Strings 1
Let's start with steel-string acoustic guitars.
A typical six steel-string acoustic guitar will be fitted with two plain (top E and B strings) and 4 wouund (G, D, A and bottom E) strings. String material, gauge (thickness) and manufacturer are a matter of personal choice, and you will need to do some experimenting to find what suits you best.
Material
If your guitar doesn't have a pickup, or if it does but you are always going to play acoustic, brass or bronze wound strings are the usual choice. Brass is slightly brighter than bronze or phosphor bronze, which has a mellower tone, but both give a warm rich sound.
If you're going to use a pickup, the pickup type can infuence string choice. For piezo and similar transducers, it makes no difference, but if you have a magnetic pickup, then you will need to use nickel wound strings, otherwise you will experience volume imbalance between the plain strings (louder) and the wound strings (quieter)
You can use nickel wound strings whether amplified or not, and some players prefer their tone characteristics.
Gauge
String sets are described by gauge (thickness in inches) of the top E string.
The thicker the strings, the louder the instrument, but at the cost of higher action and stiffer string "feel". The thinner the string, the less the volume, and lower the action, with the possibility of string buzz.
For beginners, custom light is probably the best choice.
Be cautious if you are considering making a dramatic change of string gauge. If your guitar has been well set up, the nut and bridge saddle will suit the current gauge, and the truss rod will have been set to give the correct neck relief. A major change of gauge may require a change of all three, which for most people means a shop set-up.
Manufacturer
Over many years I've used many brands of string, from expensive Elixer Nanowound to cheap Chinese. Like so many things, a particular brand can be good for a long time, then seem to change. You "pays your money and takes your choice".
Fortunately for guitarists, guitar strings are relatively cheap, and even the high end coated strings are just about double the price of "normal" strings. Ask a fiddle player what his strings cost!
A typical six steel-string acoustic guitar will be fitted with two plain (top E and B strings) and 4 wouund (G, D, A and bottom E) strings. String material, gauge (thickness) and manufacturer are a matter of personal choice, and you will need to do some experimenting to find what suits you best.
Material
If your guitar doesn't have a pickup, or if it does but you are always going to play acoustic, brass or bronze wound strings are the usual choice. Brass is slightly brighter than bronze or phosphor bronze, which has a mellower tone, but both give a warm rich sound.
If you're going to use a pickup, the pickup type can infuence string choice. For piezo and similar transducers, it makes no difference, but if you have a magnetic pickup, then you will need to use nickel wound strings, otherwise you will experience volume imbalance between the plain strings (louder) and the wound strings (quieter)
You can use nickel wound strings whether amplified or not, and some players prefer their tone characteristics.
Gauge
String sets are described by gauge (thickness in inches) of the top E string.
- Extra Light – .010 .014 .023 .030 .039 .047 – otherwise known as 10’s
- Custom Light – .011 .015 .023 .032 .042 .052 – otherwise known as 11’s
- Light – .012 .016 .025 .032 .042 .054 – otherwise known as 12’s
- Medium – .013 .017 .026 .035 .045 .056 – otherwise known as 13’s
- Heavy – .014 .018 .027 .039 .049 .059 – otherwise known as 14’s
The thicker the strings, the louder the instrument, but at the cost of higher action and stiffer string "feel". The thinner the string, the less the volume, and lower the action, with the possibility of string buzz.
For beginners, custom light is probably the best choice.
Be cautious if you are considering making a dramatic change of string gauge. If your guitar has been well set up, the nut and bridge saddle will suit the current gauge, and the truss rod will have been set to give the correct neck relief. A major change of gauge may require a change of all three, which for most people means a shop set-up.
Manufacturer
Over many years I've used many brands of string, from expensive Elixer Nanowound to cheap Chinese. Like so many things, a particular brand can be good for a long time, then seem to change. You "pays your money and takes your choice".
Fortunately for guitarists, guitar strings are relatively cheap, and even the high end coated strings are just about double the price of "normal" strings. Ask a fiddle player what his strings cost!
