Restringing your guitar with a set of the best acoustic guitar strings is the cheapest, quickest and probably most effective bit of maintenance you can carry out on your beloved acoustic.
Over time, as dead skin, sweat and dust starts to gather in the grooves of the strings, they will start to sound dull and lifeless. You might not notice as it does happen gradually, but as soon as you replace them with a set of new acoustic strings, you’ll hear the difference straight away. You’ll hear more top end, you’ll get a generally brighter and fresher sound, plus restringing can often solve tuning and intonation issues.
Restringing isn’t a big job and we’d recommend doing it fairly regularly, to get the most out of your guitar. Finding the right set for you can take a little trial and error, but we’ve also put some buying advice together further down the page to help you on your way.
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Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about guitar gear down to a molecular level - and yes, that includes guitar strings.
There are lots of different brands out there, many with similar marketing tactics offering you the best sound, longest life etc, but we’ve hand-selected what we reckon are the best acoustic guitar strings on offer right now. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner looking to restring for the first time, or a seasoned pro with a range of acoustics all needing some TLC - there’s something for every player here.
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Strings take quite a beating over the course of their lifespans. Whether it’s changes in temperature and humidity or simply being constantly tickled by your sweaty fingers, the life of a string is a tough one.
So, if you are looking to prolong the life of your strings, the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze set is a solid choice - especially if you aren't a fan of traditionally coated strings.
Now, while we personally like the sound of a brighter acoustic guitar, we will admit that these Ernie Ball strings can get a little too bright at times. So, do bear that in mind if your guitar is already too bright.
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The D'Addario Nickel Bronze set might be right up your street if coated strings just aren't doing it for you. Uncoated strings offer the ultimate in clarity and crispness, meaning your guitar will sing in the way the manufacturer intended.
The tradeoff of not using coated strings is that they may not last as long. However, these acoustic guitar strings generally come at a much more modest price.
The new XT line-up may be D'Addario's most advanced strings yet. These meticulously designed strings combine all of D'Addario's bright ideas - including high-carbon NY Steel, fusion twist technology and, of course, those irresistible colored ball ends - and adds a new string coating that not only triples the lifespan of the string but to us, they feel identical to uncoated strings.
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Look, this advanced technology doesn't come cheap. These fancy strings are significantly more expensive than a standard set, and to some ears, there may not be that much of a difference in tone.
For most players earning a signature guitar would be an achievement, but Eric Clapton has reached that special status where he actually has a set of signature strings bearing his name.
The Martin Clapton's Choice acoustic guitar strings are phosphor bronze in their make-up, and in our tests, they are impressive in their consistency.
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Phosphor bronze can lack that zing and these signature strings are no different. So, if you are looking for a modern, bright attack from your acoustic, you may want to look elsewhere.
One of the more recent additions to D’Addario’s already stellar lineup, the XS sets feature a super-thin coating that we feel provides a superb feel and an extended lifespan.
Like the XTs, they’re also made using high-carbon NY steel which helps make them harder to break and easier to keep in tune.
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While these strings sound fresher for longer, giving a really nice, balanced sound over a prolonged period of time, they are very expensive, so if you have multiple guitars get ready to shell out a small fortune.
Despite the tonal benefits of using uncoated strings, there are situations where using coated strings may be prudent. Changes in humidity can have a huge impact on string life, tuning stability and tone.
By coating the strings in their patented 'Dura-tone' micro-treatment, Fender claims they can last up to five times longer than regular, untreated strings.
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These strings could be a worthwhile if you're a sweaty player, or just hate changing your strings - but do be warned, the coating can change the feel of the strings drastically.
Elixir knows a thing or two about coating strings and has developed a patented coating which the company claims offers the same protection as regular polymer coatings but without the tonal drawbacks - making them arguably the most well-known maker of coated strings.
In our experience, these strings last longer than uncoated strings, yet at no point will make you feel like you're compromising tone in order to achieve this durability.
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That said, the coating can break down if you're a heavy hitter. So, bear that in mind if you like to smack those cowboy chords.
When the company produces acoustic guitars as legendary as the J-45 and Hummingbird, it's only right that Gibson also has a range of strings that live up to that same reputation.
Continuing the phosphor bronze theme, these strings do run slightly thicker than equivalents from other brands. But the sound you get matches clarity and purity of tone with longevity to create a potent package for any player - not just Gibson fans.
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These Gibson strings are also available in an 80/20 bronze version if you want to pull a little more high-end brightness from your acoustic guitar.
The Blue Steel strings are cryogenically frozen using liquid nitrogen to -320 degrees which is supposed to tighten the molecules and minimize the microscopic gaps into which gunk can hide.
The jury's still out on whether the science yields noticeable results on this one, however, these strings sound great and in our tests lasted noticeably longer than regular uncoated strings.
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Choosing the best acoustic guitar strings for you is quite a personal thing. What’s right for somebody else might not be right for you, so don’t worry if it takes a few goes to get something you’re really happy with.
Whilst you would be able to put electric strings on an acoustic, they wouldn’t sound as good due to the different types of metal being used. Strings for classical guitar are also different, so if you’ve got a steel stringed acoustic, then it’s worth making sure you’re replacing them with the correct type of string.
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We have to mention the Ernie Ball Aluminium Bronze strings - they’re really good ‘all-rounder’ strings that work well for both fingerpicking and strumming. They project nicely, and they sound clear and balanced - definitely one of the best acoustic guitar strings on the market.
Elixir also make some incredible coated strings that help preserve that bright, freshly-restrung sound for up to 3-5 times longer than uncoated strings - they’re also what Taylor use on all of their steel-strung acoustics. Acoustic experts Martin also make a range of strings to suit quite literally any style of player.
Acoustic guitar strings are essentially a metal core - usually stainless steel, with the thickest four strings wrapped in thinner metal windings. The exact materials can vary, but usually they’re made from bronze or copper. This differs from electric guitar strings which are usually wound with steel, or nickel so that they work better with the magnetic field created by the pickups.
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It’s worth noting here that you don’t want to fit steel acoustic strings to a classical guitar either - doing so could end up causing damage to it.
Acoustic guitar strings differ greatly when compared to electric guitar strings, and are manufactured differently. The main two types of acoustic string you’ll see are 80/20 bronze, and phosphor bronze. 80/20 bronze, or brass, is an alloy made from 80% copper and 20% zinc. Phosphor bronze is simply bronze, with phosphor added to the alloy. Whilst this all might sound a little boring, the two types of string do actually make quite a difference to the sound of your acoustic guitar.
Generally, 80/20 bronze strings tend to be brighter, with a more pronounced top end. Phosphor bronze on the other hand are often mellower, and slightly warmer sounding. Considering what sort of tone you’d like can be a good starting point when looking for the best acoustic guitar
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