New string question

MartinBush · November 2021

I've just bought a new acoustic and want to get some strings ready for when I need them.

This is my first acoustic in decades and while I know what I am after as far as electric sets go, I realise I've no idea about which set to get for the new guitar.

I intent to buy from Newtone, but which gauge? I've no idea what is on at the moment. On an electric I'd get a set of 10s.

ICBM · November 2021

I would go with a standard set of 12s.

As a rough rule of thumb, most people seem to use two gauges heavier on acoustic than electric for the same sort of 'playing experience'.

drofluf · November 2021

Do you know what's on it at the moment?

Otherwise I'd go for 11's or 12's from Newtone, but bear in mind that they're lower tension, or at least Heritage (my preference) are.

MartinBush · November 2021

Cheers.

It's interesting when you get flummoxed by something like this isn't it

McSwaggerty · November 2021

I like Newtone Masterclass and Heritage.
Some things to consider.... Are you a Strummer, a flat picker or a Fingerpicker?
Dreadnought, or short scale guitar?.....

MartinBush · November 2021

I'm a strummer mainly. I practice scales but I don't think that counts for much.

It's a Yamaha F310 dreadnought 25" scale

Tannin · November 2021

Welcome back to Acousticland!

As ICBM says, 12s are usually best. But if you have played nothing but electric for a long time, 12s might seem a bit too difficult and be off-putting, especially on a new guitar which hasn't been set up yet. If that is the case, then go to 11s as a temporary measure while your fingers get used to acoustic again. But stay with 12s if you can.

What I'm saying here is wait a little while. Play the existing strings for a couple of weeks (they will be 12s, almost all new guitars come with 12s) and then decide if you are OK with that weight and type.

bertie · November 2021

12s

artiebear · November 2021

As others have recommend, probably go for a 12 set. Personally if I was experimenting I would go with a straight out of the shop set of something off the shelf without spending a whole lot of money . That way if they are too heavy/light you can take them off and try something else without feeling like you have "invested ". What guitar are we talking about ?

Mellish · November 2021

I'd go along with 12s. Try PB and 80/20 to see which sound best on that guitar

DavidR · December 2021

.............and Monels!

My usual plea not to forget these. Monel strings last much longer and have a different tone to PB or 80/20's. Less brassy, more steely/complex. Try Widely available Martin Retro.

Agree with comments about 12's as being jump off point for experimentation. Code for 12 gauge Martin Retro's is MM12.

BigPaulie · December 2021

I always come back to Elixir Nano 80/20 12s on my Martin D-16GT.

I've been round the houses many times and just prefer the smooth feel, the bright sound, and the longevity.

My most recent experiment was with the Monels above. I don't hate them, but the attack of the bass strings has suffered greatly in this particular guitar, they are MUCH quieter than the elixirs, and they squeak like a mofo under my fingers.

Mellish · December 2021

Elixir NANO 80/20 12s on my HD-28, too. I did go through a phase when I thought I preferred Martin MA140T but I've come back to Elixir

BillDL · December 2021

As you get back into playing acoustic you are going to have to start getting used to the stiffer feel of the thicker strings and the higher action than you can get away with on an electric guitar. It will take you a while to get used to playing an acoustic again, so it is going to also take you a while to discover whether there are any deficiencies that could be improved to help you achieve a sound and feel that you like, for example you might well feel that perhaps the action could be a little lower, or perhaps you strum hard and might prefer a little bit more relief on the neck to lessen fret buzzing, or perhaps you might prefer 11s instead of 12s. My suggestion is to play the guitar for a while and, after you have become more acquainted with the feel of an acoustic guitar again, you can then consider whether a change in gauge or type of strings would be beneficial.

Yamaha guitars in what they refer to as the "indroductory" price range are all very consistently made and most of them will have laminated wooden backs and sides. Some will also have laminated spruce tops. I AM NOT putting them down because they are excellent guitars for the price and you will get very decent sounds from them despite not being made from solid tonewoods. What I am saying is that the consistency of manufacture creates a consistency of sound, where one Yamaha F310 is going to sound very much like another F310. In my experience you only really begin to notice all the little nuances of more expensive "hand wound" strings, or ones made from different alloys, on more expensive guitars made from solid woods that each have their own unique tones, even between other guitars of the same make and model. Different strings WILL sound and feel different on your guitar, but not to the same extent as on an expensive solid wood acoustic that would usually be more inherently responsive to even slight changes.

String squeak is something that you need to get used to again, although you can mitigate it to some extent by altering your playing technique and sliding your fingers a bit less than you would do on an electric.

If, after a while of playing on that guitar before your strings really need changing, you feel that the low end isn't very good, or it sounds too jangly, or there's something you don't really like about the sound, then start looking at strings of a different type or gauge to try out. The new strings may have been on your guitar for a while and could sound a little dull already, but they might also sound very new and "metallic" until you have played on them for a while, so you won't know for a number of weeks what strings to buy. The problem is that I can't find anywhere in the specifications what type of strings your guitar will have been strung with at the factory. I would guess that they probably use D'Addario, but they might use their own in-house strings that will be perfectly good - and "consistent". In their FAQ they say:

Yamaha steel string acoustic guitars come from the factory with a 0.012 to 0.053 inch light gauge set. Specific sizes are:
E - 0.012; B - 0.016; G - 0.024; D - 0.032; A - 0.042; E - 0.053.

Just remember, guitar tone and string tone is very personal and subjective. While one person might describe an expensive perfume as: "Full bodied and opulent with notes to awaken the deepest senses, with top notes of mandarin, bergamot, pink pepper, saffron, heart notes of roses, jasmine flowers, olives, and base notes of amber, vanilla, patchouli, oud", another person might say "stinks like cat piss". One wine expert might say of an expensive wine: "Has back notes of blackcurrant and a fragrant lingering aftertaste of fresh-cut grass, cigar box and coffee", while a consumer might review it as "Nice easily-quaffable plonk that wasn't too dry or sweet and goes well with Melton Mowbray pies". Guitar string manufacturers will use expressions like "woody" or "earthy", which sounds ridiculous for metal strings, but how do you start describing the sound that a string makes on various different guitars?

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