D'Addario EXL170 Nickel Wound Bass (.045-.100): the best-selling 4-string bass gauge
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
D'Addario EXL170 is D'Addario's best-selling 4-string bass set: .045 to .100 Regular Light, nickel-plated steel roundwound on a high-carbon hex steel core, long scale. D'Addario calls it the industry standard and its most popular bass gauge, built for clear fundamentals and tight lows across any genre. Uncoated, bright, and versatile, it's the default nickel bass string most players reach for first, and the direct nickel counterpart to D'Addario's stainless EPS170 and premium NYXL45100.
What this set is
D'Addario EXL170 is the nickel bass set the rest of D'Addario's electric bass catalog gets measured against. Regular Light, .045 to .100, long scale, wound with nickel-plated steel onto a high-carbon steel hex core. D'Addario's own product page badges it a Best Seller and calls XL Nickel "the industry standard in electric bass strings," with this exact gauge singled out as "our most popular bass gauge."
It isn't a specialty product. It's the default: the nickel roundwound most 4-string basses ship expecting, and the baseline D'Addario itself uses to position two premium siblings, the reformulated NYXL45100 and the stainless EPS170 ProSteels, both built around this identical .045-.100 gauge.
Anatomy
- Model
- D'Addario EXL170 XL Nickel Wound Bass Regular Light
- Family
- D'Addario XL Nickel Wound Bass (nickel-plated steel roundwound)
- Variants
- EXL180 Extra Super Light (.035-.095), EXL190 Custom Light (.040-.100), EXL165 Reg Light Top/Med Bottom (.045-.105), EXL170 Regular Light (.045-.100, this set), EXL160 Medium (.050-.105), EXL230 Heavy (.055-.110)
- Gauge
- .045 - .100 (Regular Light)
- Gauge set
- .045, .065, .080, .100
- String count
- 4 strings
- Core wire
- High-carbon steel, hexagonal (hex-core)
- Wrap wire
- Nickel-plated steel
- Coating
- None, uncoated
- Winding
- Roundwound
- Intended scale
- Long-scale, fits Fender Precision, Jazz, Music Man StingRay, and most production 4-string basses; also sold in short, medium, and super long scale
- Intended tunings
- Bass E standard primary; handles Eb standard and Drop D comfortably
- Tension at standard tuning
- .045 G 42.5 lbs, .065 D 48.4 lbs, .080 A 40.1 lbs, .100 E 34.7 lbs (about 165.7 lbs total)
- Made in
- United States (D'Addario manufacturing in Farmingdale, NY)
- Package
- Single pack, recyclable VCI bag with Players Circle code
EXL170 XL Nickel Wound Bass Regular Light (.045-.100)
Why this one: D'Addario's own best-selling bass gauge: nickel roundwound, industry-standard tone, the default 4-string set most working bassists already know.
Why this is D'Addario's default bass string
- D'Addario's actual best-seller
- D'Addario's own product page badges EXL170 a Best Seller and describes it as the industry standard in electric bass strings and its most popular bass gauge. If you're not sure which nickel bass gauge to buy, this is the one D'Addario itself points to first.
- Nickel wrap, hex core
- Nickel-plated steel wrap on a precision-drawn hexagonal steel core: the wrap grips the core for stable intonation, and nickel reads warmer and more rounded than D'Addario's stainless ProSteels line.
- Middle of the road, on purpose
- At about 165.7 lbs total tension, EXL170 sits between D'Addario's lighter Custom Light (EXL190) and heavier Medium (EXL160) options: light enough for comfortable fretting, heavy enough to hold standard tuning with authority.
- The reference point for two premium siblings
- D'Addario built its premium NYXL45100 (reformulated nickel) and EPS170 (stainless ProSteels) around this same .045-.100 gauge. EXL170 is the baseline both are measured against.
