Generally none of the guitar experts, nor the maker could confirm the shelf life of an unopened new strings set, but advice is there to store these strings properly for longer lifetime.

Guitar strings which come in simple or unsealed packaging may indeed grow old on the shelf. You may want to put these new string sets into a sealable sandwich bag or ziplock. You may also throw in one of those little desiccant bags which normally come with many products. This will help to absorb any moisture. With this fairly “dry” storage environment, your new string sets should be able to last longer. 

Another option is simply buy the D’Addarios to save all your troubles.

D’Addario strings are well-known with its eco-friendly packaging and come completely sealed. So in theory, a brand new and unopened set of D’Addarios strings could last for years. These strings produce a clean, clear sound and also hold their bright tone for a long time. The sound is very crisp and beautiful. They are prefect for any type or level of guitarists. Click here to check out what other people said about the D’Addarios.

There are several ways to pick up guitar playing. The easiest and direct way is go to local music school for guitar lesson. You pay a certain fees and attend mass lessons with a live guitar teacher guiding you step-by-step.

However not everybody can afford a teacher financially. Some may be working long hours in a demanding job and unable to attend routine lessons. Well, that doesn’t seem to be a problem to me. You still can self learn guitar playing. There are tons of good resources available today, without having to have lessons from a qualified teacher.

To “teach” yourself guitar playing, you can first buy several instruction books. There are quite a number of good instructional materials you could get for example like Guitar For Dummies, Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Guitar All-in-One, and many more. Just browse through the product details and pick one which suits your needs.

In case you found that books are too boring to follow through and wanted to try some fresh materials, another suggestion I could give you is to look for online guitar courses. A lot is available for free, and a lot more for relatively little money. You may check out Jamorama Full Beginners Course, which is probably one of the best selling online guitar course.

The great thing about online courses is the cost is a lot cheaper than with a live teacher. You could play at your own pace. Pick songs that you want to learn and preview them to see if you feel they are in your skill range. You will be more motivated and fell less pressure.

Getting started can be frustrating, I know. The progress might be slow, but every breakthrough you achieve is great. The thing you have to do with self teaching is to constantly push yourself out of the comfort zones. Patience is also necessary because nothing just happens overnight.

To your success.

While we understand individual player may have personal preference in strings selection, but in general, there are two type of guitar strings we would highly recommended to all beginners.

The first beginner friendly string you may try is D’addario EJ16 Light. These phosphor bronze strings always produce nice and sweet tone. Their price is very reasonable with the quality they delivered. For gauge selection, always choose the light gauge. Although the lighter the string is, the easier your finger to press, but extra light gauge will normally break easily. So choose the light gauge, instead of the extra light would be more ideal.

Another beginner friendly string you can consider is Elixir Nanoweb Light. These strings may not be the cheapest in store, but they are the toughest you could get. Elixir’s strings durability is definitely unquestionable. They are as tough as stone!

Acoustic guitar strings are consider as low cost accessories. Therefore, we have good reason to buy a few packs of different strings to test on their playability and tone. This is why we always suggest readers to invest a little money into both D’Addario and Elixir to make a experiment themselves.

That won’t hurt our pocket too much.

 

Answer
You might encounter a couple of scenarios:

• It will be more difficult fretting due to it’s higher tension.
• Fatter tone all round.
• Better tone when playing dropped tunings.

In short, you will get more tone, more volume but less string flexibility. And the most obvious changes – expect your fingertips to hurt more until you get used to the fatter strings.

Question

I found the sweats from my hands seem to be very acidic as I tend to wear out guitar strings rather quickly. I put on a new set of strings and play my guitar for about 2 hours. I can see rust forming and strings started to discoloring. This is very annoying. Is there any way to make it a little more manageable?

 
Answer

Everybody has different body chemistry. Some people has sweaty palm and their hand will corrode a set of strings within a week of playing. This is because they having the so called ‘Acid Hand’. You may try the below tricks:

1. Use coated strings. Most acid hands kill un-coated string pretty fast if compare to coated one. You may try Elixir Polyweb Coating which has been highly recommended to guitarist who has acid hand.
2. Wash your hands with soap before you play.
3. Use guitar string lubricant to prolong your strings life. Spray it on clean cloth and rub the strings down before and after you play.

