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A Review: D'Addario EXL170BT

#21
I've been using the 160BT's on my Drop C bass for a while now and love them. Obviously not totally balanced anymore in drop tuning but still a hell of a lot better than a standard tension set. I've found these to be some of the best bang for the buck strings around, for me at least. Great tone, awesome feel, and they last quite a long time even with aggressive pick playing.
 
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#22
After many years of playing, I'm pretty set in my ways. Early on, I tried a bunch of strings and settled on EXL170's. They sounded great on my main player, lasted pretty long and the price point was right on. I haven't even bothered looking at or researching other strings. So last week I needed to order some more EXL170's, went to amazon, typed in EXL170's in the search box, clicked the prime checkbox and up comes the list of strings. But wait, what is this? Amongst the listing of EXL170's, listings for EXL170BT? So I come here, read this thread, think why not give them a try. I didn't think I'd like a set of strings better than my trusty EXL170's. But oh my god, these are better! I strung up my bass a couple of days before rehearsal and at rehearsal gave them a full workout. These things are great! Thicker sounding, when I want it, they sound like a piano, if I want it, left me smiling at the tone that was coming out of the crappy rehearsal studios rig. I just hope they last a while.
 
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#23
So after a bunch of sets of these strings and many, many sets of regular EXL170's, I got a set of EXL170BT's that let me down. I bought two sets through amazon, the first set lasted a good month of daily playing as typical. I put the second set on last Thursday, played a gig on Friday.

Right off, they weren't holding tune like they typically do and by mid second set, totally dead. It sounded like I totally changed the eq and not for the better. Never have had anything like this happen. I emailed D'Addario to see if they had any insight and ordered a couple of more sets from Amazon. Hopefully this was a once in blue moon thing. Maybe D'Addario will be able to tell me something.
 
#24
mpm32 said:
So after a bunch of sets of these strings and many, many sets of regular EXL170's, I got a set of EXL170BT's that let me down. I bought two sets through amazon, the first set lasted a good month of daily playing as typical. I put the second set on last Thursday, played a gig on Friday.

Right off, they weren't holding tune like they typically do and by mid second set, totally dead. It sounded like I totally changed the eq and not for the better. Never have had anything like this happen. I emailed D'Addario to see if they had any insight and ordered a couple of more sets from Amazon. Hopefully this was a once in blue moon thing. Maybe D'Addario will be able to tell me something.
Click to expand...

Get them from www.bassstringsonline.com

They will be fresher, cost you less, and no chance of getting counterfeits.
 
#30
bassist4dalord said:
Considering a set of these for my Fretless Jazz. Possibly tuned DGCF.
Click to expand...

I have GHS Pressurewound 44-106 on my fretted Jazz, tuned to DGCF and love the way they sound and feel. The PWs are slightly stiffer and higher in tension than typical rounds of similar gauges to begin with so they seem to work well for down-tuning. The D'A BT set 45-107 would be lower in tension and looser-feeling when tuned to DGCF.
 
#31
michael_t said:
I have GHS Pressurewound 44-106 on my fretted Jazz, tuned to DGCF and love the way they sound and feel. The PWs are slightly stiffer and higher in tension than typical rounds of similar gauges to begin with so they seem to work well for down-tuning. The D'A BT set 45-107 would be lower in tension and looser-feeling when tuned to DGCF.
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Much obliged, thank you! I currently have TIJFs on it. I've been playing this set for over a year and a half, and I'm also a huge fan of D'Addario Nylons. I haven't played rounds on one of my basses for several years now. Just looking for a change of pace and the D'Addario XLs or something similar just may be the ticket. We will see!

I'm also considering:

DR Pure Blues
DR Sunbeams
GHS Round Core Boomers

I've been meaning to try PWs for several years but something about them just doesn't grab my interest like other strings. I'll probably try them eventually...
 
#32
bassist4dalord said:
I currently have TIJFs on it...
...I'm also a huge fan of D'Addario Nylons.

I'm also considering:

DR Pure Blues
DR Sunbeams
GHS Round Core Boomers
Click to expand...

Looking at your list, you seem to like something fairly flexible and supple-feeling. I've tried all three on your "also considering" list and I can tell you they're all great strings, each with slightly different tonal character but all with a nice supple feel, thanks to the round core. I can understand why PWs haven't appealed to you quite as much as they're stiffer-feeling hex-core strings.
 
#33
I use the 170BT's on my Ibby BTB845V converted to B-G, along with a 130 tuned up from B to C. For me, they are almost the perfect gig string for my 10-piece party band which includes a horn section. I do note that they start a little ping-y, but settle right in to even tone, even tension, good string-to-string balance and feel. To my ears, D'Addario XL's have a little bit of mid scoop than other nickel plated round wound strings, which helps the bass slot the mix cleanly in this context. The fact they are relatively inexpensive is a bonus. Now, my hand perspiration tends to eat nickel, so I always have extra 107 E strings around, because they go dead before anything else does. But this is not the strings; it is me, because I have different strings on other basses, and I have to have extra E strings for all of them as well. I could probably go with the 135, but the 130 works.
 

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