Best Acoustic Guitar Strings For Beginners: Reviews and Guide — Guitar Top Review
Here we take a look at the best acoustic guitar strings for beginners and the buying guide should also help you in case you want to judge yourself.
Sometimes you just need to stop whatever you are doing and let your heart flow with the music you make. In fact, sometimes you just need to focus on learning and getting better through music. Mastering something really makes you feel invincible in many different ways.
It does not matter if it’s your first guitar or last, you will end up having to change the strings on it. Those fragile little things need both care and changing. And, it does not end there.
Your performance depends a lot on the type of strings you use. Why wouldn’t it? It is basically the only things you need to work on when on a guitar. So, the type of string you use based on your playing style also matters.
Unfortunately, there is a lot that matters and you will have to put in some efforts to find the best acoustic guitar strings for beginners. Our buying guide and the reviews of the best available will definitely help you through the process. Let’s begin enlightening you then?
Our #5 Picks For The Best Acoustic Guitar Strings For Beginners
- D’Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings (Light)
- Elixir Strings Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings with NANOWEB Coating (80/20)
- Gibson Masterbuilt Premium Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
- Ernie Ball 2146 Earthwood Acoustic Phosphor Bronze String Set
- Stringjoy NB1254 Natural Bronze Acoustic Guitar
Full review available on the original article (link at the bottom of this article)
The Buying Guide
Here are a few factors you should take care of before choosing an acoustic guitar string for your guitar.
- What you need.
As you already know that the guitar strings have a great influence on the sound you make. Now, you may have a particular style you follow or a specific guitar you play on. Both need strings that perfectly match them.
For example, if you make soft tones than lighter strings are better for you. Apart from that, the various guitar types work best with strings specifically suited for them. For example, you can never use acoustic strings on an electric or classical guitar.
This will ruin not just the string but also the guitar itself. So, it is best to figure out what you actually need before you set out to buy the strings.
2. The material building the string.
Believe it or not, the material building the string contributes a lot to the sound it will be making. And, strings are made of various materials now. Let’s check out your options.
Bronze: It is quite a popular choice because of the bright, sunshiny tone it provides. However you won’t find pure bronze but usually alloys of zinc, copper, tin, etc. Bronze usually follows the 80–20 ratio where 80% of it is copper with a coating of zinc on top at 20%.
The problem with bronze is that it corrodes and oxidizes too quickly and easily so these strings do not hold their charms for long. You will find Phosphor-Bronze combinations as well which lasts a bit longer. There is the option of choosing Aluminum-bronze as well.
Nylon: Remember that I mentioned that some guitars are better off with certain kind of strings than others? I meant classical guitar with nylon strings. Usually, you have to use nylon strings with classical guitars and they have their own soft and low tension tones. Apart from that, you can use it with nylon-strung guitars as well.
Stainless Steel: What is the first thing that comes to your mind the moment you read stainless steel?- rust? Anti-corrosion? Yes, that is exactly what these strings are best at- lasting with a glow. Furthermore, they produce soft tones as well with a bit of rusty touch.
Brass: Brass reminds you of metal right? So, will the tone produced by brass strings.
Polymer Coated: If you do not care about the sound much but the practice and durability than you can try out polymer-coated strings as they resist corrosion quite well. The tone is warm and the strings do look attractive.
Silk and Steel: Contrary to stainless steel strings, steel scored strings can come coated with silk as well. As you can imagine, it will be super gentle on your fingers.
Select the material carefully to suit your own needs.
3. The string gauge/ diameter.
Finding it difficult to learn the guitar? The string gauge can somewhat make things easier for you. You will find strings with various diameters and the six strings themselves differ from each other.
Light Gauge String: Want to find it easier to play the guitar because you are a beginner? Then, the light gauge strings that need less pressure on them can help you. Furthermore, if you like to make softer and thinner tones then the light gauge strings are the best for fingerpicking.
However, they do break easily as well. The light nature has its cons. The diameter usually starts at 0.010 and ends at 0.054
Medium Gauge String: If you love trying out various genres of music then the medium gauge strings are right for you. You can somewhat control the tone with your skills. In fact, you can reach medium lows and medium highs as well.
They have a warm sound and will last long as well. This usually has the thinnest string at 0.013 and the thickest at 0.056.
Heavy Gauge String: This is the most difficult type of strings to master. You have to put quite some pressure on the strings to be good. Also, the tone will be very warm, deep and soothing.
The diameter usually ranges from 0.014 to 0.059.
Apart from that, the size and build of your guitar matter too. If you have a smaller guitar, you will need light gauge most likely.
Click here to see more info on acoustic guitar strings as we examine in-depth and explained everything that you need to know.
4. The String Coating.
You know how metals can be- corrosive, rusty over time, etc. But, you do not always like the idea of replacing strings very often. That is why, most of the time, the manufacturers take care of it by coating the strings.
However, when you get something better, you need to give something in return. In this case, you get greater life of the string but reduced tonal properties. The tone may not be as soothing or full as it was with uncoated strings.
Things sure are getting better with advanced technology. And, uncoated strings do respond to weather and time in a negative way. Apart from that, a coated string will make things easier on your hand. A smoother surface may help you play faster.
Now you know that in order to know how to choose acoustic guitar strings, you need to know what you want and need first.
5. Price and Durability.
As you already know, you need to change the strings quite often. Guitar strings do not usually last longer if you play on it frequently or the weather is humid. If you are a beginner then you will experience torn strings from time to time.
Now, the question is how often are you willing to take the burden of changing the strings? If you are alright with changing often, you can totally opt for a cheaper string that you can replace frequently. On the other hand, if you want both long string life and better tone then you can look at the higher end strings that are a bit more expensive.
The Benefits
You would not consider buying strings if it wasn’t beneficial. The benefits of buying your own acoustic strings are many.
- A sound of your style: As you already know, the strings affect the sound. Apparently, it is mainly the strings that affect the sound. Therefore, test a few strings and you may end up finding a tone that speaks volumes about your soul music.
- A backup: You never know when a string will break and what situation you will be left in. So, an extra pair never hurts.
- More quality and less trouble: The right strings will not break easily if you play them right. Thus, you can save money while also practicing without interruption.
In Conclusion
Music is always close to a musicians heart and materialistic obstacles should be overcome at all costs. A guitar string can cause a lot of trouble if it is not the right one. Therefore, you have to look hard for the right one.
We have reviewed from some of the best acoustic guitar strings brands and the buying guide should also help you in case you want to judge yourself. Take your time, use your brain and hands to find the best strings that will help you have the best time as well.
Originally published at guitartopreview.com on July 25, 2019.