I bought these when I purchased my new 8 string, Ibanez S8QM as I wanted to try something heavier to the 9-65 set which came with the guitar. The D'Addario string set came covered in a plastic wallet inside a cardboard box. For anyone who hasn't used D'Addario strings before, each string comes with a different coloured ball end, which are indicated on the plastic wallet, making re-stringing a breeze and add some colour to the bridge of the guitar. The strings are very bright sounding and remain feeling fresh for a long time, which for me was roughly a month of daily practise and playing sessions, which is something I had never been able to achieve with other string brands. I would definitely recommend this set for any 8 string guitar user.