Popular Guitar Strings

Guitar Strings

What were strings made of in the past?

Historically, strings were made of wound gut materials with the lower bass strings wound with various metals. There are several manufacturers still making strings in the historic methods today as well as many synthetic strings designed to replicate the sound and feel of traditional gut strings.

What are strings made of today?

Today, there are three primary guitar string categories: strings for classical/flamenco guitars (nylon, fluorocarbon and other synthetics with bass strings wound with various metals), strings for acoustic guitars (steel, bronze, phosphor bronze, nickel, etc.) and strings for electric guitars (steel, nickel and other metals chosen for electromagnetic properties).

What difference do strings make?

There are many technical factors which can influence your guitar string selection. The properties of the sound and response of a given string can have a strong impact on both the player and the instrument. The relative hardness of the string's component materials in conjunction with an array of treatments the strings undergo during the manufacturing process can combine to create different degrees of sustain, timbre (warmth vs brightness), playability, and longevity.

Here at Strings By Mail, we strive to have the best selection of strings at the best possible prices. That's why we are your online music store!

For more comprehensive information please visit our string basics pages:

Classical and Flamenco String Basics
Acoustic String Basics
Electric Strings Basics

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