Everything You Need to Know About Buying Guitar Strings

Guitar strings seem like something that would be so simple to figure out. Guitar strings are, just like so many things pertaining to guitars, a personal preference, but many people do not take them seriously. They range in price from $5 to $35 depending on the premium nature of the strings, and they come in various sizes of thickness and material. In reality there is a lot more to guitar strings then you may ever think. So, how do you find the right type of strings for you and your guitar?

Well you first start out by looking at the type of guitar you have. You will need different types of strings depending on whether you have an electric, acoustic, classic nylon string guitar, or a 12-string guitar. Depending on what store you go to they could be able to help you out, but most of the time there is such a large selection that even they find it difficult to pinpoint exactly the type of strings you need.

You want to start by looking at the different thicknesses. Strings usually come in extra light, light, medium, heavy and extra heavy. To pick a certain gauge you have to look at the strength in your fingers. A heavier gauge string will be much harder to bend and fret than a light gauge string so if your fingers don’t have that much strength in them you should go with lighter as opposed to heavier. You will notice if you went too heavy if your fingers start to hurt after only a little while of playing. Another difference in the gauges of string is the sound that it gives off. A heavy string will have a bright, sharper tone whereas a light string will be considerably softer. Your musical preference will also help you decide what thickness of string you need. Lighter strings are common with metal rock players so that it easy to play solos on for example.

The setup of your guitar will also be a determining factor to which strings you pick. When guitars are made they are usually sent out with stock strings in a medium gauge. If you want to use heavier or lighter strings you will have to take your guitar in to have it setup for that particular gauge. You may not want to have this done until you have played with a certain set of strings for a few months to make sure you are happy with them, and then you can take it in to have them set the bridge height and the intonation. The only exception to this if you are going from a heavy to light string or light to heavy because you could end up with a bowed neck and should have your guitar setup right away.

When it comes to materials, the guitar really does set the standard. The acoustic, classical and electric guitar all use different materials which affect the tone, the feel and the tension. In this case it is usually best to use only what is made for your particular guitar. Some strings are better than others depending on the material so find out how long the strings you choose usually last before you buy them. In the end it really does come down to personal preference so don’t be hesitant about trying out various strings before deciding on one in particular.

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