Electric Guitar Strings - Beginners Buyers Guide

 

Welcome to our beginners buyers guide for electric guitar strings.

If you are looking to buy a set of electric guitar strings for the first time or just need some guidance, you’ve come to the right place.

We understand that glancing at the huge range of sets available can be pretty overwhelming…What brands are good quality? How much should I be paying? And what are all those numbers about? Argh!

Don’t worry…we’ve got you covered!

We’ve put together this short, jargon free buyers guide to help you quickly select an ideal set of strings that’ll have you up and playing in no time.

We’ve carefully selected a small selection of sets that are guaranteed to be a great choice for any player of any level of ability.  All the strings mentioned below are top quality too so they won’t let you down.

First Thing's First... String Gauge

When it comes to selecting a set of electric guitar strings, for us, the main thing to concentrate on is String Gauge.

There are six strings in a complete set of electric guitar strings.  Each individual string will be a specific thickness and have a number that depicts just how thick it is.  This is string gauge and … the higher the number, the thicker the string is.

When comparing sets, you’ll often see gauges written as 9-42 or 10-46 etc.  These numbers show the gauges of the thinnest and thickest strings in each set.

The small selection of sets we’ve listed below are all 9-42 and 10-46 gauge.  These are the two most popular electric guitar string gauges available and are both perfect choices to get anybody started.

What’s the difference you may ask? Generally speaking 9-42 sets are thinner in diameter than 10-46 sets making them easier to play.  However, rest assured either gauge is a suitable choice, it just depends on what option sounds like it suits you best.

To keep things simple, we’ve handpicked a small selection of sets for you. 

We guarantee these options are all great quality, reliable and sound great too, meaning you can just concentrate on having fun and enjoy playing your instrument.

Oh and just in case you were wondering, all the sets listed below contain all 6 strings needed to fully restring your guitar.

Best Value - Legacy

If you’re looking for something that represents great value for money it certainly doesn't mean that you have to scrimp on quality... 

We always point our customers in the direction of our own brand of strings… Legacy!  A bit biased? Perhaps!... But we’re extremely proud of these strings, made right here in the UK.

As an added bonus, each set includes a free 1st and 2nd string too (the two thinnest strings)… extremely handy, just in case you break one.

 

The Best Seller - Ernie Ball Slinkys

Ernie Ball Slinkys are the world's best selling electric guitar strings and for good reason.. they sound and feel great and won’t break the bank either.

They are also the string choice of a huge number of your favourite rock stars too, past and present including Slash, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards.  Even if you’ve just started out, you can play the exact same strings that they use too!

The Long Lasting String - Elixirs

Everybody is short of time nowadays, so we understand that you’d rather be having fun playing your strings than changing them.

For that reason, we’ve included a ‘coated’ string option here.  Without going too nerdy, the outer surface of coated strings are treated with a microscopically thin protective layer that prevents dirt and grime from degrading the sound and lifespan of the strings over time.  

Coated strings are more expensive than the ones listed above but they do last 3 to 5 times longer than traditional ‘uncoated’ sets so there is a valid reason for their increased cost.

They are suitable for all players; whether you play for several hours a day or if you rarely get time to pick up your guitar, after all if you only play your guitar once in a blue moon, you don’t want to discover your strings have gone rusty every time you go to play.

Elixir are part of the Gore-Tex family.. World renowned for their waterproof and engineering innovations in many industries including the military and space exploration! These are the most popular coated string sets on the market and in our opinion you cannot go wrong with Elixirs.

We hope this guide has helped you quickly and easily choose a set of electric guitar strings.  

Remember, all the sets listed above are great for 99% of electric guitars and whichever set you choose you’ll be sure that they will help to facilitate your enjoyment and progress with the instrument you’ll no doubt grow to love.

Of course, should you need any further help, we’re always happy to chat so feel free to get in touch.