New D'addario XT string - Bronze , harder to play

1

I just changed the string for the first time on my Faith accoustic which I’ve had for 3 months now.

I’ve put on the new bronze XT strings 12-53 , the same as the Guitar is sold with.

Has anyone else tried the XT string yet and how are you finding them. ?

I’m about half way through my daily practice and I’m really noticing the pressure on my finge tips so, to me the strings feel really hard to fret. So much so that I will need to spilt my practice, thats a first and a little surprising.

Have you tried the new XT string and how are you getting on with them. ?

Rachel.

2

Hi Rachel,
I’ve also just put a set of XT phosphor bronze -( I use the light/medium 12-56 gauge sets as it helps me for playing in dropped tunings)
I usually use elixirs but got the d’addario for a change. The last time I used XT’s I thought they didn’t last as well as the elixirs, but there are many factors that can affect this.
The plus point is that the coating on XTs is thinner which makes them livelier sounding
I don’t think that the pressure on your fingers would be much different with the XT’s in the same gauge.
If you put on a set of 13-56, then certainly at first you might get a bit sore

Happy practice time!

Cheers
Ruaridh

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3

yes, I even checked the lbs they felt so different but, they’re identical from what I can gleen. So, looks like I need to wait n see lol

R.

4

I always give the same advice in these cases: use lighter gauge strings! 11s or 10s are the way to go.

1 Like
5

Me too, but people keep battling on with 12s!

6

Going from 12s to 11s is a massive difference in tension, I’m not sure 10s are really necessary. But lighter gauge strings in general if struggling with string tension is a great idea.

I put 11s on my el cheapo Yamaha acoustic when learning, made so much easier. I still have 11s on it as it doesn’t have a setup.

My Maton I have 12s but it is set up really well so no need for lighter strings.

7

Yes, I was reading yesterday about guages and tension and came across a thread elsewhere which showed a 30lb difference even though the guage was the same. This is due to material selection in manufacture of string types.

All I can say is I was very surprised at how long my fingers felt like they had done a good guitar work out lol. 6 hours after my practice, my finger tips were still tingling.

I may buy a few sets of different makes and try them out as Justin suggest, This is just so surprising.

R.

8

Yes it’s odd. When I bought my new acoustic it had manufacturer fitted XT 12’s on which I didn’t really like. When I wore them out I replaced them with EB Earthwood 12’s which sound great, but completely screwed the action up - so it gave me the perfect excuse to give it to my local guitar wizard to sort that out, and do some other fretboard work on it.

I’m now trying Elixir 11’s and to me, they sound great also, and the action is perfect.

9

You must let us know how you feel about them after a bit of time has passed with them, I’d be very interested to hear.

R.

10

Yes, there is another community thread around that…

11
D’addario
Accoustic XS E B G D A E Kg Lbs
10-47 Bronze Coated Extra Light 7.36 8.1 11.66 11.27 10.47 8.48 57.34 126.148
11-52 Bronze Coated Light 8.9 9.3 10.56 12.65 12.1 10.35 63.86 140.492
12-53 Bronze Coated Light 10.6 10.58 12.57 12.65 12.1 10.7 69.2 152.24
12-56 Bronze Coated M.Botton/L.Top 10.6 10.58 13.76 14.88 13.96 11.88 75.66 166.452
13-56 Bronze Coated Medium 12.45 11.94 14.6 14.88 13.96 11.88 79.71 175.362
EJ10 / 14
10-47 Bronze Coated Extra Light 7.36 8.1 12.33 11.76 11.76 8.31 59.62 131.164
11-52 Bronze Coated Custom Light 8.9 9.29 11.19 13.16 12.46 10.6 65.6 144.32
12-53 Bronze Coated Light 10.6 10.57 13.27 13.16 12.46 10.9 70.96 156.112
12-56 Bronze Coated M.Botton/L.Top 10.6 10.57 14.5 15.42 14.34 12.13 77.56 170.632
13-56 Bronze Coated Medium 12.44 11.94 15.51 15.42 14.34 12.13 81.78 179.916
XT
10-47 Bronze Coated Extra Light 7.36 8.1 12.4 11.77 10.82 8.71 59.16 130.152
11-52 Bronze Coated Custom Light 8.91 9.3 11.20 13.17 12.45 10.6 65.63 144.386
12-53 Bronze Coated Light 10.6 10.5 13.27 13.17 12.45 10.91 70.9 155.98
12-56 Bronze Coated M.Botton/L.Top 10.6 10.58 14.51 15.44 14.35 12.14 77.62 170.764
13-56 Bronze Coated Medium 12.45 11.94 15.96 16.28 14.88 12.6 84.11 185.042
Elixir
12-53 Bronze Coated Light/nanoweb 23 23 29 30 28 25 158

Hmmm
I haven’t found the info for the EXP11 strings

R.

12

Here below for acoustic. I’m using the 11 - 52 custom lights and despite my initial reservations am liking them.

13

I spoke to D’Addario about the EXP11 string and they said a similar feel they recommend the custom light 11-52 and are going to send me a set (very nice of them).

I’ve also ordered some of the XS 12-52 and EJ11 just to see how they feel, I’m not sure if I can feel the difference in a few pounds of pressure. All I can say is I dont like the feel of these XT, so im looking into alternatives.

I’ve looked at the Elixir and they have a slightly higher lbs guage by guage so I decided to leave those for now but I do hear good things about them. In the future I will try a set, just for peace of mind. :slight_smile:

Rachel.

14

The EXP strings were directly replaced by the XT line of strings which are extremely similar. The main difference between the EXPs and newer XTs is that they apparently feature an improved dispersion coating process for extra durability and extended life. The plain steel strings on the XTs are also coated which wasn’t the case with the EXPs.

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15

Thank you, I had started to wonder with the extended life written on the packs but didn’t know for certain, now I do.

Thanks

R.