An example of nylon strings, showing a wound and unwound/plain string.
Classical and folk guitars require nylon strings so it’s important to know the types of nylon strings available. Nylon strings have a softer, more mellow tone and are usually used in classical, flamenco, samba and folk styles. These types of guitars are lightly braced internally and do not have any extra reinforcement built into their necks. Note that these these types of guitars can’t handle the extra tension of metal strings so you should NEVER use metal strings on these types of guitars as you will bow the neck and/or pull the bridge off. Our article on how to string a classical guitar can show you how to change strings on these guitars.
Nylon string sets use 3 nylon/plastic, usually clear, strings for the high E, B, and G strings. Low E, A, and D strings are wound with silver or brass around a nylon center.
Classical Guitar Strings
The bridge of a classical guitar showing the string windings.
Classical guitar strings are plain on both ends. Installing them requires that you tie the string at the bridge by wrapping it around itself. Classical string sets will come as either normal/low-tension, moderate or high-tension which relates to your guitar neck’s ability to take different levels of stress. Beginning guitarists should purchase low-tension. This string set is the best-seller among all the types of nylon guitar strings available. The gauge (thickness) of a low-tension string is .028 of an inch. Higher tension strings are slightly thicker.
Folk Guitar Strings
Similar to classical, folk guitar strings feature three plain strings (usually black) for the lightest strings (G, B, and high E) and three wound strings. Folk strings are much lighter gauge (starting at .045 inch) than classical strings. Each folk string has a plastic ball on one end used to secure the string at the bridge.
This post will focus on varieties of metal strings available for steel-string acoustic guitars. If you have a classical, flamenco, or folk guitar, please read our post that covers types of nylon guitar strings.
Steel guitar strings have a bright sound popular in pop, rock, country, and folk styles. Steel-string acoustic guitars are constructed with a metal truss rod in the guitar neck to brace against the tension of metal strings. Do not install steel strings on any guitar designed for nylon strings. Since these instruments lack a truss rod, you might warp or break your guitar neck!
In a typical set of six guitar strings, the two thinnest strings are plain (bare steel) and the rest are wound. (Plain strings are sometimes called unwound.) Wound strings feature a metal alloy string wound around a steel core. A breakthrough in string design, winding two strings together creates a single, heavy thread that vibrates evenly so pitch can be clear and stable.
Bronze
The metal alloy called bronze, was traditionally a blend of 88% copper and 12% tin. In commercial bronze, zinc has replaced tin, and modern bronze acoustic guitar strings are actually a mix of bronze with other materials, such as phosphor, zinc and copper on a steel core.
80/20 and 85/15 Bronze or Brass Strings– The Brightest Sound
As the name suggests, two metals are blended to form an 80/20 alloy using a ratio of 80% copper and 20% zinc. This is known as low brass. You may already be familiar with the term brass if you know something about orchestral instruments. Some manufacturers have taken to calling these strings “80/20 bronze” even though these are not true bronze. You will also find sets with an 85/15 ratio, sometimes referred to as “Vintage Bronze”.
The tone of new 80/20 strings is brilliant but fades quickly to warm. A change in tone is not always desired by musicians, and this is why we have a variety of string options. Manufacturers of “coated” strings boast that their tone stays consistent much longer. This is true, but the tone of a coated string is not as bright to begin with.
Phosphor Bronze – Warm Sounding
Phosphor bronze strings combine copper with zinc, tin, iron, and phosphor. The strings are still mostly copper, but these other metals combine to provide a longer lasting tone than regular bronze. The tone is warmer with enhanced mids. These strings tend to hide finger noise and pick scrapes better than others. These guitar strings would sound good for jazz and softer styles.
Gold Plated– Medium Bright
Gold resists corrosion. While it seems extravagant, some players are willing to pay for gold-plated strings. Under the gold-plating is usually 80/20 bronze wound strings or phosphor bronze. These are somewhat popular with players who dislike the synthetically coated strings. Often these can be gold-plated 80/20 bronze wrap wire and phosphor bronze sets. The bright tone is said to last until the string breaks from old age.
Titanium – Medium Bright
Titanium strings are known for their resistance to corrosion. As they are not magnetic, titanium strings are not used with electric guitars. They offer a medium-to-bright tone, and can cost over 30X the cost of common bronze strings.
Silk and Steel String Sets
These strings sets use steel high E and B strings, with the remainder of strings made of bronze or brass windings over a nylon core. This makes for a softer sound than strings wound on a steel core. These strings are excellent for beginners because they are easier to play. These types of acoustic guitar strings are usually found on very lightly-braced acoustic guitars and on guitars that lack a truss rod.
Choosing Your String Gauge
When purchasing guitar strings, you’ll select a string gauge. The term gauge refers to thickness. The lighter the gauge, the brighter and weaker the sound. In contrast, heavier strings sound duller but project louder.
Your guitar has been set up by the manufacturer for a certain gauge of strings, probably light gauge. If you change the string gauge you may need to hire a guitar tech to adjust your guitar setup to maintain optimum playability. Most guitars ship with light or extra light strings, where the thinnest string is .012 or .011 millimeters thick.
An example of electric guitar strings, showing both the wound and unwound/plain strings.
