XL Half Rounds

In their vast line of strings, I know of only one D’addario just got totally wrong (their Gypsy strings are terrible; what were they thinking?). These are not only terrific but needed.First: for me, the perfect compromise for those looking for a string that approximates the feel of a flat wound, more or less, but has a ton of sound. Good, rounded bottom, but they’re stainless steel, which is THE brightest string metal. I can’t imagine playing a round wound stainless string—would not only be unbearably bright (for me) but also would grind up your frets pretty quick. They got this one just right.Note: any flat or semi-flat is going to have greater tension than conventional strings of comparable diameter. Thus an 11-49 set is going feel more like an 11-53. And there’s a huge difference in the total tension of the 11-49 set and the 12-53, so factor that in.Finally: THESE CAN BE USED ON ACOUSTIC GUITARS. (Remind me somewhat of the sound the Beatles got with Pyramid Flats.). Obviously, not for everyone, but I use these on a couple 00/000 guitars, giving them a really unique (kinda bluesy) sound. A bit like Martin Retros but more interesting. A choice to consider for acoustic guitars with a magnetic sound hole pickup.

Love sliding on these strings. I have them on my acoustic, my strat, and my semi-hollow. They really outlast other strings at a great price. I just bought a set to replace the set i gave to a friend. That set was to replace the ones i put in my semi-hollow a year and a half ago. Still don't need it, probably won't need it very soon, but i like having the next set on hand. Whether it's the stainless steel, the reduced grooves to get gunk into, or a combination of the two, the longevity really makes them a great bargain even though you can get traditional strings for half the price. And, if you like to slide on the strings(either with a "slide" or bare fingered), you'll love them. A little mineral oil or fast fret, and you go so fast and smooth. Very little noise even without greasing up.

The media could not be loaded. I purchased these for my sons guitars and he loves them. The sound is great and he said they don't hurt his fingers as much. They feel durable and it's a great value for the money.

I usually play DR Pure Blues strings, but the last few packs seemed a little off to me. I'd rather not make major adjustments to my neck and bridge every time I change strings. So, I decided to try something else.These half-round guitar strings are something else. They sound almost the same as a new set of Ernie Ball regular slinkies on my guitar, but they feel so much nicer. The entire reason I switched to the DR strings was they had a warmer tone that really compliments the brightness of my guitar, a heavily modified, maple-necked squier affinity strat with EMG-HZs. I usually played with the tone knobs on 9 with the DR strings, but now I find them around 6 to achieve a similar tone. So it's not quite as clear at the top end of the spectrum (I play through a modeler and a bass amp) but the mids and lows are very close.Now lets talk about the merits of these strings. First off, they feel super smooth. What turned me off of D'Addario's in the first place was how rough the strings were, and how many D strings broke halfway up the neck. I'm happy to report that the strings haven't broken, and are easily the smoothest strings I've ever played. They actually feel better than my bassist's tapewounds. Since they are half flat, there is no finger squeak for me, even when sliding barre chords up the neck. They hold tune quite well. I've tuned the guitar 3 times since I've put the strings on, and they've stayed in tune despite the floating bridge and stock tuners. And did I mention that the first 2 times were while I was installing and breaking in the strings? I've never had a set of string hold tune this well. *knock on guitar* As I've said before, the strings sound about as bright as regular roundwounds. So if you like that tone, definitely give these a try. I can't comment on longevity since I haven't had them long enough, but I will say that they are stainless steel, so rusting should not be a problem.Part of the reason that I switched to pure nickel wound strings is that they are easier on the frets. These stainless strings will wear your frets much faster than their nickel counterparts. The frets on the inexpensive necks are notoriously soft (and poorly leveled, but that's another topic) so the strings wear through them faster than say, stainless frets on a higher end instrument.I personally don't care for the tone of these strings, but the feel of them almost makes up for it. They are also kind of expensive, so if you like the feel of your roundwounds, stick with them, as these have nothing to offer you. But if you like the feel of flatwounds and the tone of roundwounds, these are a good string to try.EDIT 4/2013: I don't play that much during the winter, but the strings are just now starting to go dead. No corrosion or nastiness I'm used to with roundwound strings, but they are starting to sound dead and not stay in tune as well. (They still hold tune better than the DRs they replaced though.)

Great strings. Not a flat and not a round. Sounds like round but definitely smooth but not flat smooth.

Look - they’re not as bright as phosphor bronze yet more highs than true flat wounds. I love the feel and the controlled tone, as I prefer the more mids and less tinny treble. Your preference and mileage may vary, yet I have these on tele, les paul, and big jazz body guitars. Tone varies from pickup types and playing styles and the half-rounds give me the tones I like. Don’t knock ‘em ‘til you’ve tried ‘em - and I say try ‘em!

I play both slide and (regular fretting) on the same guitar and these strings work equally well for both styles.

I play these on my ES-335. Really accentuates the very nature of a hollow bodies tone. They are smooth very little finger noises which is nice in certain genres. Life span is slightly shorter than round wound however fret life is increased I get about 6 weeks out of them playing 1-2 hours a day. Other strings about 8 but these are well worth it.