I had been told by one of an experience guitar player I shall not remove all guitar strings at once. I should remove one string at a time and replace each as I go. The reason is by removing all strings at once, I will affect the tension and create harm to the guitar neck. Is it true?

Answer

Yes, I heard about this as well but personally I do not agree with it because there’s no documented negative effect of removing all strings. I don’t think doing this will damage your guitar neck.

I always remove all strings from the guitar so that I could easily clean and wipe down the fingerboard with micro fiber, follow by putting on the new set. This had actually save lot of my time and effort.

Question:

I often seen 80/20 strings & Phosphor Bronze strings selling in music store. What exactly are these strings and what is the different between these two?

Answer:

Acoustic guitar strings are made of different material with different alloy ratios. The alloy ratio we mentioned here is referring to the metals which makeup the string.

80/20 strings is also known as Bronze Strings. Their copper-to-tin (or zinc) ratio is 80/20. They produce bright sound with clear & ringing tone. This type of strings required less tension and will give you a softer feel.

Phosphor Bronze strings are made of 92% copper and 8% tin (or zinc). They are more corrosive-resistant and tend to last longer than 80/20 strings. These produce a brassier sound but stiffer on your fingers.

There’s another type of string – Brass Acoustic Guitar Strings, which their alloy ratio is 85/15. These strings are by some to fall between the above two types in terms of sound. They are also well-liked, though you might find them more sensitive to skin oils.

Wipe your guitar strings

This is very important for maintenance. Wipe down your guitar strings with a soft and dry cloth each time you finish your practicing. What you need to do is simply put the cloth in between the strings and the fingerboard. Run it all the way down the length of the neck of the guitar. Get rid of all the perspiration and rust.

Use string cleaner

There’s a great product called String Cleaner. Just glide it on with the applicator and wipe it off with the provided lint-free cloth. It will keep your guitar strings clean and allow you to play faster. It also reduces excessive finger noise. You can use it on strings, the fretboard, and back of the guitar neck.

Use quality strings

There are various types of guitar strings on the market. Each product is not created with equal quality. You may opt for a good-quality brand of strings such as D’Addario or Elixir. These strings are very consistent and last longer.

Whether you are a guitar beginner or professional guitarist, taking good care of your guitar strings is always essential.

 

A good rule of thumb is when your strings started to sound dead, or when a string (especially a lower string) breaks for no apparent reason, then it is time to restring your guitar.

In general, change your guitar strings every 3 – 6 months should be a good idea. See our another article on How to Restring Acoustic Guitar.

I got a guitar which my mum stored it for a long time and I’m thinking to buy a set of new strings. I didn’t know anything about guitar strings and I’m just started my guitar lesson. I think I need something easier to press, so that my fingers won’t hurt so much. What strings should I choose?

Answer:

As a beginner, you may choose extra light gauge. These strings are the easiest to press. They won’t hurt you so much if compare to heavier weight strings.

I recommend Elixir Extra Light Strings. This string is easy on your fingers and has excellent durability. Elixir is one of the trusted name in America made better by Nanoweb technology. It is light weight, yet rugged for heavy duty use. A very good choice for guitar beginner. Click here for a list of extra light strings which you could choose based on your own preference.

A note is, light strings need to be replaced more frequently compare to heavy weight strings. So it’s always a good idea to buy a spare set, because you don’t want to have to stop learning just because you broke a single string. You may also want to learn how to restring acoustic guitar. It’s actually pretty easy than you think.

Have fun!

What type of guitar string size should I choose? How do they affect the guitar?

Answer:

Guitar string sizes are also known as gauge. They will affect your guitar’s tone, playability and adjustments.

A larger gauge of strings applies more tension to the guitar. This has the effect of giving you more volume and a more focused sound. Because of the greater tension, it will require more pressure to press the strings. However, higher tension strings vibrate in a smaller arc allowing the strings to be adjusted closer to the fingerboard with less potential of buzzing.

Lighter gauge strings cause the opposite changes. If you are a guitar beginner, you are advised to choose lighter gauge as a start. These strings are easier to press when you learn the chords. Most guitars come from the factory with “Lite” gauge strings .012-.054 for acoustic guitars.

