he type of guitar string that you must choose depends on the type of guitar you have, the sound you prefer and the one that will give ease to playing the guitar. , First of all, you need to figure out whether you need electric guitar strings, acoustic guitar strings, bass guitar strings, metal or nylon strings. If you have an electric guitar, the standard strings commonly used are nickel wound, most common gauge being 10-46. These provide good performance and are quite popular among the electric guitarists. On the other hand, if you intend to play an acoustic guitar, you need to choose between steel or nylon strings. It is advisable to use string gauge for the purpose. For a thicker tone, one should choose a heavier string gauge while for a lighter effect a lighter gauge must be chosen. Nylon strings are for soft tone and easy for the fingers, best for classical guitars. Monel strings are best for people who are used to handling metal strings; they are sharper and louder than nylon strings. Medium-light gauge is the best for beginners.
Silk or steel strings are great for finger-style playing; they are best on the fingers than the usual metal strings and they do not work on the electric guitars. Again, flat-wound strings are for the electric guitars. They are comfortable with left hand usage and give a smooth tone with amplifying. These are preferred by jazz guitarists.
It is important to make sure the best guitar strings are chosen depending on the type of guitar.
Contents
Best Electric Guitar Strings – View Full List
For choosing the right strings for these types of guitars you need to understand the different materials, treatments and gauges. Gauge is the string’s size, popular string gauge set for a 6-string, electric guitar is .010-.046. The first one (0.010) is the smallest and the later one (0.046) is the largest string. Other strings are gauged in accordance with the sound, feel and even tension. For standard tuning, E, B, G, D, A, E- on an electric guitar which has a normal scale length of 24.5”-25.5” is good. Next one is usually a gauge between 0.009-0.042 set which is easy for playing with a decrease in the tension. Sometimes, a lighter gauge is preferred over a heavier gauge for the softer tone they provide; they are good for string bending and light touch. Moving up with a gauge from .010-.046 to .011-.048 allows better tension for playing harder but bending is harder for this kind. This gauge set offers a third string which can be plain or with windings like 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th strings. The 3rd string is much harder to bend than the others. There are mix strings sets that include the heavy and light gauges for playing both soft and hard. A heavier string offers darker tone than the lighter ones. Heavier ones are also much favourable for drop-tunings. Gauges above .011 are good for extra-low tunings.
Electric guitar gauges are made of steel. Different manufacturers offer variations like tin-plating, real differences exist in the wrap. Nickel-plated steel is the most common one which gives a balance between harsh and smooth sounding. Other metal alloys have variations in feel and tone. Different treatments on the strings such as thin, protective coatings can affect the tone and longevity of the string. For electric guitars flat-wound strings offer the most different sound and feel, these have an extra layer of ribbon winding that result in a smooth and mellow tone. Flat-wound strings are most common with the jazz guitars. Smooth surface decreases the noise created by slides. Finding the strings of your choice is a tough job.
Best Acoustic Guitar Strings – View Full List
These guitars are the classic ones. The acoustic guitars attract everyone. For their popularity around the globe it is important to sound great which requires choosing the right guitar strings for your guitar. There are a variety of strings that go with this guitar and choosing the right one for yourself might be difficult. You can also buy a set of multiple strings and not lack one when it is required. Learning about the right material for your guitar is important to avoid dissatisfaction with the tone later. For example, in case of classical guitars, nylon strings are preferred the most. For electric or acoustic guitars the options increase. Nickel, bronze, brass, nylon and the options available for your guitar and you need to make your choice fit with your guitar, that’s all. Strings need gauges, which are manufactured in a variety of types. They have a great influence on the kind of sound the guitar produces.
Lighter gauge for the strings help in easy playing, give easier bending of the notes and put less tension on the guitar neck; they produce lesser volume too. Heavier gauges, on the other hand, are hard to play and difficult to bend notes; they even produce more volume. The acoustic guitar string gauges can range from “extra light” to “heavy” ones. A big guitar would go with medium-sized gauge which is perfect for larger chambers.
The different factors to be aware of while buying the right string for your guitar are body style, playing style, preferred tone, age of the guitar and its condition. To know the exact age and condition of your guitar, a tech or strings manufacturer can be consulted. The most popularly used string materials are; Bronze, Aluminium Bronze, Silk and Steel, Phosphor Bronze, Brass and Polymer-coating. The silk ones prevent wear and tear of the guitar bridges, saddle and pins while those with polymer-coating offer longevity.
