Daddario EXL110-10P

I've used D'Addario XL strings for many years now. I've tried other brands, but keep coming back to these. They suit me, and for me, they last a long time.

My only moan is that I've now had quite a few 0.010"s E strings unwrap at the ball end, which is something D'Addario need to look into remedying. But I've also had the same thing happen on Ernie Ball strings as well. It may simply be an occasional batch production problem, but when you buy a pack of 10 that have come from the same batch, and at least 50% of the E strings come undone, it is rather frustrating.

I've now taken to soldering the wraps on my high Es, which cures the problem, but it is a bit of a pain to keep doing each time.

When it comes to roundwound strings, Daddarios are my go-tos. They sound great, they last a long time and the prices are just great. I've never had any issues with poor quality using them.

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the colored ends on the strings, but I can live with that and it's not like you normally even see them. I'd also like to see the more rare sets (e.g. sets with a wound G) available as a 10-pack.

I've been using these strings for many years and for me they just work. They are nice and bright and last a long time. I have no issues with tuning stability or feel, generally I'm happy with them and I feel they are good value for money. My sweat is fairly corrosive as evidenced by the state of the my guitar hardware but the strings fare reasonably well, they are a consumable after all. The only issue I have had is that on a guitar with a Kahler trem they used to sometimes break at the balll end twist but now I just slip a small piece of heat shrink tube (previously I used to wrap them with cotton thread) after soldering over the twist and they are then fine. This is a common issue with this type of trem though and the solder trick is often used on 'tremolo' strings anyway. On other trem systems I don't have any issues. I use other gauges of D'Addario strings on baritone and bass guitars with similar, positive results. Definitely worth trying a set of these if you haven't already and if you do use them then it is worth considering buying a multipack like this for the attractive price per set. Also worth mentioning is the environmentally friendly packaging, rock on in a right on way, eh?

I've been playing guitar for over 30 years now and whilst my first ever pack of strings was a set of D'Addario, I tried other brands over the years, but always came back to D'Addario.

I like the colour-coded ball end - it adds some funkiness to the bridge (or on the tuners on my guitar with Floyd Rose as I string the ball end first). Also, the coloured ball ends makes it easier for beginners to identify which string goes where.

The anti-corrosion packaging is a great feature, especially if you usually have a couple of 10-pack boxes that may time some time to get through.

The durability and tone retention is fine - if I play daily or do a couple of prac sessions plus a gig, I would have to replace them after 3-4 playing sessions, however if playing 2-3 times/week then I can keep them up to 6-8 weeks as long as the strings are cleaned with a cloth after each play.

The only time I every break strings is when re-stringing and pulling on the higher strings whilst tuning, but that's just my superhuman strength pushing them beyond their physical limit.

Don't really have anything negative to say about D'Addario strings - even the price tag is good!