everything else up. They feel nice under the fingers and the coating is not a wrap or anything like that, but more like something of the nature of plating or anodizing (like that, not actually that). The strings are tapered at the bridge end and as my bass is string thru body this tapered length allowed the string to pass through, go over my bridge and just start it's way infront of the bridge before tapering up to the full size of the string in question, the G is not tapered in this gauge. From what I can see this allows the strings to resonate better and sit nicer in the bridge pieces to allow for better adjustments to the action of the bass as well as account for trying to get the bend of the string on string thru body setups when the E has to exit the body and go over a bridge piece/roller at a radius the string winding may not like. The last bit of advice I'd give anyone looking to buy/use these is when trimming your ends for the machine heads, allow for about 2-3 winds on each machine head as the coating is a bit slippery and doesn't like less than that (Hi Beams are also like this). For the enjoyment and sound you get out of these strings the extra money is worth it, and I really don't like spending money on anything... ever. The initial bright sound is just so so lovely and when they settle down the sound you're left with is so warm and punchy yet versatile enough to get other sounds from them too. Bass used on: 1974 Gibson Grabber into Behringer UMC-22 into Amplitube 4 Ampeg SVT pack / also into Behringer BDi21 into HH 150w power amp 1x17" cabinet Celestion speaker

purely awesome product!

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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.