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 another way, their caliber.
String gauge defines 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. Strings for acoustic guitar Typically available in thicknesses of .009 or higher, figure eight gauges 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 very 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.
It has always been an honor to be able to play the guitar. Even after learning a few chords, you can already play simple songs in the yard or near the fire to lift your mood and morale. But there are times when, due to carelessness or prolonged use, the strings on a guitar break. In order not to cut short the holiday, you should always have a spare set of strings with you. This is where it comes in main question: “How to choose strings for an acoustic guitar?”
Types of strings
For an acoustic guitar, you have the choice of installing nylon or metal strings (on the same electric guitar, you can only install metal strings). These are two opposing camps. There is still debate about which strings are best for an acoustic guitar. In fact, it all depends on the person. Acoustic guitar strings sound different. That is why there are such a huge number of them. There are many different sets that differ from each other in various parameters that affect the sound and quality of the game. Don't forget that, among other factors, the acoustic guitar itself also influences your playing. What strings are best for beginners?
Strings for Beginners
The first steps in mastering the guitar are always difficult. It is very important that from the very beginning a person enjoys playing the guitar, otherwise he will soon give up. Since the main element of a guitar is the strings, the approach to their selection should be in the first place. For beginners, nylon ones are best suited, since they have all the parameters useful to them.
Pros and cons of nylon strings
Best for beginners nylon strings, since synthetics are much easier to play. Metal is a much harder material than synthetics, so it is more difficult to pluck your first chords on such strings. Synthetics, in turn, are a softer material, so learning to play on them will be many times easier.
For untrained fingers, the first loads will be quite large, so you need to do everything possible to reduce the load on them. In addition, synthetics are not so harmful to the skin: although at first it will be painful to clamp the frets, but then you will quickly get used to it.
But everything is not as simple as it seems. Synthetic is a soft material, which is why it is susceptible to deformation. Because of this property, the acoustics need to be constantly adjusted as the strings stretch. They are also less durable, so you should be careful and try not to tear them.
Nylon on a guitar does not sound as loud as metal. Its sound is more subdued, but soft. Therefore, when playing “forte” you need to put in more effort.
Pros and cons of metal strings
Metal strings are made of a stronger material, which gives them such strength. They are more durable and unpretentious to other conditions. They also don't deform as much. This makes it possible to keep them tight (no need to adjust them every time). The best strings for an acoustic guitar are metal. They are rightfully considered as such, because their sound is more ringing and loud.
But they have a number of disadvantages. Due to their strength, metal strings are made thinner. Especially for beginners, this results in thick calluses on the left hand. If you re-exercise out of a spiritual impulse, your fingers may bleed, and these are not just words. That is why it is important for yourself to choose a norm, several hours a day, in order to avoid overwork and bloody blisters. In addition, pressing chords will be much more difficult than with synthetics, since metal is a harder material. Here you need to use all your strength to make a sound.
Which strings to choose
So what are the best strings for an acoustic guitar? Well, for this it is worth taking into account all the factors. If a person is just starting to study music, then it is better to use nylon strings, since they are the easiest to learn on; if you have experience, then metal strings, because they have a more beautiful sound.
How to change strings on an acoustic guitar
If suddenly the purchased guitar turns out to come with a set metal strings, but they needed nylon ones, no problem. The question of how to change strings on an acoustic guitar is resolved very quickly.
The first step is to buy a new set of strings. They are sold in any music store, and there are plenty of them on the Internet. After that, all that remains is to remove the old ones and attach the new ones.
Old strings need to be removed starting with the pegs (those things that are attached to the headstock). By reducing the tension, you can easily untangle them with your fingers and remove them from the peg. Then the knot on the bridge (the base on which the strings are attached near the right hand) is simply untied. Then, following the reverse procedure, new strings are put on, starting from the lower bridge and ending with the pegs.
Valuable advice: it is best to change strings for an acoustic guitar not from top to bottom, but from the sides. That is, first the sixth and first strings are put on, then the fifth and second, and only then the fourth and third. The headstock is made so that pairs of pegs hold the strings in exactly that order. The farthest pair of pegs is responsible for the first and sixth. Same with the middle and third pair of pegs.
In fact, there is nothing complicated here, you just need to practice a little.
