New D'addario NYXL strings

Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

In recent weeks I have dropped down to 9s, in order to ease up on CTS. Fighting the guitar is no longer feasible for me, tho I do feel it makes for better playing.

So I decided to revisit these NYXLs in 9-42. Then regular XL same gauge.

No doubt Evan is correct about tuning stability. These are amazing in that regard. I played them for about 5 days then the D string broke at the saddle. FWIW, every other 9 gauged set D string (.24) also breaks on me. Everly, gibson, Dean markleys, eb, whatever. On 26, or bigger Ds, no breakage. Saddle is fine. Its just my hamfist. Once the D broke, I decided to put on a regular set of XLs. They took much longer to settle. They kept doing WOOOWwww for several hours.But now that they settled, I can certainly tell a difference in feel. The NYXL just do not have the "give", which would make sense give the differing wire drawing process Evan mentioned. With my CTS, maybe I am just super sensitive to it, but
The NYXL are stiffer feeling. Its not massive, but is there. The NYXL also sound a bit more "metal". More output, a little more steely, if you will. But a nice tone. If I was still playing a lot of NWOBHM, I would like the tone much better.

But for the difference in price and tone I prefer the originals, or the EVH strings built by Dad. I kill string tone usually within a week or less, and still have the standard Xls on my guitar after a week and they still feel and sound.good (but I have gone through 2 more .24 D strings.). 10 packs for $33 dollars vs. 3 packs @ $36. Just not cost effective for my acid PH.

FWIW, Strings and Beyond had the NYXLS on sale for 8.95 a pack the other day. Not sure if they still are.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

Unfortunately my fav store haven't started to sell them yet (they are rather expensive elsewhere) but I'll try them out for sure. If they bring as much practical improvement as EXPs (no string breaks, good tone for months) they are absolutely welcome.

Not that I care what anyone else thinks, but Rob is an endorser, so without even watching this I am pretty sure I know what he is going to say about them.

Man I think it's not like that XX company approaches Y player and from that point he has to give a smilie for every product of XX brand. It's rather the other way around most of the cases I guess. Y player has been using XX product for ages extensively, he gets famous, approaches the company that he supported on an everyday user level anyway, gets an endorsement deal if he has enough promotional value. Plus, these days every artist must remain creditable. Biased opinions get serious online flaming :)

I hope the best for your CTS!
 
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Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

I have 22 because I can afford to buy them and like them. If someone doesn't like it then the issue is with them not with what I can handle financially or want to have in my home.

As for the NYXL strings. I love then, to me the plain strings feel about the same but are more stable and the wound strings are a little slinkier. Thus far they are lasting longer than regular XLs that I have used. I would love it if D'Addario would start making 9.5 and 10.5 gauge sets using the NYXL formula.
 
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Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

I am just about to install some NYXL 10-46 on an old floyd-equiped Carvin 24.75" scale. Lets see.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

Not a fan. Because NYXL's are easier to bend than the XL's, my pick (attack) sinks into the string creating a slower response time. Also, I don't like how 'bendy' the strings are overall.

XL's for me all the way.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

I'm gonna have to give NYXLs another go. My opinion seems to be in the minority on these strings. Maybe my Beta-Tester was of a specific test formula that wasn't the one they decided to go with? I don't know how exactly their test campaign went beyond sending out free packs and requesting feedback.

My PRS has been getting a lot of play as it's my new addition to the stable. Maybe I'll pick up a pack of NYXLs of the same gauge that's on the guitar and see how they do and then test regular XL's against it.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

I just tested them (10-46) on my Carvin DC135 24.75" with floyd rose. The sounds are almost identical with the rest of XL series. Nothing spectacular there. But : The tuning stability and the flexibility is just great. With XLs I had to "break in" the strings for at least two days of constant tunings and fine tunings. With these I just tuned, stretched, lock and shreded away! Also the way they bend is so spongy! About tension almost identical like the XL. No change there.
So, I think they feel robust, the kind of strings you can abuse with no worries about breakage, detonation, etc...
 
