If all you need to do is grab a set of strings quickly but have absolutely no idea what to buy. Then here’s the most popular sets we sell, and what most guitars come strung with from the factory. If however you’re after a specific sound and feel, then read on.

String selection these days can be quite confusing, with so many variations, gauges and brands to choose. Here at Sound Unlimited we’ve put together this information sheet together in order to help you pick the right strings for the right job. Allot of materials used by the popular manufacturers, Ernie Ball. D’Addario, etc. are much the same We’ve broken down each string variation for the following instruments. Electric, bass, steel acoustic and classical.

The gauge of a set of strings is very much a personal choice, they each sound and feel different. They’re measured in how thick or thin a string is, i.e.. When guitarists refer to light gauge strings they essentially mean thin strings. Heavy gauge, they mean thick chunkier strings. Gauges are measured in 1/1000th of an inch, and can range anywhere from 0.07 in size, right up to .130 and above for bass guitar. Light strings are easier to play though they produce the least amount of volume and sustain. Heavier strings will be more of a challenge to play, but you will get better sustain, tone and volume. As a general rule, heavier strings the better the resistance to pick attack, so you can play harder and with increased drive.

It’s important to note that any change in gauge you make to your current strings will affect the setup of your instrument as different gauges mean varying tensions. So you may need to have some adjustment done. We’ve also compiled a short list of iconic players and the gauges, brands and tuning they use at the very bottom.

If you enjoy drop tuning, then go with a heavier gauge of strings, you’ll achieve better action and not so much buzzing as you would with lighter strings. There’s more tension in heavier strings so they wont rattle around when you do drop down a full step, etc. The nut of your guitar may need to be replaced to accommodate heavier strings.

Here are the various sorts of strings offered by some of the top brands out there. Please continue down the page to view a description for each of the string type listed.

Nickel Plated Steel Hex-Core

Stainless Steel Hex-Core

Half Rounds

Pure Nickel

Flat Wound Stainless

Nickel Plated Steel Hex-Core

Pure Nickel

Stainless Steel Hex-Core

Reinforced Plain Steel

Polyweb Coated

Nanoweb Coated

Nickel Plated

Pure Nickel

Coated Strings

Nickel Plated Steel

Flat Wound

Nickel Plated Steel

Stainless Steel

Half Rounds

Chrome Flat Wounds

Coated Nickel Plated Steel

Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Bass

Nickel Plated Steel

Stainless Steel

Flat Wounds

Polyweb Coated

Nanoweb Coated

Nickel Plated Steel

Stainless Steel

Flat Wounds

Coated Strings

Phosphor Bronze Round Wound
Stainless Steel Pressure Wound
Stainless Steel
Pure Nickel
Flat Wound
Black Nylon Flat Wound
Piano String Design Stainless Steel
Nickel Plated Steel

Bronze
Phosphor Bronze
Flat Wound Phosphor Bronze
Silk & Steel
Coated Bronze Hex-core
Coated Phosphor Bronze Hex-Core

Polyweb Coated

Nanoweb Coated

Coated Strings
Phosphor Bronze
Hex-Core

Bronze
Phosphor Bronze
FX Bronze
FX Phosphor Bronze
Clapton’s Choice Phosphor Bronze
Coated Strings
SP Bronze (stronger brighter strings)
SP Phosphor Bronze (stronger brighter)
Marquis Bronze (traditional strings)
Marquis Phosphor Bronze (traditional strings)
Silk & Steel

Standard
Pro Arte
Pro Arte Composites
Coated Strings
Ball End

Standards
Ball End
Silk & Steel
Pro Series

Plain strings are exactly that. Plain steel, used for either electric or acoustic and are known as the treble strings.

Wound strings consist of a steel core such as the plain steel string, then wrapped many times with varying materials such as pure nickel, nickel plated steel, stainless steel, silver plated, bronze or phosphor bronze. Wound strings, known as the bass strings require more mass in order to achieve deeper tones, the more weight in the mass, the lower the note of the string can produce.

This isn’t advised. Electric strings and the metals used contain more magnetic properties than acoustic strings and are designed to work with electric pickups. Stringing an acoustic with electric strings will sound equally bad. Acoustic strings require stronger more resonant properties to help project tone and to work with the wood of the instrument.

Are actually Brass alloy generally over a steel core. Mostly found on steel acoustic guitars, Very common and are what the majority of steel acoustics come strung with from the factory.

Will generally sound very warm as they contain a copper/tin (on average 92% copper to 8% tin) alloy as part of the winding and are slightly more expensive than regular bronze strings, which contain zinc rather than tin. Phosphor strings will also last slightly longer with an evenly balanced tone. They’re ideal for both studio and live use, the industry standard in professional strings.

Associated with electric strings, they are the standard and sell more than any other electric string. Nickel plated steel is wound over a hex or round steel core. They sound bright and vibrant and suit all electric guitars. The nickel plating over the steel helps reduce finger squeak, giving a smoother feel and isn’t as damaging on your frets. D’Addario’s XL series and Ernie Ball Slinky range are by far the most popular.