Best Strings
You always want to have something of very high quality and reliability. The same applies to strings. As a rule, the strings for an acoustic guitar installed when purchasing it are not of high quality. This is why it is recommended to change the strings after purchasing an instrument. The best option there will be a famous brand dedicated to guitars, Fender. He collected all the best in himself. This pleasure costs more than other strings, but it's worth it.
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 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 very strings for the electric guitar, and they have a huge assortment) or D "Addario. The most popular calibers are 9-42 (softer, it will be convenient 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 7-string, start with 10-56. Traditional materials are Nickel wound steel strings, start with them for a warmer (vintage) sound. winding made of pure nickel (Pure Nickel), for a brighter one - steel winding (Stainless Steel wound). Already got the hang of it and know the right gauge? Try strings with improved qualities: Austrian Thomastik will provide excellent rich sound. Rock musicians are advised to pay attention to Ernie. Ball and Dunlop - it’s easier to achieve a hard sound with them, 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 - when idle, the strings will not be exposed to the environment for a long time. Next, pay attention to the products of smaller manufacturers - such as Curt Mangan or Kerly, which have their own characteristics and production technologies- perhaps you will find the most suitable strings from 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 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.
For many, both beginners and fully professional guitarists, the process of choosing the best strings for their own guitar becomes a real problem. For your own money, you definitely want to get something of very high quality, durable, comfortable and good sounding. And in this material we will try to consider absolutely all aspects of selecting strings for various types guitars, and also tell you about the most popular brands and models, the choice of which is always a good decision.
Choosing the Right Guitar Strings
In order to find out which best strings for a guitar will suit you, you will have to experiment repeatedly. It all depends very much on style and preference, as different windings sound very different, and even the gauge of the string makes a difference. great importance. However, you should start your search with really worthy and popular models in order to immediately feel the maximum quality and be able to later compare it with products from other famous manufacturers, forming your own, unique taste.
What you should not pay attention to when choosing strings
Before choosing the best guitar strings, there are a number of parameters you should pay attention to. Not all of them may be important at one level or another of your game. If you are a beginner, then you should prioritize comfort and ease of play. This means that thinner strings with traditional windings without any special frills will suit you. It is important to understand that to extract a unique sound, for example, from thick silver strings on an acoustic, you need to have certain skills and master advanced techniques such as fingerstyle. Well, an uninitiated young musician with such strings will most likely encounter a number of difficulties that are unnecessary at this level.
Also, you should not chase cheapness, making deals with your conscience, purchasing relatively cheap strings from unknown Chinese manufacturers. All this will only lead to the fact that you yourself will be dissatisfied with the sound, and low-quality products will very soon require prompt replacement. It is worth remembering that strings are not an element that can be neglected and on which you can save money, because the most important thing in an instrument is the sound, and strings play one of the most important roles in its formation.
Best Strings for Acoustic Guitar
The acoustic guitar is an extremely popular and widespread instrument, and its sound largely depends on the correct selection of strings. And in the process of choosing them, you should rely on:
- row technical characteristics and features,
- your current skill level,
- affordable budget,
- preferred play style.
Ernie Ball Earthwood 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Strings
Why this model? For a ringing, clear and at the same time very warm and deep sound, characteristic of high-quality bronze winding.
Characteristics. Bronze braided thick strings on a steel core, wide variety of diameters available.
Advantages and disadvantages. Great sound that you will find very difficult to give up in the future. The downside is that it wears out quite quickly. With active play, replacement may be required within a few months.
Strings D "Addario 80/20 Bronze Acoustic
Why this model? For the characteristic rich sound achieved due to the bronze circular braid.
Characteristics. Round bronze braid, big choice various calibers.
Advantages and disadvantages. Classic acoustic sound, ideal for various styles games. Among the minuses, it is worth highlighting the not very long service life. After 2-3 months, the strings will gradually begin to lose their properties.
Elixir NanoWeb Phosphor Bronze Acoustic strings
Why this model? For a warm and deep bronze sound, and impressive durability, which is achieved using proprietary manufacturing technologies.
Characteristics. Bronze wound strings with added phosphorus. A wide range of available gauges and a proprietary fluoropolymer protective coating that prevents any negative effects and does not have any negative effect on the strings in terms of sound.
Advantages and disadvantages. Amazing durability, soft sound and no need for complex maintenance. The disadvantages include a significantly higher cost, for which, however, you get strings that last 5-6 times longer than usual.
What strings to buy for an acoustic guitar?
