# D'addario EXL140-8 Nickel Wound Strings



## matisq (Aug 2, 2011)

Hey,

Seems that D'addario decide to put some 8-string set on the market


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## WarriorOfMetal (Aug 2, 2011)

With, of course, useless gauges.


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## DavidLopezJr (Aug 2, 2011)

The gagues for anyone who doesn't know are:

.010/.013/.017/.030/.042/.&#8203;054/.064/.074


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## celticelk (Aug 2, 2011)

DavidLopezJr said:


> The gagues for anyone who doesn't know are:
> 
> .010/.013/.017/.030/.042/.&#8203;054/.064/.074



IIRC, those are the same gauges that came with my Schecter Omen-8, and I'm satisfied with that tension in F# standard. I like D'Addarios (I generally play XL115s on my 6-stringers), so I'll probably make this my regular set.


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## simonXsludge (Aug 2, 2011)

DavidLopezJr said:


> The gagues for anyone who doesn't know are:
> 
> .010/.013/.017/.030/.042/.&#8203;054/.064/.074


thank you for posting.

that doesn't work for me. a .064 is just too thick for a B or A# on a 27" neck. not to mention .054 for E or D#. a tension calculator would have helped to put something together, that is at least more balanced than this.


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## MaxOfMetal (Aug 2, 2011)

That set looks like it would work pretty good for my 25" - 27" fanned 8. I dig D'Addarios so I'll definietly give these a try.


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## Dvaienat (Aug 2, 2011)

It is good that string makers are branching out into areas like this, however, they could at least put a little thought into how the sets balance out in terms of tension. 

An 8 string set of 10 gauge strings should be 10/13/17/24/34/46/62/84 not 10/13/17/30/42/54/64/74.


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## Guitarholic (Aug 2, 2011)

Just put a set of these on my Mayones Regius 8 (27" scale). Works just fine. The guitar is tuned to F, Bb, F, Bb, Eb, F, Bb, Eb. I will have to switch the &#8203;054 (E-string) though, that is the one string that's too thick.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Aug 2, 2011)

DavidLopezJr said:


> The gagues for anyone who doesn't know are:
> 
> .010/.013/.017/.030/.042/.&#8203;054/.064/.074



Thats so worthless I can't even stand it! I seriously want to know what the logic was behind this!??!!?


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## XEN (Aug 2, 2011)

DavidLopezJr said:


> The gagues for anyone who doesn't know are:
> 
> .010/.013/.017/.030/.042/.&#8203;054/.064/.074


God, that's dumb.
I use a 7 string 9-54 set with a 74, or a 10-58 and an 80.
The jump from 0.017 to 0.030 makes absolutely no sense.
The set from LaBella/Rondo makes a lot more sense than the ones from D'Addario or Ernie Ball.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Aug 2, 2011)

Probably because labella (mtech) took the time to ask extended ranged players what they want out of their sets before making them.

Who would think asking the consumers what they want out of a product before making it could yield good results!?!?!??!


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## rekab (Aug 2, 2011)

Those gauges feel and play great for me. Same as the schecter/Ernie ball sets. I don't see why the don't make sense. Just because the tension isn't completely balanced and the strings aren't the exact ones you would want doesn't mean they are stupid or that the companies didn't take time to figure these out.


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## XEN (Aug 2, 2011)

rekab said:


> the tension isn't completely balanced


Nuff said.


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## Lothar (Aug 2, 2011)

rekab said:


> the tension isn't completely balanced



Exactly. That's the reason.


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## LOLAND (Aug 2, 2011)

Guess I'll still be getting grab-bags from juststrings.com.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Aug 2, 2011)

NatG said:


> It is good that string makers are branching out into areas like this, however, they could at least put a little thought into how the sets balance out in terms of tension.
> 
> An 8 string set of 10 gauge strings should be 10/13/17/24/34/46/62/84 not 10/13/17/30/42/54/64/74.



Almost. Tension-wise, what's closest, from D'Addario, at least, to a normal "10" set would be:

10 13 17 26 36 46 62 80

If you want to even out the tension a little bit, make it:

10 13.5 17 26 34 46 62 80


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## rekab (Aug 3, 2011)

urklvt said:


> Nuff said.





Lothar said:


> Exactly. That's the reason.



So you're playing improves noticeably on perfectly balanced strings? Or you can't intonate unbalanced sets? Or what? 
This whole idea that the strings should be perfectly balanced is pretty ludicrous considering most strings on the market aren't and great music can be made either way. 
If they feel good, play them. If they don't, try something else. Internet rockstars all up in here acting like an unbalanced set is the end of the world.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Aug 3, 2011)

Having the strings as unbalanced as the apparently-now-standard 8-string gauges will also make tonal differences between adjacent strings, so it doesn't sound uniform across the instrument.


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## Krucifixtion (Aug 3, 2011)

I use a D'addario 10-46 set and then a 64 and 80. I generally tune F, but use a 64, because I also use tunings where I drop the Bb down to Ab/G# and the 80 for tuning F, E, or Eb/D#.

