Help! Looking For Best Strings for Beginners - Need Advice ??

[tonytony]

Hi everyone,

I am relatively new to playing the guitar;, and I am looking for some guidance on choosing the right strings for a beginner... I recently bought an Ernie Ball Music Man guitar,,, and I have been practicing regularly.., but I am still figuring out which string gauge would be best for me...

From what I have researched, lighter gauge strings (like .009 or .010) seem easier for bending and playing.., but I have also read that they might sacrifice tone and durability compared to thicker strings. I am primarily playing rock and blues,,, so I want a sound that has a bit of warmth and grit but is also comfortable for my fingers since I am still building up calluses.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good string set that balances ease of playability with decent tone quality: ?? Also, should I experiment with different materials like nickel or cobalt, or stick with the basics for now: ?? I also read this thread https://forums.ernieball.com/threads/which-strings-for-a-begginer-flutter.17260/ but now looking for more advice and suggestions.

Any advice, particularly from those who’ve been in the same position, would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance....!

With Regards,
Tony

 

[GWDavis28]

Tony, welcome!!! Let's see that guitar!!! What did you get?

You know I've always found this sort of subjective and more for whatever works best for you. I've always use 9 Regular Slinkies, but recently got some 8's Extra Slinkies too try out (haven't quite yet). I'd say buy a few different sets and find what fits best for you., everyone is going to have differing opinions here I think.

Glenn |B)

 

[beej]

It's all personal preference, but at the beginning it's more important to just pick something and stick with it.

Tone is a lot more than what gauge of strings you use. There are guys out there that sound amazing and play with super light strings. (Billy Gibbons plays with 8s.) I started on 9-42 and have pretty much stayed there. (10s from time to time.)

In terms of composition, I'd probably stay with the regular nickel wound slinkies. No need for anything else really.

 

[DrKev]

Hi everyone,

I am relatively new to playing the guitar;, and I am looking for some guidance on choosing the right strings for a beginner... I recently bought an Ernie Ball Music Man guitar,,, and I have been practicing regularly.., but I am still figuring out which string gauge would be best for me...

From what I have researched, lighter gauge strings (like .009 or .010) seem easier for bending and playing.., but I have also read that they might sacrifice tone and durability compared to thicker strings. I am primarily playing rock and blues,,, so I want a sound that has a bit of warmth and grit but is also comfortable for my fingers since I am still building up calluses.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good string set that balances ease of playability with decent tone quality: ?? Also, should I experiment with different materials like nickel or cobalt, or stick with the basics for now: ?? I also read this thread https://forums.ernieball.com/threads/which-strings-for-a-begginer-flutter.17260/ but now looking for more advice and suggestions.

Any advice, particularly from those who’ve been in the same position, would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance....!

With Regards,
Tony

Welcome to the forum Tony!

There are numerous videos on youtube comparing how different string gauges sound. The reality is that it's more myth than reality in that gauge does not affect tone as strongly as people say. What matters most is how the gauges make you play. What I tell my guitar students is this: the best tone will *always* come from you playing your best, so don't make it more difficult than it needs to be. If you like a little resistance that's fine, but if you like ease of bending and finessing the strings as you play, that's fine too.

And the heavy string myth really only came about because of Stevie Ray Vaughan, mixed with an unhealthy dose of macho-manly nonsense. A lot of people really hurt their playing, and hands!, as a result. For me, I realized a long time ago that's 9s. Once I burned the idea of "manly thick bluesey tone" and learned to love the fingers I have my playing improved 10 fold. And nobody noticed any change in tone. Net even me. Not once on stage or studio or rehearsal did I ever think "my tone is thin, I need to go back to 10s". Never. And not one person came to me after a gig and said "hey man, your girly fingers suck and your tone is weak", quite the opposite in fact.

And back in the 70's most of the top players were using 9s or 8s, almost nobody used 10s. BB King, Tony Iommi, Billy Gibbons, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, all used 8's back in the day. EVH used 9s tuned down (which feels almost like 8s) and did even drop to 8s on occasion. Albert King had a custom 9 to 50 set but he was also tuned below standard so it felt like a lighter gauge.

Bottom line, try a bunch of things and use what works. We guitar players are luckier than bass players because our strings are relatively cheap and we can try a whole bunch of different things for a very small investment.

I'd say start with regular and/or super slinkys and when you have an idea of what gauge suits you best, try the different alloys (which are only on the wound strings). They don't change things drastically, it's like adding a different flavor of one ingredient to a recipe, not a whole new dish.

 

[fbecir]

Hello Tony

I don't think that the gauge of the strings is really important concerning the tone.
The most important thing is the comfort of the player.
If you have strong hands, perhaps you need heavier strings if you want to feel them.
On the other hand, if the strings are too heavy, you will fight them and it will not sound good.

My advice : start with a light gauge (9-42 or 9.5-44). When you feel your fingers are getting stronger, try some 10-46 or 10-52. But if you feel better with lighter strings, go back to 9-42.

It depends also on the guitar : with my hardtail guitars I play with 10-46 but with my trem guitars, it's 10-52.

 

[Vito Porkleone]

Yeah, I'd start with 9's. You definitely want to build the calluses up a little before going to bigger strings.

 

[nervous]

I will play because you asked. But like many have said you'll likely get as many different answers as you will get responses. What I don't think you'll get here are the usual string myths and wives tales of 'best strings' or 'magical tone strings' or 'bigger strings = better tone' (whatever that ever means to 'Stevie used 20's'. I can tell you that for years and years I used standard D'Addario 10's and they were fine. I was under the impression that they were the gold standard so I rarely if ever strayed. And they certainly worked fine for me. Until my first Axis arrived. Unbeknownst to me it was strung with the usual EBMM 9p-11p-16p-24w-32w-42w (RPS 9 Slinkys #2239) and it was embarrassingly an instant revelation on how easily it played and how good it felt compared to what I was used to. And they sounded fantastic. When I measured them I recall being surprised they were 9's because I had some mental aversion to that gauge. Suffice to say from that day forward I ditched the D'Addario cheese cutters and have ultimately found my happiness with the EBMM #2241 9-46 hybrid set which is the best of both for me for sound, tension and playability. So, that's my long winded way to say as a beginner 9's in any flavor will suit you well, and understand they are not training wheels, you never have to 'move up' to 10's or 11's for anything better. Funny thing is that some of the old rock god records that we revere and aspire to tonally replicate were played on 7's and 8's ! There's a great Rick Beato YT video titled something like 'am I playing the wrong gauge string' and it's quite enlightening. It's a mythbuster for sure.

Good luck and happy playing.