D'Addario EXL 170-5 5-String Set

I use these roundwound strings for fretless and fretted 5-string bass. The set is well balanced tonally, and has a nice feel. The B-string sound is very good on a 35" scale bass. A set usually lasts about 6-mos of regular use in practicing, recording, and performance, with renewal signified by greater effort in tuning.

At the beginning they feel .. "new". Lol, I really like them after they have been played for a bit and have been broken in.

I really like these strings and they're really good for the price. Make sure you price match at GC

I use the six string set and the high B string has put up well with all my slapping. I am actually surprised at how long its lasted.

Will be getting another set in a few weeks

to my ear, d'addario XLs sound like somebody banging pots and pans together, an unpleasant clanging. their windings feel particularly coarse and uncomfortable to me; they tear up my fingers like i was playing a round file (and i play a lot - i have pretty good callouses). i prefer a string with a smaller diameter outer wrap and a sound more like a "zhing" rather than a "DING". i'm sure lots of people love these strings, but they're not for me.

I have been using XL170-6's since the late 90's. They are available almost everywhere and I know exactly what to expect when I put them on an instrument.

These strings have great growl, are fairly flexible, and have a nice tone when old.

They definitely have their own flavor. The highs are a little zingy when new, but settle down nicely. The mids are clear with a definite favor of the low mids. The lows are tight and controlled with an almost flat wound envelope to the open notes in the low strings.

If you are looking for strings and don't know what to try, I would say these are the perfect strings to start as they seem to be right in the middle of the tonal spectrum.

I chose D'Addario flatwounds when I got my first 5 string. After years of using a well-known English brand (rhymes with photo hound) these strings were an eye opener. Some brands, the low B flopped around in the breeze. D'Addario utilizes various tensions to maintain playability throughout the finger board. I recently replaced a set after 3 years with some regret. They were just getting broken in.

These strings are killer. They have a cool contoured sound out of the box, but when they begin to die out, they develop an odd mid-range sound that some might find enjoyable. They are really good strings and are always a great fallback when your true favorite set just isn't available at the time (especially since these strings have been on the shelves of literally every music store I've walked into). The life isn't too bad either. They sounded great for a good month in my experiences which is longer than some of the stainless steel strings I've used COUGH COUGH Rotosound COUGH COUGH. Definitely give these a shot some time!

As a bassist I need a variety of different sounds and, having used them for 20+ years, I still feel excited when I pick up a bass strung with them. I've used the 4 string set for my passive J-Basses and can't say enough good thing about them- when I grabbed my first 5, I put on D'Addarios 5s (45-130) and totally dug it. Everything I liked in the 4 string, but now with extra beef! I appreciate the rounded tops, the full lows- if there were a downside, some musicians may find they want a more explosive treble response but I just love these strings. Musical, durable and affordable, I don't know what's not to like about them?

I purchased them once. But only because I was looking for a really bright sound. A good buy.

I have been using D'Addarrio strings for 35+ years. They are consistant great sounding strings. They have a good feel to them even when new. I always try to buy the Twin Packs since they are much less expensive for the two sets and then I can always have an extra set when I need them. Also, I like the colored ball ends. Flashy!