52 is quite larger for that E string. It if were me the set I would have come up with would be like 9-42, 56, and 70 for a lighter set and then 10-46, 60, and 74 for a slightly heavier set.


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## TheBloodstained (Aug 3, 2011)

any idea when this set will be on the market?


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## in-pursuit (Aug 3, 2011)

this is misha from djonk djonk for d'addario  

also rekab, can you do me a favour and go take a walk. in a pair of shoes whose soles are of different heights. and tell me how comfy it is. thanks.


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## rekab (Aug 3, 2011)

in-pursuit said:


> also rekab, can you do me a favour and go take a walk. in a pair of shoes whose soles are of different heights. and tell me how comfy it is. thanks.



The reason Im in this thread is because I use these and like them. The only change I would make is the 74 could be a 76/78 and they would be perfect for me. That's why this arguement of balanced strings is ridiculous; it's all just preference. The tonal differences are insignificant and the feel of them is subjective to each player. There is no proven fact that having a perfectly balanced set would significantly increase any aspect of the guitar(yes I know balanced sets feel great and seemingly play better to some people, but that's subjective, not fact). If there was, I'm sure the leading string manufacturers would take note. They don't purposely give people what they don't want. They put out a decent compromise of sizes that should work fine for most people and let the obsessive folks buy individual strings to satisfy their need for a set they feel is perfect.


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## Greatoliver (Aug 3, 2011)

rekab said:


> They put out a decent compromise of sizes that should work fine for most people and let the obsessive folks buy individual strings to satisfy their need for a set they feel is perfect.



It's a compramise between what? People who like balanced sets and people who like a wide variety of string tensions on their guitars?

These are just a mishmash...

EDIT: I agree that it is subjective, but I am still confused as to why they chose the guages


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## XEN (Aug 3, 2011)

@rekab
I'm glad they work for you.
I've been playing the standard 9-42 or 10-46 sets since 1985. They work for me. I will not be buying this set or the one for Ernie Ball. They do not work for me.
Subjective enough?


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## in-pursuit (Aug 3, 2011)

rekab said:


> The reason Im in this thread is because I use these and like them. The only change I would make is the 74 could be a 76/78 and they would be perfect for me. That's why this arguement of balanced strings is ridiculous; it's all just preference. The tonal differences are insignificant and the feel of them is subjective to each player. There is no proven fact that having a perfectly balanced set would significantly increase any aspect of the guitar(yes I know balanced sets feel great and seemingly play better to some people, but that's subjective, not fact). If there was, I'm sure the leading string manufacturers would take note. They don't purposely give people what they don't want. They put out a decent compromise of sizes that should work fine for most people and let the obsessive folks buy individual strings to satisfy their need for a set they feel is perfect.



You can't claim that there is no proven fact that perfectly balanced sets don't improve a guitar when the facts are there for all to see. With an evenly balanced set it IS more comfortable to play, and the tone IS more even. These are scientifically based TRUTHS. Whether or not you personally, or anyone else for that matter, can tell the difference is the only thing that's subjective about it. Nobody cares whether these strings happen to be your preference, if you like them and think they're great then use them and be happy that a company happens to make something perfectly suited to you. Just don't go prancing around the internet thinking that because this set is suited to you that anyone who doesn't like it is a nitpicking elitist douche. 

The whole discussion about balanced string sets is completely valid for the GREAT MANY people who care about the comfort of their instrument. By claiming that it's not a valid discussion you are completely going against your previous argument of "it's all personal preference". Why shouldn't we have more balanced sets when there is clearly more than a handful of people who want it? Furthermore just because the majority of string sets sold by companies at the moment are completely unbalanced doesn't make it "the way it should be". 

Going by your logic, multiscale instruments are actuallly not any easier to play or better sounding than single scale instruments. The differences in tension between the two scenarios are pretty similar I think, and yet there are production multiscale instruments available to all thanks to Agile listening to their customers. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, it just seems like you're trying to walk a mile in your own shoes really.


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## rekab (Aug 3, 2011)

Fair enough. I'm mainly replying to the folks who stated that these sets are worthless. Any string company moving towards producing something for ERGs is not worthless. It's a step in the right direction. Whether it's one you like or not, it does no good bashing on it unless you've tried it. I'm done in this thread though because it's obviously a subjective matter that can't be agreed upon by everyone so the debate could go on forever. Some like these, some don't. It's all good


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## TheRevEv (Aug 3, 2011)

It must just be me, but I like by lower stings to have a bit more tension. That may come from playing steel-string acoustics so much. 

I'm not a big fan of d'addario strings in general. They go dead way to fast for me.


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## MTech (Aug 3, 2011)

Cheesebuiscut said:


> Probably because labella (mtech) took the time to ask extended ranged players what they want out of their sets before making them.
> 
> Who would think asking the consumers what they want out of a product before making it could yield good results!?!?!??!



