What gauge of guitar string

Stadamack · December 2020

Hi there,
I bought my guitar in lidl some time back and need some new strings. It is a Clifton 41',
Would anyone know what gauge strings these guitars need / come with?
Thank you and regards,
Adam

ICBM · December 2020

First and most important, does it have steel strings (four 'bronze', 'brass' or 'copper' coloured wound strings and two thin plain metal strings) - or nylon strings (three metal wound strings and three clear, whitish or sometimes black coloured plastic strings)?

Lidl sell both types and you must get the right strings or it will either sound terrible (nylon on a steel-string guitar) or cause serious damage (steel on a nylon string guitar). From the size - if that's 41" - I think it's a steel string, but do check!

If it's nylon, any standard set of normal tension strings, or hard tension if you prefer. If it's steel, any standard set of 12s - or 11s if you're a beginner and need something softer on your fingers - will do fine. You don't need to spend a lot, and in fact on a fairly cheap guitar you won't get any real benefit from more expensive ones.

Hope that helps!

earwighoney · December 2020

Stadamack said:

Hi there,
I bought my guitar in lidl some time back and need some new strings. It is a Clifton 41',
Would anyone know what gauge strings these guitars need / come with?
Thank you and regards,
Adam

It's not a guitar I am familiar with if you post a picture of it, then we could provide some recommendations with what strings it might need.

Stadamack · December 2020

ICBM said:

First and most important, does it have steel strings (four 'bronze', 'brass' or 'copper' coloured wound strings and two thin plain metal strings) - or nylon strings (three metal wound strings and three clear, whitish or sometimes black coloured plastic strings)?

Lidl sell both types and you must get the right strings or it will either sound terrible (nylon on a steel-string guitar) or cause serious damage (steel on a nylon string guitar). From the size - if that's 41" - I think it's a steel string, but do check!

If it's nylon, any standard set of normal tension strings, or hard tension if you prefer. If it's steel, any standard set of 12s - or 11s if you're a beginner and need something softer on your fingers - will do fine. You don't need to spend a lot, and in fact on a fairly cheap guitar you won't get any real benefit from more expensive ones.

Hope that helps!

Thank you icbm,
It has steel strings,
I'll go with 11s,
Thanks again

Mudcrutch · December 2020

I’ve just had a look at those Lidl £39 Clifton 41”acoustic guitars on line.
I wouldn’t put 10s let alone 11s on it.

ICBM · December 2020

Mudcrutch said:

I’ve just had a look at those Lidl £39 Clifton 41”acoustic guitars on line.
I wouldn’t put 10s let alone 11s on it.

Why? It's a perfectly normal Dreadnought copy, and the bridge is bolted down if you look closely. Not great quality for sure, but I'd be surprised if they come with anything lighter than 11s or 12s.

I work part-time for a mail-order company that sells this sort of thing, they're more robust than you would think. The problems with them which we see are to do with the quality of the fretting, the nut and bridge saddle, and the machineheads.

more · December 2020

I have never had any personal experience of your guitar . However , I have seen them and if I remember rightly it is a Martin type guitar .Lidi is not my music store of choice, but the guitar is not bad quality and a good price . I would look on you tube for instructions on how to setup guitars, if you don't already know , the setup will probably need improving . As for the strings , I would buy a set of Martins M140 . You can buy them on line for under £6.00 ..the gauge is 012 .

Mudcrutch · December 2020

ICBM said:

Mudcrutch said:

I’ve just had a look at those Lidl £39 Clifton 41”acoustic guitars on line.
I wouldn’t put 10s let alone 11s on it.

Why? It's a perfectly normal Dreadnought copy, and the bridge is bolted down if you look closely. Not great quality for sure, but I'd be surprised if they come with anything lighter than 11s or 12s.

I work part-time for a mail-order company that sells this sort of thing, they're more robust than you would think. The problems with them which we see are to do with the quality of the fretting, the nut and bridge saddle, and the machineheads.
You’ve answered the Why not.

ICBM · December 2020

Mudcrutch said:

You’ve answered the Why not.

You say you wouldn't put 10s on them let alone 11s... why? You're implying that the guitar isn't going to be strong enough, which is wrong.

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What gauge of guitar string

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