What are the best strings for acoustics? What is string tension? Acoustic Guitar String Materials

Hello to all electric guitar lovers. In this article we will try to answer this interesting question: “How to choose strings for an electric guitar?” But sooner or later such a question will arise and the correct answer to it is the key to success in mastering the technique of playing the instrument. So let's figure out which strings are best for an electric guitar.

Since the strings of a guitar are the direct source of sound, a change in any characteristic of the string will invariably affect the sound. More or less experienced musicians already know what strings they need, but what about beginners who have only recently purchased their first electric guitar? I hope this article helps you.

I would like to remind you right away that after purchasing a new musical instrument, you will need to immediately think about replacing the strings, because... The strings that are installed on the guitar in the store are demonstrative. It is not possible to play them, much less study them. For example, when I bought my first electric guitar, I decided to keep the old strings. And after two weeks the first string “decided to live long.” Even if your guitar was just lying in a case and you didn’t play it, get ready to change the strings after six months, because... the old strings have already become unusable.

String gauge

The first and most important point, in my opinion, is the thickness of the strings or their gauge. As a rule, string gauge is indicated in inches. The manufacturer indicates on the packaging the thickness of the first and last strings. For example, for a six-string guitar, the packaging will show .008-.038, which means the first string is 0.008 inches thick and the sixth string is 0.038 inches thick. For convenience, such strings are usually called “eight”, 0.009 strings “nine”, etc.

What does the thickness of the strings affect? First of all, the comfort of the game. Thin strings (eight and nine) cannot boast of their sustain and sound density. The main advantage of such soft strings is that a beginning guitarist can easily perform various playing techniques, such as bends and vibrato, without harming his fingers. This is important for a beginner guitarist, since their fingertips have not yet become stronger.

Strings with a first string thickness of 0.010 can be called the “golden mean”. They have a fairly dense sound and are not very thick. These strings are best suited for electric guitar, both for beginners and for more experienced guitarists.

Thicker strings 0.011, 0.012, 0.013 are suitable for playing in heavy styles: metal, hard rock. You shouldn't start learning on such strings if you value your fingers.

String manufacturers

The next point you should pay attention to is the manufacturer. Before choosing strings for an electric guitar, you should understand that there are many string manufacturers and the prices may vary greatly from each other. You should not be fooled by the low price of a set of strings from an unknown manufacturer. Such strings can negate the precise tuning of the instrument and risk breaking from any touch. There are several proven manufacturers: D’Addario, GHS, Ernie Ball, La Bella, Dean Markley. Strings from these manufacturers will be better suited for your electric guitar. A kit from these manufacturers will cost you from 300 to 500 rubles.

String coating

On the packaging of guitar strings, the manufacturer indicates the presence of a special coating for the winding of thick strings. You probably noticed that the third (not always), fourth, fifth and sixth strings are wound. To protect the winding from the effects of the external environment, this special is applied to it. coating.

The most common strings are nickel plated. These strings are characterized by a softer and warmer sound, suitable for most musicians. There are strings without any coating at all, i.e. both the core and winding are made of steel. It is common to play heavy rock and metal on such strings. Because They sound very sharp and aggressive.

There are strings with other coatings, but they are rare, and the cost of a set will cost several thousand rubles.

Summarizing all of the above, let's summarize. If you begin to notice that the sound of your favorite electric guitar has changed, the tuning has begun to break down, the strings have lost their shine and become dirty, then you need to think about buying new strings.

A clear answer to the question, “which strings are best for an electric guitar?” you won’t find it, because every guitarist uses trial and error to choose the strings that suit him best.

Now you have learned how to choose strings for an electric guitar. Try playing strings from different manufacturers and over time you will find exactly what you need. Thank you for your attention! Good luck to all!

Many guitarists, both beginners and more experienced, are preoccupied with the search for the best sound, as a result of which they subject their instruments to various kinds of modifications.

