Which D'Addario Rounds?

[emjazz]

Thank you for following You know, I'm starting to think rounds are not that bad after all. But I'll be making a deposit soon to have a luthier build me a vintage-inspired Mustang with a modern neck and "meatier" pick up that I plan to string with… well, I can't make up my mind on that either, but definitely D'Addario Tapes or La Bella DTF. Or maybe Chromes for the above reasons.

I know you're a fan of Martin Keith - I've seen your posts and watched your videos on Instagram - and I really wanted him to build my next bass. I've discussed specs with him. But I'm in Canada. The CAD is so low right now, and the ongoing trade war could very well make the price of the bass go up by 25% overnight. I feel bad for Americans that have F basses in the work. Imagine a 25% increase on a $8,000+ bass…

My hope is that this tariff stunt falls apart sooner than later...I know too many small builders throughout the industry that this will hurt (any small business owner, really).

I can't say enough about Martin as a builder, as well as his being such a lovely human being.....he also happens to be a great bass player, so he really understands how to build an incredible bass from sound to feel. I'm incredibly grateful to know him and to play his basses. Definitely keep an eye on his work, and hopefully, there will be a more reasonable time when his prices are his prices without the added nonsense that would lead to an unfair increase.

 

[emjazz]

You do a fine job on those demos, nice work.

I really appreciate that. Thanks!

 

[Just Wrong]

I ended up buying two packs of the NYXL because they were on sale for the same price as the XL. If I don’t like them, I can always try the XL later rather than try the XL now and have to pay full price for the NYXL later.

I was also thinking that since they were on sale until May 4 I would have time to try them and buy even more if I liked them…. Not realizing it’s already April 5.

Either way, now that I think about it, there are only a few strings I’ve ever actively disliked: EB Slinky Flats; some Rotos I tried a decade ago that were rough and stiff; Pyramid Tapes only because the gauges were huge; and La Bella Original 1954 because they were huge and stiff. And maybe EB Slinky rounds.

I do want still want to try Dunlop Super Brights, but at least D’Addario is giving a portion of my money to help musicians in need.

 

[Just Wrong]

My hope is that this tariff stunt falls apart sooner than later...I know too many small builders throughout the industry that this will hurt (any small business owner, really).

I can't say enough about Martin as a builder, as well as his being such a lovely human being.....he also happens to be a great bass player, so he really understands how to build an incredible bass from sound to feel. I'm incredibly grateful to know him and to play his basses. Definitely keep an eye on his work, and hopefully, there will be a more reasonable time when his prices are his prices without the added nonsense that would lead to an unfair increase.

100% - I’ll just start saving now so that I’m ready in four years, hopefully less.

 

[Just Wrong]

XL Nickel Rounds. The ubiquitous string if ever there was one. Stock on more bass brands shipped than prob any other brand or string type. Not my cup of tea personally, but they are readily sourced, affordable and reliable

Which rounds would you recommend?

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Which rounds would you recommend?

Prob not the right person to ask as I only use them if they are on a bass I’ve bought until I replace with flats or tapes.

 

[leonard]

Inconsistent quality of many string brands led me to use D'addario strings decades ago. I've never gotten any bad D'addarios. I use EXL-160 on my P-basses and EXL-170 on my Jazz and Stingray. They always work. I haven't even bothered to futz around with the other types.

 

[mbrain]

When I bought my Quantum 5 back in the 90's, it came from the factory with D'Addario's XL nickel roundwounds. The standard set (EXL170-5SL) has been my go-to set since then, including on my Laklands, although at times I've dabbled with flats and and ground rounds. As others have noted, they are reasonably priced and flat-out work.

 

[Salem6127]

I prefer the XLs myself, there's something about them that can sound good left on a bass for a much longer time than other nickel rounds. IME the NYXLs, once they go they go.

Also haven't owned a bass XLs sound bad on, they are my "fix-it" string and as much as I try to fix what ain't broke and try other rounds, they're always a solid choice

 

[Just Wrong]

Does anyone know if the NYXL often go on sale? I’m thinking I might buy another couple of packs while they are.

I started trying different strings during Covid because it was a cheap and accessible way to try different tones. But this bass only takes hex core rounds, six string sets aren’t cheap and there aren’t many options to begin with.

There are two other sets I’d maybe like to try - the Dunlop Super Brights and another that’s from one of the companies whose customer service left a bad taste in my mouth. For that - and the reasons in my original post - I think I’ll stick with D’Addario for the near future.

My band has also not gigged or recorded since Covid. So it’s not the end of the world if they don’t sound the most amazing.

I also don’t think I’ll end up hating the strings, unless they’re very rough and stiff, but I don’t think that’s the case.

 

[Swerve]

My local GC has the NYXL’s on sale right now for $22.

