Different Types
Of Bronze (Steel) Guitar Strings
I've been asked a
lot lately
about different types of strings
for steel string guitars. The different types and sound
qualities, etc. so
here goes...
First of all, there are so many different names put on strings these
days to
make them sound special or better, it's hard to figure out exactly what
you're
getting and each time I go to buy a new set of strings, the packaging
and names
change which confuses things further.
Silk &
Steel
- When I bought my Guild DV52, it came with silk & steel
strings. They looked like regular bronze strings but the core
(material
the winding was wrapped around) was silk. These were easy to
fret but had a mellow tone and
didn't last too long.
Bronze
- Bronze strings, which really aren't bronze but brass alloy over a
steel
string, give you a medium tone.
Phosphor
Bronze
- I remember in my incoming inspection quality control days
working in factories, specifying phosphor bronze as the material of
choice when
receiving connector pins because they were denser, harder, and lasted
longer
than the other pins used. The same holds true in the guitar
string world
but you have to know some precautions. The phosphor bronze
strings will
probably sound brighter or louder even though they're the same gauge as
you used
before not only because they are a different material but also because
they pull
harder on the bridge / sound board due to their greater mass over
regular bronze
strings. If you replace say a medium set of bronze strings
with a medium
set of phosphor bronze strings (same diameters) be aware that they will
pull
harder on your guitar. Keep an eye on the face of your guitar
after
installing them to make sure your guitar can handle them or else when
you decide
to change over to phosphor bronze, get a gauge a little
lighter. The
phosphor bronze strings do last longer than the two previously
mentioned types
of strings.
Now for some special types of strings...
I'm not here to endorse a certain brand of strings. Other
guitarists (much
better than I) prefer different brands. I'm sure they are
very good as
well.
My Taylor 12 string came with Elixir strings. They are coated
which seems
to make at least the wound strings last longer. They also
seem to sound
very bright and there's maybe less squeaking when sliding your fingers
on the
strings. I bought a replacement set to put in the case in
case a string
breaks. They were much more expensive than un-coated strings
and it didn't say on the box if they
were phosphor bronze or not.
I put "Martin SP" strings on my Guild. Martin SP strings seem
to
be the bright of the bright phosphor bronze strings. If you
have a big
bassy, thumpy dreadnought and want to liven it up, these are the
strings to
try.
Bob, Gman ( o )==#
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