D'AddarioUK

Thanks for the kind words James. Our orchestral team are fantastic, all very active players who love music. If you'd like any advice on electric bass strings PM me and I'll be happy to lend a hand.

Hi Tony, As Loz suggests, flats are normally higher tension than the equivalent gauge in nickel plated rounds. You can compare and contrast D'Addario string gauges and construction at [url="http://stringtensionpro.com/"]www.stringtensionpro.com[/url]. ECB81 (45-100) would probably be a good jumping on point although I suspect that you will need to have the bass set up. There are plenty of great guides online and being able to set up your own instrument is a fantastic skill to have!

No problem Tim, the response from the US is that they're thinking about it but it'll be a while if it happens. If you want to build custom sets you can use our [url="http://www.stringtensionpro.com"]www.stringtensionpro.com[/url] tool. NYXL Bass singles will be available from late July onwards.

[quote name='TimCook' timestamp='1467193774' post='3081754'] Hi D'AddarioUK, don't suppose there are any plans to release a balanced tension set of these? I've really got used to your EXL BT's and noticed guitars do already have couple of NYXL balanced tension sets available. [/quote] I'm afraid to say I don't know. I'll certainly ask the question of our product managers and get back if I hear anything. NYXL Bass have a different feel to XLs due to their construction, as a result the lower strings feel a bit firmer and the higher strings a bit more flexible, I highly recommend you try some!

Interesting to hear, it's unlikely that you'll have had multiple faulty sets so I suspect it's a setup issue. If you did decide to take the plunge with a set of EPS170S; note that whilst the tension isn't wildly different, by the nature of their construction they are stiffer strings.

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1466418528' post='3075599'] I like the feel of the D'Add's EXL220S nickels too. Following a recommendation from Scott Whitley, it's what I've just fitted to both my main gigging basses so it's too early for me to comment on how well they last. For me they sound good though, including the E, but the stuff I play doesn't call for anything too bright. Having said that, I'd go for steels if they were available and Scott said the same (D'Addario UK pls note). Btw, I had the string nut re-made on one bass and re-cut on the other. If you didn't change yours, that could explain the dead-sounding E. [/quote] It would appear there's more demand for extra light ProSteels than we thought!

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1465734175' post='3070562'] Hey all. I really like d'addario short scale nickels, the 40-95 gauge, for the feel and tension. But they aren't bright enough really and go dead too fast. Plus the E is always kinda dead. Are they any short scale steels in similar gauge? [/quote] Hi Evil Undead, The only short scale set in ProSteels we do is the EPS170S (45-100). This is the brightest sounding string we manufacture in a short scale set. As for the dead sounding E string, have you experienced this on multiple sets? Regards,

Good stuff! It's often tricky to get very heavy gauge strings to intonate easily, equal temperament is a compromise. The best we can do is make strings that are consistent.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1465706912' post='3070294'] Yeah I did consider that, steel prosteels only go up to a 130 on the B I think, do you think going up to a 135 would make an appreciable difference? I think maybe I just need to raise my action a little bit. Playing on the B string a lot in my new band further up the neck and getting a tad to much string clank for my tastes when I dig in. [/quote] We do Prosteels as heavy as .145. They are available as singles. Drop me a PM and we can try to figure out if you have an issue with your current low B.

