Top best strings for acoustic guitar. How to choose guitar strings

Strings are the main working element of a guitar, determining the comfort and quality of playing. Each musician has his own preferences on this matter, developed based on many years of experience. It’s more difficult for beginners - they only have to start searching, which may not always end successfully. How to reduce the error rate? What should you pay attention to?

How to choose strings for an acoustic guitar

Strings give a guitar its personality. The peculiarity of the game is influenced by their thickness - it contributes to the appearance of volume in the sound. According to this criterion, all strings are divided into three groups:

1. Thin. They do not require excessive pressure while playing, but they sound quiet.
2. Average. They represent the optimal balance between clamping force and pleasant sound.
3. Thick. Designed for experienced guitarists with trained left-hand fingers. They demonstrate rich and juicy sound.

Beginners are usually advised to use medium thickness strings. Sets 0.10-0.48 and 0.11-0.52 are considered the best in terms of sound transmission.

The second criterion when choosing strings for acoustics is the type of winding. It is characteristic of the fourth, fifth, sixth and sometimes third string. The winding is:

• flat – characterized by a matte, slightly muffled sound;
• round - has a bright and ringing sound.

The third string can be either without winding or with it (in thicker sets). IN the latter case the sound becomes more beautiful and rich, but due to the thinness of the winding, it regularly has to be changed along with the rest of the set of strings.

Unwound strings are more durable, but exhibit fewer overtones, causing the sound to be perceived as lacking harmony. It should be remembered that the more often the winding, the more dull and “bass” the sound turns out.

Much depends on the material used. Typically there are the following options:

Choosing strings is a purely individual matter. You need to try and compare. It is recommended to study the “habits” of your favorite musicians and play with the same strings that they use.

Many beginners decide to go with copper. This material, due to its good performance qualities and low cost, enjoys continued popularity.

You should be careful when purchasing strings with silver winding. Most often, these are just copper wires coated with a very thin layer of silver, which quickly wears off (especially if the product is made in Korea or China). It is believed that such winding mainly affects aesthetics, and not sound quality. Although some musicians are confident in the indispensability of silver when performing fingerpicking. If possible, it is better to try such strings yourself and draw your own conclusions.

The choice of strings is influenced by the type acoustic guitar– classic or pop. Classic models are mainly used when teaching the game. The following strings are used for such instruments:

Pop instruments require working with the following strings:

1. On a monolithic steel base with copper or bronze winding.
2. With semicircular or flat winding. A subtype of the previous option. They do not emit the characteristic “whistle” when sliding fingers; they are matte on bass strings and sonorous on windless ones.
3. Steel, covered with a layer of thin synthetics.

A pop guitar assumes that the user already has some experience in playing, so the strings used are harder and stiffer, which has a positive effect on the brightness of the sound.

How to choose strings for an electric guitar

Everything is electric guitar strings are based on a steel core. It may have a winding made of the following materials:

Nickel-plated strings are most popular; steel models are much less common.

There are several types of winding:

1. Round. The simplest and most inexpensive option, which has pronounced disadvantages in the form of:
   • lack of attachment to the core, which causes “looseness” of the winding in case of string damage;
   • a relief profile that provokes the appearance of a “whistle” when the fingers slide;
   • roughness, which accelerates the wear of the fingerboard and frets.
2. Flat. An improved type of winding that does not exhibit “whistle” and provides less wear on the pickguard and frets. The strings are comfortable to play, but they do not have as bright a sound as models with round winding.
3. Semicircular. Combines the bright sound of round strings with the tactile feel of flat strings.
4. Hexagonal. Due to the close contact of the core with the winding, better sound quality is achieved. True, at the same time the wear of the lining and thresholds accelerates (the process occurs in less time than in the case of a round winding). Also, hexagonal strings are not very comfortable.

You need to select a winding based on your own ideas about what the sound should be, as well as the budget allocated for the purchase. Any option can be a good choice in a particular case.

