One man's assessment of DR Sunbeams strings

[rampix]

TokyoNeko, I'm finding the same results as you on a new OM28. I ordered sets of all my favorite strings to try and a set of Rares and Sunbeams. I've never ended up liking the Sunbeams better than my favorite go-to D'Addario and Martin strings...until now. The Sunbeams just bring out the best in this guitar and I like the playability a lot.

When I'm trying out strings on a new guitar I give them a one week workout. Once I settle on a couple sets I then run them for longevity. I don't mind changing strings at all, but I like to get at least a month of playing out of them. I just put the second set of Sunbeams on to see how long they last. My fingers are crossed as I am really enjoying these strings.

[vindibona1]

Thanks for the review. Here's my 2¢ worth...

Sunbeams are terrific strings on the right guitar. They 12-54's are currently my go-to strings on my '72 Martin D35. Thinking that if 12's are good, 13's must be better? WRONG! The 13's sucked the life out of the D35. So 12's being the best sound and easier on my hands makes them an easy choice. I say this because I suspect the OP's review might be different were he to compare the Sunbeams in a different gauge.

And while the Sunbeams are awesome on my D35 they did little to improve the sound of my Taylors. After Toneriting my 614ce, I'm back to Elixir Nano 12's, in spite of being angerd by the $16 single set price (and glad to be able to order 3 packs for less than 2 singles right now). My 814ceDLX seems to really like Straight Up Strings Medium tension (12's) and my '81 Epiphone is sounding pretty nice with D'Addario NB's. And oh yeah... Martin Silk and Steel 11's surprisingly the best strings for my Alvarez Yairi DY-71. Perhaps the lighter gauge (counterintuitively) helps put the mojo back in this guitar with very low action.

I would strongly recommend interested folks to test the Sunbeams. But I would also recommend trying several different sets, some that go beyond "manufacturer recommendation".

[jaybones]

I've been using DR's since the early 90's. I taught lessons for a store and could take any set of strings I wanted, I guess because they didn't want teachers using dead strings or taking up students' time by breaking and changing a string.

Tried literally every brand on the market back then, and hadn't found a favorite.

Read a buddy's Guitar Player Magazine interview with Trey Anastasio (not a phan) who said he exclusively used DR strings and hadn't broken one live since then. Not that I'd think of his style as being particularly hard on strings.

The same magazine had a full page advertisement to send away (pre intrawebs) for sets of strings (complimentary copy??), and I went ahead and sent away for a set.

Found my flavor (of course these were electrics), and when I started playing bass I went for their Lo Beams. Said to myself if they ever start making acoustic strings I'd be onboard.

About a year or so ago I saw a set of Rare acoustic strings. Pulled the trigger, and replaced the Martin PB 12's with a set of Rare 12's. Felt like I'd gone a step lighter- even needed a truss rod tweak.

Immediately noticed they sounded great right out of the box. Martin PB's needed a day or two to break in before they stopped sounding tinny, metallic and too bright.

Felt a little too light and in a month I went to a set of 13's.

[Long Road Home]

After auditioning quite a few strings over the past year or so, I'm a fan of Sunbeams (12-54) as well. I first tried them on my (recently departed) Breedlove OM/SRe-H because I was looking for a lower tension string for more comfort. I'm a strummer, and was concerned that they wouldn't be able to handle anything other than a light touch, but I was wrong.

Then I tried them on my Halcyon OM, which is 25" scale. Once again, I was concerned that they wouldn't be able to handle anything but a light touch because of the shorter scale. Once again, I'm happy to say that I was wrong.

I recently picked up a used Eastman E6OM, which is 24.9" scale. For once, I'm not concerned that they won't be able to handle my strumming style, but Retro Monels sound so darned good on this guitar that I'll probably stick with those.

[TokyoNeko]

Some more thoughts on the third day:

- I do notice just a slightly quieter but more focused bass on the 6th string, compared to the EXP26. Perhaps it's no shock, given the difference in gauge (50 vs. 52). The overall resonance of the strings more than makes up for a barely noticeable bass response difference, at least for myself. But I can understand why others might prefer the EXP for the bass.