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1459181586' post='3014186'] I am usually a stainless guy with the occasional foray into nickel territory. Usually i will kill a set of nickels in a couple of gigs, rarely getting more than a month out of them as i like a bit of zing and usually play pretty sweaty gigs. My usual routine is 3 gigs and then a quick dunk in meths for a couple of hours - that normally gets another 2/3 gigs out of whatever strings i have. My current fave strings are dunlop Super Bright SS or EB Cobalt rounds when i am feeling a bit minted. These NYXL strings are now nearly 2 months in with 6 gigs under their belt and they still sound great - thats unheard of with me and especially nickels!!!!! They sounded great from the start on my Stingray - i thought they were pretty zingy (contrary to what others have said on here) and had a really nice fat sounding mid/low mid and its hardly diminished at all over 2 months. Nice smooth feel and noticeably slippier feeling than SS strings. Really impressed so far but not sure i would pay £35+ for them - thats 2 packs of Super Brights - £22/25 maybe but no more. [/quote] I'm glad to hear you're getting on well with them, as well as the sound, feel and sustain they are designed to last significantly longer than other un-coated strings. As for the price, many sites have them listed for about the £30 mark, when you take into account the extra longevity you should be spending no more on strings in the long term, plus they sound amazing!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1458600252' post='3009067'] But they still haven't managed to make a 5-string set. [/quote] We don't do 5 string sets because you'd have to pair an extremely heavy low B with the set to make it truly balanced tension. We have a very wide range of singles available and a tool for working out which string you need [url="http://www.stringtensionpro.com"]www.stringtensionpro.com[/url] if you want to build your own.

I've had a set on my Jazz V for 3 months now and they're still going strong!

[quote name='davideuck' timestamp='1457581521' post='2999854'] I think I use EXL from 2003, I've tried many other brands, I liked some, hated some... the ones I liked were just different, not better but costed twice as much. I tried Chromes too, super powerfull strings, I turned back to EXL only for the feeling and tension on my fretless, it's an 8 string so 8 string + flats was like asking a little much to my hands! Anyway, if I have to recommend EXL against other nickel plated strings it's becouse they have something in the mids/high mids that other strings don't have. Another thing to consider, from 2003 I encountered only a bad E string, so, + or - 10 sets a year, that is a bad string over 130 sets of strings, Amazing! D'Addario, I beg you to not change the EXL formula, please. [/quote] I'm happy to confirm that there are no plans to change the EXL formula!

[quote name='Chownybass' timestamp='1456337734' post='2988054'] We've got your NYXL bass string on our Chowny NT-J prototype that we will have at the show too - if that's of interest. [/quote] It's shaping up to be an exciting weekend, I'll have to pop by the Chowny booth and have a noodle. I look forward to seeing you all there, just keep an eye out for the man with a huge beard wearing a D'Addario T-Shirt!

Elaine & I will be on hand to answer any D'Addario related enquiries. Come and see us on stand D12 to try out NYXL Bass.

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1453479890' post='2959918'] I did a gig at the Jam house in Brum using these on my Alembic Series II bass on Tuesday night into the same rig as I noted above. The overall tone is much warmer generally and really well suited to some of the 70's and early 80's jazz funk tracks we were playing. However I didn't get the crispness on the attack that I really enjoy with playing the more recent tracks we play but then my normal strings are pro-steels so thats probably understandable. What I was really impressed with was the tonal balance across the strings. My basses are well balanced tonally across the strings and having low pass filters there is no facility to boost anything under 350Hz from the bass directly so whatever bottom end is lurking there, and there is a lot of it, is unadulterated and down to strings and how they are played (IMHO). I also don't get the feeling that the B-string is from a different planet and the higher tension feeling on the B string really helps there. ( I don't actually know if these NYXL strings are higher tension but its how they feel to me). Anyway I was impressed with how these strings seemed to keep a much tighter connection between the B and other strings than i feel with the Pro-steels so whilst there is a warmer bottom end on these strings they all work together with good string to string tonal balance. We did a couple of jazz infused reggae numbers which really made the most of the warmer sound. My next gig at the moment is on 13th Feb with Musical Youth so I plan to move the strings to my other Series I bass which has a much warmer bottom end anyway so it should be a match made in heaven. Are you guys planning to make any Pro-Steel versions, I'd love to try those out too. The smooth finish is a big plus for me means you can use them straight away without having to compensate for finger drag that you get on new pro steels. [/quote] No plans to do steels, however our [url="http://daddario.com/DADProductFamily.Page?ActiveID=3768&familyid=63"]FlexSteel [/url]strings are stainless steel with a similar build to NYXL Bass.