Musicians replace stock pickups, potentiometers and other electronics, replace the saddles with brass, bronze or bone, and sometimes even replace such significant parts of the instrument as the soundboard or neck in the hope of changing the type of wood to change the tone (and we talked more about wood types in article).

These manipulations certainly affect the sound of the guitar, but often such drastic measures are unnecessary, because it was possible to get closer to the desired tone by simply changing the gauge and alloy of the strings, but for some unknown reason many guitarists neglect such a simple and inexpensive procedure.

It is for this reason that in this article we will talk about different types of strings, both for electric and acoustic guitars, consider various alloys and coatings, type of winding, manufacturing technologies, calibers and the most important effect of all this on the sound.

String gauge

First of all, all strings differ in size; as a rule, for a standard tuning, the thickness of the first string in a set can range from 0.008 to 0.012, and for lower tunings it often reaches 0.013-0.014 inches.

The thickness of the strings primarily determines the richness of the tone and volume of the instrument, because the thicker the string, the richer the overtones and louder the sound, especially for acoustic instruments, but as the law of equal exchange says: if you want to get something, then you need to sacrifice something - then equivalent to this, in this case we directly sacrifice the convenience of play, because the thicker the strings, the more physical effort is required when playing.

In this regard, it is not surprising that virtuoso performers whose music primarily focuses on filigree technique use sets with 0.8 caliber, such as Yngwie Malmsteen.

Braid

Round braid

Round braid is easy to manufacture and affordable, making it the most popular solution for both acoustic and electric guitars. It is a round wire in cross-section wound in a spiral on a round core. It has a ringing tone and medium tension.

Due to the rough surface, making slides is a little more difficult than on strings with a flat braid, but easier than with a hexagonal braid, and in terms of fret wear, the round braid is located exactly in the middle.

Flat braid

Flat-wound strings have complex production technology and a fairly high price. The braid of such strings is wound around a round core, but the wire itself has a square cross-section with rounded corners.

Strings with this type of braid have a rich, velvety tone with a beautiful low end and smooth top end, often used by jazzmen. It should also be noted that the use of flat winding has a beneficial effect on the service life of the frets. However, if you want to use an overdriven guitar sound, these are not the strings for you.

Hexagonal braid

Making strings with hexagonal braid is not much more difficult than with round braid, and their price is about the same. The design consists of a hexagonal core with a wound braid, most often round, with a hexagonal cross section.

The tone of such strings is very bright and expressive due to the tighter fit of the braid to the core. Durability is also excellent. However, the rigidity and sharp edges of the braid negatively affect the life of the frets and can cause discomfort when playing.

Types of strings for acoustic guitar

To begin with, it should be noted that despite the general term “acoustic guitar”: classical-Spanish and western (jumbo) are essentially two different instruments, which should be equipped with different strings to avoid damage.

Classical Guitar Strings

Strings made from sheep intestines are often called gut strings. Nowadays, they are no longer as widespread as in the past, but there are enthusiasts who bring these strings to our country in small quantities. They are usually used by folk music lovers.

Synthetic strings (nylon)

Synthetic strings, launched in the 40s in the USA, quickly replaced intestinal strings from the market, as they were cheaper and had greater wear resistance.

The basis for such strings is nylon, and copper alloys are used as the outer metal winding, which are durable and have a matte sound.

Western Guitar Strings

Bronze strings

As you might guess, the braid of such strings is made of bronze, or rather 80% copper and 20% tin, as a result of which the color of such strings is very similar to gold. Such strings are durable and have good anti-corrosion properties. The sound can be described as ringing and bright.

Phosphor bronze strings

Phosphor bronze strings differ from bronze strings in the presence of phosphorus 0.3% and a large amount of copper about 90-92%. Due to the amount of copper in the alloy, the strings have a red tint. The sound of such strings is very soft and warm, not as bright as pure bronze.