- Personally I'm now convinced that the Sunbeams (11) work for Engelmann-topped, short-scale guitars (like my Worland and Pono). For my Sitka-topped, full-scale Hex, I'm actually going to try the DR Zebra first when I receive them next week, as it has a UST and I want to test out how the strings work when amplified. If I'm not thrilled with the results from the Zebra, the Sunbeams will be the next to go on the Hex.

[bobster7]

Intersting assessment and i agree they are warm and woody, my kind of string!!!

My faves after several years of testing different brands and severe SAS (String Acquisition syndrome) are as follows: (1 being my favourite etc).

1. Thomastik (plectrums and spectrums) - The best by a mile for me, warm strings yet with superb clarity and a wonderful feel. Their quality is unmatched and they last for ages. Great value for money given their longevity and sheer class.
2. Newtone Double wound - Another very warm string and very good VFM.
3. Wyres - Great for alt tunings.
4. GHS Vintage bronze - A nice warm throaty tone.
4. John Pearse - Dark, rich sounding strings, very clean bass response from all of my guitars with this brand.
5. DR Sunbeams - flexible, warm and woody strings of decent quality.
6. Gibson Masterclass/J-200 Great value strings for my Gibson and L-00 although i still strongly prefer Thomastik.
7. Pyramid western folk - very cheap and cheerful strings that are a decent backup string. A little thin but okay.


Strings i have disliked strongly:

Martin PB'S- rough strings, not very flexible and thin tone.
D'addario PB'S - easier on the fingers than the Martin's but the same thin tone with added brightness.
Elixir - Hate them all, tone killers and a slippery waxed feel...yuck.
Ernie ball - Cheap and nasty strings.
stagg - The worst strings i have ever had the misfortune to be given.

[GibbyPrague]

Interesting about the Thomastiks. They are great strings, there is a complexity in them Ive not come across. But, and its a big but, they are very quiet, lack projection and in my hands the low E and A strings sound like spaghetting after one week.

For me DR Sunbeams are the best strings Ive used, and one other quality i would add to them is that they seem to be the only strings that sound great on every one of my guitars, irrespectvie of brand, size and tonewood.

Pyramids are my other favourite strings, not the Western Folk but the Bronze striings, very similar to Sunbeams, a bit darker.

Originally Posted by bobster7

Intersting assessment and i agree they are warm and woody, my kind of string!!!

My faves after several years of testing different brands and severe SAS (String Acquisition syndrome) are as follows: (1 being my favourite etc).

1. Thomastik (plectrums and spectrums) - The best by a mile for me, warm strings yet with superb clarity and a wonderful feel. Their quality is unmatched and they last for ages. Great value for money given their longevity and sheer class.
2. Newtone Double wound - Another very warm string and very good VFM.
3. Wyres - Great for alt tunings.
4. GHS Vintage bronze - A nice warm throaty tone.
4. John Pearse - Dark, rich sounding strings, very clean bass response from all of my guitars with this brand.
5. DR Sunbeams - flexible, warm and woody strings of decent quality.
6. Gibson Masterclass/J-200 Great value strings for my Gibson and L-00 although i still strongly prefer Thomastik.
7. Pyramid western folk - very cheap and cheerful strings that are a decent backup string. A little thin but okay.


Strings i have disliked strongly:

Martin PB'S- rough strings, not very flexible and thin tone.
D'addario PB'S - easier on the fingers than the Martin's but the same thin tone with added brightness.
Elixir - Hate them all, tone killers and a slippery waxed feel...yuck.
Ernie ball - Cheap and nasty strings.
stagg - The worst strings i have ever had the misfortune to be given.

[bobster7]

Originally Posted by GibbyPrague

Interesting about the Thomastiks. They are great strings, there is a complexity in them Ive not come across. But, and its a big but, they are very quiet, lack projection and in my hands the low E and A strings sound like spaghetting after one week.

For me DR Sunbeams are the best strings Ive used, and one other quality i would add to them is that they seem to be the only strings that sound great on every one of my guitars, irrespectvie of brand, size and tonewood.

Pyramids are my other favourite strings, not the Western Folk but the Bronze striings, very similar to Sunbeams, a bit darker.