Obviously, when choosing the best strings for an acoustic guitar, you need to start from such parameters as the thickness of the string, its winding and its type itself. For beginners, thinner and softer strings with a diameter of 0.010 inches with flat copper or bronze winding are perfect, but pros should take larger caliber models with round winding to get the most rich sound with good depth and maximum overtones.
Best Strings for Bass Guitar
Choosing the best strings for a bass guitar is a very responsible process, because they are not changed as often as on regular guitars, they are more expensive, and therefore the set you choose will become your faithful companion for quite a long time.
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Bass Strings 50-105
Why this model? For its distinctive and well-recognized sound, chosen by thousands of professional bassists around the planet.
Characteristics. Round nickel-plated steel braided strings on a hexagonal steel core. Wide range of available diameters.
Advantages and disadvantages. Branded clear and ringing sound, high level comfort when playing. The disadvantages include the average service life and the need to care for the strings using special cleaning solutions at certain intervals.
Strings D"Addario Nickel Wound Bass 50-105
Why this model? For a classic, slightly vintage sound with characteristic accents.
Characteristics. Classic bass strings with round nickel-plated winding on a hexagonal steel core.
Advantages and disadvantages. High quality, excellent balanced sound and affordable price. The disadvantages include the average service life.
Elixir NanoWeb Bass Strings 45-105
Why this model? For amazing durability, excellent sound unaffected by protective coating and maximum playing comfort.
Characteristics. Strings with round nickel braid on hexagonal steel cores, with a proprietary polymer protective coating made of fluoropolymers. Wide range of calibers available.
Advantages and disadvantages. Excellent protection against any impact, and a service life measured in years. The disadvantages include the high cost, which not every beginning musician can be prepared for.
What strings to buy for a bass guitar?
Be that as it may, the best bass strings are the ones that sound great for many months, even years, without having to change them too often. Of course, this is a matter of taste and skill, but it is better to immediately invest in models with a protective coating, forgetting about replacement for a long time. It is also worth emphasizing that the bass guitars themselves come in both 4-string and 5.6-string, and for each of these models you will have to look for specialized strings.
The best strings for an electric guitar
The best electric guitar strings combine high-quality deep sound, high durability and reliability. But at the same time, they necessarily have some kind of proprietary sound feature that distinguishes a particular model from many other options.
Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Strings
Why this model? For the unique sound achieved by combining super-thin bottom strings with thick top strings.
Characteristics. Thick strings with nickel-plated winding on a steel hexagonal core. Thin strings are made of high carbon steel, making them durable.
Advantages and disadvantages. Chic and varied sound, great for various styles of music and playing techniques. The disadvantages include relatively quick “aging” and the need to regularly care for the strings using special means.
Elixir NanoWeb strings
Why this model? For a pleasant, balanced sound and decent protection, which means versatility of use in all situations and circumstances.
Characteristics. Nickel-plated winding of strings on a hexagonal steel core. Thick strings have a protective fluoropolymer coating, while thin strings are coated with a special anti-corrosion compound.
Advantages and disadvantages. The highest level of durability, almost complete immunity to any negative influences. The disadvantages include the rather high cost and slightly muffled sound compared to unprotected strings.
Strings D "Addario Nickel Wound
Why this model? For beautiful, clear and balanced sound. It’s no wonder that this model is the most popular in the D’addario brand line, and is regularly chosen by famous professional guitarists around the world.
Characteristics. Nickel plated steel round braided strings around a hexagonal steel core. Wide range of possible calibers.
Advantages and disadvantages. Great sound and affordable price. The disadvantages include the relatively short lifespan of the string, since after just a few months of active playing you may need to replace it.
What strings to buy for an electric guitar?
Choose the best strings for electric guitar not that difficult. Many famous manufacturers will be happy to provide you with their own models, among which you can easily find something ideal for yourself. All that remains is to spend a little time and effort on the search itself.
Best Strings for Classical Guitar
Classical guitar strings are traditionally made from polymer materials, in some cases with the addition of some metal. However, it is interesting to note that 50-70 years ago such strings were created from animal tendons, soaked and seasoned in a certain way. Classical strings are very soft, and therefore they are most often recommended to be used in the learning process. However, classical and western guitar are actually two completely different instruments And it’s not just the strings that distinguish them.
With choice classical strings There are almost never any particular problems, since there are not many options available on the market, and the varieties presented vary greatly in price, so the choice is often made precisely on the basis of this parameter.
