Daddario XTE0942 Super Light

I've been using D'Addario NYXLs for years now and my review will be mostly centered around comparison with them. They were my go-to strings for pretty much all my guitars, the only problem I had with them is that my sweat appears to be acidic which would turn the strings rusty within a week and tone-dead after about two weeks—sure, they lasted longer than a set of regular EXLs or regular EB Slinkys but not enough to justify the price difference. They were saving me some time as I didn't have to change my strings as frequently which is why I continued to use and recommend them but I wanted strings that I'll change once a month! With ~1hr / day playing on average, I don't think that's too much to ask.

I tried various coated kinds including all Elixir types, D'Addario's own EXPs, even some gold-plated ones and they were either too mellow or too slippery... never really felt good about any of them. Plus many of the 'coated' ones lasted even less than the NYXLs, they just wouldn't appear as rusty but they would get tone-dead just as well.

Step in the new XT line. They are advertised as NYXLs with extended life due to the coating which you will not notice under your fingers. Is it true? Largely—yes!

There is a tiny tactile difference between NYXLs and XTs but you will be able to notice that only if you compare them side by side (as did I only when I restrung a fresh set on another guitar). They also sound virtually identical (at least I cannot notice the difference) which is another thing that was always putting me off from coated strings.

But do they last longer? Oh boy, do they! I currently have them set on my most frequently used guitar and they have been going strong for 3+ weeks! They do sound a slightly duller than a freshly put set of NYXLs but it's been 3 weeks and they are still not tone-dead! Meanwhile they look as NYXLs I've put on 3 days ago (I'd attach a picture if possible) which just blows my mind.

So, there you have it—XTs are my new favorite, I do still have quite a stash of NYXLs to go through but pretty soon I will be replacing all of my strings with XTs. D'Addario has hit a jackpot with these!

I have been using coated strings for many years purely out of necessity. Living in humid conditions in the summer is a nightmare when you have acidic sweat and you play guitar… Non-coated strings are usually dead for me within a day or 2.

In the past I have experimented with various brands of coated strings, all of them have their own positives and negatives.
The D'addario XT feel very natural under the fingers and to me they don't feel like stereotypical coated strings. They just feel like a fresh set of uncoated strings. I didn't notice any increase in string tension with these XT strings, whereas if i think about Elixir Strings (all the types they make) those feel significantly tighter than other brands of string. So for me the XT feel very comfortable to play!

The downside is that they simply don't last as long as Elixir coated strings. I had one guitar that I strung up with XT and another with Elixir Optiweb. Both were played pretty much equally and the Optiweb stayed fresh for around six months, whereas the XT were feeling a bit gritty eventually after a couple of months.

Now with that said, I really don't think it's a huge big deal to have to change one set of strings after several months of use… So I consider these XT to be excellent strings, even if they don't out-live Elixirs. To my ears the XT sound brighter and more present than Elixirs anyway. Depending on your taste, that can be good or bad.