Types of strings for electric guitar

Due to the fact that an electric guitar transmits not acoustic, but electromagnetic vibrations to the pickup, it is impossible to use strings for acoustic guitars on it, but there is no problem with this, since there are simply a huge number of types of strings for electric guitars.

Steel strings

Steel strings are made entirely of steel, both the core and the winding. They have a bright and piercing sound, but they have great rigidity and very mediocre (especially without a polymer coating) anti-corrosion properties; add to this the severe wear of the frets from such strings and it becomes clear why they are not particularly popular.

The winding of such strings consists of nickel, they are much softer than steel, wear out the frets less and have a soft but rich tone. However, nickel strings quickly lose their acoustic properties and stop sounding within 2-3 weeks of active playing, but despite this they are the most popular electric guitar strings in the world.

How often should you change strings?

First of all, it depends on the intensity of the game, professionals change the strings before each performance, but most guitar lovers keep the strings fresh for 1 to 1.5 months, of course, if you limit playing the instrument, you can increase this period.

However, there are several factors that will help you know when to change your strings. Some of the advice is taken from the course by Mikhail Rusakov:

• First of all, there are visual signs of wear, such as breaks in the winding, dents in the strings and corrosion.
• The second is the sound, if your instrument begins to sound not as bright as usual or downright dull.
• And the last thing is the tuning, if it floats, tuning the guitar becomes uncomfortable or even impossible, you should change the strings.

Results

Such an abundance of different alloys and gauges suggests that there are no ideal strings. Therefore, you need to think about what matters most to you: brightness of tone, ease of play, durability or even appearance and make your choice based on this.

I promised that I would tell you how to choose the right strings for an electric guitar, and today we will try to figure it out. After all, for a beginning guitarist this will be quite difficult to do due to the lack of necessary knowledge, skills and habits.

This issue also has some peculiarities related to which strings to start with: thin or thick, steel or nickel, which manufacturer to give preference to. For professional guitarists, these questions may seem simple. But what should beginners and those who are just starting to learn the electric guitar do? Let's look at this in more detail.

Preface

For those who do not yet know how to choose the right electric guitar, I advise you to read the detailed article. I will say right away that the choice of strings is a purely individual process. After some time, you will no longer need any advice, because you yourself will be able to select the strings, their coating and the gauge (diameter) that will be most comfortable for your fingers to play. Most likely, only through trial and error will you be able to find the strings that work best for you. Therefore, the advice in this article will be useful only at the very beginning of your creative journey.

But if you recently bought yourself a new inexpensive guitar, then it already has some strings. I would advise changing them first. Of course, they can live on your guitar for some time, you can even learn to play them. But know that their quality leaves much to be desired. No one will give you a guarantee that these strings will not break or rust in the near future. Now let’s look at the criteria for choosing strings for an electric guitar.

String manufacturers

The first thing you should pay attention to when you start choosing strings for your electric guitar is the brand (manufacturer). I would advise giving preference to such proven brands as:

- the most expensive, long-playing and my favorite strings, coated with a polymer composition, thanks to which they do not lose their original sound so quickly, and they are also soft and quite pleasant to the touch.

D'Addario– the most popular bourgeois strings that our guitarists love.

– quite durable and very high quality strings. They are in demand mainly among metalheads. Average price.

- quite affordable in price and good in quality, I also advise you to try it, you won’t regret it, because such strings will last much longer than some fake produced by Petya Ivanov’s steel mill No. 3.

— American-made nickel/steel strings at an affordable price. Feedback from guitarists is only positive.

And here’s another thing: don’t really trust the salespeople in the store, who will gladly shove some stale crap at you, especially if they notice that you don’t really understand it. So it’s better to start by sitting at home and “Google” or consult with familiar guitarists. Try to decide in advance on the brand of future strings, read reviews from musicians, and look at the average price in online stores. And most importantly, the issue of choosing strings must be approached purely individually, i.e. Decide in advance what kind of sound you want and how comfortable these strings will be for you.

