Pick New Strings for Your Electric Guitar

Video Transcript

MATT GRAHAM: So now I'd like to talk about selecting the right strings for you and your guitar. Now, electric-guitar strings are going to come in a variety of different combinations and thicknesses, and they're going to have a lot of different characteristics that go in to determining the sort of string you would like to buy. If you really want to chunky blues or a rock sound, a lot of people go for thicker strings. To bend more, they--most people go for a thinner or slinkier string. Also a thinner string is going to make it easier to play. So if you're a beginner who's just developing your calluses on your fingertips, you might like to go purchase a thin or a light-gauge string. And so when I say light gauge, I'm referring to the actual diameter of the string, so how thick it is. And generally, strings are labeled like this package here is labeled super slinky. And slinkiness in this company refers to how easy it is to bend the strings. And then I'll talk about whether it's a light, medium or even a custom gauge, where the strings are blend of maybe--some strings are thicker and some are thinner. So they also on the packaging, if they don't say like a medium or a light or extra light-gauge string, they'll also have the diameters listed on the side. And a lot of times packets of strings are named by the gauge of the high E string or the thinnest string. This just simply says nine, but I'll imagine it's actually referring to a .09 or .009 inch diameter of that high E string. So this set goes from a nine at the high E to a 42 at the low E.

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