That said you forgot about the best strings that D’Addario makes, and thats Fenders! Lol. Fender 7250m’s are amazing and just get better with age.

 

[morrisonhendrix]

Does anyone know if the NYXL often go on sale? I'm thinking I might buy another couple of packs while they are.

I started trying different strings during Covid because it was a cheap and accessible way to try different tones. But this bass only takes hex core rounds, six string sets aren't cheap and there aren't many options to begin with.

There are two other sets I'd maybe like to try - the Dunlop Super Brights and another that's from one of the companies whose customer service left a bad taste in my mouth. For that - and the reasons in my original post - I think I'll stick with D'Addario for the near future.

My band has also not gigged or recorded since Covid. So it's not the end of the world if they don't sound the most amazing.

I also don't think I'll end up hating the strings, unless they're very rough and stiff, but I don't think that's the case.

While I generally prefer nickels, I bought a set of Dunlop Super Brights and put them on my Kiesel P bass. I don't like the feel of steels, but I like these, and while they're not quite as comfortable as nickels, I got used to them. The best part of them was the sound/tone. I really like the brighter & fuller tone.

 

[Just Wrong]

My local GC has the NYXL's on sale right now for $22.

That said you forgot about the best strings that D'Addario makes, and thats Fenders! Lol. Fender 7250m's are amazing and just get better with age.

I did buy a Fender CS once that came with surprisingly good sounding strings. I believe they were 7250s. But Fenders don't do six-string sets!

 

[pb9717]

Elixir. Done. (And they’ll replace 4 sets of new strings)

 

[Just Wrong]

While I generally prefer nickels, I bought a set of Dunlop Super Brights and put them on my Kiesel P bass. I don't like the feel of steels, but I like these, and while they're not quite as comfortable as nickels, I got used to them. The best part of them was the sound/tone. I really like the brighter & fuller tone.

I meant the Super Bright nickels!

I don't think I've ever knowingly tried steel rounds besides the one time I bought Dunlop Super Bright Marcus Miller steels (Amazon actually tells me I bought them twice, but I don't recall the second time). But back then I didn't know anything about strings.

Right now, the idea of using something brighter than nickels doesn't appeal to me, but I do want to try steel rounds one day. But maybe on a four string—less expensive than a six string

 

[Just Wrong]

EXL-170

I have to say, knowing that you play the XLs is somehow reassuring that trying D'Addario strings won't be a bad idea. I constantly see your NBD posts and wrongfully assumed that you'd be playing some fancy expensive strings, like Foderas. Also, your post in my thread asking about 45-65-80-100 sets saying that 40-60 sounded too thin while 85-105 was too stiff/big made trying D'Addarios an easier decision. Although I think you said you use a 120 B? I'm currently using 118 B, and the D'Addario comes with a 130 B, which I'm worried might be too big. Then again, it is somewhat floppy on a 30.75-inch scale bass, so 130 B will probably be better, and anyway, my previous six string had a 135 B tape, which didn't bother me.

And I want to add that because of you I've also took a serious look at Elrick basses. But again, it doesn't sound like a good idea to put a deposit on an US-made bass right now when you're in Canada.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Not every string is suited to every bass, and in my experience D'Addario XL Nickel is the exception that proves the rule.

 

[tindrum]

I find it kinda odd the NYXLs are on sale for $22 st just about every vendor suddenly, Amazon included. I wonder if it might be permanent as the typical $29 tag is kinda high. I would gather they aren’t moving at a rate necessary to keep that high price tag. Or maybe D’Addario has something in line to replace them?

 

[Just Wrong]

I find it kinda odd the NYXLs are on sale for $22 st just about every vendor suddenly, Amazon included. I wonder if it might be permanent as the typical $29 tag is kinda high. I would gather they aren't moving at a rate necessary to keep that high price tag. Or maybe D'Addario has something in line to replace them?

ChatGPT and Google AI both said there wasn’t anything on the internet saying D’Addario was discontinuing them. ChatGPT also said they were “very popular.”

Strings & Beyond says the sale is until May 4.

When searching NYXL and discontinued, I did get this:

But nothing on the page says “discontinued” and the price is way off.

I also don’t find it that odd that they’re on sale everywhere. It seems like that’s how a lot of sales are done nowadays. I remember Aguilar doing something similar with their pedals last year.

But maybe you’re right.

 

[Just Wrong]

I find it kinda odd the NYXLs are on sale for $22 st just about every vendor suddenly, Amazon included. I wonder if it might be permanent as the typical $29 tag is kinda high. I would gather they aren't moving at a rate necessary to keep that high price tag. Or maybe D'Addario has something in line to replace them?

I asked one of the few online string retailers—I didn’t want to end up with a set I liked just for it to be discontinued in a month.

They said they weren’t aware of any particular reasons for the sale, that it was just a sale like any other.