String coating

This is the second and important criterion when choosing strings for an electric guitar. On the front of the package you can find information about the coating material from which they are made. Regardless of the braid, the core of the string is always made of steel, but its winding can be of several types:

Nickel plating– has a soft sound (ideal for solo performance). Strings with such a coating are considered the most popular today, even despite some of their shortcomings (the winding quickly becomes dull, wears out upon contact with the frets, and loses its original sound in a couple of weeks).

Steel coating– has the brightest and sharpest sound, and such strings are made entirely of steel (winding + core). These strings are best suited for metalheads and those who want to achieve a harder, punchier sound. Not as popular as nickel ones.

Sometimes, to protect strings from corrosion, manufacturers apply a special polymer composition to the winding, which ultimately significantly extends their life, but, as a rule, the price will also be appropriate.

String gauge

Caliber is the thickness of the string, usually expressed in fractions of an inch. As a rule, sets usually indicate the thickness of the 1st and 6th strings, for example: 9 - 42 or 10 - 46. In the jargon of musicians, this sounds like “nine” or “ten”. Depending on what style of playing and style of music you prefer, when choosing strings, it is necessary to strive for some kind of compromise between the richness and volume of the sound, as well as the speed and ease of play. In practice, it turns out that thick strings have a richer and more powerful sound, but thin strings are easiest to play, but you have to sacrifice the sound. Here the choice is yours. In general, in my opinion, the most optimal set in terms of thickness and sound is the “ten”.

0,008 – these strings are the softest and thinnest, best suited for beginner guitarists. Their sound is not as powerful and dense as thicker sets and therefore they are not very popular with experienced guitarists. I wouldn’t recommend staying on the “eight” for a long time, because in the future it will be quite difficult to switch to thick strings, so you need to try to gradually develop your skills and switch to a set of 0.010 or 0.011.

0,009 – “nine” also belongs to the category of soft and thin strings. It’s a little more difficult to play on them, but the sound will be denser compared to the “eight”.

0,010 – strings of medium thickness. The most popular and widespread among musicians. They combine the best qualities of thin and thick strings: medium hardness and a fairly dense sound.

0,011; 0,012; 0,013 – strings of this gauge are considered thick and quite difficult to play. But they have a spacious and powerful sound. Such sets are also used for low standing in heavy styles of rock music.

There are also hybrid sets, where the first three tenor strings are standard thickness, and the 4th, 5th and 6th bass strings can be thicker than the standard. For example, Zakk Wylde plays his signature 10-60 caliber set. Hybrids are created so that the riff sounds most powerful on the bass strings, and when playing solo there are no difficulties with bending.

Another interesting point. In various sets, the third string can be with or without a winding. The third string without a winding is most often used by musicians performing rock music, because it is easier to perform solos and bends on such a string, but for other musical styles, such as jazz, a wound third string is best suited. Although you shouldn't take this as a rule, experiment!

Types of windings

Twisted strings are divided into several types, depending on the winding and material:

Round winding Flat winding
Semicircular winding Hexagonal winding

Round winding

Strings with this type of winding are considered the easiest to manufacture and the cheapest. They have a round core inside, around which a round wire is wound. The disadvantages include the following:

• The presence of a relief profile that causes a “whistle” as the fingers slide along the string.
• A rough surface that wears out the frets and fingerboard much faster.
• A winding that is not secured to the core and can rotate around it after damage.

Flat winding

Flat wound strings also have a round core inside, but wound wire has a smoother square profile with rounded corners. This profile reduces whistling, makes the strings more comfortable to play, and reduces wear on the frets and fingerboard. The sound of these strings is less bright than round wound strings. They are more expensive in price.

Semicircular winding

Nothing more than a hybrid of the two previous windings. These strings have the sound characteristics of round wound along with the feel of flat wound. At first they are made the same as with round winding, but then the outer side of the wire is polished and pressed until it is almost flat.