Strings D "Addario Classic Nylon Normal
Why this model? Due to the stronger and more sonorous type of nylon used, high-quality silver-plated braiding, which produces perfect sound with precise sound production.
Characteristics. Heavier rectified nylon, a wide range of available diameters, medium tension and silver-plated thick strings.
Advantages and disadvantages. Excellent value for money, high durability of the model. Among the minuses, it is worth highlighting the specific sound of the winding, which may not be to everyone’s liking, especially when playing at a certain rhythm. The most suitable option for experienced musicians.
Ernie Ball Earthwood Folk Nylon Classic Strings
Why this model? Because of the rich and deep sound achieved through the use of bronze winding with a small addition of copper. The model is a true classic, which many musicians have chosen for many years, without changing its bright and characteristic sound.
Characteristics. Thin strings and thick cores are made of nylon. Thick strings have a bronze winding. The model has many diameter options.
Advantages and disadvantages. It has a warm and deep sound, well suited for both beginners and pros. Among the disadvantages, it is worth highlighting the rather rapid wear and tear, due to the fact that bronze is a soft metal, quite susceptible to corrosion.
Strings D "Addario Classical Coated
Why this model? An excellent solution for those who do not want to change strings too often. Combines high-quality sound and a proprietary polymer coating that protects the string from any negative external factors over many months of active play.
Characteristics. Nylon strings with silver-plated braid and special EXP protective coating. The model has many diameters, to suit almost every taste.
Advantages and disadvantages. The product has the highest durability, will easily last 4-5 times longer than conventional strings and at the same time will delight you with the characteristic deep sound of individual notes. Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting the higher cost and the fact that silver winding is not suitable for all styles and types of play.
What strings to buy for classical?
When choosing the best strings for a classical guitar, you should focus solely on your taste and financial capabilities. All the options presented are an excellent solution. Some are more suitable for beginners, have an affordable price, but will require regular adjustments, while others are designed for performances, and therefore will easily give you stability and rich sound, but will also cost accordingly.
Date of publication: October 20, 2002
When choosing strings, as indeed when choosing any musical instrument, you must be aware that in this matter everything is very individual, so you should not rely entirely on other people’s opinions, including sellers music stores. I will not sin against the truth if I say that during his life, any experienced guitarist will try more than a dozen different strings and change his opinion about strings more than once. That's why this article is intended not so much to give recommendations on the choice of specific brands of strings, but to introduce readers to their modern types and fundamental design differences. With regard to strings of the same type from different manufacturers, we can safely say that the choice in favor of one model or another can be made by a musician only on the basis of his own experience.
First, a little about what a string is. In principle, any thread or wire, with or without winding, can be considered a string, as long as it does not break or stretch too much when played. Once upon a time, when there were no guitars or violins, our distant ancestors played on unwinded vein (made from animal tendons), intestinal (made from animal intestines), silk, bronze, copper and strings made from plant materials . Gut strings without winding have outlived all the others, surviving to this day, but for a number of reasons now they can only occasionally be found on harps and even ancient instruments in medieval music ensembles. Winding on strings appeared only at the end of the 18th century. early XIX i.v. It made it possible to improve the timbre of bass strings, while simultaneously reducing their tension, which facilitated performance, enriched the technical capabilities and timbre of most musical instruments that time. At the same time, with the invention of the piano, the first 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, with multi-layer and profile winding (flat or semicircular), bimetallic (combining two or more materials), combined, etc. Let's try to figure it out. what determines the need for such diversity.
Types of strings
Gut strings- (everywhere incorrectly called “vein”), as noted above, are made from animal intestines (not produced in Russia). Despite the fact that in Lately Abroad they have learned to better protect them from external influences; they do not last long on instruments with metal frets. They also have the unpleasant ability to lose their quality in conditions of elevated temperature and humidity, including from finger sweat. And although intestinal strings are brought to Russia privately by lovers of ancient medieval music, they are almost never found on sale.
