I was stepping off stage at an open mic night when I was first asked this question, and it completely dumbfounded me.
The only reason I’d replaced the set of strings that were on the guitar when I bought it was because I broke my top E string during a particularly frenetic strumming session.
While seemingly inconsequential to the uninitiated, strings have a massive impact on your tone and your playing. That’s something I realized after this awkward encounter, and it’s stayed with me ever since.
Things To Consider When Choosing Acoustic Guitar Strings
But how do you find the right set of strings for your acoustic guitar? There’s a minefield of gauges and materials out there to navigate, and it can get pretty overwhelming if you’re not in the know.
That’s where this guide comes in. If you don’t know your custom-lights from your heavy gauge, or your silk from your phosphor-bronze then read on. This is the overview for you.
Note: For the purposes of this guide, we’re talking about acoustic steel string guitars. We may come back to you classical nylon players in a future edition!
How To Choose Guitar Strings: The Basics
Strings come in a variety of different “gauges.” The gauge simply refers to the diameter of the string; in other words, how thick it is. String gauges range from light to heavy – here’s a run down of the most common types:
Those numbers on the end tell you how thick each string is in inches. And they get thicker as the strings get lower. With extra lights, for example, your top E string would be the .010, while your bottom E would be the .047.
As a rule, lighter gauge strings are easier to play, and hence find favour with beginner guitarists. However, they also have a tendency to break more easily. Heavier strings meanwhile, can provide a fuller tone, more volume and are more resilient against harder strumming.
How To Choose The Best Acoustic Guitar Strings
In reality though, it’s not a simple as “light strings for beginners, heavy strings for pros.” There are, in fact, a number of factors other factors that will influence your choice in gauge.
You need to factor in the size of your guitar’s body, for example. Smaller bodied guitars often feel better and sound nicer with lighter strings. Contrastingly, the larger sound chamber of a large body or a jumbo acoustic benefits a heavier gauge.
But then, this might be tempered by the sound you’re going for. Heavier gauge strings emphasize your guitar’s low-end tones, while lighter strings are, by-and-large, brighter and sweeter sounding.
String Action Gauge Instructions
And, you need to factor in whether you’re a finger picker or a plectrum player. Lighter strings benefit fingerpickers as they’re kinder on the fingertips, while heavier strummers need heavier strings (I’m definitely in the latter category).
Bronze: Constructed with 80 percent copper and 20 percent zinc, these will provide you with a bright and ringing tone. But, as anyone who knows their chemistry will tell you, bronze oxidizes, so expect them to age quickly.
Phosphor bronze: As the name suggests, these are bronze strings with phosphor added. Phosphor extends the life of the strings, but also changes the tonal quality, making them warmer and darker than standard bronze.
The Different Lengths Of Guitar Strings
Brass Strings: Less popular than their Bronze and Phosphor Bronze counterparts, these ones are quite harsh and in-your face sounding; almost banjo-like tonally.
Their advantage is that they cut through a noisy mix, and they’re handy for buskers and those who perform in public places.
Silk and Steel: Soft and mellow, these ones are easy to play, but not that durable. They’re great for fingerstyle players as they mimic the feel of a nylon string guitar and create less string noise when fingers slide-up and down the fretboard. They are also the perfect strings for kids or others just starting out, who find it hard to fully depress the strings.
How To Choose Guitar String Gauges
A final note on acoustic guitar strings: YOU NEED TO CHANGE THEM! How regularly depends on how often you’re playing. Occasional strummers might get away with a switch every six weeks while gigging guitarists might need to change them every few days. Whatever you do though, don’t leave your strings on until they sound duller than a seminar on paint drying – it’s not fair on your guitar!
What strings do you use on your acoustic guitar, and how often do you change them? Let us know in the comments.
His sound is not far from the truth. As stated earlier, he would fit in with a lot of older artists and is musically a standout in today’s modern country scene. As he stated in an interview with the Guardian in 2019: “Let’s not just Solo cup and pickup truck it to death. Let’s handle this in a smart way. Nobody is thinking about lyrical content, or how we’re moving people, or what’s going on in the background of their minds.”
Classical Guitar Strings 101 [guide]
In my formative years, my guitar teacher Jean-Marc Guenette gave me a set of strumming exercises to work on. These exercises had me counting a series of 16th notes, strumming on some, not on others, all while keeping a constant down-up motion with my right hand.Don’t overthink the decision on which type of acoustic guitar string gauge to buy. Your first choice is either thin, medium, or thick strings. The other choices are the type of metal used and whether or not you want guitar strings that have a coating on the wound strings. I cover the basics of different types of strings and mention my preferred acoustic guitar string brand.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the various types and facts about acoustic guitar string. There are different sizes, different materials, different winding, etc. You don’t need a scientist or engineer to help you decide which string set to buy.
The best thing to do is to buy different types of strings and see which you prefer. The only problem with that method is that you either have to change strings often, or you need more than one acoustic guitar.
Pick The Best Acoustic Guitar Strings For You
Metal Materials: There are different types of metals used to make guitar strings. The two most popular types are 80% copper & 20% zinc (80/20) which have a bright sound or Phosphor Bronze which have a darker and fuller tone.
Other factors: The wound guitar strings (Low E, A & D) have different cores (hex or round), different winding methods, and some also have coatings.
Lighter gauge strings are easier to play when it comes to fretting chords or bending strings. However, because they are thinner they break easier. They are also known for having less volume and sustain than heavier strings.
Guitar String Tension Chart
Heavier gauge strings, on the other hand, are harder to play and require more hand and finger strength. As a result, they are not a good choice for beginners. They are louder and have a longer sustain and will not break as easy as thinner strings.
You may want to consider using the string gauge I use, Light or 12’s, as they are in the middle. If they feel too hard to play then try the thinner strings, or go to thicker strings if you want a fuller sound. Start with something in the middle then go thinner or thicker based on your experience.
Your options are extra light, custom light, light, medium, and heavy. In the image below you will also see light-medium which is an additional string gauge that Elixir produces.
Ultimate Guide To Electric Guitar Strings
Don’t bother memorizing the size of each string. I only included the sizes for both E strings. You’re not going to be tested to see if you can remember the exact diameters for each gauge.
In general, the diameter of the high E string is used to refer to the entire set of strings. For example, I play light Elixir strings where the high E string has a diameter of .012”, and are referred to as “12’s”. Heavy strings, on the other hand, would be referred to as “14’s”.
I prefer the coated strings made by Elixir, specifically the light gauge. They have coatings named Polyweb and Nanoweb coatings. One of them is a thin coating and the other is thicker. I play both and they sound great to me. Also, they go a long time without breaking!
What String Gauges Should You Be Playing?
One of the most annoying sounds to me is hearing strings squeak when you move position on the 4 wound strings. That is kept to a minimum with their coated strings. I’m fine with the slight loss of tone if it also means little to no squeak.
The choice is yours. You could go middle of the road and buy light gauge guitar strings and size up or down the next time you change strings. As I mentioned above, I prefer the light coated Elixir strings so give them a try.
Check out my article on making a Guitar String Bend map for your guitar and string combination. It’s a great idea to know how far you can bend each string at various fret positions.
Beginner's Guide To Strings
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