Anyone tried DR Neon strings?

ICBM

I think I may have a nickel allergy. It's not bad, but I want to see if I can eliminate it as a possible cause. Not easy given my job but I should probably try at least on the guitars (and bass) I play most. Unfortunately I use nickel strings...

I don't like stainless steel (at least not roundwounds). I don't like coated strings on guitars, but of all of them the DR Dragon Skin are the least bad, so I wondered if they did bass ones. Then I saw the Neons, which are coated nickel - in bonkers colours!

Anyone use them? Are they fairly normal - other than the bonkers colours? They're fairly expensive so some pre-feedback before I spend money would be helpful.

TIA

Funkfingers

Smell the (guitar) glove! Like Scott “Bass Lessons” Devine.

EricTheWeary

Optima strings are supposed to be good for nickel allergies, if also shittingly expensive.

I have played a guitar with Neons on and they were doing that furry thing that coated strings do when they are knackered so I didn’t like them, although I don’t know what level of abuse they’d had until then. 

EricTheWeary

EricTheWeary said:

Optima strings are supposed to be good for nickel allergies, if also shittingly expensive.

I have played a guitar with Neons on and they were doing that furry thing that coated strings do when they are knackered so I didn’t like them, although I don’t know what level of abuse they’d had until then. 

Only just realised this is in Bass, same applies I guess. Just £45 for a set of Optima bass! 

If you are the kind of bassist who never changes strings I’d be less certain about the Neons as assuming they’ll go furry like the guitar ones they won’t last forever. 

bandmaster188

There’s a lightly used set up for sale on a bass Facebook page if that’s any use.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BassPlayersMarketUK/permalink/2932076250137317/?sale_post_id=2932076250137317

John_P

I use the black beauties on my basses.    Feel good and last for ages on mine however after a while there are little gaps in the coating maybe not enough to make a difference but worth being aware of if you are trying to avoid any contact with metal.      

They look cool as well though.   

monquixote

I had some on a bass. 

They were pretty good though the coating started to chip off after a while. 

ICBM

Hmmm... that sounds less good, given that I play with a pick and some considerable violence .

I’d forgotten about Optima, more to think about!

bloodandtears

I had the green ones on my black Ibanez SR300; looked killer... i didn't experience any flaking but I have heard the white is known to suffer.

fretmeister

ICBM said:

Hmmm... that sounds less good, given that I play with a pick and some considerable violence .

I’d forgotten about Optima, more to think about!

I've had some Neons.

They sound dull compared to regular rounds and the covering starts coming off at each fret after a few weeks.
If you play with a pick I reckon they'd be ruined in a week or 2.

The covering feels really thick too.

Elixirs are the best coated strings I've found and I still don't like them. 

Get some D'addario pro steels and leave them on for 5 years. 

Funkfingers

fretmeister said:

Get some D'Addario pro steels and leave them on for 5 years. 

Alternatively, save time by buying some of @Bridgehouse’s pre-loved strings. 

ICBM

fretmeister said:

I've had some Neons.

They sound dull compared to regular rounds and the covering starts coming off at each fret after a few weeks.
If you play with a pick I reckon they'd be ruined in a week or 2.

The covering feels really thick too.

That's fairly conclusive, thanks! I won't bother. Shame, as they do look very cool .

I definitely don't want dull, or I wouldn't play a Rickenbacker .

fretmeister said:

Get some D'addario pro steels and leave them on for 5 years. 

I may do that...

I had wondered about just getting some and very lightly smoothing the windings a bit with some wet&dry paper, since it's the roughness that I mostly don't like - ie 'DIY groundwounds' without the reduction in diameter.

fretmeister

Pro-Steels do get smoother quite quickly but new out of the packet they are a bit rough.

My Precision has TI Flats on it, but everything else has Pro-steels. On one of my basses I'm pretty sure the set is getting close to 8 years old. Still fine!

guitarmangler

Have you thought about flatwound? Daddario chromes are stainless steel outside, so the bright and the core may cancel each other out, tone wise? I loved flats played with a pick on bass. Great sound.

ICBM

guitarmangler said:

Have you thought about flatwound? Daddario chromes are stainless steel outside, so the bright and the core may cancel each other out, tone wise? I loved flats played with a pick on bass. Great sound.

Not for garage punk on a Rickenbacker .

I use them on my Aria fretless...

fretmeister

The new ish EB Cobalt flats are very clanky.
Far more than any other brand I’ve tried. Bit expensive though.

Andyjr1515

I've fitted white Neons on a guy's commissioned bass.  Pretty sure they're still on it 3 years later, although I don't think he uses a pick.

Have you thought about tape-wounds?  I fitted some DAddario black nylon tape wounds to one of my basses and it was transformed!  Felt great to play, too.

ICBM

Andyjr1515 said:

Have you thought about tape-wounds?  I fitted some DAddario black nylon tape wounds to one of my basses and it was transformed!  Felt great to play, too.

Er... no. This is for a Rickenbacker 4001 being played in a punk band .

Actually I've just bought some Rotosound Swing Bass, purely because they were available and cheap. I'm pretty sure I don't like them, but it will be at least useful to try them again. I may try smoothing them down a bit first...

fretmeister

Rotos are nearly as rough as La Bella Steels!

Horrible things!

ICBM

fretmeister said:

Rotos are nearly as rough as La Bella Steels!

Horrible things!

The funny thing is that the cheaper 'Roto Bass' are actually nice - that's what I had on it - but they're nickel. They feel good, sound good out of the packet and last ages... although they'd been on about three years and starting to get dull.

Past experience with Swing Bass is that they'll have gone dead within a month without passing through good, but we will see... I've got a gig a week today. They don't feel quite as nasty as I remember, at least!

MattBanshee

I actually really like Swing 66 bass strings, although I often buy the (significantly) cheaper Roto Bass ones due to budget.