What are the best strings for electric guitar. gentle sound

Being able to play the guitar has always been an honor. Even having learned a few chords, you can already play simple songs in the yard or near the fire to raise your mood and morale. But there are times when, due to negligence or from prolonged use, the strings on the guitar are torn. In order not to interrupt the holiday, you should always have a spare set of strings with you. This is where the main question arises: "But how to choose the strings for an acoustic guitar?"

String types

For an acoustic guitar, there is a choice: to install nylon or metal strings (on the same electric guitar it is possible to install only metal ones). These are two opposite camps. There is still debate about which strings are best for acoustic guitar. In fact, it all depends on the person. Acoustic guitar strings sound different. That is why there are so many of them. There are a lot of different kits that differ from each other in various parameters that affect the sound and quality of the game. Don't forget that, among other factors, playing is also influenced by the acoustic guitar itself. What strings are best for beginners?

Strings for beginners

The first steps in mastering the guitar are always difficult. It is very important that from the very beginning a person enjoys playing the guitar, otherwise he will soon give up this business. Since the strings are the main element of the guitar, the approach to their selection should be in the first place. For beginners, nylon ones are best, since they have all the parameters that are useful to them.

Pros and cons of nylon strings

For beginners, nylon strings are best, as synthetics are much easier to play. Metal is a much harder material than synthetics, so it's more difficult to strike your first chords on such strings. Synthetics, in turn, are a softer material, so learning to play on it will be many times easier.

For untrained fingers, the first loads will be quite large, so you need to do everything possible to reduce the load on them. In addition, synthetics are not so detrimental to the skin: although at first it will hurt to clamp the frets, but then you quickly get used to it.

But everything is not as simple as it seems. Synthetics are a soft material, which is why it is prone to deformation. Because of this property, acoustics need to be constantly adjusted as the strings stretch. They are also less durable, so you should be careful and try not to tear them.

Nylon on the guitar does not sound as loud as metal. Its sound is more muffled, but soft. Therefore, when playing "forte" you need to put more effort.

Pros and cons of metal strings

Metal strings are made of a stronger material, which gives them such strength. They are more durable and unpretentious to other conditions. They also don't deform as much. This makes it possible to keep them taut (no need to adjust them every time). The best acoustic guitar strings are metal. They are rightfully considered as such, because their sound is more sonorous and loud.

But they have a number of disadvantages. Due to their strength, metal strings are made thinner. Especially for beginners, this results in thick calluses on the left hand. If, out of a spiritual impulse, you re-study, then you can erase your fingers into the blood, and these are not just words. That is why it is important for yourself to choose the norm, several hours a day, in order to avoid overwork and bloody blisters. In addition, it will be much more difficult to pinch chords than on synthetics, since metal is a harder material. Here you need to apply all your strength to make a sound.

Which strings to choose

So what are the best strings for acoustic guitar? Well, for this it is worth considering all the factors. If a person is just starting to play music, then it is better to put nylon strings, since it is easiest to learn from them, if with experience, then metal ones, because they have a more beautiful sound.

How to change strings on an acoustic guitar

If suddenly the purchased guitar turned out to be with a set of metal strings, but nylon ones were required, it does not matter. The question of how to change the strings on an acoustic guitar is solved very quickly.

The first step is to buy a new set of strings. They are sold in any music store, and there are plenty of them on the Internet. After that, it remains only to remove the old ones and fix the new ones.

Old strings need to be removed starting from the pegs (things that are attached to the headstock). By reducing the tension, you can easily untangle them with your fingers and remove them from the peg. Then the knot on the bridge (the base on which the strings are attached near the right hand) is simply untied. Then, having done the reverse procedure, they put on new strings, starting from the lower bridge and ending with the pegs.

Valuable advice: the strings for an acoustic guitar are best changed not according to the principle from top to bottom, but from the sides. That is, first the sixth and first strings are put on, then the fifth and second, and only then the fourth and third. The headstock is designed so that pairs of pegs hold the strings in that order. The farthest pair of pegs is responsible for the first and sixth. Same with the middle and third pair of pegs.

In fact, there is nothing complicated here, you just need to practice a little.

Best Strings

You always want to have something very high quality and reliable. The same applies to strings. As a rule, acoustic guitar strings installed at the time of purchase do not shine with quality. That is why it is recommended to change the strings after buying an instrument. The best option would be the famous brand dedicated to guitars, Fender. He collected the best in himself. This pleasure is more expensive than other strings, but it's worth it.

Many musicians think that nylon strings are only strings for beginners who don't want to get blisters on their fingers while learning. This is a fairly common misconception, which we intend to dispel in this article.