Pure nickel strings are making are a real come back of late. Most strings from the 50’s were wound with pure nickel and consequently have become the strings of choice for players who want that vintage sound. They’ll give you a much warmer smoother sound than plated nickel, also feeling slightly softer too. They’ll bend easier than plated strings as there’s no steel undercoat in the winding. D’Addario have a nice range in pure nickels.

Offer better sustain than either nickel plated and pure nickels. They’re long lasting as stainless steel is very resistant to acids, oils and sweat. They do feel different, and can cause increased fret wear more so than other strings Offer superb rich harmonics with loads of bright crunch. Ernie Ball and D’Addario both offer stainless steels, as do Rotosound for bass.

Coated strings are exactly that. They’re made the conventional way with a steel hex or round core, then wound. The coating, which varies by manufacturer is either coated around the winding itself or is put on after the winding, sealing everything in. The coating is generally intended for increasing string life dramatically, reducing finger squeak and offer a very smooth feel. Different companies use different names. Elixier are well known for their coated strings, and offer Nanoweb and Polyweb coating, for a variety of instruments. DR offer coated/coloured strings, which not only look cool but the wire is pre-coated before winding for additional string life. Martin also offer coated strings for the acoustic, which they call SP+ strings and use a polymer coating over either bronze or phosphor bronze. D’Addario again have a good range of coated strings. The EXP range even includes a classical set. Coated strings are some of the more expensive sets generally in the range of £10 - £17. The benefit of their extended life is one of the main reasons a player will buy them, especially giging musicians.

A slight crossover from classical guitars. They’re used on steel acoustics, and work well on smaller body 00 and 000 body sizes. Offering a very mellow sound, which is easy on the fingers. Companies such as D’Addario and Rotosound offer them. They’re not often seen, but certainly worth trying and experimenting with. They’re silver plated copper with a steel and nylon core. The plain strings are plated steel. They’re particularly ideal for delicate vintage instruments, which require reduced tension. Martin even hand wrap silk around the ball end to help reduce wear on the bridge.

Classical strings are for the most part made of the same materials. They’re a little easier to choose than say steel or electric strings, which offer so many varying alloys. Classicals are silver plated copper or bronze, then wound onto fine nylon filaments. The plain nylons are that simple, just a solid nylon filament string and sometimes come in various colours. The difference comes in the manufacturing process. Some of the best classical strings are D’Addario’s Pro Arte series, who use a laser system on their strings for tension consistency and other tests as part of their quality control. Ernie Ball, Martin and Rotosound also make high quality classical strings. Most classical strings are the traditional tie on type, though you can buy ball ended classical strings for easy installation, and perhaps for the novice player. Martin offer them as do D’Addario.

The core of any string, be it bass, electric, or steel acoustic is either round or hex shaped and made of steel. Round core strings are the standard, though companies such as Ernie Ball wrap even their standard Slinky strings around a hex core. There are a few pros and cons when wrapping around this type of core. On the plus side, the wound strings are less likely to slip around a hex shaped center and some people say that sustain and tone are improved, as the wound strings are closer to the core. The disadvantage is as the wound strings cover sharp edges of the hex shape, strings have a shorter life and slightly harder on the fingers.

Round wound is the simplest, round shaped winding around a round core, easy and inexpensive to manufacturer. The one major drawback is you end up with a bumpy profile, which leads to finger squeak as you run your fingers up an down the strings.

A nice alternative to round wound strings and the dreaded finger squeak, that so many players can’t bare. They start off as a standard round wound string, then the profile of each wound string is ground down by grinding/polishing process to a flatten the surface. Very smooth, little to no finger squeak and reduces fret and fretboard ware. Differ in tone often sounding less bright to round wound strings, and are more expensive. Very popular on fretless basses.

In-between round wound and flat wound strings. Half wound and the following terms aren’t completely flat nor are they completely round. It’s a nice compromise between reducing finger squeak, which is so common with round wound strings and losing tonal qualities, which is what allot of flat wound strings are unfortunately known as doing. Because almost half the winding is removed during the smoothing process, manufacturers use a heavier gauge of winding wire to compensate. This use of a larger mass helps with the problem of squeaking and also increases tone.

Stevie Ray Vaughan. .013 - .056 Gauge dropped down half a step

Brian May. Optima Golds light gauge.

Joe Satriani. D’Addario EXL120 strings .09 - .042

Jimi Hendrix. Fender strings. Pure Nickels - Later career Nickel Plated .09 - .038

Metallica. Ernie Ball Slinky’s

John Petrucci. Ernie Ball Slinky’s

Eric Clapton. Ernie Ball .010 - .046

Jimmy Page. Extra light D’Addario - Ernie Ball

Yngwie Malmsteen. Custom gauge .008, .011, .014, .022, .032, .048