The best gauge for electric guitar strings is “ten” (0.010). It is this thickness that allows you to combine a sufficient level of rigidity with sound density. “Eights” (0.008) are only suitable during the learning period; you should not linger on them for a long time: the strings are very soft and thin, which affects the sound. Strings from 0.011 and above are considered complex due to their thickness, but they demonstrate a voluminous and powerful sound.

Recognizing your instrument is the main task of a musician. Therefore, the selection of strings should have an experimental touch. “Like” the guitar? Did it sound? Only through trial and error can you find “those” strings that will help you achieve your own sound and develop it.

The choice of strings is a purely individual matter and it is impossible to say unambiguously which strings to choose; this also applies to instruments. Demanding musicians sometimes spend years selecting strings for themselves, sometimes one at a time from different sets. Even if they finally pick it up, then, lo and behold, the string manufacturers will come up with something new, and the search begins again. A good musician, as a creative person, will always look for better and better strings, but for a beginning guitarist, when choosing strings, it is important to decide on the main thing; what kind of music and what kind of guitar he will play, then the choice of strings will not be such a painful problem.

First, a little about what strings are. In fact, a string can be any thread or wire, as long as it does not break or be stretched under the influence of the player. Once upon a time, when there were no guitars or violins, our distant ancestors played on sinew (made from animal intestines) and silk strings that did not have a winding. Gut strings have survived to this day, but for a number of reasons they now remain almost only on harps and are sometimes found on violins (mainly when performing authentic music). Only in the 19th century did metal (copper, silver) windings appear on gut strings, which made it possible to improve the timbre of bass strings while simultaneously reducing their tension, which made the performer’s life easier and enriched the timbre of his instrument. At the same time, with the advent of the grand piano, the first experiments in the production of steel-based strings appeared, which later found application for other instruments. The 20th century extremely expanded the range of types of strings, adding many new ones to the existing ones: synthetic, on a steel cable, multilayer, with a profile winding (not round, but flat or semicircular, etc.), bimetallic (combining two or more materials ), combined, etc. Let's try to figure out what determines the need for such diversity.

Types of strings

Gut strings in principle, they do not last long on a fretted instrument, so they have almost fallen out of use (they are not found in Russia).

Synthetic strings– usually used for classical guitar. They were substitutes for unstable veins. The first three strings are calibrated nylon fishing line, and the three bass strings are made of polyfilament (consisting of large number threads) twisted synthetic base. The traditional winding for them is silver-plated copper. Silver coating (several thousandths of a millimeter) improves the sound of relatively dull copper, does not darken when touched by fingers, and looks very nice, however, it wears out over time. Many companies successfully use other copper-containing alloys as windings, which are in no way inferior in sound and are much superior in durability to silver-plated copper.

Mono steel strings (usually hex core) are used very widely in pop music, as well as those who appreciate sonority (“metal”) in a guitar. These strings have a higher tension compared to synthetic ones and are used on guitars of a different, reinforced type. And although there are still strings on a steel base with windings made of silver-plated copper, this is rather their disadvantage, since the steel base does not allow the twisted string to bend around the guitar fret in the same way as a synthetic one, which is why these strings last several times less than those with a bronze winding. brass, stainless steel, etc.

Guitar strings on a steel cable they are not found in Russia, although they probably exist in the West, but not for the mass buyer, because they should be several times more expensive than those listed above.

Regarding strings with flat winding or semicircular, lying flat side up, then these strings have a longer service life and when changing positions they do not have the characteristic whistle of the fingers on the winding turns. They tend to be a little less bright, but they are favored by guitarists who have to record in the studio.

There are many sizes for all guitar strings, depending on the requirements of the musician and his instrument. Unlike bowed instruments, where the length of the strings of a full instrument (4/4) is the same, guitars are different in scale (the length of the working part of the string). There are instruments with scales from 610 mm to 660 mm and even more, so the same set of strings will have different tensions. For a shorter guitar, you should use heavier (almost always thicker) strings. The standard guitar scale is increasingly considered to be 648 mm.

