{"id":571,"date":"2013-05-20T11:33:46","date_gmt":"2013-05-20T16:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/blog\/?p=571"},"modified":"2013-06-07T15:21:35","modified_gmt":"2013-06-07T20:21:35","slug":"electric-guitar-strings-strings-by-mail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/electric-guitar-strings-strings-by-mail\/","title":{"rendered":"Electric Guitar Strings – Strings By Mail"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nThe basic composition and functionality of electric guitar strings<\/a> have remained relatively the same since they came into the mainstream back in the 1950\u2019s, even as guitar string manufacturers adapted with the evolution of magnetic pickups in electric guitars. However, new manufacturing techniques, materials, and finishing processes are giving musicians many more options and are changing the way we play and hear these electric guitar strings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Electric Guitar Strings – Strings By Mail<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\nThe sound output from electric guitar strings is primarily driven from the magnetic properties of the metals involved in the composition of the strings. The electric guitar string\u2019s interaction with the magnetic pickups on electric guitars converts the string\u2019s vibrations into electrical impulses through electromagnetic induction, and the signal is then amplified to bring it to the desired level of the player, or the intended audience.\n<\/div>\n

Materials and Composition of Electric Guitar Strings<\/h2>\n
\nSimilar to acoustic guitar strings, the lower electric guitar strings (E, A and D) have an inner core (mostly made from steel<\/a> or nickel<\/a> – and may come tin plated) which is then covered in a metal winding. String materials containing high iron content or steel tend to have very powerful output and a bright sound. While strings made from less magnetically powerful alloy combinations (including materials such as nickel) may not be as bright or powerful in contrast to the steel strings, they are often favored for their unique tonal characteristics.<\/p>\n

Electric guitars and the multitude of electric guitar string choices have earned their place amongst many different genres of classic and modern music, and are most frequently seen and heard in rock & roll, jazz, and country styles. The available electric guitar string options can differ by brands or manufacturers, styles, gauges, compositions, and a variety of treatments. All of these electric guitar string options are created to meet and exceed the needs of a very diverse group of guitar players.<\/p>\n

The most common and largest selection of electric guitar strings are for 6-string guitars. There are also a variety of electric guitar strings available for electric 12-string guitars<\/a>, as well as 7-string guitars<\/a>, 8-string guitars<\/a>, and Baritone guitars<\/a>.\n<\/div>\n

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Determining the Right Electric Guitar String<\/h2>\n
\nWhen determining what gauge or tension electric guitar strings would work best for your electric guitar, there are a few things to consider. Heavier gauge strings tend to be louder, as there is more steel and vibrating mass for the pickups to harness. However, these heavy gauge strings can make it much harder to bend notes while playing, and can often require a slight adjustment to your guitar\u2019s bridge so that the thicker strings do not buzz on the frets – leading to a higher action and a little more effort while playing. Lighter gauge strings are easier for bending notes, and allow you to set your guitar\u2019s action much lower. If you are uncertain of which gauge would match your preference and playing style, 9-42 (extra light) or 10-46 (regular\/light) sets are the industry standard “starting point” for electric guitar players.<\/p>\n

When you are looking at a set of electric guitar strings, the stings\u2019 gauges are usually listed on the package for easy comparison. String gauges are usually written out from the 1st<\/sup> string to the 6th<\/sup> string when dealing with standard 6-string guitar sets, (ie. 10 \u2013 46<\/a>), and sometimes every string gauge is detailed on the package along with the associated category of the gauge (ie. Light 9, 11, 16, 24, 32, 42<\/a>). There are also many other in-between and custom gauge sets that electric guitar string manufacturers provide to meet the dynamic needs of their customers, however Extra Light<\/a>, Light<\/a>, Medium<\/a>, Medium Heavy<\/a>, and Heavy<\/a> are some of the more common gauge categories available for easy comparison between brands.<\/p>\n

If you really want to experiment with the various electric guitar string gauges available for electric guitar, you can always piece together your own custom set from single electric guitar strings<\/a>. If you like the results from piecing together your own custom set of electric guitar strings, you can save your custom set to Strings By Mail\u2019s \u201cCustom Customer Concoctions<\/a>\u201d. This way you can share your research and wisdom with other electric guitar players \u2013 and also have the option to easily reorder your own Custom Customer Concoction at the press of a button.<\/p>\n

