Guitar Strings - What To Buy And How To Change Them
There are two types of guitar strings: steel which is used on electric and many acoustic instruments and nylon, which are used in more traditional styles such as Classical and Flamenco. The method of replacing a string varies depening on which type of guitar you have. Steel guitar strings usually have the bridge end wrapped and tied around a metallic peg. When the string is threaded through the guitar body, the peg cannot pass though the hole, and hold the string in place at the bridge.
Nylon strings do not usually have a peg attached to the string. It is attached to the body of the guitar, or rather it comes with the guitar. When a string is removed, the peg comes out. The method of attaching a nylon string to a guitar is to wrap it around the peg, and then to attach and wind the other end of the string to the machine head. The tension of the string as it is tightened holds the peg, and thus the string, in place.
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Steel guitar strings come in a number types.
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Round wound guitar strings are wound with wire. The bass strings on a conventional guitar are usually round wound. Flatwound strings are wound with thinner wire and are smoother to the to look and feel. These are normally used as the treble strings on a normal steel guitar, because their tone is brighter.
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Steel guitar strings come in a number of different gauges. It is possible to buy strings individually to suit your taste and style, but I have always found the whole sets of strings work well together, and I tend to buy strings as a set. You can get sets by gauge from ultra light to very heavy. The heavy strings will be more robust, the light gauge strings will be easier to press down on the fret board. Having said that, thinner strings will not hold their tuning as well as thicker strings, so I would usually recommend a beginner especially, concentrating with strings that are light to medium in gauge.
One piece of advice I have relates to stringing an instrument. Don't remove all of the strings at one. The neck of the guitar has a metal rod running through it called a truss rod. This acts to counter the tension of the strings and keep the neck straight. When the counter balance of the strings are removed, the truss rod will start to bend the neck. So, when changing strings, change them one at a time, unless you release the tension of the truss rod first. If you don't know what you are doing though, please leave the adjustment of the truss rod to an expert.
Next, we need to think about guitar stands.
