An Introduction To Guitar Strings - Ultimate Guitar Academy

Introduction

This may come as a surprise, but various guitars types use different strings – and there are many different string gauges (or sizes) that guitarists use.

This guide will explain the differences and help you choose the right gauge.

Wound or Plain

All guitars use a mix of “wound” and “plain” strings.

Plain strings are made from just one piece of metal or plastic. It should rather plain and smooth on your finger, though if you press hard it will probably hurt a beginner’s finger.

Electric and “Steel-String Acoustic” use metal strings for their plain strings, but Classical (a.k.a Nylon String) guitars use nylon – hence the name.

Wound strings are simply made by wrapping metal wire around an internal guitar string. Some guitars will use metal for the internal string, but others will use a type of plastic – but more on this later.

If you scrape your fingernail or guitar pick along the string, wound strings will make a “scratchy” sound. Some string companies have started making wound strings that don’t make a scratchy sound, but these strings are not common amongst most players.

String Types

There are basically two types of strings.

STEEL STRING

These strings are entirely metal. The plain strings are just one piece of metal, and the wound strings are made by winding thin metal around a plain metal string.

NYLON STRING (CLASSICAL)

These are a mixture of plastic and metal. The plain strings are simply plastic, however the wound strings are made by winding very thin metal around plastic. This internal plastic is usually (VERY) thin strands of nylon, just like the hair of a barbie doll.

It’s common for people to think they have three metal strings, but really it’s just metal winding around an internal plastic string.

String Gauge

The thickness of a string is its gauge, and because a guitar typically has six strings that are all different pitches, each string is a different size.

We usually measure the gauge size in inches, which means we get some bizarre sizes such as 0.009 of an inch. Being lazy guitarists, we tend to just refer to this as “9”.

Some gauges are rather thin, meaning your sound is “thin” and possibly even “weak”. Whereas thicker string gauges will sound bolder and more rich. Thicker strings are also harder to bend, so it’s common for many virtuoso electric guitarists (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani etc.) to use rather thin gauges. Most metal bands like to use thick strings to give them a big sound, but this is also due to the fact that metal bands usually tune down.

You can also get string sets that contain a variety of gauges, meaning that some will start with the same size for the High E, but gradually vary as you go down the other strings, eventually finishing on a completely different size for the Low E, such as 0.052 instead of 0.042. This might not seem like a big difference, but trust me – it is! You can usually identify these varying gauges because they brand will give them a name like “light to heavy” or “light top, heavy bottom”. If in doubt, avoid this and just stick to a standard gauge.

String Material

Guitar strings are often made using various different materials – even if it’s just for the one instrument type.

For example, acoustic guitar strings are available in Nickel Bronze, Phosphor Bronze, Silver-Plated Copper… and they’re always coming up with new versions!

If you’re just getting into this field, I advise not worrying about this right now. A good rule is strings that have been coated somehow usually maintain a brighter sound for a longer period of time.

Electric Guitar Strings

Electric guitars are available as 6, 7, 8 or 9 strings, though the most common type is a standard 6 string electric. If you’re new to guitar, chances are this is what you’re playing.

Electric guitar strings typically have three “wound” strings (the Low E, A and D) and then three “plain” strings (the G, B and High E).

The most common string gauge for electric guitars (especially for beginners) is “Nine Gauge” and the second most common is “Ten Gauge”. These names are actually incorrect and misleading, but refer to the size of the high E string.

The actual string sizes for nine gauge are:

String Name	Size (in inches)	Commonly Called	Wound or Plain
E (High)	0.009	9	Plain
B	0.011	11	Plain
G	0.016	16	Plain
D	0.024	24	Wound
A	0.032	32	Wound
E (Low)	0.042	42	Wound

As you can see, referring to each string as just “9” or “11” is much easier than their real measurements.

If you’re a beginner, or are unsure what string gauge to get for an electric guitar, 9-42 is probably the best option.

If you want to thicken up your sound, but still be able to bend easily, 10-46 is a good option. Any thicker, and bending becomes a lot less comfortable.

Steel-String Acoustic Guitar Strings

Just about every acoustic guitar has six strings, although twelve string guitars are also popular. If you’re new to guitar, you’ll almost definitely be playing a six string.

Acoustic guitars typically have four “wound” strings (the Low E, A, D and G) and then two “plain” strings (the B and High E).

I’ve found that what people consider a “standard” string gauge for acoustic guitars varies, but a good starting point is 12-53.

The actual string sizes for nine gauge are:

String Name	Size (in inches)	Commonly Called	Wound or Plain
E (High)	0.012	12	Plain
B	0.016	16	Plain
G	0.024	24	Wound
D	0.032	32	Wound
A	0.042	42	Wound
E (Low)	0.053	53	Wound

You can always go to a lighter or heavier gauge, but acoustic players typically like heavier because it gives them a richer sound. This is perhaps more important for acoustic guitars because they use a lot less signal processing than electric guitar players. Tommy Emmanuel is known for using just one guitar pedal – a tuner! His sound is really just one guitar plugged into one amp or PA system. He’s also known for using rather thick strings too.

Nylon-String (Classical) Acoustic Guitar Strings

Classical (or Nylon-String) guitars seem to always have six strings.

They typically have three “wound” strings (the Low E, A, and D) and then three “plain” strings (the G, B and High E). Their material is primarily plastic, but the wound strings are wrapped in metal. This also means that their string gauge doesn’t start as thin as metal strings, and usually doesn’t end up as thick.

Classical guitar strings are also available in various tensions – I honestly don’t recommend worrying about this unless you’re an experienced classical player. Stick with “normal” tension until then.

A great starting point is Normal Tension 28-43.

String Name	Size (in inches)	Commonly Called	Wound or Plain
E (High)	0.028	28	Plain
B	0.0322	32	Plain
G	0.0403	40	Plain
D	0.029	29	Wound
A	0.035	35	Wound
E (Low)	0.043	43	Wound

Classical strings need to be tied onto the bridge, however some companies make “ball-end” strings. This simply means they tie the string to a small piece of plastic so don’t have to tie the string to the bridge.

Some Useful Tips

BULK BUY

It’s a good idea to experiment with string gauges but once you find what you like, I recommend buying sets in bulk for a discount. After all, they don’t expire and you’ll end up using them eventually. It’s handy to have multiples of the same string set, rather than having a guitar with a set of 9 gauge, except one string is from a different gauge because you ran out.

BE CHEAP

Personally, I’m really cheap when it comes to strings. Sure, new and expensive strings sound better than cheap ones. But I’m just going to end up snapping them, so I’m really not that fussy. You’ll also find that many guitarists re-string their whole instrument when they snap just one string. This is a great idea, but you’ll go through lots of strings quickly. I usually just replace the snapped one!

Another great point is that electric guitars go through so much signal processing that having average sounding strings is easier to hide than with an acoustic guitar.

KEEP THEM ON HAND

Have a drawer full of spare strings, but also keep at least one full set in your guitar case. I remember restringing between songs when I used to gig, because I only had one guitar and if I snapped a string, I had no other choice.

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