Same gauge, three metallurgies: EXL170 vs NYXL45100 vs EPS170
D'Addario sells three different bass strings in the exact same .045-.100 Regular Light gauge, and each reads a different total tension on the company's own charts despite the identical gauge numbers. The metal, not the gauge, is what changes.
| EXL170 (Standard Nickel) | NYXL45100 (Premium Nickel) | EPS170 (ProSteels Stainless) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauge set | .045, .065, .080, .100 | .045, .065, .080, .100 | .045, .065, .080, .100 |
| Core wire | High-carbon steel hex core | NY Steel hex core (reformulated) | Hex steel core |
| Wrap wire | Nickel-plated steel | Nickel-plated steel (reformulated) | Stainless steel (ProSteels alloy) |
| Total tension (std tuning) | About 165.7 lbs | About 160.6 lbs | About 153.8 lbs |
| Tone character | Bright, tight lows, the nickel reference point | Bright with accentuated midrange, more presence and crunch | D'Addario's brightest bass string, most pick and finger attack |
| Positioning | D'Addario's best-selling standard bass string | Premium uncoated upgrade: more break strength, more tuning stability | Brightest alloy, nickel-free stainless alternative |
| Pick this when | You want the reliable default at the best price | You want more durability at the identical gauge feel | You want maximum brightness or you're nickel-sensitive |
D'Addario's own listings back up that positioning. NYXL45100's product page promises "superior strength and tuning stability, plus enhanced tonal response, versus our standard bass strings," meaning this exact set. EPS170's own page calls it flatly "D'Addario's brightest bass guitar string" and tags it "Ideal For: Metal, All Genres, Nickel free," a line EXL170's own product page doesn't carry. If none of that matters to you and you just want the gauge that works, EXL170 is the one D'Addario sells the most of.
Who plays it
Rudy Sarzo, the bassist behind Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, and Whitesnake across a career spanning more than three decades, is a documented D'Addario bass artist per the company's own artist roster page, fetched live for this page. That same page runs a "Rudy Sarzo's Favorites" product carousel linking straight to this EXL170 gauge, alongside the heavier EXL165 (.045-.105). CYS fetched that carousel directly this session and confirmed the link. Equipboard's gear database independently attributes his D'Addario use to EXL170 too, citing the same D'Addario page as its source.
D'Addario's bass roster runs deep, but exact-gauge attribution isn't universal across it, and CYS won't paper over that. The company's own product carousel, for instance, ties Allman Brothers Band and Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge to its heavier .050-.105 nickel gauge (EXL160), not this .045-.100 Light set, even though both sets share the XL Nickel family name. We only assert a specific gauge against a player when we can trace it to a source ourselves, which is why this section stays cautious rather than padded with a roster that doesn't actually specify the gauge in question.
Best for
- Standard-tuned 4-string bass in any genre. D'Addario's own copy lists this set as "Ideal For: All Genres," and it's the nickel default most working bassists already know.
- Players who want the reliable, best-value nickel round. The Best Seller badge and "industry standard" language on D'Addario's own product page aren't just marketing color, this is the volume leader in D'Addario's bass lineup.
- A baseline before you upgrade. If you're curious whether NYXL45100's durability or EPS170's brightness is worth the step up, EXL170 is the gauge both are measured against, so you'll know exactly what changed.
Worst for
- Nickel-sensitive players. EPS170 ProSteels is D'Addario's own nickel-free bass string in this identical gauge.
- Drop tunings below D. Step up to EXL165 (.045-.105) or EXL160 Medium (.050-.105) for more low-end grip and tension.
- Players chasing maximum durability. NYXL45100 shares this exact gauge with a reformulated core built specifically for higher break strength and tuning stability.
Verdict
EXL170 earns its Best Seller badge honestly. D'Addario's own copy calls XL Nickel "the industry standard in electric bass strings," and the Regular Light .045-.100 gauge is the company's most popular bass set for a real reason: enough tension to hold standard tuning with authority, light enough to stay comfortable across a full set, uncoated nickel brightness that most bassists grew up on and still reach for first.
If you want more break strength and tuning stability at the identical gauge, NYXL45100 is D'Addario's own direct upgrade. If you want the brightest possible tone in this footprint, or you need a nickel-free option, EPS170 ProSteels is the stainless alternative. For everything else, standard-tuned rock, funk, or simply "what does my bass actually need," EXL170 is D'Addario's own answer.
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