I first tried the D'Addario XS-series strings shortly after they came out in 2021. I originally played Slinky branded strings do to the combination of cheap-price and tolerable-enough texture. But, I always wanted a smoother string, and was particularly frustrated with how quickly I had to change my strings. With the XS-series, my concerns were met, and, after cleaning my guitars, a set of smooth strings just makes everything come together. With my recent acquisition of an Ibanez AR3000, I wanted to find these strings again so that I could feel like my strings were of a similar grade as my guitar. I felt I should have prestigious strings for my prestige guitar.