Features of nylon strings

The first three strings are calibrated nylon line. Now they are made from various copolymers and polymers, which are based on nylon. The rest of the bass strings are made from a multifilament synthetic twist warp. Sometimes it is called filament nylon. Silver-plated is usually used as a winding. Such a coating improves the sound of dull copper and looks beautiful, but after a while it wears off. In some cases, various alloys of copper and silver with the obligatory presence of zinc act as a winding. However, it is not as practical and also more expensive. In some cases, other alloys can be used as windings, which are inferior in sound to silver-plated copper, but surpass it in durability.

String tension can be set to Normal (Normal/Regular), Strong (High/Hard), or Very Strong (Extra High). In some cases, the manufacturer indicates the packaging and the thickness of the strings. Moreover, the stronger the tension and the thicker the string, the louder and richer it will sound. A thinner string will sound thinner and louder.

So all the same what to put? Nylon or metal strings?

Nylon strings are originally designed for classical guitars. Moreover, the instrument must have a glued neck, since the neck on the screw significantly worsens the sound of the instrument. This is one of the reasons why metal strings are most often used on cheap instruments. Also, many masters do not recommend putting nylon strings on western guitars (otherwise they are also called folk guitars) and dreadnought. These instruments are rated for higher tension and are unlikely to sound good with nylons.

How to choose nylon strings?

Typically, professional guitarists choose high-tension, silver-wound strings. But for beginning musicians, teachers advise putting medium tension nylon strings, as they are easier to play. But it is worth considering that in this case, a novice musician will not be able to apply some sound extraction techniques. Particular attention must be paid to the frets. If they are poorly ground, copper wound strings are the best choice. They will last longer, but the sound will not be as bright.

The determining factor in choosing "votes" is the quality and the way they are processed. There is a matte (polished) and polished surface. Each of them has its own nuances. Polished strings are now the most common, as they create less overtones on fast passages.

As for the brands, the most famous are Martin Strings (American) and Savarez (French), as well as Pyramid, La Bella, D "Addario and many others. Choosing a brand of nylon strings is a personal matter for every musician.

At any music forum, the same topic is necessarily created. Every aspiring guitarist asks us the same question. And every young musician is always faced with the same problem - the choice of strings for his brand new acoustic guitar. And, indeed, today it is easier to decide on a guitar than on strings! And around everyone is only advised to try, understand and choose the best option for yourself. But what about a newbie who first encountered such a problem ?!

We would like to lend a helping hand to beginner guitarists and tell a little about the different types of strings and their brands. And although the choice of strings really depends on the preferences of the musician, we still share with you our personal experience and our opinion about these or other manufacturers. Perhaps this will answer not only some of your questions, but also help you decide what you need.

Material foundations

The key qualities of strings: sound, durability and playability depend on the material from which they are made. So the first thing to decide is the material of the winding of your future strings. Go!

Variety of brands

Something, but there is no shortage of different brands of strings for acoustic guitars today. And it is not surprising that it is difficult for any novice guitarist to make an independent choice for the first time. So let's dwell on the most famous modern brands in a little more detail and see what seasoned ones say about them.

• Dean Markley. There have been no negative reviews about these strings yet - they sound great and are reasonably priced. Their only drawback is the service life.

• Ernie Ball. Another string option that perfectly combines quality and price. They serve for a long time, sound good, tactile sensations are pleasant, and they are not very expensive. In short, a good start!

• Olympia. Another standard string option that combines an affordable price, good sound and reliability.

• Rotosound. Perhaps, the strings of this brand can be described as follows: just strings. They have no outstanding qualities, as well as especially negative traits. Strings and all.

So we went over all the well-known manufacturers of acoustic guitar strings and their products. And what conclusion can be drawn from all this?! Obviously, many strings of many brands are a specific accessory, the choice of which is still worth growing and trying a lot. So if you are buying replacement strings for the first time and are not yet in the mood for experiments, our advice to you is to take something simpler, such as D'Addario, La'Bella, Olympia or GHS of medium hardness. They will give a fairly clear sound, and will not create discomfort during the game.

Otherwise, the forums do not lie - throughout your creative activity, you will have to try more than one set of strings and give your own opinion to many manufacturers before you find the perfect one!

When choosing strings for a classical guitar, many guitarists do not think about the possibility of experimenting with different types of materials: most musicians are still sure that only nylon sets or their traditional, but more expensive counterpart, intestinal strings, can be installed on a classical (Spanish) guitar. However, this is not at all the case: in this material you can find out which strings for classical guitar are better, what types of them are on the market today, and which models are most popular.

How to choose strings for classical guitar: basic production technologies

In a general sense, "classic" guitar strings are sets for instruments with a fan-shaped spring system, having a total tension in the range of 30 ... 45 kg; in the American tradition of playing the classics, sets with a tension of up to 50 kg are also quite popular.

To date, the following types of strings for classics are common on the market:

• Traditional intestinal;
• Synthetic ("nylon");
• Reinforced synthetic ("carbon");
• With steel core;
• Synthalic;

What are the best strings for classical guitar?

