Will D’Addario XS Strings Rule The Guitar World?
Believe it or not, that isn’t a click bait title. That’s a genuine question, and one we’d like to address here.
D’Addario XS is the best of the best when it comes to guitar strings. It’s comprised of D’Addario high-carbon NY Steel core, premium NYXL wrap wire, and a unique complete polymer coating. Other coated strings beware, these are game changing; and we don’t throw around these terms lightly.
A longterm supporter of D’Addario strings may recall the release of the EXP range in the early 2000’s which saw the first real increase in guitar strings life. EXP is a strings treatment which around 2018/19 morphed into XT which is more-or-less the same (something of a rebrand). Until in late 2020 D’Addario released the XS range, and it’s genuinely different. It’s taking the guitar world by storm and there just isn’t a serious competitor yet.
Let’s unwrap the strings and learn more…
The Heart Notes
At the heart of every XS string is D’Addario NY Steel. This NY Steel core wire is produced exclusively in D’Addario’s purpose-built, dedicated wire-drawing facility in Farmingdale, New York. Here, they use advanced machinery and processes to draw high-carbon steel wire which has unmatched strength, stability, and break resistance.
NY Steel is up to 40% stronger and 131% more stable than the next best competitor. At the time of writing this article no other brand can match this. I’m actually trying to be impartial, but this is just a fact.
Fusion Twist
Fusion Twist is a way of locking in the ball-end creating a more stable anchor point. Using heat fusion and some D’Addario engineering magic eliminates any movement or slippage at the ball-end. Combining this with NY Steel is how D’Addario creates strings with exceptional tuning stability that play in-tune instantly.
The Wrap, And Tone
D’Addario NYXL is the wrap wire used in XS strings. This wrap wire is high-quality, premium nickel-plated steel which is engineered to produce thick, and punchy electric guitar tones with boosted midrange response - somewhere between 1kHz-3.5kHz. You’ll notice your tone controls and you amp are more responsive to your playing!
XS Coating
The XS coating is the cherry on top and star of this show. XS is a full-string polymer coating, 10x thinner than a human hair, that covers the entire string. The wound strings in XS sets are completely film coated; and to match the wound strings D’Addario XS plain (non-wound) strings are dispersion coated and nickel-plated. With these treatments XS achieves the maximum string life possible by creating a complete barrier against dirt, gunk, and oils.
This coating also gives the added benefit of a smooth feel which also reduces a little finger noise without compromising the tone of the string inside.
Conclusion
D’Addario XS is the amalgamation of decades of string making advancements, utilising the best technology, and highest-quality materials available. D’Addario has produced an incredibly long-lasting set of strings which have an engineered tone able to enhance any guitar they’re used on.
D’Addario XS is currently unparalleled in all aspects: tone, stability, strength, consistency, longevity, and class. So, will they rule the guitar world? What do you think?!
