yamaha guitar spares
What makes good guitar strings? How do I choose them? (acoustic)?
I am new at guitars, still learning. Tonight I went to Guitar Center to pick up my new guitar… while I was there I remembered my husband needed strings. So I called him and asked what to get and he just told me extra lightweight, I am not sure why he wanted those and he isn’t home to ask. His guitar currently has heavy duty strings because it was stored a long time or something… I think they were hurting his fingers and the 1st string wouldn’t stay in tune anymore.
Anyhow, to the point of this. When I asked the girl for the strings she asked me what I wanted. I told her I didn’t know the first thing about strings and just to give me whatever she wanted to. She gave me Elixir extra light strings and then told me I should get some spare strings just in case. I am easy and it sounded like a good plan so I got another pack of the same. I have no idea what are on my guitar now, they came from the factory (Yamaha APX500).
How do I know what strings I should choose next time?
Choosing The Right Strings for Your Guitar, Bass or Mandolin
I’m going to break this down to the bare essentials and steer clear of adding personal opinions about what string brand is my favorite.
Besides the brand we can choose…
String gauge (size) Light gauge, Medium gauge, Custom gauge etc.
String composition (material) Nickel, Stainless, Bronze, Phospher Bronze etc.
String Gauge
String gauge and tension can effect your instrument in various ways, here’s a few…
Strings effect ACTION / SET UP
When choosing a set of strings for your instrument one of the most important things to be aware of is that when an instrument has been “tweaked to perfection” it has been done so with that particular gauge in mind. Increasing the tension/gauge on an acoustic guitar is likely to pull more relief (bow) into the neck and may cause the top on a flat top acoustic to raise a bit more as well. Therefore, in quite a few cases, increasing the string tension on a well set up acoustic instrument is likely to cause higher action and may require adjustments like…
Enlarging the nut slots to accommodate for the larger string size
Tightening the rod to counteract the increased tension on the neck
And, possibly, lowering the saddle if there is enough difference to the tops belly
And of course a decrease in tension affects action as well…the reduction in tension may leave the neck too straight to play cleanly as the rod now may pull with more tension than necessary. This all depends on how an instrument is set up and how much of a change in gauge you go with.
On a professionally set up electric guitar with a tremolo this simply spells headache either way you go. Tremolo’s incorporate springs which counteract the strings tension. Changing the tension throws the trem out of balance and will dictate the need for adjustments. Read more here.
A change in tension and string gauge also affects the neck and intonation.
Srings effect SOUND
Besides affecting the action, a change in tension may also affect the sound (sustain and tone). Some players may choose to increase the string gauge on their instrument to experiment with volume and sustain. A common complaint when using very light or extra light gauge strings is a loss of volume, sustain and a thin or twangy sound.
You should consider the instruments CONDITION / AGE
While most new instruments are solid enough to give the player the option to choose from several string gauges, vintage pieces or those with other problems may greatly decrease our options. Older instruments that were originally designed to be strung with gut strings or were simply braced lightly, require very light gauges and should be structurally sound before submitting them to tension.
If you are thinking about stringing up a vintage instrument for the first time I highly recommend having it inspected. Take a peek inside and insure all braces are securely glued to the top and back. Inspect the bridge plate for cracks and ensure the bridge is glued down solidly. These are just a few areas that could create undue stress on a top if damaged or loose.
Another common problem that robs us of our options is an older guitar who’s neck is either dead flat or slightly back bowed and void of adjustment. In an effort to force relief (forward bow) into a back bowed neck when the truss rod is already completely loose, we sometimes use a larger gauge string to place the neck under more tension in an effort to encourage it to bow forward.
More information on neck problems can be found here.
Strings effect playing COMFORT
OK, not that you could have missed it but…bigger gauge=more tension, and more tension can cause discomfort for some players as it places more pressure on your fingertips while fretting. It also makes it even more painful for those playing instruments with very high action.
For those who are just beginning to play this can equate to some serious discouragement, especially when the box you are learning on has the action of a dobro. Yow! Been there, done that right? For this reason I may recommend some beginners opt for a Light or Extra Light gauge until their fingers have developed calluses. Once you’ve learned to play you can start pondering just how to obtain the best possible sound from your instrument.
BRONZE PHOSPHER-BRONZE COATED NICKEL STAINLESS …
String Material
Besides the effects of the strings tension on your instrument the material from which it is made will also effect tone and sound.
Instead of rambling thru all the brands that are on the market what I normally recommend to those wanting to experiment with sound is to try strings made of different materials…just stick with the same gauge.
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