About string tension

Guitarists are accustomed to determining the tension of steel strings by the number of the first string, indicated in thousandths of an inch, i.e. A set of "medium-light" tension strings No. 10 is a set in which the first string has a diameter of 0.010 inches = 0.254 mm. But few people pay attention to the diameters of other strings, but this is important. American steel-based acoustic guitar strings are usually designed for large instruments that are mainly played with a pick. These sets provide higher tension on the twisted strings than most traditionally prefer Russian performers who have instruments of a different design and give preference not to the loudness of the instrument, but to its melodiousness, i.e. pedaling (duration) of sound, which can only be obtained on strings with lower tension.

The figure shows the string tension for six string guitar. The top graph shows the tension of “loud” strings, the bottom - less loud, but with a larger pedal, i.e. “singing”

The tension of guitar strings on a synthetic basis (for a classical guitar) is also determined based on the sections of the strings, but here the difference is in the tension of the strings different sizes is miniscule, which is partly due to the fact that the scale length of the instrument itself has settled and is about 650 mm. A deviation in line diameter for the first three strings, even by 0.002 inches (0.05 mm), is no longer significant for string tension, since nylon itself is more than 7 times lighter than steel.

Conclusions

From all of the above, we can already draw some conclusions about which strings should be chosen. The choice is mainly determined by what sound (timbre) you like, what instrument you have and what kind of music you perform. A beginner guitarist can be advised the following when choosing strings:

If you like muted sound and soft strings– you should opt for synthetic strings, but they should only be used on a classical-type guitar, otherwise the sound will be too weak.

Those who need sound power and ringing and who have a large, American-type instrument should prefer steel-based strings no lower than No. 11. True, this also requires strong fingers.

Anyone who does not want to have calluses on the fingers of their left hand, but who does not like the “plastic” sound of synthetic strings, can be advised to use steel-based strings Nos. 9 and 10. In this case, it may be necessary to slightly increase the height of the strings above the fingerboard due to the height of the lower nut, since soft (or rather light) strings have greater range vibrations and may touch the frets when playing.

And finally, one more piece of advice - always tune the strings using a tuning fork, because In addition to the fact that when you re-tighten you damage the instrument itself, if the strings are held for a long time with re-tightening, they can stretch out and sound worse in the correct tuning.

Usually you can find a long article of several pages, which describes all the intricacies of string selection, but in reality, the choice comes down to several essentially identical options.

What strings to choose for an electric guitar? The choice of strings for an electric guitar depends on your task. If you just need high-quality strings, or you are a beginner musician, start with the main manufacturers, market leaders: American Ernie Ball, La Bella (this company is worth special attention - for example, they invented the same strings for the electric guitar, and they have a huge assortment) or D "Addario. The most popular gauges are 9-42 (softer, will be comfortable for a beginning guitarist, easier to play solo), 10-46 (usually installed on Strats and similar guitars, generally the most popular caliber) and 10-52 (installed by default on LesPaul, they sound a little lower than 10-46 and a little stiffer), and if the guitar is a 7-string, start with 10-56. Traditional materials are Nickel wound steel strings, start with those for a warmer feel. For a (vintage) sound, choose a winding made of pure nickel (Pure Nickel), for a brighter sound - a steel winding (Stainless Steel wound). We advise rock musicians to pay attention to Ernie Ball and Dunlop - with them it is easier to achieve a harsh sound, and they cope better with rough handling. :) Strings with an increased service life due to a special coating - for example, Elixir will last 3-4 times longer, this is very convenient if the guitar is not used very actively - if idle, the strings will not be exposed to the environment for a long time. Next, pay attention to products less large manufacturers- such as Curt Mangan or Kerly, which have their own characteristics and production technologies - you may find the most suitable strings with them!

