Classical Guitar Strings | Guitar String Guru.com

Classical Guitar Strings – Which Should I Choose?

Posted by The Guru | Posted on 06-07-2010

Category : Classical Guitar Strings, D'Addario, Dean Markley

Tags: classical, classical guitar strings, guitar strings, nylon guitar strings

Classical guitars have a warm tone and unique sound, thanks mostly to the strings they use. Classical guitar strings are made of nylon, which means they look, feel, sound, and react to play completely differently from the way electric or steel acoustic strings do. Just like other guitar strings, classical strings come in different tensions, are made from a variety of materials, and are manufactured by several companies.

What’s In A String? – Materials

Bass (E, A, D) strings and treble (G, B, e) strings are made from distinct materials for classic guitars. Treble strings can be made from carbon fiber, clear nylon, or rectified nylon. Carbon fiber strings tend to have a brighter sound than their nylon counterparts and they are a little smaller in diameter too. Clear and rectified nylon strings are made slightly differently, but produce a very similar feel and sound. You may find that you prefer one over the other, so try out both and figure out what works for you as a guitarist. The bass strings on a classical guitar are made from very fine plastic fibers that are wrapped with metal wire, which will be silver plated copper or bronze.

Finding The Right Tension

Each guitarist has their own preferences on string tension, so no one can tell you whether you should go for low, medium, or high tension classical guitar strings. Instead, you’ll have to figure it out for yourself. I recommend you buy a set of each tension from the same manufacturer, change them out, and pay attention to the differences. It won’t be long before you get an idea for which you prefer.

Which Manufacturer Should I Go With?

Another great question that does not have a specific answer, other than: Go with what feels right for you! Augustine, D’Addrio, Dean Markley, La Bella, Savarez, and many other manufacturers make great quality strings that you can try out. Personally, I use medium tension D’Addrio strings, but you might prefer something else.

Your guitar can sound quite different depending on which classical guitar strings you choose to use. Take some time to investigate the differences in materials, tensions, and manufacturers that are available. Try some out, see what works for you, and figure out what you like best. Then you can stop worrying about strings and start playing!

10 steps to changing guitar strings

Posted by The Guru | Posted on 28-06-2010

Category : "How to", Changing Acoustic Guitar Strings, Changing Classical Guitar Strings, Changing Electric Guitar Strings

Tags: change guitar strings, replacing guitar strings, steps to changing guitar strings, tips

If it is your first time changing all your guitar strings at once, you might feel a little overwhelmed. Once you’ve done it a few times though you will be an old pro.
This is how I personally change my strings every time. Note the trick I use to keep from having to re-tune my guitar over and over again after changing my strings.

Here are the basic steps to changing guitar strings:

Gather all needed supplies

This will usually include: anew set of guitar strings (duh!), something to trim the strings with, a rag to clean with, a string winder and a comfortable chair (or a carpeted floor if you are a bit of a klutz like me).

Put your guitar in a secure position

Make sure you aren’t going to drop or scratch the guitar while changing the strings. Laps can be good if you are steady but often it is easier to do on the couch, a carpeted floor or even if you have a left over piece of carpet or a thick blanket to pad it, the kitchen table.

Remove all of the old strings

Remove all the old strings from the guitar and throw them out. My wife hates finding old strings laying around the house cause I forgot to throw them away. Do your wife, or mom or sister a favor and get rid of those rusty old things.

Clean the guitar before putting on the new strings

Now is a great time to clean all that grime from the fret board and to get into places that you can’t normally when the strings are on. Try to get as much dust, dirt and crud out now.

Put on the strings

Put on the new strings one at a time. Make sure they are laying in the saddle and nut properly.

Tighten to half tension and PULL! (this is a personal trick that keeps new strings in tune the first time you tune them up)

Only tighten the strings to roughly half tension for now. Now put one finger across the nut to keep the strings from popping out and grab one string with your other hand right around where you would strum it. Pull away from the body. Do this up and down the string a few times. Do each string individually. Stretching the strings like this will keep them from having to be tuned over and over again when you start playing. Don’t be shy, you can tug pretty hard without hurting them.

