Most people have never sat down and asked themselves how guitar strings are made. Only guitar and musical enthusiasts are likely to ask this very important question.
Just like blood vessels link up our bodies. Guitar strings link the guitarist to the guitar and their music.
Therefore, you can understand the importance of guitar strings. Any guitarist worth their salt will tell you that selecting the right guitar strings for your playing style and music genre will go a long way in making you tick.
Today, we will take a look at how are guitar stings made? To make the perfect guitar strings, you need to know the type of materials to use and how to coat, wind, and gauge the strings. Each of the steps involved in making guitar strings is important since they greatly influence the guitar’s playability, comfort, and tone.
Now, let’s get down to business.
The Anatomy of Guitar Strings
The composition of a guitar string generally includes the core, winding, coating, and gauge.
- Core
It’s not possible to have a guitar string without a core wire. The core wire is the main string and can be described as their heart and soul and is usually made with materials such as nickel, nylon, bronze, or steel. The core can take a hexagonal or circular shape, depending on your needs.
Cores with a hexagonal shape are more pocket-friendly than circular-shaped cores because circular-shaped cores produce better sounds.
- Winding
Winding involves wrapping the core with a thin wire. A guitar can have guitar strings with up to three different types of windings. We feel that it’s important for you to learn how to distinguish between the three different windings. This knowledge is crucial when buying or setting your guitar strings.
There are three types of guitar string winding techniques:
- Roundwound – Most guitars are equipped with roundwound guitar strings. The round shape of the wrapped wire ensures the guitar has lots of harmonic overtones. Experts agree that these guitar strings are perfect for any genre and guitar.
- Flatwound – Flatwound guitar strings are mainly found on electrical guitars preferred by jazz artists and bassists. They last for longer and are more comfortable to play with. Guitarists have often described the feeling of using flatwound strings as fast and sleek. The sound produced by flatwound strings is usually warmer and smoother than roundwound sound.
- Half-roundwound – Half-roundwound strings can be described as a hybrid of roundwound and flatwound strings. Half-roundwound strings are smoother than roundwounds and less smooth than flatwounds. The sound half-roundwound strings produce is also halfway between the sounds of roundwounds and flatwounds.
- Coating
Coating is done to prevent oxidation and increase the lifespan. The coating is done using a special synthetic material that protects them from oil, sweat, dirt, water, and salty air. Coatings can also help in cutting down finger noise when you’re playing.
Coated guitar strings are more expensive than uncoated guitar strings. However, they last longer, so you don’t have to change your guitar strings frequently.
- Gauge
The gauge of the guitar string refers to how thick the string is. Their gauge is another component you should be aware of since it greatly influences the feel and sound produced by your guitar. Therefore, you should have intimate knowledge of guitar string gauges when buying and changing your strings to prevent your sound from going whack.
You can tell the gauge of a string by looking at the numbers on the strings’ package. They are usually measured in inches but often whole numbers are used, to make them easier to reference. For example, the high E-string may be 0.009″ thick but will often be referenced as simply a size 9. A low E of 0.52″ will be called a 52 and so on.
Materials to Use When Making Acoustic Strings
- Brass – Has a composition of 20% zinc and 80% copper.
- Bronze – Has a composition of 10% tin and 90% copper. The sound these strings produce is bright.
- Steel and silk – The silk is usually placed between the steel core and silver alloy winding. The sound produced by these strings has been described as sweet.
- Phosphor Bronze – They are made using bronze and phosphorus, and they last longer because of the phosphorus. The sound produced by these strings has been described as rich, smooth, and traditional.
Materials to Use When Making Electric Strings
- Chrome – The sound produced by chrome strings isn’t brilliant. However, these strings are popular among jazz artists.
- Polymer-Coated – Polymer-coated strings have a long lifespan.
- Nickel Plates – Nickel-plated strings are very common, and this is because they produce a well-balanced sound.
- Steel – Steel strings produce a sharp and bright sound, and that’s why hard rock artists prefer them.
- Nickel – Nickel strings are commonly used on electric guitars since their sound is warmer.
How to Make Classical Guitar Strings
The sound produced by classical guitar strings is completely different from the sound produced by other guitars. And this is because the sound is usually more delicate and has less ringing than other guitars in the market.
When making a classical guitar string, nylon materials are often used. This is because the tension and pressure exerted by metal strings and the absence of a truss rod could easily break the guitar’s neck. Some have silver coat applied on the nylon core.
Classical guitar strings are also unique since they aren’t specified using their gauge. We use their voltage to specify the strings. The voltage can range from low, medium, medium-high, to high voltage. And the lower the voltage, the lower the sound and vice versa.
Final Thoughts
The evolution of guitar strings has quite a history. During ancient times musicians used goat and sheep gut to make the strings. However, as human technology advanced, materials that can last longer and produce better sounds became available.
Today, we use nylon, nickel, bronze, steel, chrome, and brass to produce higher-quality sounds and music. While they are more reliable than ever, it’s still important to take care of your guitar strings.
Hopefully now you can answer the question of how are guitar strings are made and can have a better understanding of your instrument.