What strings to buy for a bass guitar? For beginners, and for most, strings of standard gauge with soft or medium tension are suitable: 45-100 or 45-105 (40-125 or 45-125 for a 5-string guitar) from any manufacturer, with traditional nickel-plated winding. Often the choice is made in favor of steel-wound strings - they have a brighter sound with an extended low range. If you need strings with an extended service life, choose coated strings, such as Elixir or other manufacturers. In our catalog, similar strings can be easily found by noting “Extended service life” or “Protective coating” in the product filters. Better, richer sound is offered, for example, by the D"Addario NYXL and Ernie Ball Cobalt series.

What strings to buy for a classical guitar? First of all, if you are just starting to play, we recommend medium string tension, this will make it easier on your hands and fingers. A tighter tension will produce a richer, louder sound, but these strings are a little more difficult to play. Classical guitar strings are made primarily from nylon and silver-plated copper windings. Similar strings good quality at a low price are offered by the well-known American companies D "ADDARIO and ERNIE BALL, or inexpensive series from the German HANNABACH - they are suitable for a beginning musician or for everyday amateur playing, and will never disappoint you. If you are seriously learning to play the guitar, and want to get excellent sound and make the learning process more enjoyable - try SAVAREZ strings, which are recommended by most music schools and teachers. Find the strings that will maximize the sound of your guitar and be comfortable for you!

What strings to buy for an acoustic guitar? For beginners, we recommend calibers 10-47 or 10-50, which have a softer string tension, this will make it easier on the hands and fingers, making learning easier and more comfortable. 11-52 or 12-54 have a tighter tension, but also a more powerful sound output - choose these strings if you already have experience playing the guitar. Second important criterion- this is the material. 80/20 Bronze Alloy sounds brighter, Phosphor Bronze sounds warmer and richer, and strings with a special coating (Ernie Ball Everlast or Elixir) will last especially long. There are other alloys, such as Aluminum Bronze or Nickel Bronze, which are brighter in the mid-high range, and are more resistant to corrosion even without a special coating. Whatever you choose, they will not disappoint with their quality.

Wondering " which better strings for guitar“Many beginning musicians miss some important things, which we will talk about today. In general, choosing guitar strings is a rather important process, because the sound of your electric guitar (or acoustic guitar) consists of several, roughly speaking, parts - wood; tool configurations or, in other words, shapes; electronics and of course strings. Strings make up about 25 percent of your sound, and if you choose this very important element incorrectly, then other components will not be able to manifest themselves properly, which is why it is so important to approach this issue correctly

Choosing strings by brand

One ideal choice would be to purchase a set of strings depending on the brand. For example, if you have a guitar, then the strings from this manufacturer will sound great; for many companies that produce guitars, this is good additional income, which they do not want to lose at all, therefore, this product will have at least the same quality as the instrument itself (example: Gibson strings). In addition to such large brands as, there are companies that specialize exclusively in the production of strings, this includes Elixir(read the article about this manufacturer), Dunlop, YesDario and others.

A huge number of positive reviews from string Elixir, however, for the last few years I have personally been using the brand YesDario and have never regretted it yet. All of these companies typically have their own proprietary coverage ( Elixir – Nanoveb), which has served faithfully for a long time. The prices of these brands vary by somewhere around 20 percent. If you are still a student and don’t have much money, you can go to the Aliexpress website and order several sets there YesDario, V last time one cost two dollars, which is much cheaper than in the store, but you will have to wait a little (up to a month). Moreover, they say that all the products of this brand are fake, but quite high quality, it’s up to you to decide.

