Strings

From GuitarWiki

Guitar Strings are the source of the vibration that creates a stringed instrument’s sound. Strings are made of a flexible material and are held under tension so they can vibrate when strummed. Two main varieties of strings are used on stringed instruments; “plain” strings consist of just one material such as steel or nylon; while “wound strings” are made using a core of one material and a second material wound around the core adding to the mass of the string.

Varieties

There are a variety of different wound string types:

1. Roundwound strings are the simplest type. They consist of a round core at the center of the string with a round wire wound around it. Roundwond strings are trusted by musicians for their bright tones. These are generally the cheapest type of strings as they have a few drawbacks including bumps in the profile that may cause squeaking as fingers are moved across the strings.

2. Flatwound strings, much like roundwound strings have a round core and an outer wire wrapped around it. The main difference is that the outer wire has a squared-edged profile making less squeaky noises from fingers sliding around the string and overall easier to play. This type of string is usually more expensive.

3. Halfwound strings, also known as ground wound or pressure wound strings are a hybrid of flatwound and roundwound strings, capable of producing the bright tonal qualities of roundwound strings, but like flatwound strings, halfwound strings reduce the squeak made by a player’s fingers. This is accomplished by employing the same construction used to make roundwound strings and then polishing or grinding the outside of the string to be flat.

4. Hexwound strings are built with a hexagonal core and a round outer wire. This type of string has its advantages and disadvantages. The hexagonal core provides a surface for the outer winding to cling to making it more secure and less prone to slipping, but the sharp corners are considered to be less comfortable for playing. These strings are more often used on bass guitars.

Materials Almost all metal guitar string cores are made from steel while silk or nylon can be used for non metal cores.

The winding, or outer portion of the string can be made from aluminum, copper, bronze, nickel, gold or silver.

Gauges A string’s diameter, or gauge, measured in thousandths of an inch is the key factor in creating the strings tone. Larger strings will naturally need to be under more tension than smaller strings to provide the right pitch and they will produce a heavier sound. The definitions of “light gauge” and “heavy gauge” vary depending on the manufacturer, but generally speaking, Super Light strings for a six string guitar cover a range of .038” for the low E string (thickest) to .008” for the high E (thickest) and “Extra Heavy” strings will range from .056” to .013”