What strings Should I buy?
Determine what strings your guitar requires
Firstly, it’s important that you establish what type of guitar you own. This is because certain guitars will require different strings to other guitars. If you own a classical guitar, you’ll need the softer nylon strings. If you’re looking for strings to put on an acoustic or electric guitar, you’ll need harder steel strings. Be aware that electric and acoustic strings use different metal coatings, so acoustic steel strings should be used on an electric and vice versa! It’s important you choose the right strings as the wrong ones can cause damage to your guitar or limit its functionality.
TuneUp recommends:
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Determine the type of strings your guitar requires. The pictures below may help, but if you’re still unsure, we suggest you search your guitar make and model online to double-check!
Ben Willingham
TuneUp teacher
Classical guitar (nylon strings)
Acoustic guitar (steel strings)
Electric guitar (steel strings)
Choosing strings for an acoustic guitar
What material?
Steel strings for acoustic and electric guitars both share the same steel core. It’s the metal wrap around that steel core that differs. On acoustic guitar strings, you’re likely to come across two different metal wraps: 80/20 bronze strings and phosphor bronze strings.
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80/20 bronze strings are deemed the original type of guitar string dating back to the 1930s. The 80 and 20 represent the ratio of copper and zinc present in the string wrap, respectively. The name 80/20 bronze strings is slightly misleading as copper and zinc together actually create brass! 80/20s are generally bright sounding, but also retain a strong level of bass. They tend to lack some warm, mid-range tones but this isn’t necessarily a reason to be put off. It’s a sound
that thousands of guitarists around the world love! The downside to using 80/20s is that copper easily rusts. Although the zinc present helps to slow the rusting process, the strings still rust quickly. Retaining the bright sound you get from them may require you to replace them often which can become expensive.
Phosphor bronze strings were introduced in the 1970s and are designed to last longer than 80/20 bronze strings. Although phosphor bronze strings actually contain more copper than 80/20 bronze strings (around 92%), the tin and tiny amount of phosphorus in the string help to slow down the rusting process more efficiently than the zinc in 80/20s. Phosphor bronze strings are characterised by a soft, warmer sound in contrast to the brighter sound of the 80/20s.
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It’s important to remember, however, that each guitar will take to either 80/20s or phosphor bronze strings differently. Certain guitars that naturally create a brighter sound might be best paired with a warmer set of strings and vice versa.
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TuneUp recommends:
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There really is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing between phosphor bronze and 80/20 bronze strings. Our best advice is to try both of them and see for yourself!
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What gauge?
Strings come in different thicknesses called the gauge. Whether you have a set of light, medium or heavy gauge strings on your guitar will affect its sound and playability. Check out the diagrams below to see what are deemed as light, medium and heavy gauge strings for acoustic guitars.
To make it easier, guitarists always name the string gauge sets by whatever thickness the high e string in the set is. For example, the light set of strings would be referred to as “12s” and the heavy referred to as “14s”.
When picking a gauge it’s worth bearing in mind your shape of guitar and style of playing. Bigger body guitars like dreadnaughts play nicely with thicker strings (13s/14s) as they’ll make better use of the larger chamber. However, smaller body guitars like parlour guitars would be better suited to a lighter set of strings (11s/12s). If you’re big on strumming, then a thicker set of strings will produce a bigger sound. For fingerpicking, a lighter gauge will accompany the softer style of play nicely.
If you’re a beginner/intermediate, it may be wise to start light and work your way up until you find the gauge that works best for you. Thicker strings are generally harder to hold down and bend than lighter gauge strings. Something else to remember is that thinner strings are likely to break more often, so it may be time you brushed up on your restringing skills!
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TuneUp recommends:
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If you’re a beginner, start light and experiment with higher gauges the more experienced you become.
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If you tend to strum the guitar, try a higher gauge. If you’re a finger picker, try a lighter set.
Choosing strings for an electric guitar
What material?
Electric guitar string metal wrap differs from that of an acoustic guitar string. Instead of the steel wire being coated in brass or bronze, the strings are most commonly wrapped in nickel. This is because electric guitars produce their sound differently to acoustic guitars. It’s the magnetic pickups under the strings on an electric guitar that generates its sound to send to an amplifier. Brass and bronze don’t contain enough magnetic output as nickel. There are more types of electric guitar string wrap such as chrome, titanium and stainless steel, but they’re far less common.
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Nickel guitar strings generally produce a well-balanced sound, allowing a guitarist to sound either warm or bright depending on their guitar settings. The nickel strings also tend to strongly pick up plectrum attack. Chrome strings produce a very warm sound and are more commonly used among blues and jazz guitarists. Stainless steel strings, on the other hand, produce a much crisper and brighter sound.
TuneUp recommends:
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We recommend nickel strings for your electric guitar as they’re the most common and often the cheapest. However, don’t be scared to try out different materials, you may find something you personally prefer!
What gauge?
When it comes to the electric guitar, guitarists generally use a wider spread of gauges starting much thinner than common acoustic guitar gauges. Most electric guitar players will use gauge sets between 8s and 12s. However, like an acoustic guitar, picking your gauge will largely depend on what music you’re looking to play. Using 8s can be useful if you play a lot of lead guitar. Bending strings will be much easier than heavier gauges, but being so thin can mean they often break. If you play a lot of rock music and metal music with beefy guitar riffs, you may prefer to go with a higher gauge to achieve a thicker sound.
Check out the diagram below to see what is deemed as light, medium and heavy gauges for electric guitar strings.
TuneUp recommends:
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If you’re just starting out, we’d recommend a set of 9s or 10s.
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If you play a lot of lead guitar, try 10s or below. If you play a lot of rhythm guitar, try 10s or above.
Anything else to consider?
Roundwound or flatwound?
There are two main types of guitar string design - roundwound and flatwound. The difference between them is how the guitar string coating is wound around its steel core. Roundwound is by far the more common of the two, and so is likely to be the more familiar sound to your ear. They create a rich, bright sound in contrast to the more mellow sounding flatwound strings. That said, roundwound strings can be harder on the fingers and create some noise when sliding between frets.
Coated or uncoated?
Coated steel strings started to hit the market in the 1990s and are still regarded as the best solution to slow the rate of corrosion in a string. The string is coated in a tiny layer of plastic (Teflon) which stops it from coming into direct contact with not only the air, but guitar players sweat and oils from their hands. The result of this is a string that sounds crisp and bright for longer. Another potential advantage is the coating can reduce string noise when sliding.
However, there are some drawbacks. Some players argue that the Teflon coating reduces loudness and quality of tone. This is because the plastic coating can reduce how much the string vibrates when played. Coated strings can also have a slippery feel when playing, which creates a divide amongst guitars with those who like it and those who don’t.
Here at TuneUp, we’ve used plenty of coated and uncoated strings over the years. Undoubtedly, the lifespan of coated strings is much longer, and changing your strings less frequently is always a good thing! However, whether you like the feel and sound is completely down to personal taste.
TuneUp recommends:
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For most guitarists, we’d recommend roundwound strings. They’re the more common of the two and often cheaper. However, if you’re into playing specialist genres like folk or jazz, consider trying out some flatwound strings.
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If you’ve got the budget, we recommend trying coated strings. However, it’s not essential.
So, what strings should I buy?
Every guitarist has different guitars, a different set of ears and a different music taste. It’s this reason that one type of string is not necessarily better than the other, it’s all down to personal opinion. As long as you’ve got the correct type of string your guitar requires, the variables like the wrap material, type of winding and plastic coating are up to you. The best way to find out which you prefer is to try them! That said, below are our personal favourites:
You can often save money if you buy strings in bulk!
Acoustic guitar