Everyone can unequivocally answer this question for himself - we will tell you about the features of each type of kit.

intestinal strings (gutstrings)- very often they are also called "core". By the way, this name is erroneous - they are made far from veins or tendons, but from the intestines of animals: mainly domestic sheep. To date, it is very difficult to find such sets in free sale: firstly, they are not very practical (the smell is “for an amateur”, rather fast wear), and secondly, the cost of such strings is extremely high.

They are mainly used by lovers of early music, for the most part the use of intestinal strings is disposable: despite the development of production technology and the use of impregnations and protective compounds, due to moisture and temperature, the strings usually become unusable after one concert.

Synthetic strings- conventionally they are called nylon. They were invented by Augustine back in the 40s of the last century, when participation in World War II forced large industrial countries to look for cheaper and more affordable materials for the medical field. So the engineers invented a synthetic thread, which they called nylon.

The top three strings (the thinnest) are a monolithic nylon line ("monofilament"). The three lower strings (thick, "bass") are a monolithic fishing line or an interweaving of several nylon lines ("polyfilament") in the core, which is covered on the outside by a metal winding. The classic braiding material is round profile silver-plated copper wire.

What silver plating is for: It gives classical guitar strings a more attractive appearance, protects fingers from staining due to contact with copper, and also serves as an excellent indicator of set wear.

The disadvantage of copper winding is its softness, which is especially noticeable on the 4th string (the thinnest braid) at the point of contact with the frets. In recent years, to solve this problem, manufacturers use not pure copper, but alloys: nickel silver, phosphor-bronze, brass, etc. Note that alloys do the sound of a classical guitar is more velvety and "matte".

Reinforced synthetic strings- are made from the invention in the late 90s. in Japan, a polymer composition with a very long name, which in everyday life musicians and manufacturers, by common agreement, began to call "carbon". The density of this material is more than 1.5 times higher than that of nylon - this makes it possible to produce thinner strings with identical guitar tuning and at the same tension. The picture below shows how the diameter of traditional and reinforced synthetic strings differs at equal tension:

1. First string (Mi): 0.7 and 0.54 mm
2. Second string (Bi): 0.8 and 0.61 mm
3. Third string (G): 1 and 0.76 mm

Carbon strings are thinner, but they sound brighter and more resonant compared to nylon counterparts - at the same time, the cost of reinforced sets is higher. The service life of carbon fiber kits, oddly enough, differs very little from traditional nylon kits.

Steel core strings appeared on the market as an experiment at the beginning of the 21st century and, in general, found their audience. A feature of the production technology is the use of winding on all six strings: it is applied to the core of the finest steel threads twisted into a single core. A flat nylon tape acts as a winding on thin strings, the winding of bass strings is usually made of classic silver-plated copper.

Their main feature is that the strings on a steel cable almost do not stretch and respond perfectly to the movement of the peg. They have a high cost, but they fell in love with individual performers of classical guitar music because of their softness and rather bright sound.

Synthal strings(syntal = synthetics + steel) - a fairly new development, the peculiarity of which is the combination of the properties of nylon and steel. Soft strings that tune very quickly and have a bright sound. Syntal strings wear out more slowly than traditional synthetic strings.

String tension for classical guitar

Due to the heavy use of synthetic materials, some classical guitar string manufacturers do not list string diameters on their sets. This is due to the lightness of polymers: even a noticeable change in the gauge of the strings will not cause a significant difference in tension due to the practically unchanged weight of the string. In such a situation, the following classification of tension for nylon strings has become more common:

• Normal/Regular Tension - normal/medium tension
• Hard/High Tension - strong tension
• Extra High Tension - very strong tension.

It should be remembered that a louder, richer and richer sound usually gives a stronger tension.

Understand the difference between steel and nylon strings. It is important to note that using strings designed for acoustic guitars on a classical guitar will ruin the neck. The tension of strings and guitars are different, so you can't use classical acoustic guitar strings, and vice versa. Classical guitars usually have nylon strings. The bass strings look like steel, but the cores are made from nylon fibers. In this article, we will discuss steel strings.

• If you play a lot (on stage) you might want to stick with 80/20 bronze. Phosphor strings tend to last longer.

Remember that the material you choose will affect the sound. The three most commonly used materials are bronze, phosphor bronze and silk and steel. There are other materials, but these are the main ones.

• Bronze strings are sometimes referred to as 80/20 bronze because they are made from 80% copper and 20% zinc. They can be used for all playing styles. They have a bright sound that disappears quickly after a few hours of play. Bronze strings are the most commonly used strings.
• Phosphor Bronze Strings - Bronze strings with added phosphorus. They can also be used for all types. They have a warm sound that lasts longer than bronze strings.
• Silk and steel strings produce a soft, rich sound. They have less tension and are available in light calibers. They are good for vintage guitars that require special strings. They are quieter and less durable, but easier to play.