I'm extremely impressed with the depth and quality of the feedback posted so far, thank you very much from all of us here at D'Addario to all those taking part in the NYXL Bass beta test. Keep up the good work!

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1453293247' post='2958112'] D'Addario - how do these differ from normal XLs? [/quote] NYXL Bass differ to XLs in two main regards; construction and material. NYXL Bass strings use a different core to wrap ratio compared to our standard XLs, they are made of our proprietary high carbon NY Steel and plated using a reformulated nickel alloy. The effect of this is a stronger string that has better tuning stability, lasts longer and a more dynamic tonal response.

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1453235303' post='2957761'] I just hope that they aren't discontinued any time soon. [/quote] As far as I'm aware, we have no plans to discontinue Balanced Tension. As for a 5 string set you'd need to pair EXL160BT with a .160 to achieve a BT 5 string set. As I'm sure you can imagine there are issues of practicality that arise from putting such a big string in a set! We sell most of our strings as singles, if you were wanting to try a .160 the item code is XLB160 or XLB160T for the tapered version.

Thanks to everyone for your interest, we have selected our 20 beta testers. Please feedback about your experience with NYXL Bass into this thread.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1452677883' post='2952229'] No six strings sets [/quote] I'm afraid not, the initial release will be 4 & 5 string sets only. My SR1206 will be keeping its EXL170-6 set for the time being!

Just a heads up, we have limited beta test samples available. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/276770-beta-test-daddario-nyxl-bass/

[color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]#NYXLBASS[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Would you like the chance to beta test & review our brand new D’Addario NYXL bass strings?[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]D’Addario has rebuilt the electric bass string to bring more sonic possibilities to bass players.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]NYXL Bass combines our high carbon NY Steel core and up to three wraps of our reformulated nickel-plated steel in new core-to-wrap ratios. This advanced construction provides more dynamic range and sustain than any other bass string. Meticulously designed for all playing styles, this string features deep, powerful lows with focused punch, increased dynamics, and accentuated harmonic response. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]All you have to do is reply to this thread explaining why you'd make a good beta tester and which set you would like to test.[/font][/color][color=black][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif] The first twenty requests we can fulfill will be selected and receive their beta samples through the post. UK Only.[/font][/color] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#000000]Thank you to everyone for their interest, we have our 20 testers signed up. Watch this thread for feedback from those on the list.[/color][/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#000000]Beta testers:[/color][/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#000000]Billy Apple - 45-130[/color][/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#000000]Kev - 45-130[/color][/font] [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#000000]Muzz - 45-100[/color][/font] [color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Jazzyvee - 45-130[/font][/color] Luulox - 45-130 Woodinblack - 45-100 LayDownThaFunk - 45-100 King Tut - 45-100 Gelfin - 45-100 Musashimonkey - 45-100 Panamonte - 45-100 Mudpup - 45-100 Leonshelley01 - 45-100 Mr zed - 45-100 Project_c - 45-100 Dannybuoy - 45-100 Sifi2112 - 45-100 AndyTravis - 45-100 Lee4 - 45-100 DanEly - 45-100

[quote name='Luulox' timestamp='1447877234' post='2911206'] Which .135 string would you pair the set with d'addario? I'm about to delve into 5 string territory and am exploring options. Cheers Pete [/quote] I use an XLB135 D'Addario Nickel plated round wound single with my EXL170BT set.

Hi Nostromo, Our EXL170BT set has a heavier E and lighter D than the EXL170 set, this means that we achieve a more balanced feel across the instrument. I use an EXL170BT set paired with a .135 B string on my 5 string Jazz and I'm a big fan. It's especially noticeable in the higher registers of the instrument when playing melodic passages, to me they are more comfortable and easier to play. You shouldn't notice any difference in tone as the strings are constructed in exactly the same manner as any of our other nickel plated steel round wound bass strings, just a different selection of gauges. As for silks, we only use them on our flats and tapewounds. Thanks,