I have neglected/ignored my acoustic guitar in more recent times but have been picking it up more often lately. It’s in need of a restring but having not restrung it for ages I was wondering if anyone has any tips on what make of strings to go for. When I played it a lot, I tended to go for D’Addario 11s. The guitar is an Ovation Custom Balladeer with a shallow bowl body and I’m after strings that give as full a round sound as possible. Even though it’s semi-acoustic I only play it unplugged these days.
Any recommendations most appreciated.
Try 12s.
If you’v not tried them already I would suggest Elixir Nanoweb bronze strings. They last forever! I too play Ovations, but deep bowl and they compliment each other very well. (I too would suggest 12’s).
They are costly but you can often find three for the price of two sets deals.
Hi Smudger,
On an acoustic, 11s are extra light, 12s are light and 13s are medium. 12s are the most common and I’d start with those, as Tahir suggested. While 11s are easier to play, they don’t tend to drive the top sufficiently on most acoustics. (I use 13s). Your hands will soon get used to them.
If you are an occasional player or gentle strummer, I strongly recommend getting coated strings as they will last far, far longer (they do cost a bit more). Elixir and D’Addario EXP are the most common coated options, but all brands now carry a version. I have preferred the D’addarios over the Elixirs. If you doing a lot of hard picking (eg bluegrass) or will be playing regularly (>30mins per day) I would not get coated strings, as you will be changing strings regularly.
Most importantly, if your guitar hasn’t been played in a while then a bit of basic maintenance will make far more difference than any brand of strings. Remove all of the old strings and give the fingerboard a good clean with a rag and some wood cleaner or lemon oil. Scrape away any gunk between frets with an old credit card. Polish up the metal frets with a little bit of metal cleaner or 0000 steel wool. Check the relief on the neck and adjust. If you don’t know how to do this then take it to a tech. On a guitar that has been sitting for a while, it is likely that there will be too much relief and that it will be hard to play around the middle of the neck. I can’t stress enough how much a simple clean and setup can bring a guitar back to life.
So in summary, D’Addario EXP 12s or standard Phosphor bronze 12s. Or try 13s if you are feeling adventurous, but give your hands time to adjust.
I use elixir 80/20 bronze custom light 11 – 52. The 12 – 53 sets are great too.
They’re 3 times more expensive than ordinary strings, but last at least 3 times as long. Buying a set of 3 is much cheaper. I do this, but I change my strings on 3 guitars at the same time, usually twice a year. I play for at least half an hour every day.
I would advise a set up from a guitar tech if you haven’t had one for a while. Give him the strings, or tell him what ones you want.
I don’t like Elixir strings. They don’t ring nicely to my ear. But bronze d’Addario will do you nicely.
I used to use 13s but hurt my hand playing them so it’s back to 12s for me.
A lot of guitarists used to like the combination of Ovation and lighter strings, because it was closer to feel of their electrics.
Phosphor Bronze strings are good for Guitars with spruce tops, as they do soften the sound. You might want to try something different if the top is made of another wood.
I play 0.012s mainly because I don’t like the strings to ‘flap’ if I flatpick (I do play with a mixture of pick and fingers, and some times just fingers). Also give more tone than lighter strings.
Some luthiers swear by the coated strings. I had some work done on my Maton ECW80c (Dreadnought with cutaway), and luthier fitted Elixir 0.12s. The Elixir’s sounded OK, but I do tend to buy what I can find at a reasonable price.
Bronze d’addorio 11s on my Taylor Big Baby do me very nicely. I am a bit ham fisted to be honest but they can take a good mashing I’ve found