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\nThe material compositions and manufacturing process of electric guitar strings and the outer wrappings on the wound strings can have a very dramatic effect on the sound, play, and feel of the strings. Plain steel strings<\/a> are a harder material that lend to a brighter sound with greater volume, however steel strings can also tend to wear down a guitar\u2019s frets at a faster rate. In contrast, electric guitar strings made with softer metals such as gold<\/a> and nickel<\/a> can produce warmer and more mellow sounding tones, while being a less abrasive on guitar frets. Meanwhile, using cobalt<\/a> in electric guitar strings helps to produce a higher magnetism to the magnetic pickups resulting in increased output and clarity.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The various manufacturing techniques used during the wiring and wrapping process of the heavier gauge lower strings can really help to differentiate electric guitar strings for their intended instruments and various users and styles. The core wires of electric guitar strings are made from a magnetic metal that aids in the string\u2019s interaction with the magnetic pickups on electric guitars. This inner wire most often has a round core<\/a> or hex core<\/a> shape, and is then wound (wrapped) with an outer wire or wrapping,. The wrapping process can be done mechanically or by hand.\n<\/div>\n

Manufacturing Techniques of Electric Guitar Strings<\/h2>\n
\nRoundwound<\/a> is the outer winding process that is most often used on electric guitar strings, consisting of a round wire wrapped around the core wire which helps produce a bright and loud sound. Flatwound<\/a> electric guitar strings incorporate a winding that is slightly more flat in comparison to the roundwound strings and are favored by many for their low profile and comfortable playing experience. These flatwound strings also help to eliminate the common finger squeak sound when sliding from note to note, and they are also a little more gentle on frets and fretboard wear as well as the fingers.<\/p>\n

Some electric guitar strings can undergo yet another finishing process where they can be further manipulated by grinding down or polishing the outer windings. Half Round<\/a> electric guitar strings start out as stainless steel roundwound strings, then are precision ground leaving the outer surface smooth and “semi flat”. In our experience this results in a string with similar tone characteristics to flat wound strings, with a smoother feel like flat wound strings, but with a playability and response that is similar to round wound strings.<\/p>\n

There are also many electric guitar strings that are treated<\/a> and\/or coated<\/a> to help protect the strings from oxidation, and from the natural oils from players\u2019 fingers. Treated and coated electric guitar strings also tend to last longer over time because of this added protective layer. Another rather new development in electric guitar string manufacturing is cryogenically freezing the strings at a temperature of -320 degrees in liquid nitrogen, resulting in improved tone and longer life.\n<\/div>\n

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Knowing when To Change Your Electric Guitar Strings<\/h2>\n
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\nUnfortunately electric guitar strings do not last forever, as the strings tend to deteriorate over time from playing – as well as from oxidation of the string materials. To keep your electric guitar sounding good and to attain the fullest sonic potential possible, as well as make it as easy to tune and play as possible, fresh strings are a must. Purchasing new electric guitar strings, or experimenting with different style string sets, is a great way to change the playability or dramatically enhance the sound of your electric guitar.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\nOften, like any guitarist, electric guitar players may not even realize that their strings have degraded due to their relative judgement. These players may not notice the gradual changes in their string quality over time, and they can forget how easy it can be to play and tune, and how good and inspirational the guitar can sound.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nWhat are your favorite electric guitar strings, and why? What kind of electric guitar do you play them on? Are there specific reasons why you choose specific brands, gauges, manufacturing materials, processes, or coatings? How do these options change the way your electric guitar sounds, or the way you play?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The basic composition and functionality of electric guitar strings have remained relatively the same since they came into the mainstream back in the 1950\u2019s, even as guitar string manufacturers adapted with the evolution of magnetic pickups in electric guitars. However, new manufacturing techniques, materials, and finishing processes are giving musicians many more options and are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-electric-guitar-strings"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":995,"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions\/995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stringsbymail.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}