However, some of the brightness of a typical round wound string is retained. This gives the string a slightly smoother surface and warms the tone a bit. The half-round technique involves slightly grinding down a round wound string. The round winding gives the string its brightness. This is the winding that has the ribbed texture and you get the most noise on this type of string when sliding your hand across the neck. Roundwound is the most common string winding and likely what you may be most familiar with. The other two types are relatively unique to electric guitar and bass. Just know almost all acoustic guitar strings will be round wound. Winding refers to the profile of the wrap wire on a guitar string. These are also a great option for beginners. The soft feel and sound of this string type is popular among folk artists and those who use smaller-bodied guitars. Silk & SteelĪround the core of these strings is a combination of a silver-plated copper wrap and either silk or nylon filament depending on the brand. Although they aren’t quite as bright, it’s not that much of a trade-off making it the more popular choice for performers. They are a bit more expensive, but last longer. These are basically 80/20 bronze with phosphor added to help fend off oxidation. The lifespan is typically about two to four weeks for the average hobbyist. The reason that it is a cheaper option is it corrodes quite easily and quickly. It’s affordable and produces a bright tone. This material is 80% copper and 20% zinc and is by far the most popular choice for the typical guitarist. The material type found on a pack of strings actually refers to the material that is wrapped around the steel core of the string. For steel-string acoustics, the most common materials are 80/20 bronze, phosphor bronze, and silk & steel. Now this will be the most common string type for the average guitar player. These are quite soft and are associated with classical, flamenco, and other finger-picking styles as opposed to singer-songwriter, rock, and other genres that rely on strumming and use of a pick.Ĭlassical guitars may also have either a silver-plated copper wrapping around the nylon core of the low strings, or what’s known as “gold strings” which an 80/20 bronze wrapped around the low strings. Each of these not only determines how the strings feel under your fingers, but also how they sound. String materials vary from nylon to all different types of metal. Switching to a lighter string may cause buzzing due to the neck tension being greater than the string tension, thus pulling the strings closer to the fretboard. If you want to know more on this and if you want to learn how to do it yourself then you can read our article here, How To Do Your Own Guitar Setup (Step by Step Guide). Otherwise, you are bound to have issues with the action (string height). The truss rod in the neck will need to be adjusted to accommodate the change in string tension. The difference in string thickness directly affects the tension relationship between the neck and the strings. IMPORTANT: When making large changes in string gauge, you will need to have the guitar properly set up by a professional repair tech or luthier. The string packs that are the most popular are the “Regular Lights” which are also called “Twelves” since the first string is. When talking about the gauge of a pack of strings, one typically refers to either the type or the gauge of the first string.
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