Guitar Strings and How to Choose Them, Pt. 1
When you walk into a music store, it is really easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of strings that are on the wall. How on earth do you choose? There are SO MANY, and none of them are the same.
When I am choosing my guitar strings, I always take into consideration what TONE I am striving for with the guitar that I am buying them for. (Yes, I have more than one guitar. Yes, it’s a problem. There’s a twelve-step program for me somewhere, I’m sure.)
Let’s say for example that I am buying strings for my Epiphone Dot Studio. It’s got a very warm/dark tone, so I will want strings that have some brightness in them to balance all of the warmth. (Though, I do like the darkness… it matches my soul.) When I play solos on that guitar, it can be difficult to get the leads to stand out so that they can be heard above the rest of the instruments. Sure I will kick on a volume boost or tube drive, but I want my strings to help with that so that I am not overcompensating on my pedal tones.
Sometimes the string type also helps with the genre of music you play. If you’re a country guitar player, I’d bet money you have a Fender Stratocaster or a Telecaster. (Common for country music.) These guitars have bright shimmering tones and are known for their crisp sound. Strings that tend to be on the “bright side” can be really helpful here. But what if you are a blues/rock guitarist, and are playing a strat? Then, my friend, you can grab a set of strings that are a little more mellow, and cater toward a darker tone if that is your goal!
The best part about this is that there are NO rules for you to follow. The best thing you can do is try out as many different styles of strings as possible.
Stay tuned for part two of this blog post that is coming out on Thursday this week. It will be chock-full of more tips on how to choose your strings, what gauge (size) you’ll want to use, and a few of the brands to start out with.
