Choosing The Best Acoustic Guitar Strings

     Choosing the best acoustic guitar strings for your instrument can be difficult, because the right guitar string is very important to every guitar player. Whether it is your first time playing a guitar or you've been playing the guitar for years, you'll immediately realize that using the best acoustic guitar strings is very important.

There are many brands of guitar strings and they come in a variety of gauges and alloys. The best quality strings are more durable and will most likely last longer but the best reason why you should consider these are the sound quality. There are basic factors to take into account when deciding upon acoustic guitar strings, each of these factors is essential in selecting the best acoustic guitar strings.

The factors are: type of string, gauge of string, tone required, and guitar's age. Deciding on proper strings will support technique, increase quality and develop the player's confidence.

Type of String

Nylons strings are more supple and provide less tension for the fingers, so nylon strings are highly recommended for starters. If the player is playing classical acoustic guitar, keep on using nylon strings. For folk players, ball end nylon strings are recommended, Tend to be more favorable to a strumming playing style and such strings are heavier than regular nylon.

Gauge of String

Basically, the gauge defines how heavy the string is. Whether you want a heavy or light string will depend on the sound quality you wish to achieve. There are 4 primary gauge options for an acoustic guitar, as follows:
10-46 Extra Light Gauge. Best for newbies because Easiest to play with and least strain.
11 - 52 Custom Light Gauge. generates slightly richer fuller sound.
12 - 54 Light Gauge. Favored by most skilled music artists, higher tuning stability.
13 - 56 Medium Gauge. One of the top gauges, very big and rich tone.

Tone Required

Guitarists may look for a particular guitar tone. Even though a not so objective feeling there are basic attributes to specific strings.
Bronze Type, Very clear and bright tone but tendency to fade.
Phosphor Bronze Type, Warm tone with longer sustainability.
Coated Type, Rich tone with long retention and life.

Age of Guitar

If the player has a vintage guitar instrument more care should be taken. Older instruments were created to be strung with gut string and demand a very light gauge. While a brand new acoustic guitar is normally robust enough to let the guitarist the option of a variety of strings.

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to the question "which are the best acoustic guitar strings?" because it will largely depend on personal preference. It is advisable to experiment with different gauges, until you find the strings that produce a sound that you love and that suit your needs. Brand is always the best indication on string quality. Elixir strings and Martin Guitars strings are some of the world's most popular strings as they have maintained their quality over the years. They could be a bit more expensive, but these are some of the best you'll find and they are worth every cent.