There are 2 main materials you can choose from for your acoustic strings. These will give your guitar a very different sound.
Phosphor Bronze - Brass coloured. Mellow, rounded smooth, full-bodied tones.
80/20 Bronze - Copper coloured. Bright, crisp, sharp tones.
The strings on an acoustic guitar tend to be a heavier gauge than those found on and electric, this is so that vibrations caused can pass into the body of the guitar and make it vibrate thus amplifying the vibrations and making the well-known tones of steel-strung guitar. They come in different gauges. and like electrics, the gauge is based on the thinnest string in thousandths of an inch. Most steel-strung acoustic guitars tend to come with gauge 12's.
If you want more bass tones and volume then opt for heavier gauges (e.g. 13, 14, etc), however, they are harder to play as they have more tension. If you are looking for more treble tones and less volume, then choose a lighter gauge (e.g. 11, 10, 9, etc), these are also easier to play.
Depending on you having a Jumbo, Dreadnought or a Folk guitar will help you decide what gauge to try. For example, Jumbo's are naturally boomy and bassy, but simply putting on lighter gauges will tone down the bass and volume. Likewise, the small-bodied Folk guitars can sometimes sound thin and lacklustre, in which case try some a heavier gauge and this might give it some extra oomph.
Both Elixirs and D'addario XT's are available for longer life.
Firstly, all 6 strings on a classical are made of nylon. 3 of them might look like they are made of metal, but this is just a thin wire (a wrapped wire) usually made of silver-plated copper, wrapped around a nylon core. This makes them thicker and so makes a lower tone, which is why they are used as the 3 bass strings on the guitar.
Gut - This was the original material these strings were made from. Hard to find as not morally acceptable! Low Volume. Short life span.
Nylgut - Traditional sounding. Close representation to Gut. Longer life span.
Nylon - Most popular material. Good tones and widely available at cheap prices. Made from clear or rectified Nylon. Clears are extruded then calibrated/rectified are extruded then ground to the right size. Rectified are slightly opaque.
Carbon Fibre - Brighter tone than Nylon.
Gut is not what you might think. So, it is hard to find as it is not morally acceptable in our country of animal lovers, so Nylon has taken over at the preferred choice.
Gut has a low volume and these do not last very long if you use your fingernails to pluck. If you are looking for that traditional sound, Nylgut gives a close representation to that of what gut sounds like but with more resistance to wear.
Nylon is the most popular material for classical guitars. They have good tones and are widely available from all good music stores and are relatively cheap. they are usually made from either clear or rectified nylon. They are extruded and then calibrated. Rectified nylon strings are extruded and then ground to the correct size. Rectified ones are not clear but slightly opaque.
Carbon Fibre is a newcomer to the classical market. They tend to have a brighter tone than nylon.
D'addario XT's are available for longer life.
The 2 main types of bass string are:
Round Wound - Traditional, full, bright and rounded. Can cut through the mix.
Flat Wound - More mellow, Jazz tones. Very, very smooth! A pleasure to play!
Roundwound is the traditional bass string, this produces full, bright, yet rounded tones that can cut through the mix.
Flatwounds give more mellow, jazzy tones. However, they are a pleasure to play as they have virtually no finger squeak and are as smooth as a baby's bottom.
Bass strings are a lot thicker than those found on other guitars, and this is why they produce the low notes. But just like on electric and acoustics, they come in different gauges based on the thinnest, in thousandths of an inch.
The thinner the gauge the brighter, more trebly the tone. This helps cut through the mix especially if your style is more melodic rather than ploddy. It also means that lighter gauges, like 35 - 90, are easier to play. The thicker the gauge, the lower tones come through to the point that some gauges can only be felt and not heard. Thicker gauges (55-110) means more tension and so harder to play but can hit the spot.
Most bass guitars will come with 45 - 105 fitted as standard, but this can vary. Have a look at our
Bass Guitar Strings Page for more detailed information on each different set.
Both Elixirs and D'addario XT's are available for longer life.