Strings for western guitar
The Western guitar is characterized by its steel strings, which are bright and crisp in sound. Find steel strings for your western guitar here.
The best and easiest way to maintain your western guitar is to change the strings on it. New strings provide a crisp sound and preserve your guitar's ability to tune.
What strings should I use for western guitar?
A guitar string is not just a guitar string. There are many different types of strings and the strings you choose can have a big impact on the sound of your guitar. If in doubt, ask your local music store to help you choose the right one. You can also try different things and see what works best for you.
String thickness
You can get strings in different thicknesses. Thin strings are typically classified as .010-.047 or .011-.052. Thick strings are found as .012-.054, .013-.056 or .014-.059.
Thin strings are generally a little easier to play. The sound is bright and trebly. Thin strings provide slightly less sound and sustain than thicker strings, but are good to fret on.
Thick strings, on the other hand, are a little harder to play and require a little more pressure to press down. They have more tension in the neck, which can be important if you have a vintage guitar. You'll typically go with the thinner strings.
Whether you should choose thin or thick strings can also depend on the body size of your guitar. As a rule of thumb, small-bodied guitars sound good with thin strings, while larger-bodied guitars sound better with thick strings, as the large sound chamber gives the thick strings full volume.
You can also choose strings based on your playing style. For fingerstyle playing, thin strings are easier to handle. On the other hand, thick strings give a dark and warm sound that emphasizes the bass frequencies.
String materials
The most typical string materials are bronze, phosphor bronze and brass.
Bronze strings have a bright and crisp sound. Phosphor bronze strings last longer and have a darker/warm sound. Brass strings are bright in sound like the bronze strings, but more metallic.
How do I change the strings on my western guitar?
You can change the strings on your western guitar yourself if you're brave enough. You can also get your local music store to look at it for you. They'll definitely have experience with this and can help you out.
If you do it yourself, it's a good idea to find a stable surface to lay the guitar on while you change the strings. This could be a table top, for example.
Once the old strings are removed, it's a good idea to take advantage of the moment to maintain the guitar with some cleaner, a fiber cloth and some fretboard oil. It's much easier to do when the strings are gone and it helps both the appearance and durability of the guitar.
Be aware that the new strings are too long to begin with. This is because they need to fit different guitars with different neck lengths. Once the strings are attached, you can shorten them to a suitable length with a pair of pliers.