What Acoustic Guitar Strings Should I Buy

Coated strings have become more and more popular over the last decade or so. Some of the best acoustic guitar strings have a coating around the string that helps prevent dirt and sweat from getting into the grooves, making them sound like new strings for longer.

what acoustic guitar strings should i buy

Phosphor bronze acoustic strings tend to be a little warmer and mellower, with a balanced response, whereas 80/20 bronze strings sound brighter, with some nice detail. They also tend to have a good bass response, with almost a slight natural mid scoop.

Steel-string acoustics are the most common. These come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, from parlor-sized to dreadnought, flattop to resonator. The best set of acoustic strings for you has a lot to do both with the style of guitar you own and the style of music you play.

String gauges, especially on an acoustic guitar, affect a lot of different things. Lighter gauges are easier to play, overall, but at the cost of volume, sustain and response in the lower frequencies. Heavier gauges are louder and generally have a fatter tone and more sustain, but are physically more difficult to play. Why is this? There are a couple of reasons.

There is nothing more frustrating than pulling your guitar out of the case after a couple of weeks away from it and discovering that the strings have gone dead. Coated strings are a great answer to that.

From an initial few, many companies have leapt into making this type of long-lived acoustic guitar string, producing their own proprietary coatings. This competition has helped everyone develop thinner, better-feeling coatings. Leading the pack these days are Ernie Ball with their Paradigm series and D'Addario with their XT and XS coated strings.

Ernie Ball Paradigm acoustic guitar strings are available in both an 80/20 and a phosphor bronze formulation. These combine several of the company's technological advances with a patented reinforcement of the plain strings and their unique plasma-treated wrap wires. The biggest advantage here is their Everlast nanotechnology, which is so thin that there's some debate as to whether it falls into the category of coating or treatment. The overall effect is added strength and extended life in addition to Ball's traditionally excellent tone, so we're not sure that the semantics really matter here.

D'Addario's XT phosphor bronze acoustic guitar strings are touted for their great tone, natural feel and extended life. Since D'Addario was the company to revive the phosphor bronze formulation, they've worked at maintaining their position as the primary source for discerning players. The XT wound strings maintain a virtually identical harmonic content and sustain to their untreated phosphor bronze strings, while offering a greatly increased life.

Treated strings are relatively new to the market compared to the others. The treatments range from cryogenic and heat treatments, used primarily on electric guitar strings, to proprietary anti-corrosion treatments on acoustic strings. The latter treat both the wire core and the wrap material to ensure serious corrosion resistance. While no string lasts forever, since all metal will eventually fatigue, these treated strings appear to be in the lead, as far as usable life. Two strings that have set high marks are the Martin MA140T Lifespan 2.0 80/20 Bronze and the Ernie Ball 2546 Everlast Phosphor.

There is no place to hide when your acoustic strings start sounding flat, which makes coated guitar strings well worth the extra initial cost. Just remember that not all coatings are the same. Elixir Strings is the only brand to protect the entire string, coating not only the outer string surface but also the spaces between the windings. All Elixir Strings are Roundwound for comfort and natural sparkle. Our acoustic range has a choice of two polymer coatings. NANOWEB Coating has a brighter tone and feels more like traditional strings, while POLYWEB Coating has a warmer tone. Both offer the same extended tone life, reduced finger squeak and enhanced playability that players have come to expect from Elixir Strings. Coating choice is a personal preference; try both and decide which suits you best.

Acoustic guitarists often play without the 'coloring' of amps and pedals, so it is important to love the raw tone of your chosen guitar strings. The metal alloy used in the construction of an acoustic guitar string is fundamental to its tone. The two most popular varieties are 80/20 Bronze and Phosphor Bronze. The 80/20 Bronze guitar strings have a bright, lively voice. Phosphor Bronze strings have a more distinctive tone, full of warmth and sparkle. Whichever is your favorite, Elixir Strings offer both 80/20 Bronze and Phosphor Bronze strings with a choice of our NANOWEB and POLYWEB protective Coatings.

