Choosing guitar strings and picks

Nov. 30—The gauge of strings and picks you choose have a profound effect on the sound of your acoustic guitar, making them integral to getting the best possible sound out of your instrument.

Without high quality, properly gauged strings and the correct gauge of pick, a musician is already on the losing side of their guitar journey.

Strings

The gauge is noted in thousandths of an inch and refers to the diameter of the string. String gauges have five primary classifications:

* Extra light

* Custom light

* Light

* Medium

* Heavy

Most guitarists and guitar manufacturers will not recommend heavy strings for acoustic guitars, though, as they can cause catastrophic and irreversible damage due to the tension they cause.

There are four main considerations when choosing string gauge:

Body size

Manufacturers will note string gauge recommendations based on the body size of the guitar, taking into account how much tension any specific model can handle.

Larger body guitars such as jumbo acoustics can withstand a much higher string tension, while smaller guitars such as parlors can't withstand as much.

Lighter strings create less tension and are recommended for smaller bodied guitars, while heavier strings create more tension and are recommended for larger bodied guitars.

Sound

The gauge of a string directly determines the type of sound achievable by the guitar, as well as the volume of sound achievable.

Lighter strings are appropriate for intimate settings such as coffee shops and house shows, while heavier strings provide significantly more volume and sustain and are great for larger venues and when playing with a band or group.

Music style

When choosing string gauge, a musician should consider the style of music they most commonly play. Different styles require different attributes from strings.

Lighter strings allow for the bending of notes and break easier and as such are great for blues, country, folk, rock, and other styles with a lighter attack while heavier strings are the choice for genres that require a heavier attack.

Heavier strings are also ideal for genres like bluegrass that use less traditional tunings that require tuning the strings down.

ExperiencePerhaps most importantly, your experience determines what string gauge you should go with. If you are a brand new guitar player, light or extra light strings are the way to go, as they are easier to learn on.

Lighter gauge strings are much more forgiving on fingers in the early stages of learning. Lighter strings also have a less harsh learning curve for finger dexterity and hand strength, as they require less pressure to achieve a clean sound.

Most importantly, experiment. Don't stick with just one gauge of string. Try them all, and see what works best for you.

Picks

There are three main considerations to take into account when choosing guitar picks:

ThicknessUnlike strings, guitar picks are measured in millimeters, but similarly they are gauged from extra thin to extra heavy.

If you tend toward more strumming and rhythm style playing, a thinner pick is typically the way to go, while a thicker pick offers more control for flat picking.

String gauge should also be taken into consideration when choosing a pick gauge. Generally you want to use thinner picks with lighter strings and thicker picks with heavier strings.

Gauges

* Extra thin or extra light are under 0.45mm in thickness

* Thin or light are between 0.45 and 0.7mm in thickness

* Medium are typically between 0.6 and 0.8mm in thickness but vary

* Heavy are typically between 0.8 and 1.2mm in thickness but vary

* Extra heavy are generally picks larger than 1.2mm in thickness

Material

Nylon and other plastics are the most commonly used materials for guitar picks, but bone and tortoise shell picks can also be found, as well as metal, wood, glass, and other non-traditional materials.

Nylon is a great choice to start with due to the availability, versatility, and options. They are light and flexible and therefore require much less precision and control.

Size and shapeThere are endless choices as it relates to the size and shape of a pick. They can be found as standard and as funky as a musician desires.

Differences in size and shape don't tend to impact the sound, but more so the comfortability of the musician.

Don't be afraid to try some non-traditional shapes and sizes to determine what works best for your comfort.

Like strings, experiment and try different guitar picks. Most music stores will sell variety packs of different gauges, materials, shapes and sizes, and more.