Hexagonal winding

The core profile is a hexagon with tightly wound round wire that follows the shape of the core. Thanks to this design, the problem of torsion of the winding around the core is solved and the sound is significantly improved due to its close connection with the winding. The disadvantage is that sharp ribs wear out the nuts and fingerboard much faster than round wound strings, and such strings are also less comfortable to play.

• Do not throw away old strings, because... They will still be useful to you if some string breaks and the store is far away.
• Before buying, explain to the seller that you need strings for an electric guitar, and not for some other one, so that they don’t sell you the wrong thing.
• To somehow extend the life of the strings, try to wash your hands before playing so that they are free of dirt and grease, and after playing, wipe the strings with a special liquid or a dry cloth from above and below.
• Try to change your strings at least every six months, because even the best ones don't last that long. During this time, their characteristics change: inhomogeneity appears in thickness, the sound loses richness, or microcracks may appear.
• If one string suddenly breaks, you can purchase it separately without having to buy a whole set. In this case, try to choose a similar string.

To determine whether your guitar needs strings replaced, you should pay attention to the following::

• dull guitar sound;
• the guitar doesn't stay in tune well;
• the strings are corroded or appear dirty;
• intonation is broken (the same note should sound clearly in different places on the fingerboard);
• the winding shows signs of wear;
• a lot of time has passed since the last replacement;
• strings too soft/hard.

In conclusion, I would like to wish you good luck, friends! Now you know how to choose strings for an electric guitar and you can safely go shopping. I tried to collect as much information as possible in this article, so share it with your friends on social networks below on the page. I will be glad to see your comments and additions. All the best!

Any guitarist sooner or later has to change the strings on his instrument, either due to wear and deterioration in sound, or in order to get a slightly different sound from the instrument. An acoustic guitar is a wonderful instrument that sounds great in a concert hall, in a cramped apartment, in a courtyard among multi-story buildings, and, of course, outdoors around a fire.

It is no longer possible to change the acoustic properties, which depend on the type of wood, the composition of the varnish, and the quality of manufacturing of the parts. But it is possible to achieve the desired timbre and sonority by replacing strings.

Nylon or metal?

If we consider what types of guitar strings there are, we can divide them into two groups that have their own varieties: nylon and metal. Each has its own characteristics, advantages and some disadvantages.

If we talk briefly about the main properties, then nylon ones are softer and their sound is duller. Metal ones are characterized by a brighter, ringing sound, but they are harsher - it is from them that guitarists develop rough calluses on the fingertips of their left hands.

Soft and quiet

As already mentioned, nylon strings are softer. They are essentially nylon fishing line, or at least that's what the first three look like. Only the thickness of the line from the first to the third increases accordingly. Thick basses consist of a bundle of nylon threads that are wound with copper (most often), silver or brass.

There is also such a thing as the degree of tension. For beginners, it is usually advised to choose a normal tension - it is very difficult and painful to press High Tension nylon lines to the frets. Although they are easier to play, some nuances of sound extraction known to masters will remain inaccessible.

Experts believe that if the guitar was purchased with nylon strings, then when replacing it it is better to choose the same ones. The same goes for metal ones. Nylon, as a rule, is used on a classical Spanish guitar, while a loud, rich metallic sound is more suitable for an acoustic guitar. However, there are exceptions and special opinions among guitarists on this matter.

By the way, it happens that nylon strings are more difficult to secure to the pegs (very slippery), more difficult to tune (it is difficult to “catch” the desired pitch). Professionals advise that after re-stringing and tuning, let the instrument sit for a day so that the nylon stretches, and then finally tune the guitar.

Loud and loud

This is exactly what is perfect for an acoustic guitar. Juicy sound of chords, ringing tremolo, bright strumming - only metal is capable of all this. No matter what metal strings are strung on an acoustic guitar, they will still sound louder than synthetic ones.

