Daddario EXL165

After playing the NYXLs, I probably won't be going back. Why I loved these strings: They're really easy on nickel frets compared to D'Addario's Pro Steels. I used to not notice how good one manufacturer's strings were compared to another's. So I just stuck with what I found affordable. When D'Addario refurbished their production facility in New York and started producing a better product ... it was very noticeable. Now, I would go back to these if the NYs were no longer on the market. And, I would go back to these if I needed to save €5 per string change. So, if you change your strings frequently, and you're requirements are to impress an audience, these might be the best way to go for you. They are easy on the fingers, hold their tone (for me) for at least 60 hours of playing, and I've never had one break on me. I've been blessed with non-corrosive hands and these strings look brand new far after I should have replaced them. Bottom Line: I have nothing unfavorable to tell you about these strings. There's just a better option available now.

I have been using these strings for several years now on my j-style basses and been using them for different kinds of music (pop, reggae, jazz, old school funk, blues).

The D?Addarios sound well balanced to my ears and are suitable for many styles of music.

They deliver a quite well balanced tone with a good ?zing? but they do not sound too aggressive.

I think the playability and feel of the D?Addario strings is just right - not too sloppy not to stiff

The ball ends of the strings are colour coded, which is a nice touch, that makes changing strings even easier.

I play roughly 1 to 2 hours a day and never had problems with rust/oxidation on the strings (I wipe them down with a cloth after playing, though)


How long do they sound fresh? Really depends on how much you play them:

I play/practice around 1 hour a day and found out that after about 1 week the sound has mellowed out pretty much, which, for me is only a concern if you need a lot of high-end in your sound (slap).

Bottom line:

Well balanced and well-proven bass strings at a good price. Good also for beginners that want to find out what?s their favourite tone.

I love the sound and feel of fresh strings, and I've been trying a good few brands to get the lasting freshness and for a good feeling string.

The strings certainly last longer than other brands but I didn't like the initial feel of the strings. They feel rough on the fingers. Not bad, but not desirable either. By the time this roughness starts to wear out, the strings have started to lose their freshness. The one way to fix this is to use some sort of string lube, but I'd rather a string that would feel good out of the box.