Synthetic strings- used only for "classical guitar". They are also recommended for beginners due to their softness. In the middle of the 20th century, these strings replaced unstable intestinal strings. The top three strings of the guitar set are synthetic nylon line. The other three bass strings are made of polyfilament (consisting of large number threads) on a synthetic base made of the same nylon with a surface wire winding. The traditional winding material for them is round wound wire made of silver-plated copper. A silver coating of a few thousandths of a millimeter not only looks good, but also improves the sound of relatively dull copper, although it wears out quite quickly. At the same time, copper itself, due to its natural softness, breaks through over time at the points of contact with the frets of the guitar. Recently, many companies have successfully used other copper-containing alloys (for example, silver-plated or pure brass and phosphorus bronze) as windings for synthetic strings, which are noticeably superior in durability to silver-plated copper.
High density synthetic strings made from a new synthetic material invented at the end of the 20th century in Japan carbon(or in other words - fluoro-carbon). Since the density of carbon is 30-90% higher than that of nylon (depending on the specific grade of material), at the same tension as nylon, the top strings of a classical guitar made from carbon line have thinner diameters. So, for example, the 3rd G guitar string on carbon will have a diameter of 0.85-0.92mm instead of 1.00mm.
relative comparison of the sections of guitar strings made of carbon and nylon 1st E string carbon - 0.48 mm (for nylon - 0.70 mm); 2nd string "B" carbon - 0.67 mm (for nylon - 0.80 mm); 3rd string "G" carbon - 0.87mm (nylon - 1.00mm).
Carbon strings have the advantage over nylon in better wear resistance, but their most important advantage is their greater ringing. Their only drawback is their noticeably higher cost. Carbon fiber fishing line is 5-7 times more expensive than the best nylon line, which may be due to the fact that the production of these strings has not yet acquired mass character. Bass strings in sets with carbon line can be made using either carbon fiber or traditional nylon, since the difference in sonority with twisted strings is less noticeable than with fishing line.
Monolithic steel strings are used very widely in pop music, where sonority (“metal”) is more valued in sound. These strings have a higher tension compared to synthetic ones, and are placed on guitars of a different, reinforced design (Western models, “Western”, “Jumbo” or Russian guitars with variable neck height). The basis of these strings is high-carbon steel, which is superior in strength and elasticity to all brands of spring steel, which is used in a “bare form” for the top two or three strings. As a rule, alloys based on copper, less often stainless steel or nickel, are used as windings for steel strings. Most often, various grades of brass are used (in the American tradition called bronze), as well as phosphor bronze. The winding material varies in hardness and elasticity, giving the strings vibrations a different character, which is reflected in the sound of the instrument. The winding profile of “twisted” strings also varies, but the most common is still the so-called “round wound”, which provides the strings with maximum sonority, especially noticeable in the first period after installation. Let us note that today in Russia, domestically produced steel-based strings with silver-plated copper windings are very popular among amateurs, which is largely due to poor awareness among musicians about the shortcomings of such strings. The fact is that the steel base does not allow the twisted string to bend around the guitar fret in the same way as is the case with synthetics, which is why strings with soft silver-plated copper fail several times faster than those with windings made of phosphor bronze, brass, stainless steel, etc. .p., without having any sound advantages. Regarding varieties steel strings with flat or semicircular winding("flat wound", "half-round wound"), lying flat side out, then such strings, when changing positions, do not have the whistling of fingers on the winding turns, characteristic of strings with a "round winding". These strings give a less bright sound, which is especially noticeable in the first period after their installation, but this is why some guitarists like to use them, especially those who have to record in the studio through a microphone. They are also preferred by those performers who are greatly annoyed by the change in the timbre of round-wound strings over time, caused by the gradual flattening of the winding at the points of contact with the frets.
At the turn of the 21st century, two new types were developed in the United States steel strings with synthetic cover bass strings. The first type is distinguished by the fact that a thin tape winding made of synthetic material is placed on top of the traditional metal round winding. It is designed to protect the twisted string from the penetration of sweat and dirt from fingers between the winding turns, and also to slow down the flattening of the string winding turns upon contact with the frets. The second type of string differs from the first in that here the winding wire itself is enclosed in a plastic sheath, which is why the interturn gaps of the winding are less protected from sweat and dirt, but this design protects against breakdown of the turns no worse, and perhaps even better, than the first. Both ideas are quite good, especially for those guitarists who would like to maximize the life of wound strings, and especially for those who have a naturally caustic chemical composition of sweat that can corrode the metal of the winding. However, in addition to a noticeably higher cost, strings in a plastic shell lack that iridescent (“diamond”, as the professionals say) overtone, characteristic of round-wound strings in the first hours of playing, which is so valued by professional guitarists that for this alone they are ready to install a new one. a set of strings for every concert or studio session.
