How To Ensure That You Get The Most From Your Acoustic Guitar Strings

It might seem unimportant how you take care of your acoustic guitar strings, but really, it is one of the most important. You can do everything else right: be in tune, have your playing smooth and clean, yet if your strings are dead, so is your sound.

There are so many types of guitar strings and so many ways of playing the guitar, that it is almost impossible to say which is the best for you. About the only way to really know is to experiment on your own.

Whether you are playing blues, bluegrass, lead, or rock style guitar, you need good strings. You also need to keep them clean!

Click here to get the best deals on acoustic guitar strings anywhere! You even get free shipping.

Guitar string gages

There are basically 3 gages of guitar strings: heavy, medium and light. Each gage has it's place and purpose and your choice depends on what you need.

Years ago, light gage strings were rather "wimpy" and had little volume. Today's light strings are much better and are very often the string of choice. They are easy to play and bend, but tend to wear out more quickly than the other gages.

Light gage strings also do not place nearly as much stress on the guitar while tuning up and playing. This is especially important if you have an older, fragile guitar.

Medium gage is just as the name implies: between heavy and light. This is a good choice if you want greater volume and tone. They are not as hard on the guitar as heavy strings, last longer than light gage, and stay in tune longer as well.

Medium are great for playing chords, or rythem. They are not the best for beginner guitar though, too hard on the fingers.

Heavy gage strings provide the most volume, and stay tuned the longest of any gage. The big disadvantages are that you need some seriously strong fingers to play chords, plus they put tremendous tension on the structure of the guitar. Some stores will not even carry them for this reason.

Click here to buy acoustic guitar strings at a discount 

Coated strings

Coated or uncoated is totally up to the individual. The coated strings are slick as can be and easy to play, but tend to fray after playing them for a while. If you change your strings frequently, this is not a problem.

Some guitarists swear by coated strings, others tend to be more traditional and stick with the uncoated. The only way to know is to check them out for yourself.

Type of string alloy

The vast majority of strings are made using a bronze alloy, though sometimes steel and nickel are used. Most players prefer bronze because of the good sound and longevity.

The two types of bronze alloy are phosphor and 80/20. Phosophor strings are made mostly of copper and a little tin. The important thing is how they sound and that they last a long time.

The 80/20 alloy has a brighter sound than the phosphor alloy, but doesn't retain this brightness very long. If you change your strings frequently, this is no problem.

Specialty guitar strings

Like nearly everything else, there are gourmet versions available. Most major manufacturers and a host of smaller companies produce specialty strings, aimed at niche players.

These strings have all kinds of different alloys, coating, gages and so on that enhance their charactaristics. Some are designed for playability, others for tone and still others for other requirements.

Click here to learn how to play acoustic guitar....