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Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

A little update. Fantastic for solos, will tend to buzz during riffs due to increased sponginess.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

I love my NYXL 9-42 set, I am wanting to try out the 10-52 set though on my PRS to compensate for my short 25" scale so I can play in D standard, Db and Drop C#.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

I dont know, maybe your setup is not extreme like mine? (1.5mm 24th fret Low E, 1.1mm 24th fret High E, under 0.1mm relief).

Holy moooly dude... That action doesn't allow for maximum string flap for chords. My action at the 12th fret is 2.1mm for the low E and 1.9mm for the high E, my guitars are set neck string thru body...

Oh and BTW, I am back to using GHS BOOMERS as I prefer the feel and tone over NYXL, even though the tuning stabilty is a little worse, not by much through. Still nothing negative to say about NYXL's.
 
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Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

Holy moooly dude... That action doesn't allow for maximum string flap for chords. My action at the 12th fret is 2.1mm for the low E and 1.9mm for the high E, my guitars are set neck string thru body...

Oh and BTW, I am back to using GHS BOOMERS as I prefer the feel and tone over NYXL, even though the tuning stabilty is a little worse, not by much through. Still nothing negative to say about NYXL's.

^^^^ that's my "high action". Done much lower than that. I reverted my ibby uv70p to those specs and it finally kicks ass without buzzing. IMHO any guitar not-riffable with 1.5mm @24th better take the road to the tech.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

Wow, you guys are paying $12 a pack?? My local store has them set at $8.50 😀.

I threw the NYXLs on my bc rich and I've actually never been happier with a string, I like a lot of tension though so that probably has something to do with it.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

Also I feel like there's more tone in general, the mids are pushed and highs have a less pintchy annoyingness to them, to me there is less low end, this could just be my set up as I am a progressive metal player who runs a distorted amp with a OD and Compressor in front of it with two noise gates, so there's not much low end to begin with. But I feel that the NYXLs are more clear and have a more balanced output per string. they sound amazing with larger chords, i wouldn't go as far as saying they are clear enough for jazz but then a gain if you want to play jazz get flats.
 
Re: New D'addario NYXL strings

I see this thread, and I raise it from the dead. I started working at my local GC in Jackson, Mississippi this past November. Been playing in bands a few years and I've mostly stuck with Ernie Ball Slinkys for the price. They feel great for what you pay for them, and they sound good when they are fresh. They die pretty quickly with me as I've noticed, for as consistently over the years that I've used them. I went with Cobalts for a spell, but I stopped using them regularly because for the same price I could get 2 packs of regular Slinkys; one for the gig and a backup just in case.

My main axe is a way modded Epiphone Les Paul Custom that turns 10 years old this July. I won't go into specs, but let's say after upgrading it from the ground up has paid off, so putting nice strings on it really helps my chops.

I started using NYXL Strings shortly after I started at GC, and I'll admit this string takes the cake. Compared to the standard Slinkys these strings are certainly louder. The guitar plays audibly louder unplugged. The sound was similar to a rumbling heard from the bottom end and a good spectrum of midrange that was both bright and clear... not biting trebly. And louder. It's a difference I immediately noticed. The next thing which became apparent after a couple of more sets was that they broke in with the most minimal of stretching. I have literally set them on my guitar, stretched each one to pitch just once, hopped on stage and lived to tell about it. To date I've only broken two strings, both bottom ones, and I will attest to that possibly having been an error on my part concerning the guitar's setup. They are terribly strong strings and can really take a beating. I do notice that like all strings, my makeup seems to really dull them down quick. Maybe I should probably stop rubbing my guyliner all over them before shows (Maybelline really brings out the boring brown in my onstage stare) lol... but for real, after getting in the habit of using white mineral oil on them before and after play, practice, or the gig, I notice they put up more fight. Clean your strings. Your strings will thank you!



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