Tune up!

Now tune up to regular tuning

Rockout!

Play something with lots of hard strumming and bending, this should put the guitar a little out of tune and get the rest of the slack out of the strings.

Tune up again

Tune up one last time

You’re done!

That’s it. Now instead of having to re-tune 3 or 4 times within the next hour, your guitar should stay in tune pretty well.

There you go, my 10 steps to changing guitar strings.

Buying guitar strings in bulk… why?

Posted by The Guru | Posted on 23-06-2010

Category : Acoustic Guitar Strings, Classical Guitar Strings, Dean Markley, Electric Guitar Strings, Ernie Ball

Tags: broken strings, bulk guitar strings, buying strings, Dean Markley, ernie ball, guitar strings

So the other day I was looking for a pack of electric strings to change mine out. I looked in my case, in the amp, in my room, in the acoustic case… I found a few ragtag sets, most of them missing a string or two and no two packs being the same brand let alone the same gauge. That’s when I thought back to the days when I used to buy in bulk. Now mind you at that time the company I worked for had a wholesale account with a distributor where I could buy a bulk pack of 10 Fender 150′s for $2/pair ($3 to $4 is normal) but the principal still applies.

When it comes to buying guitar strings in bulk, your best bet is usually the big time internet retailers. Take for example this set of Ernie Ball Slinkys. $3.99 plus shipping from Musiciansfriend.com. Not bad, but you could do better in bulk. That same string is offered in bulk as a 12 pack for $39.99, that’s a whole 2 packs for free!

Now I know $40 bucks might seem like a big chunk of change to be shelling out for all those strings but honestly, are you going to use them over the course of the next year or two? Isn’t it worth the gas in the car for the trip to your local music store where they are going to be more expensive anyway? Come on, you know strings always break at the worst possible time and when you don’t happen to have another one left in the exact size you need. Having a few extra sets around is a great way to buy a little insurance.

Be careful though bulk guitar string purchasing isn’t for everyone. Make sure you have used the strings you are intending to buy in bulk first, maybe even 2 packs till you really know you like them. I will never forget one time a friend told me he swore by Dean Markley Vintage Bronze Acoustic strings. I went right out with out even having had heard them let alone playing on them and bought 10 packs. Boy was I sorry, those strings broke faster than any I had ever played before (and only the e!). Lesson learned, know what you like then buy in bulk! Save yourself the money and the hassle next time and always have strings on hand.

I broke a guitar string, now what?!?

Posted by The Guru | Posted on 22-06-2010

Category : Acoustic Guitar Strings, Changing Acoustic Guitar Strings, Changing Classical Guitar Strings, Changing Electric Guitar Strings, Classical Guitar Strings, Electric Guitar Strings

Tags: broken, guitar, single, string

If you are anything like me, this happens most often when you are with your friends screwing around, playing a lot harder than you really should and BAM! You are out one, single, guitar string. For me it is usually an e or a B, sometimes a G… but you are faced with a decision now: should you change one guitar string or all 6?

Changing a guitar string isn’t all that much work. Once you have changed a few you start to get the hang of it and you can do it with your eyes closed in 2 minutes or so but the real question is why would you want to change just one? Well here are a few things to consider:

If the guitar strings are old, changing just one can be a waste since you are going to have to change them all soon anyway and then the one string will be out of sync with the other 5
Changing just one makes for an incomplete pack that is left over
The one string will be too bright and ring out differently than the others.

Then again if the strings are all mostly new, it would be a waste to change all of them since the remaining 5 still have quite a few songs left in them before they will go bad. Then again you might be in the middle of a gig and need to change as quickly as possible so changing a guitar string is the most viable option.

I guess the best way to sum it up is this: If they are old, change them all. If they are new, change one and keep the other 5 for backups. Or if you have all the time in the world I guess you could go to a little shop and buy a single string… LOL, I haven’t done that in years!

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