]]> http://bestacousticguitarstrings.net/guitar-string-sizes.html/feed 0 http://bestacousticguitarstrings.net/my-fingers-hurt-from-playing-guitar.html http://bestacousticguitarstrings.net/my-fingers-hurt-from-playing-guitar.html#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:46:22 +0000 Admin http://bestacousticguitarstrings.net/?p=320  

Question:

I’m a guitar beginner and started learning some basics chords and songs. The main problem I’m facing now is the ends of my fingers hurt every time when I’m trying to practice. It’s pretty painful. What can I do?

Answer:

Newbie will experience some discomfort at first because your fingertips have not toughened. Some newbie also have a tendency to press too hard on the strings. That’s why it hurt your fingers. With time and a light touch (enough pressure to contact the fret top is all that is needed) the pain will eventually go away after you build up calluses. No pain no gain, right?

You may give your fingers a break if you feeling the pain. Let them rest for a while before continue your practice.

I started my acoustic guitar lesson and I’m practicing hard everyday. My fingers become sore & very painful. Can I change my steel strings with nylon strings, so that it is easier to play and won’t hurt me that much?

Answer:

This is not recommended. Nylon strings are under less tension and are larger in diameter, which make you think it would be “easier” to play. However, acoustic guitar (steel strings) and classical guitar (nylon strings) are both different in design. The nut, saddle & tuning gear design of acoustic guitar are not suited to nylon strings.

Simply put the tuner on the table next to you and turn it on. Play a string you want to tune and the needle will bounce to whatever pitch you are at. Look at the tuner indicator; it will tell you how close you are to the right pitch. Adjust the string’s tuning key accordingly. Repeat this procedure for all six strings of your guitar. And that’s it! You can easily get it done in minutes.

There are also other ways to tune acoustic guitars. For example, like using a pitch pipe, tuning fork, or even some free online guitar tuners. But again, an electronic tuner is a real convenience. You can simply use it anywhere, anytime, anyplace.

Less work, more play. This is exactly what we’re looking for.

 

• String winder
• Wire cutter
• Clean cloth (to clean & wipe the guitar)

A video speaks a thousand words. I’m not going to write a few paragraphs to keep you busy reading and scratching your head in the same time. Refer to the below video from YouTube on how to get it done. You never knew it could be this easy. With your mission accomplished, you will have no excuse not to restring a guitar yourself anymore.

Restringing acoustic guitars is part of your learning process, and it’s essential for guitar maintenance.

Acoustic guitar strings consist of many type of gauges & brands. Guitar newbie often get confused as to what type of strings and brand to buy for his guitar. A very common question pop up in newbie’s mind is which is the best acoustic guitar strings brand for me?

As what we have learned from previous article, there are four main gauge options for Acoustic Guitar:

• Extra light 10 – 46. Easiest to play and least tension. Good for beginners but prone to producing a thin sound.
  

• Custom Light Gauge 11 – 52. Ease of playing maintained and produces slightly richer fuller sound.
  

• Light Gauge 12 – 54. Popular with professional musicians. Higher tuning stability. Not recommended for budget guitar due to higher tension.
  

• Medium Gauge 13 – 56. One of the highest gauges. Very big, rich tone but difficult to play on some guitars due to high tension.
  

For a guitar beginner, there are suggestions to opt for lighter strings because it’s easier to press down and simple to play. However there’s no “The Best Brand” in the market. Choosing a certain brand is more on personal preference.

You may want to check out these popular brands in the market: Elixir, D’Addario, Martin, Ernie Ball, etc. Try out few brands and test them to find the best suit you. Personally, I would prefer Elixir’s extra light strings because it is easier to press and last pretty long. Sometimes after you changed to light gauge strings, you still find it’s difficult to press the strings down. You might want to take your guitar to shops and have it checked. Your guitar “action” (height of strings off the fingerboard) might be a bit too high. This problem can be solved by getting guitar repair shop to lower the action for you.

Our next article: How to restring acoustic guitar

Is your guitar sounding duller, less brilliant and bright? Are you having trouble keeping the strings in tune for longer than an hour at a time? Is there a lot of dirt and grime buildup on the strings? Or one of your strings has broken? If any of these “warning signs” have appeared, you may have to restring your guitar.

Many professional guitar players recommend changing guitar strings after each and every gig. Or some suggest every six weeks. Well, for newbies, that sounds a bit too extreme!

One tip to prolong the life of guitar strings is washing your hands before playing your guitar to remove oils and dirt, as well as wipe down the guitar strings with a clean cloth after every practice.