There are many factors to consider before you swear allegiance to a string gauge. First is tone: heavy strings have a warm, articulate tone, while lighter ones sound bright with a softer attack. Then there is playing style: many fingerpickers prefer light gauges, while medium gauges generally best serve strummers. Bear in mind the instrument too: heavier gauges can be the best complement to a larger-bodied model, like a jumbo or dreadnought, while parlour models suit light strings. You may discover that Elixir HD Light Strings are the perfect compliment for narrow-bodied guitars. Finally, never put heavy strings on a delicate vintage instrument: the tension could damage the neck and bridge. Check out our comprehensive range to find the gauge that is right for you.

Acoustic guitar strings tend to be pre-packaged for convenience, but there is nothing in the rulebook that says you have to buy a pack of six strings with pre-determined gauges. All Elixir coated guitar Strings are available as singles. You could also check out our HD Light set, which is a blend of medium-gauge plain steel strings and light gauge wound bass strings, bridged by a custom .025 third string. This set represents the best of both worlds: the increased tension of the high strings increases articulation, while the interaction of the tension profile with the soundboard adds harmonic content to bass strings.

Note that this article is only concerned with steel string acoustic guitars. For information on how to choose classical (nylon) guitar strings visit the link below. There are a few different considerations for nylon strings so I have put this on a separate page.

If you are playing a lot then you should consider semi-flats if you are having issues with finger soreness. Also they tend to last longer so if you are playing a lot you won?t have to change strings as often.

If you have a brighter sounding guitar, or a brighter sounding playing style, then more mellow/darker sounding strings might be good if you are looking to tone down that brightness. In that case you might want to experiment with silk & steel material or semi flats.

Similarly, if you are looking to brighten up your sound because of a dark sounding guitar or playing style, then brighter strings can help balance your sound. You might want to experiment with 80/20 bronze strings and/or roundwound (this would be the most common set up).

While string gauge is very much a matter of personal preference based on tone and feel, most manufacturers recommend string gauge based on body size. This is primarily due to the amount of tension exerted on the guitar top by the strings. In general, the larger the body, the more tension they can withstand.

Ernie Ball acoustic guitar strings offer musicians the power to handpick the sound of their music. Acoustic guitar strings highly influence the overall sound and tonality because there are no pickups or amplifiers to interfere. Just pure music. But how do you choose the right acoustic string for your desired sound? There are many different kinds of Ernie Ball acoustic guitar strings to choose from. This guide can help you select the right ones.

Ernie Ball coated acoustic guitar strings use groundbreaking nanotechnology that repels unwanted moisture and oils that negatively impact your tone. Unlike most coated string products on the market, our proprietary treatment is applied to both the inner hex core and outer wrap wire to provide ultimate protection without compromising tone or feel. Ernie Ball offers Everlast Coated 80/20 Bronze and Everlast Coated Phosphor Bronze acoustic strings that are virtually indistinguishable from our uncoated string products allowing for the natural feel and sound players are accustomed to. Coated strings generally last longer than uncoated strings and cost a bit more. Ultimately, coating is a personal preference; try both and decide which suits you best!

What about those of us who are learning to play a resonator guitar? What strings are best for us? I read somewhere that the bottom 3 should be a light steel and the top 4 strings should be steel wrapped around nylon or silk.

Hi, Bianca! Guitar strings do very much affect your sound. The best place to start is to figure out what kind of sound you want to be making (bright and crisp, full with lots of bottom end, etc.), and then find the corresponding alloy in the gauge that best fits your playing style. Is there a particular guitarist who has a guitar sound that you think might be a good place for you to start?

The whole article and the comments made are very welcome as part of the advice. I for one as a biginner would not enjoy going though regular changes of strings. In fact it might put me off my guitar lessons as I might put the guitar away awaiting a better day to change the strings. A young person may even switch to other interests. However, it is important to know how to maintain your instrument and guitar string replacements is one of those chores to be undertaken. 041b061a72