Resonant substance

I would like to write metal, however, acoustic guitars are often used nylon strings, which give a rather soft sound (ideal for classical music). Therefore, if you have an acoustic guitar and are preparing to enter the Gnessin College of Music, then you will be fine good choice exactly nylon. If you play other music, from blues to grindcore strip metal (no matter what guitar), then you will have to choose between steel strings and nickel(all this is conditional, in addition to steel and nickel there may be up to 20 other metals). Steel gives a characteristic sound, however, like nickel, in defense of steel it can be said that such strings last a little longer. For comparison, take Dunlop nickel and metal, buy whichever you like best, replace this brand with any other. It is worth adding that strings for electric guitars and bass are made with the addition of ferromagnetic alloy, which creates a magnetic vibration that is picked up by the pickup, so acoustic strings won't bother your monster with two humbuckers

Thickness

Everyone knows that distance measurements are measured in mm, with strings... that's not true at all, they are measured in inches. On sets they usually write 9-42 or 10 -46 or 8 -40, this means that the first string from the 9-42 set is 0.009 inches, and the last (we have six strings) sixth is 0.042 inches.

In general, thickness is also a very important string parameter, regardless of which it will be quite problematic for you to communicate with your guitar. Example - you play jazz and buy GHS signature strings by Zach Wylde where the last string is 56, in general, you tighten them and if the wood on the guitar is crap, then you get either a bent neck or, if everything is really bad, then a cracked neck. Depending on the music, on the configuration of the guitar, you can choose the thickness of the strings, basically, most people use 9-42, 10-46, these two sets are suitable for 90 percent of all styles of music. The Fender eight lasted exactly three days, then the 6th string broke, then the 4th, and then I bought another set

Options for perverts

Some strings have a phosphor coating, which allows them to glow in the dark, sometimes even spectacularly. Let's add that there are sets with different colors, for example, each string has its own color, but without phosphor

When to change strings

If you see traces of corrosion on the coating, this is the first sign that it is time to replace it. You can hear from the sound the fact that the strings no longer ring...at all, and the sound has begun to change, which also means that the replacement process is very close.

How to change strings

As a bonus, you can tell us one way that will quickly and without complications allow you to change a new set. There is a rule according to which there should not be more than five turns on the tuning axis; in general, for bass strings this is a completely followed rule (more fraught with poor tuning and lack of aesthetics), for the first three it is quite possible to make 7 or even 10 turns. By tensioning the string depending on the headstock, you can press the string to the quill, thereby, without reinventing the wheel, give a tension that will not allow the formation of unnecessary turns on the tuning axis, this is very convenient if you have a Fender Stratocaster quill, for Les Paul you just take the strings and lift them above the bar and pull it.

It is important to replace guitar strings as soon as they become old or break. Choosing the wrong type may damage your guitar. There are a few tips to consider when purchasing acoustic guitar strings.

Need to decide before purchasing

First you need to decide what kind of guitar you will learn. Whether it is a classical guitar or an acoustic one, the strings will also be different; in fact, the strings are almost the whole difference between a classical and an acoustic guitar.

When choosing strings for your acoustic guitar in a store, you will definitely encounter a problem that did not exist when you were choosing your instrument. Before purchasing, you will not be able to listen to how the strings sound in order to choose the most suitable ones for yourself. Therefore, first, consult with friends or acquaintances of guitarists who have experience behind them before you decide to buy strings.

String thickness

You need to decide what thickness of strings suits you best. You need to keep in mind that in order to confidently play thick strings, you must have well-trained fingers on your left hand. As a rule, the diameter of the 1st string in different sets can vary from 0.008 to 0.013 inches. The thicker the strings, the richer and more voluminous the guitar will sound.

Winding material

Copper or its various alloys. These strings are the most common and most often used on acoustic guitars and are therefore less expensive.

Silver coating. This metal has little effect on the sound, but has a good effect on aesthetic qualities. Strings with this coating do not fade, look beautiful and do not leave dark marks on the fingers.

Brass or phosphor bronze. Such strings will be more durable and, unlike copper ones, will have a slightly different sound.

String winding type

Round winding. Strings with such a winding will have a ringing and bright sound, especially immediately after replacement, but not for a long time.

