XS Nickel Wound is D'Addario's newest coated electric set — the XS coating is thinner than Elixir Nanoweb, delivering a feel much closer to uncoated strings while still extending life significantly. Tonally nearly indistinguishable from EXL nickel wound for the first 2-3 weeks, with the coating becoming audible only after extended wear.

Best for

Players who love EXL or XL tone but hate changing strings every 2-3 weeks. Players who've tried Elixir and disliked the slick feel. Touring musicians in humid climates. A solid coated option that doesn't announce itself as coated.

Durability

XS coating extends life 3-4x vs uncoated — 8-12 weeks of peak tone is typical. Coating is thinner than Nanoweb so cosmetic wear appears slightly faster but tonal retention is equivalent. D'Addario QC is the benchmark for consistency.

Climate notes

Coating provides meaningful humidity protection — tropical-climate players see 2-3x the practical lifespan vs EXL. A strong pick for players who want coated durability without the Elixir feel.

Rate this string

Be the first to rate this string.

Pros

Thinnest coating in the coated electric category — closest to uncoated feel
D'Addario's pack-to-pack consistency translated to coated line
3-4x longer life than XL Nickel Wound
Strong alternative for players who disliked Elixir's slick feel

Cons

Newer product — long-term community consensus still forming
2.5x the price of standard XL
Coating wear visible before tonal drop (cosmetic issue)

Best for these guitars

Picked by community consensus

PRS

Custom 24

D'Addario's newest coated electric — thinner coating than Elixir, closer to uncoated feel.

Fender

Stratocaster

Strat players who want extended life without the slick Nanoweb feel.

Fender

Stratocaster HSS

Thin XS coating preserves single-coil clarity while adding months of life.

Parker

Fly Deluxe

XS thin coating preserves Parker's sensitive tonal character while adding life.

Fender

Acoustasonic Stratocaster

XS thin coating preserves Acoustasonic onboard DSP sensitivity.

Fender

American Ultra Stratocaster

XS thin coating on Ultra Strat preserves noiseless pickup clarity.

Yamaha

Pacifica 112V

XS on Pacifica — coated longevity for students who forget to change strings. Yamaha quality meets coated reliability.

Price history

Across retailers · last 6 months

—

Buy from

Updated daily · Affiliate links support StringTune

Source reviews

Synthesized from 10 videos & threads across 8 languages

reviews

112.6K

views

likes

languages

Top voter comments

These are seriously the best strings ever produced. I just wish they would release them in more sets, like 11-56.
10
I ran XS strings on my strat for 7 months, and only changed them because it seemed like I "should". They weren't discolored at all. There were no issues whatsoever. I replaced them with a set of the GHS Coated Boomers I used to use, and what a difference -- the Boomers do not stay in tune as well, and surprisingly, it
8
Just put on a set of XS strings on my Les Paul. Wow. They sound bright, feel pretty durable and stay in tune very well.
8

Comments

Be the first to share your experience with these strings.