D'Addario Acoustic Guitar Strings, XS 80/20 Bronze Coated, XSABR1253, Light Gauge 12-53, 6-String Set, Pack of 1

I've been playing guitar for 30+ years and I've tried pretty much every brand of strings in that time. My default brand for most of that was Elixir Polyweb 80/20 Bronze and these strings are superior to those. Unlike the polywebs, which sound a little artificial at first until you break them in, these sound great on day one and really open up after about a week (10-20 hours of playing). And unlike the nanowebs, the coating on these seems to last much longer. While these strings are expensive, you'd have to buy 3 packs of non-coated strings to match their longevity. So they are actually cheaper than regular stings in the long run. Another benefit is the steel core in these strings makes them way stronger than other strings, which is important if you change tunings often as they are much less likely to break when tuning back up to standard. Also, these strings feel really good on the fingers and don't generate much fret noise at all. They are a joy to play on and are less likely to make your fingers sore after long sessions of playing. Lastly, the sound of these strings is really balanced. Some strings have way more high end or low end, but these are really even sounding with good, rich bass and clear highs that don't sound too harsh with treble. Note, I've only used the 80/20 bronze version of these. I prefer that sound to the phosphor bronze, but I assume those are equally good. Long story short, these D 'Addario XS strings are my new default and what I'll compare all other stings to from here on out.

nice sound on both guitars a 1965 Yanaha FG 180 and a seagull maple body. Both sound great and seldom need to have tuning corrected. Also, easy playing for an elder with less finger calluses than I had forty-five years ago!

I use these strings on my Taylor Grand Theater and they bring an amazing guitar to life. I adore these strings. I don’t have any other strings to gauge them against because why would I try anything else when these are perfect? I don’t get to play as often as I would like, but I can always depend on these strings to sound amazing and stay in tune.

Nice strings, however they don’t sound as bright as I thought they would.

Great strings with this gauge fit for Taylor 814CE. Noticeably less string squeak with the coating.

I have been using these for about 3 years. Lifetime elixir fanboy, but these are honestly so much better! They keep their tone so much longer and don’t dull like the elixirs tend to do. They sound warm and smooth and I’ve only had one string break and I abuse them! Worth the extra $4-5 hands down.

Great sounding. Top best strings around!

I like the metal sound of it a lot... But after 2 months it went rusty