Strings on steel cable They began to bring them to Russia literally in the last 2-3 years. Manufacturers present them as strings for a classical guitar (apparently because of their softness), but rather they are still intermediate strings between nylon and steel, since when installed on an instrument they immediately amaze classical guitarists by the fact that they practically do not stretch and quickly change pitch with minimal rotation of the pegs, which is typical for steel-based strings. So far, even in Moscow, these strings are quite rare due to low demand - they are quite expensive and too unusual/unusual.
About guitar scales
There are many standard sizes for all types of guitar strings, which is determined by the varied requirements of musicians, the design and scale of their instruments. About the latter in a little more detail. Unlike bowed instruments, where the working length of the strings of a full (4/4) instrument is the same, guitars can differ quite significantly in their scale length. There are instruments with a scale length from 610 mm to 674 mm, on which the same set of strings will have different tensions. To obtain identical string tension, for more short guitar you should take heavier (almost always thicker) strings. Recently, the standard scale length of a guitar is increasingly considered to be 648-650mm, although the author of this article has his own point of view on what the exact scale length of a guitar should be, which can be read in the article Standardization of scale lengths of stringed instruments and methods for calculating them.
About string tension
Guitarists who play “metal” are used to determining string tension by the number of the first string, indicated in thousandths of an inch. For example, a set of steel strings No. 10 is a set in which the first string has a diameter of 0.010 inches = 0.254 mm. However, few people pay attention to the diameters of bass strings, and in vain. American steel-based acoustic guitar strings, which are very widely available in Russia, are usually designed for instruments played with a pick. These sets provide a higher tension on the bass strings than is traditionally preferred by most Russian players, who often play with their fingers. right hand who have instruments of a different design and rather give preference not to the volume of the sound, but to the richness of its timbre and long “sustain”, i.e. duration of sound inherent in strings with lower tension.
The graph shows the tension of two types of steel strings for six string guitar. The differences concern only the “bass” strings with winding, starting from the third. The top graph shows the tension of “loud” strings, the bottom - less loud, but with greater “sustain”, and also richer in timbre.
The tension of synthetic guitar strings is also determined based on the cross sections of the strings. It is important to understand that only homogeneous materials can be compared cross-sectionally - for example, nylon with nylon, carbon with carbon. It is inappropriate to compare nylon with carbon in diameter due to the difference in density between these materials. At the same time, we note that the difference in the tension of nylon fishing line of different diameters is negligible - even a difference of 0.002 inches / 0.05 mm is not significant for string tension, because Nylon is almost 8 times lighter than steel. When comparing carbon line, the same difference of 2 thousandths of an inch will be slightly larger - again due to its greater density.
conclusions
When choosing strings, you mainly need to start from what sound (timbre) you personally like, what instrument you have, and even what kind of music you perform. When choosing strings, a beginning guitarist with absolutely no experience can be advised to give the following very rough advice:
- If you like the classic sound of a Spanish guitar or for some reason only soft strings suit you, you should opt for synthetic strings (nylon/carbon), but they should only be used on a classical-type guitar, otherwise the sound will be too weak and dull ;
- those who are interested in sound power and ringing, and who have a large, American-type instrument ("Western" / "Jumbo") with lower strings above the fingerboard, should prefer steel-based strings no lower than No. 11 (however, this requires strong fingers);
- for those who do not want to have thick calluses on the fingers of their left hand, but who are not satisfied with the somewhat “plastic” sound of synthetic strings, we can advise setting strings on a cable or on a steel base with low tension Nos. 9 and 10. In this case, you may have to increase them slightly the height of the strings (mainly bass) above the fingerboard due to the height of the nut, since soft, or rather, light strings have a larger range of vibrations and can touch the frets when playing with forced sound production.
And one more piece of advice for beginning guitarists - always tune the strings using a tuning fork. In addition to the fact that an incorrectly tuned instrument cannot sound fully, when re-stringing you run the risk of ruining it. Strings that are kept tight for a long time may, if not break, then stretch out, and in the correct tuning they will sound worse. Weak tension is also undesirable, since the sound will be less loud and ringing, and the tuning will “float”. Even the most expensive “sophisticated” strings in the wrong tuning will sound worse than simple, but correctly tuned and selected for the instrument and hands of a particular player.