Thanks 
Let's not forget that's just the pre-packaged ones, you guys can still order your EXACT CUSTOM GAUGE SETS directly from LaBella and then not have to mess around with one set and some singles to make it what you really want.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Aug 3, 2011)

rekab said:


> Fair enough. I'm mainly replying to the folks who stated that these sets are worthless. Any string company moving towards producing something for ERGs is not worthless. It's a step in the right direction. Whether it's one you like or not, it does no good bashing on it unless you've tried it. I'm done in this thread though because it's obviously a subjective matter that can't be agreed upon by everyone so the debate could go on forever. Some like these, some don't. It's all good



I'm a salesman at a guitar store. We carry a few models of 8-string guitar. On multiple occasions, I've brought my 8-string in (Schecter Damien Elite 8), for customers to try as a direct, side-by-side comparison against the same model of guitar strung with its factory strings. My guitar is strung with a custom set: 10 13 17 26 36 46 62 80. These customers have invariably preferred the feel and sound of my custom string set over the factory strings on the same model. 

While I agree with you that it's great that companies are making these sets available, it would be great if they made a set available with gauges that actually make sense. 

My 8-string was strung from the factory with the exact same strings used for the D'Addario EXL140-8 set, since Schecter, until a few months ago, used D'Addario as their string supplier. When I initially bought it (after having tried a few of that model in the store before ordering mine direct from Schecter), I was pleased that the string gauges were much more comfortable to me than the ones Ibanez uses on the RGA8, which I'd done multiple side-by-side comparisons with.

After spending some more time with the guitar, in a band context, I found a few things that bothered me...it was hard keeping the low F# string in tune because of the way I pick, but I couldn't simply back off on my pick attack, because then, the B and E strings would barely move. I also found myself having difficulty doing any sort of vibrato on the middle two strings, and I couldn't get controlled feedback. 

I ended up deciding to re-string the guitar with a variation on the customized set I've been using on my 7-strings for a few years (a very simple change...it's exactly the same gauges as D'Addario's 7-string 10 set, but with a 62 for the low B, because I'd had the same troubles with the 59 next to the 46, as I was having with the 74 next to the 64). I actually restrung 3 days before the first time I took the guitar onstage, which I never like to do, for tuning stability reasons. After the change, every problem I'd had with playability was gone, and the overall sound was better, and my bandmates agreed.

rekab, I'm willing to bet that if you compared a guitar strung with relatively balanced tension between adjacent strings, side by side with the same model of guitar strung with the EXL140-8 set, or Ernie Ball's 8-string Slinky set (same gauges), you'd prefer the more balanced one.

I have no problem with the idea behind a light top/heavy bottom type set, which is what the EXL140 6-string set is...my main issue with the 8-string version is that the "heavy bottom" part of the set is actually heavier than the 6-string version, but when you get to the 8th string, the tension dramatically decreases. They should call this the "light top/heavy middle/extra light bottom" set instead


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## Metal_Webb (Aug 3, 2011)

Sadly a set like this is out of the question for me, I've messed about with the tuning to the point that I need to pretty much pick out the individual strings so I can keep it at a tension I like.

That being said however .074's work fine for me atm I do like the healthy "BWOARGHHHH" that it makes due to the lower tension. Once that gets old, an .080 is porbably going back on there, it does give much better tone and the extra tension does make it match the rest a bit better.


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## Krucifixtion (Aug 4, 2011)

WarriorOfMetal said:


> I'm a salesman at a guitar store. We carry a few models of 8-string guitar. On multiple occasions, I've brought my 8-string in (Schecter Damien Elite 8), for customers to try as a direct, side-by-side comparison against the same model of guitar strung with its factory strings. My guitar is strung with a custom set: 10 13 17 26 36 46 62 80. These customers have invariably preferred the feel and sound of my custom string set over the factory strings on the same model.



This is basically what I run on my RG2228, but with a 64 instead of a 62 cause I sometimes play drop Ab stuff (I don't own a 7 string right now). At one point I did have a 68 on there, because I didn't have any other strings for the B. It was awesome for drop Ab, but for Bb it was a little bit much. I have to agree though..I can't see why you would want a 52 E string, but only a 70 for F# or F. I might prefer something like 9-46 for more lead playing though.


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## Van Heezey (Aug 4, 2011)

NatG said:


> It is good that string makers are branching out into areas like this, however, they could at least put a little thought into how the sets balance out in terms of tension.
> 
> An 8 string set of 10 gauge strings should be 10/13/17/24/34/46/62/84 not 10/13/17/30/42/54/64/74.


 This would go perfect on any Schecter, they really need to make an .84.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Aug 8, 2011)

FYI: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/2609349-post62.html (link to a single post, containing some answers from D'Addario about their choice in string gauges)


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## Neogospel (Aug 8, 2011)

You can pick whatever gauge you want with D'addario singles, I run 74 and 80 on my baritone guitars, tuning on F, but some people like having a set that they can just purchase and go home to play


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