D'Addario & Company, Inc. Reviews 220

As a long‑time musician and loyal Evans customer, I never expected to write a review like this, but I believe other drummers deserve to know what is happening with the current EQ3 Reso Black heads.

I recently purchased an Evans EQ3 Reso Black (BD22RB), a model that does not come with a factory‑cut port. To my surprise, the head arrived with a port hole already cut, and the edge of the hole did not resemble the clean, heat‑sealed CNC finish that Evans has always been known for. Instead, the edge looked:

cold and unsealed

slightly irregular

clearly hand‑cut

with visible adhesive around the reinforcement ring

At first I thought it might be a one‑off issue, but I ordered a second brand‑new head from Thomann and it arrived exactly the same. This makes it clear that this is not an isolated case, but a change in the manufacturing process that Evans has not communicated.

What disappointed me the most was not the product itself, but the response I received from Evans’ Facebook support. Despite providing photos and the exact model number, I was told the head was “within factory specifications,” which simply does not match the physical evidence. As a loyal Evans user, this made me feel dismissed rather than heard.

I am not writing this to create drama. I am writing it because the quality of the port finish on these heads is no longer what it used to be, and other musicians should be aware of this before purchasing.

I truly hope Evans provides a transparent explanation, because many of us have trusted their products for years and expect the same level of quality and respect in return.

I have been using D'Addario strings for a long time for my acoustic and electric guitars. I trust their quality and the option to use their string guide to obtain the correct strings for my guitars.
Their support is quick to respond to inquiries and offer great advice and assistance.
I recommend D'Addario to all my playing friends.

Simply excellent customer service.
I received a damaged package with leaking oil, and the whole order was replaced, together with a free polishing cloth.
No quibbles.
No fuss.
An excellent service thank you.
And , by the way, the products are the BEST too!!

An excellent company communication is the best thank you

Customer support at D'Addario is beyond what anyone could possible expect. Twice now I've needed to reach out to customer support and both times the response is overwhelmingly good. My question this time took a bit of effort on George's part, but he really took care of me with some strings that are no longer even in their lineup. I'm a small-scale custom builder of mandolin-family instruments. Every instrument that leaves my shop is wearing D'Addario strings. George is one of the reasons why.

Bought a ‘best-selling capo’ from this brand, but it stopped working and snapped in half within 24 hours.

I made a complaint in their regular support forum that their packaging had the wrong gauges on it based on the name of the product, and George D'Addario wrote me back. It is rather rare that a member of the family that owns the company takes the time to do so, and I truly appreciate that.

That being said, it remains comically inaccurate that the strings called EJ12 (in 20-point font) are 13's (in 12-point) and the EJ12's are.... wait for it... 11's. Might want to address that in the future, George my new friend!

Well, I screwed up my design. I chose 2-sided, but then only added a design to the front side and then promptly forgot about the back side. These guys contacted me and said, "Hey...this is odd. Did you mean to do this?" I REALLY appreciate that you have people who are paying attention instead of just mindlessly running the request through. BIG PROPS!

The new D'Addario capo fulfills many important attributes that I look for in a capo. I've had a lot of capos of different configurations and this one is better than most. I don't like a capo to be highly visible so I like the matte black finish and slim profile. Both contact surfaces register well on my different neck profiles and fingerboard widths. The tension adjustment is well machined and easy to use and it weighs next to nothing.

I really want to award this 5-stars but I'm not fond of a style that protrudes forward from the top of the neck like this. I know that style is easy to grab and adjust and many people like this style, but that's not my preference. This is similar to my Planet Waves capo that protrudes back behind the fingerboard which is less visible.

I've paid up to $75 for capos but the D'Addario stands its ground for fit and finish and is a 5-star for value at this price point.

I like the D'Addario capo in many ways - it's a user.

Always solving the problem instead of running around it. Had an issue with some strings not lasting anywhere near like they usually have and they immediately resolved the issue with a couple sets

Great aftersales service re defective guitar string. Excellent comms from customer service dept (George). I've been a user of D'addario guitar strings for over 40 years now and although I've tried other brands I always return to D'addario.

£45 in the bin for earplugs worth £5.
The plastic part to put in the ears is not very resistant and it get soft after 3/4 times. It doesn’t protect the ears a lot, not good for concerts or rehearsals.
I am very upset about this. And I tried many earplugs in my career. :(

I've been a loyal D'Addario string fan for many years. I just had an issue with their best 12 string acoustic guitar strings. I believe this is the first problem I had George with customer service responded in under 24 hours and the problem is no more. First class company with first class employees. I'll never buy another companies strings. 5 Star ✨!

I have used these strings for many years and I have not found any other sets that compares. When I did experience some minor problems, I got an immediate reply and honest explanation.

Exceptional customer service! (with Tom)

Always gotten super quality strings from D'Addario, ever since I switched from the last company because of price and selection. Super helpful customer service team, had a string snap on me while redoing my acoustic bass, they even checked the scale length of my bass to make sure I was getting the right set, before sending me replacements.

I have been a D'Addario fan for many - many years. Why??, I enjoy supporting a company that takes pride in their products and stands by them no matter what! It's very rare but whenever I have a problem with their strings, my go-to cust. rep is "George" because he shows genuine concern for customer satisfaction! It's people like George that generates repeat sales and brand loyalty!

They mailed out a replacement part, that I had lost, free of charge. Friendly customer service, Hailey was great. Earned my future business.

George was amazing!! We have been doing business with them for years and this is the first time I had to reach out to customer service and I would 10000000000% recommend this company, their support, and their products.

I have not noticed that I added Light tension strings into my shopping cart instead of Medium. Placed order. Immediately reached out to their order support to correct the order (the price is identical) to show Medium. They responded that no changes to the order are allowed for some obscure reason of shipping it quickly (the order has not shipped yet), but that after receiving the order I can return it (and pay the shipping fee, of course). They shipped the order one day AFTER I reached out to them.

[UPDATE after receiving reply] So the order was in fact shipped more than TWO days after I reached out to correct the order. It sounds like to make the shipping process simpler for the company, customers are left out to dry: instead of the item I want, an item I don't want is "quickly" (after 2 full business days) is shipped to me, and I am asked to waste time and money on return.

I actually regret ordering directly with d'Addario - if I ordered the same thing from Amazon, I would not have this problem (changing order, canceling order, doing free return if I need to), and I would also get 5% cash back on my purchase. Not the end of the world, but lesson learned.