What kind of guitar strings should I buy?
Noble asked:
I’ve got an Ibanez dreadnought acoustic guitar and its time to change the strings, but I’m not into the strings I previously had; which were too tightly wound and hard on the fingers. What type of acoustic strings are medium gage, have a good, full sound, and aren’t very expensive? Thanks!
I’ve got an Ibanez dreadnought acoustic guitar and its time to change the strings, but I’m not into the strings I previously had; which were too tightly wound and hard on the fingers. What type of acoustic strings are medium gage, have a good, full sound, and aren’t very expensive? Thanks!
Any acoustic guitar strings are going to be hard on your fingers. The only way to drastically reduce this factor is by using nylon or flatwound strings (I don’t recommend that unless you’re playing a style of music that calls for it). You need to build up callous, so just tough it out for now.
0.011 or 0.012 are considered light strings. 0.013 are pretty standard, medium gauge, and then they go up from there. Note these numbers refer to the size of the high E string.
I find the D’Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze Light strings to be good. But it’s really just a matter of preference. Try a new set each time you restring it until you come across one you like.
** Edit ** and they’re inexpensive:
Elixir Polyweb lights. These strings have a special coating which dont allow them to rust and give the guitar a much better sound than using crappy over the counter strings. They are also only a few dollars more expensive than the normal strings.
I agree with the other guy. Elixir strings are easy on the fingers. However, if you play often enough, your finger tips harden, so it’s not a problem.