Daddario NYXL1046

I started experimenting with different gauges a while ago, and that's how I got to these here. I was especially curious about those here, because I am tall and have rather strong fingers (for an office worker), so I wanted to try out some thicker strings.

Looks and durability: The strings come in pretty shiny. Even after playing for 4 months (I have to admit that I am one of those who do not always take care of their strings after every practice session) they still look as they did back when I pulled the strings out of the package. They also did not tear for me up to this point, and don't really feel like they're up to it soon, but since this is my first try on them I can vow for that at the moment.

- Stretchability: The strings are a bit stronger, and you will feel that, compared with those for example that are standard on a new Gibson Les Paul guitar. While I feel like I have perfect control over the stretch itself while bending, after two half-notes it becomes increasingly harder to go beyond that. To be fair, I have this with "standard"-strings as well. I can feel a slight difference however, which is absolutely normal, since the strings are a bit thicker. I get a bit more tired on vibrato-intensive sessions though.

Sound: I am still experimenting here with different strings, so I do not have an opinion on that at the moment. These are also my first set strings, so it'd be unfair to compare them to the strings I have used before with respect to sound.

Resume: Very nice and incredible shiny strings, that require less care on their looks than their peers that I have tested before, and that appear to be durable up until now. I get tired on longer vibrato sessions though, so next time I'll try out the D'addario NYXL in a slimmer gauge. Nevertheless highly recommendable, especially if you already know what kind of gauge you want.

I play these strings on a Tele, a LP and a Casino. The lend themselves perfectly to each guitar bringing out each of their caracters.

The sound projected from these strings is full, clear and reliably consistent.

They feel great underneath the fingers, better than most Ernie Ball strings but not as good as some Elixir strings.

I have never had any tuning stability issues with them however the one drawback I can say about them is that in a humid environment the unwound strings tend to oxidize relatively fast. Still I prefer them to coated strings.

I've tried many other types of strings but the NYXL is my choice for overall sound, feel and build quality.

When testing this set of strings I discovered the following:
1) Very nice tone !
2) More output compared to other nickel-wound strings of same gauge
3) More stretch for extreme bends
4) Keeps retention better over time compared to other strings
5) Easy to play and nice feel
6) Improved tuning stability
7) A pretty long-lasting "new-string-sound"
8) Keeps that "I just changed my strings feel" much longer than regular strings
My conclusion: Going forward the NYXL series will be my favorite set of strings for most of my electric guitars.
Yes, they are considerably more expensive than the standard D'Addario EXL series or similar brands, so it's up to the customer to decide whether those differences or improvements are worth it.