Flat winding. When choosing such strings, keep in mind that their sound will be dull, as if muffled.

The 1st and 2nd strings are always made without winding. The 6th, 5th and 4th bass strings are always wound. The 3rd string most often comes without a winding, but in thicker sets with a winding, which gives its sound a more beautiful and rich sound, but it also has a drawback. Due to the fact that the winding is very thin, it often breaks and becomes unusable, and because of this it is necessary to change the entire set.

Types of strings

For classical (Spanish) guitar

Synthetic (nylon) strings. The first three strings consist of nylon fishing line, but the bass strings are made of a large number of threads of exactly the same nylon and have an external metal winding, most often made of copper, less often of silver or brass (phosphorus bronze).

High density synthetic. These strings, unlike nylon strings, are made of carbon fishing line, and at the same time have an increased density and a thinner diameter. Such strings are characterized by a ringing, pronounced sound. The disadvantage is the high price.

Strings on steel cable. The strings are relatively soft and have different windings: the first three are with nylon tape, and the 6th, 5th and 4th are with silver-plated copper. These strings have almost no stretch and change pitch quite quickly when the pegs are turned. They are less popular due to their high price and are quite unusual.

Synthallic strings. They are characterized at the metal level by high sound brightness and the usual softness like nylon. They tune up quickly, the winding does not wear out so much from contact with the frets, and these strings also allow you to make “braces.” Maintains tune and rich timbre for several months without changing.

For acoustic guitar

Monolithic steel strings. The core of these strings consists of high-strength, so-called “piano steel”, from which the first three strings are also made. Alloys based on copper or phosphorus bronze are most often used as windings, and the windings differ in hardness and elasticity, while imparting different rigidity to the strings. This, in turn, affects the sound of the instrument and the comfort of playing with your fingers.

Steel strings with semicircular or flat winding. Such a winding can lie flat side out. These strings are a type of string with a solid steel base. When sliding fingers along the coils, the windings do not make a “whistle”. They are characterized by a more matte sound on bass strings and a more ringing sound on unwound strings.

Steel strings covered with thin synthetic material. There are two types of them. The first type includes strings in which on top of the metal winding there is another additional thin tape winding consisting of Teflon - a synthetic material that has low friction and good wear resistance. Protects the twisted string from dirt and moisture and reduces wear from contact with the frets. The second type differs in that, according to the technology, the wire winding the strings is already enclosed in a plastic sheath. Disadvantage - the gaps between the turns are less protected from contamination and sweat from the fingers, but they more effectively reduce wear from contact with the frets. These two types of strings are quite expensive and lack the iridescent sound that is characteristic of round wound strings.

When choosing strings for a guitar, you need to decide what sound you personally like, what kind of guitar you have and, not least, what kind of music you will play or already play.

If you love classical guitar and only soft strings are most suitable for you, then opt for nylon strings ah, but it's better to put them on a classical-type guitar. Because if you put them on acoustic, the sound will be too quiet and dull;

If the ringing and power of a guitar's sound is very important to you, then take steel-based strings with a first string diameter of 0.011 inches and thicker bass strings, but this requires strong fingers;

If you don't like the "plastic" sound of nylon strings and want thick calluses on your left hand, then cable or steel-based 0.009 or 0.010 inch strings with low tension will suit you. You may need to increase the height of the strings above the fretboard (mostly the bass strings) to avoid them chattering on the frets when playing.

Try to always tune the strings using a tuner or tuning fork, because the instrument will not be able to sound fully if it is not tuned correctly. Do not over-tighten the strings so as not to deform them or break them at the most inopportune moment. Also, you shouldn’t tighten the strings loosely, because the sound will be less dense and loud, and the tuning will “float.” Keep in mind that even if you take the most expensive strings, but don’t tune them correctly, they will sound much worse than cheap ones, but correctly tuned and matched to the hands and guitar of a particular player.