There are several varieties of them:

Based on monolithic (piano steel) with round winding. The first two strings are wire made of high-strength special steel, the third can look different: either like the first two, or have a thin metal winding. The sound with it is more velvety and pleasant, however, due to its thinness, the braid breaks very quickly. And in this case, replacement is already necessary.

There is one note: if one string fails, then it is better to change everything at once: the sound of the new one will still be out of tune with the overall timbre. It’s better not to skimp and choose the entire tool kit for a replacement.

With steel base and flat winding. In this case, the difference from the previous type is only in the winding: it is flat on the outside.

Steel core with synthetic shell. The sheath can be a thin Teflon winding, or steel wire is encased in plastic. This protection increases their service life: they do not get dirty from contact with your fingers, and do not wear out, even if the frets on the guitar are not well polished. However, the special iridescent sound characteristic of a metal core with a round winding will not work here.

More about the winding

In general, the sound of the bass and the ease of moving your fingers along it depend largely on the winding and, first of all, what its shape is. As already mentioned, the metal winding can be round in diameter. In this case, you can get a very ringing, rich, shimmering sound. But the sliding of fingers on such an uneven surface is accompanied by a characteristic squeak, or, as they also say, a whistle, and this extraneous noise is sometimes perfectly audible to the audience.

Flat or semicircular winding is good because it gives an ideal smooth surface. The fingers of the left hand glide along it easily and almost silently, without encountering any obstacles. And for beginners, pressing on such a surface is not so painful. However, the sound, although sonorous, loses that special iridescence that was mentioned above. On the bass it has a "matte coloration" compared to the richer sound of the thin first strings.

The material from which the outer braid of the bass is made is, as a rule, copper, less often brass, silver or other alloys. Copper is naturally cheaper, silver is more beautiful. But you shouldn’t put this expensive miracle on a cheap guitar with poorly polished frets. You won’t achieve any particularly beautiful sound here; the silver shell will quickly break, and you’ll just have to change the entire set.

Diameter and tension

Boxes with kits always contain numbers indicating diameter and tension. At least, reputable companies that produce quality products (such as D’Addario, La bella) must write this information on the packaging. The thickness of the first string can be from 0.08 to 0.15 mm, often this figure is indicated in inches. Thick, low-tension basses may rattle when played against the frets. To avoid this, lower the bar.

As a rule, guitarists, experimenting with various parameters and brands of manufacturers, choose the most successful option (or options) that satisfies them in terms of sound and ease of sound production. Knowing the basics and patterns, you can choose the best strings from personal experience.

We hope this article helped you choose good strings for your guitar.

When choosing guitar strings, the happy owner of a musical instrument must take into account the whole a number of parameters: manufacturer, material, coating, type of winding. One of the most important indicators is string thickness, or, to put it differently, their caliber.

String gauge determines two important points: sound and playability. The thicker the string, the richer and louder the sound will be, but they are more difficult to pinch. Thin strings are easier to handle, which is why beginners often prefer them. In general, the choice of caliber depends on what and how you want to play and what you are willing to sacrifice: sound or convenience.

String thickness most often expressed in fractions of an inch. The kit packaging indicates the thickness of the 1st and 6th strings separated by a hyphen. It looks something like 9-42, 10-46 and so on. In slang - “nine”, “ten”, etc. Acoustic guitar strings typically come in gauges of .009 or higher, while figure eight strings are used primarily for electric guitars.

What thickness of strings should I choose?

The thinnest strings are chosen either, as already mentioned, by beginners or virtuoso guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen. Also thin strings They are better suited for all kinds of bends (“pull-ups”), so blues lovers will also like them. The most popular 1st string gauges are 0.010 and 0.011. More thick strings are used less frequently, but with them you can achieve a richer and denser sound. They will come in handy, for example, in jazz. Also, large gauge strings are often used for playing in low tuning (Drop D or even Drop C). In addition, thick strings are better suited for scratching.