Granted, I agree that Thomastik's are probably the not the loudest strings but for me they more than make up for it via their magic tone. Having said that a lot of it has to do with the guitars you are using of course. My J-45 is not the loudest instrument unless strummed hard with a pick and fingerstyle with the Thomastik strings is fairly quiet unless you really dig in (the tone is beautiful however) but on my Huss and Dalton 12 Fret custom the Thomastik's are extremely loud even fingerpicked because its such a powerful instrument.

Have you tried the spectrums in 13-57 guage or the Plectrum range in 12-59 or 13-61 guages? This might sort out the.. er...ahem 'floppiness' issues you are suffering from (sounds wrong doesn't it) yet still give you that complexity?

[TokyoNeko]

Thomastiks... $21.99 a set... That's a LOT to pay for 6 strings. Unless they can last like 6 months or longer, I'm not sure if I can justify the purchase.

I've gotten about 4 months a set for the EXPs thus far, mainly because I don't have acidic/oily fingers. If the Sunbeams last 2 months or more, then they're keepers.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by TokyoNeko

Thomastiks... $21.99 a set... That's a LOT to pay for 6 strings. Unless they can last like 6 months or longer, I'm not sure if I can justify the purchase.

I've gotten about 4 months a set for the EXPs thus far, mainly because I don't have acidic/oily fingers. If the Sunbeams last 2 months or more, then they're keepers.

It really depends on the hours you put on them I would think.
I've had a set on my Pono for about six weeks and they look and sound great but I only play that guitar 15-20 minutes about four times a week... not much to go on really.

[TokyoNeko]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

It really depends on the hours you put on them I would think.
I've had a set on my Pono for about six weeks and they look and sound great but I only play that guitar 15-20 minutes about four times a week... not much to go on really.

That's about how much I play each guitar, so it bodes well.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by bobster7

Intersting assessment and i agree they are warm and woody, my kind of string!!!

My faves after several years of testing different brands and severe SAS (String Acquisition syndrome) are as follows: (1 being my favourite etc).

1. Thomastik (plectrums and spectrums) - The best by a mile for me, warm strings yet with superb clarity and a wonderful feel. Their quality is unmatched and they last for ages. Great value for money given their longevity and sheer class.
2. Newtone Double wound - Another very warm string and very good VFM.
3. Wyres - Great for alt tunings.
4. GHS Vintage bronze - A nice warm throaty tone.
4. John Pearse - Dark, rich sounding strings, very clean bass response from all of my guitars with this brand.
5. DR Sunbeams - flexible, warm and woody strings of decent quality.
6. Gibson Masterclass/J-200 Great value strings for my Gibson and L-00 although i still strongly prefer Thomastik.
7. Pyramid western folk - very cheap and cheerful strings that are a decent backup string. A little thin but okay.


Strings i have disliked strongly:

Martin PB'S- rough strings, not very flexible and thin tone.
D'addario PB'S - easier on the fingers than the Martin's but the same thin tone with added brightness.
Elixir - Hate them all, tone killers and a slippery waxed feel...yuck.
Ernie ball - Cheap and nasty strings.
stagg - The worst strings i have ever had the misfortune to be given.

Hey Bobster... Since you're a stringaholic, you may want to try Straight Up Strings. On the right guitar they are fabulous. My 814ceDLX sounds way better with these strings (medium tension- 12's) than Elixirs and half the price. They feel great and sound terrific (on the right guitars). http://siminoff.net/straight-up-strings-for-guitars/

[bobster7]

Thanks i'll give them a go!

[Archsas]

Originally Posted by pax238

I recently picked up a used Eastman E6OM, which is 24.9" scale. For once, I'm not concerned that they won't be able to handle my strumming style, but Retro Monels sound so darned good on this guitar that I'll probably stick with those.

You might want to give the Sunbeams a shot anyway. I also thought I was going to stick with the Monels (or some other nickel string) on my E6OM, but I tried out some Sunbeams on a whim and I'm loving them. I might do another comparison to make sure, but I think I'm going with Sunbeams now, unless I find another round core phosphor bronze set I like more.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by pax238

I recently picked up a used Eastman E6OM, which is 24.9" scale. For once, I'm not concerned that they won't be able to handle my strumming style, but Retro Monels sound so darned good on this guitar that I'll probably stick with those.

Yessir, they certainly do the same for my E6OM Limited Edition.