D'Addario Nickel Wounds - Impressions?

[Blackstar]

By coincidence I found this post today - I just replaced the XL-170s on my '76 4001 with GHS Bass Boomers. I had been using D'Addario strings on it for a few years after using Rotosounds since '76. But over these last few years, my 4001 has fallen out of favor (as has my Blackstar, but that's another story) to be replaced at practice and at gigs by a Jazz Bass and a Nate Mendel signature Precision. My 4001 sounded too thin - it lacked bottom end. In one of those 'a ha" moments, I realized it must be the strings.

As much as I like the zing of round wound strings, the XLs were too zingy and the light gauge did not help the bottom end. The GHS Bass Boomers did the trick for me: round wound zing, but not as much as steel, and lots of bottom end. Plus I solved (for now) the old debate and took off the rear pickup cover, so I can bang it as hard as my Fenders and I moved the rear pickup a bit to adjust the overall tone.

The result: it sounds like the bass I feel in love with 38 years ago!

So to the OP, I'm not surprised your experiment with the D'Addario's did not go as planned.