{"id":1826,"date":"2021-01-05T06:55:18","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T13:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-686768-2265439.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=1826"},"modified":"2021-01-05T07:05:08","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T14:05:08","slug":"beginner-acoustic-guitar-strings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cleanmyinstrument.com\/beginner-acoustic-guitar-strings\/","title":{"rendered":"What acoustic guitar strings are best for beginners?"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you have just acquired your first acoustic guitar and are starting to learn, you probably haven\u2019t considered what type of strings you should be playing. After all, your guitar likely has strings on it and they make acoustic guitar sounds. But are they the right strings for a beginner?<\/p>\n
Beginner acoustic guitar players should always start out using light or even extra-light gauge strings. Learning to play the acoustic guitar can be a little painful since beginning players have not yet built up calluses on their fingertips. Light and extra-light gauge strings are thinner and thus require less finger pressure to play.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As you continue to play you will develop calluses and can move up to heavier gauge strings. The new strings will cause you a bit of pain at first but it will also cause you to develop even better calluses.<\/p>\n There is a tradeoff when it comes to strings. Lighter gauge acoustic strings are typically brighter and easier to play but don\u2019t have the warm tone, volume or sustain of heavier gauge acoustic strings. Since you are a beginning acoustic guitar player, we will only discuss strings for beginners and string tone should be pretty far down on your list of concerns, though there are still some light gauge acoustic guitar string choices that allow for differences in tone.<\/p>\n Your top goal should be learning proper technique and chords which is most easily accomplished with lighter gauge acoustic guitar strings. After a few months your fingers will get stronger and your calluses will get thicker. Additionally, your form and technique will be improving, muscle memory begins to kick in, you\u2019ll begin to establish a style, and you\u2019ll have a better understanding of the tone you want to achieve from your acoustic guitar.<\/p>\n A set of extra-light string gauges typically run from a high E string of .010 inches to a low E string of .047 to .050 inches. These strings are particularly good for children and adolescents or anyone who feels they need to build finger strength.<\/p>\n The Good:<\/strong> Their thinness makes them easy on your fingers. This allows you to play longer and more often without discomfort as well as allowing you to learn techniques such as bending and hammering with less effort.<\/p>\n The Bad:<\/strong> The thinnest gauge strings in these sets are only about 20 times the thickness of a human hair. They are not strong, break easily if you strum or bend too hard, and don\u2019t last very long. They typically sound tinny, do not have much sustain or volume, and do not produce a wide range of tones. They are not a good choice if your acoustic guitar is a turd and doesn\u2019t have good volume or tone to begin with.<\/p>\n These strings are also referred to as \u2018custom\u2019 but I like to call them Spinal Taps. Some people have amps that go to eleven and some acoustic guitar string manufacturers have strings that start at eleven. Their gauges start at .011 inches (hence 11s) and go up to a low E string gauge of .052. If you feel you have pretty strong fingers or extra-light strings feel too flimsy, 11s might be for you.<\/p>\n The Good: <\/strong>These strings are still quite thin and therefore easy on your fingers, still making them a good choice for learning technique with less effort. They are a bit thicker and therefore a bit louder and have a bit more sustain. Kinda like if you played extra-light strings on ten and then turned them up to eleven. If you have a very low end guitar that doesn\u2019t have good sound, 11\u2019s will improve it without having to go to strings that are difficult to play.<\/p>\n The Bad: <\/strong>Though 10% thicker than extra-light gauge strings, 11s are still only a thousandth of an inch thicker. They still aren\u2019t very strong and still don\u2019t have very good tone, sustain or volume.<\/p>\n New acoustic guitars typically come with light gauge strings. These range from a high E string gauge of .012 to a low E of .052 – .054. There\u2019s a good reason that manufacturers put these on their guitars. They contain a good combination of tone, playability, and durability.<\/p>\n The Good:<\/strong> This is an excellent beginner gauge because they are still generally light enough to allow for ease of playing but you are also starting to get into gauges that have better tone, volume and sustain. They are also stronger and will last longer.<\/p>\n The Bad:<\/strong> In comparison to the smaller gauge strings, there really isn\u2019t anything inherently bad about light gauge strings. They are a bit harder on your fingers and require a little more force to play. However, when compared to heavier gauge strings, when it comes to tone, volume and sustain there isn\u2019t much comparison.<\/p>\n <\/a>Typically, the heavier the acoustic guitar string gauge is the longer the strings will last. But there are many caveats to that rule of thumb. Heavier gauge strings are thicker and therefore stronger. Some strings are made of bronze, phosphor, steel and nickel or some combination of those materials and that combination will also determine the strength of the string. Still, a .054 gauge 80\/20 phosphor\/bronze acoustic guitar string will be stronger and last longer than a .047 gauge of the same materials.<\/p>\nSo What Acoustic Guitar Strings Should a Beginner Buy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Extra-Light Gauge Guitar Strings<\/strong><\/h3>\n
11s Guitar Strings<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Light Gauge Guitar Strings<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What acoustic guitar strings last the longest?<\/strong><\/h2>\n