For acoustic-electric guitars, strings do not have much influence on the sound the guitar produces. Ordinary or classical guitar strings work fine with them. Some manufacturers even make strings specially designed for these types of guitars.
Best Bass Guitar Strings – View Full List
It is necessary to choose the right bass string for your guitar. The vibrations of the strings can be affected with friction and that will make the guitar lose the tone gradually. To avoid the damage later, you should always purchase coated bass strings with a bit more initial cost. The outer part as well as the space between the windings can be coated. Bass strings offer a smooth sound and good feeling while playing, as well as last long.
Pickups, pedals etc, are important for a good performance, but, it all starts with the type of strings used. The metal or alloy with which the bass strings are made gives each one a different individual tone. There are nickel plated, stainless steel and bronze strings and more; the tone varies accordingly. Heavy gauge strings will have darker sound produced and lesser pressure on the fingers are applied than lighter ones. There are also options for creating your own customised string set for your bass guitar.
Best Nylon Strings – View Full List
These strings are usually used for playing classical, boss nova and folk music. They produce soft and mellow sound which is liked by the audience and players naturally prefer these. Beginners believe the nylon strings are easy on their fingers which is true because they are soft and exert lesser tension. The nylon string guitars should be purchased for musical benefit and not because they make playing easier. Nylon strings require more and frequent tuning than steel strings and are also sensitive to the temperature changes in the atmosphere.
While selling this kind of strings, the tension rates are mentioned in the package. Benefits of strings with Light tension are easy bending of notes even with high action, smoothness and less volume. Normal or medium tension strings provide benefits with a balance between low and high tension. With high tension strings, the bending of notes gets harder, more volume is produced and it is the best for rhythmic playing. It is suggested to buy the strings only after checking which tension works best for your guitar from a set of these strings.
Best Metal Strings – View Full List
or the lovers of heavy rock and metal genres like Metallica and Megadeth, these strings are the best picks. For a beginner, it is important to find a good metal guitar and then the right type of strings to go with the guitar. For metal strings, the gauge is the most important part because drop C, Drop D and low-tuned ones are preferred in this genre. Metal guitarists go for medium or heavy gauged strings typically between .011-.050. The heavy gauged strings are best for hard players as they provide sustenance and excellent volume although these gauges require more pressure on the strings. Metalheads usually prefer pure nickel or nickel-plated or steel strings, as the materials of the strings are important for the tone as well. The stainless steel strings provide warm and bright tone as the likes of many metal heads. Examples of the top brands selling metal strings are:
Rotosound’s Pure Nickel guitar strings- Suitable for every genre, their Pure Nickel 10 and 11 provide heavy tuning with rich sound although it is pretty expensive, but they last a bit longer than other common strings.
D’Addario’s XL Nickel Wound- These quality strings provide great sound with any pickup. Their EXL 115 is suitable for this genre.
Ernie Ball’s Guitar Strings- These strings are affordable and customizations are offered by them. They have super beefy to cover heavy setups. These high-quality strings are cost-effective as 2-3 packs can be afforded instead of getting one of Rotosound’s products. For drop tunings, the beefy Slinky is suitable, whereas, Heavy Bottom Strings are light and best for solo playing. Coatings are important for the strings to prevent wear and tear with time.
Conclusion
Body woods, pickups and amps make a good guitar, but without a good set of strings even the most expensive guitar will not deliver the desired tone. That’s why the strings are the most important part of a guitar, especially when receiving quality tone and giving a good performance is the main aim. The five categories of guitars- acoustic, classical, bass, metal and electric: they all have certain strings that are suitable with them. No one string is preferred with all the types of guitars. Each guitar has specifications and requirements. We have already reviewed the strings preferred for each type of guitars.
The main focus while buying a guitar string or a set of it should be on the gauges used in the strings, materials used to make the strings, coatings added to the strings, string core and winding methods. It requires a bit of research and browsing through few a reviews before buying a set of these. A little bit of initial costing for buying a high-quality pack of strings can save you the future expenses on replacement or damage for a really long time. For beginners, consulting a manufacturer before hurrying into buying one is suggested.