As with steel-stringed acoustics, electric guitars use steel strings, too. And as electric guitars are so popular, there are many types of electric guitar strings available that reflect different playing and musical styles. String sets used in rock, pop, country and blues usually have an unwound G string of plain steel, with round wound D, A and E strings. They provide a bright tone and are usually a light (thin) gauge of string. Thin strings and an unwound G make electric techniques like string bending and vibrato much easier, so these types of electric guitar strings are the most popular. A common string set for these styles usually starts with a .009 gauge high E string (often called a “Super-Light” gauge set) or a .010.
Traditional jazz electric strings are usually a heavier gauge (thicker) than rock/blues sets, and often use a wound G string. They can also be half round, or flat wound types of strings. These offer a warmer tone that works well with the hollow, acoustic-electric style of guitars, and mellow tones used in traditional jazz.
Before you change your electric guitar strings, determine what types of strings work best your musical style.
Stainless Steel Round Wound – Bright
Stainless steel sets use steel for the high E, B and G strings and a round stainless steel wire wound around a stainless core for the D, A and low E. The magnetic properties of the string make it sound particularly bright and easy to hear harmonics and overtones. However, since the strings start off sounding really bright, you’ll notice sooner when they start to become dull. Due to their bright sound, stainless steel sets even became popular for bassists after John Entwistle of the Who used them for his bass solo in “My Generation”.
Nickel Round Wound – Medium Bright
Most of the electric string sets produced use nickel. Nickel sets use steel for the high E, B and G strings and a round nickel wire wound around a steel core for the D, A and low E. Nickel has great magnetic properties and give a crisp sound, but are not as bright as stainless.
Half Round – Warm
These string sets usually use steel for the high E, and B strings with a nickel wire wound around on a steel core for the D, A and low E. Some sets use a wound G, while others do not. Half round means that the outer winding starts as round wound, and then is ground down. This reduces string noise as your hand moves on the strings to change chords, etc.
Flat Wound – Mellow/Dark
Flat wound guitar strings are used a lot in jazz due to their mellow, bass oriented tone. Sets will use plain steel for the high E, and B strings, with wire made of a flat, nickel ribbon wound around on a steel core for the D, A and low E. Usually the G string is wound too. This string has the least amount of finger noise and produces very few overtones. Many famous jazz guitarists use flat wounds, including Pat Metheny.
Guitar strings affect the tone of your guitar, its ability to play in tune, and even how easy it is to play. While it may seem obvious that it is important to know about strings when learning guitar, not everyone takes the time to research the subject.
Different Guitars Use Different Types of Guitar Strings
A steel-string acoustic guitar showing the strings attaching via bridge pins.A classical guitar with nylon strings, which are tied at the bridge.
Guitars are designed to use certain types of guitar strings. For example, electric and steel-string acoustic guitars are built to use metal strings. They feature a metal truss rod which runs through the center of the guitar neck. The truss rod braces the neck against the tension of strings pulling forward. Also steel-string acoustic guitars terminate the strings to bridge pins while electrics use other methods. Classical and folk guitars use nylon strings and have no truss rod. You can’t use metal strings on classical guitars or you might damage the guitar.
Here are links to learn more about the specific types of guitar strings:
Steel-string manufacturers are often creating new alloys and winding techniques. A wound string features one string coiled tightly around another. Materials used for creating metal guitar strings include steel, nickel, brass, bronze, and a multitude of custom alloys. The wound strings can be round, filed to half-round, or flat. String materials are chosen based on the desired tension, acoustic or amplified tone, and playability. For example, flat wound strings sound less bright and hide finger fret noises. Note that if you changing your string gauge you may also need to adjust your guitar setup to re-balance the instrument and keep strings from getting caught in the nut slots. Note that these types of guitar strings are usually associated with different musical styles such as using flat-wounds for jazz, stainless round wounds for rock, etc.
In order to slow down the inevitable corrosion of metal strings, some manufacturers offer metal strings coated with very thin layers of plastic. Although coated strings are never as bright-sounding as uncoated strings, the tone tends to stay consistent over a longer period of time.
Classical guitar strings were traditionally made from sheep or cow intestine and silk. Today we use nylon, and the three bass strings are wound by threads of silver-plated bronze or copper wire.
Gauges of Guitar Strings
String gauge is another way of saying string “thickness.” String gauges can vary from .008 inch for plain strings to .055 inch for heavy wound strings. Smaller gauge strings have a lighter sound. They are easier to bend, but they can break more often. Heavier gauge strings produce a louder (or heavier) sound and are a little tougher to bend, but they are more durable. It is usually better for a beginner to start with lighter gauge strings and go heavier as hand strength increases.
Guitar strings break more easily as they age because they lose their pliability. If you regularly break strings, you might inspect the bridge and nut slots for sharp corners and file them down. When replacing a single string, be sure to pick the right string from your replacement set since each of the six strings is of a different thickness.
The Types of Guitar Strings You Use Affects Guitar Playability
Steel strings can be hard on fingers because of their stiff material and tension. A metal string holds up well against hard strumming with a pick. Bending a steel string is more difficult if it is a heavier gauge. Using a light gauge strings, you’ll find it easier to bend strings, but the volume of the string will be weaker.
Nylon strings are very easy on your fingers and easy to hold down. For these reasons, a nylon-string guitar may be preferred by beginners; however, there are some noteworthy challenges. Because nylon strings are thicker and need more space to vibrate on the neck, the guitar necks tend to be wider. Some guitar chords may be more difficult to reach on a wider neck, especially for smaller hands. Also, while bending nylon strings is easy, the resulting change in pitch tends to be very slow. It’s very difficult to precisely bend a note played on a nylon string from one pitch to another.
