Best Acoustic Guitar Strings for Beginners (top 7 picks)

Most acoustic guitar strings are fairly simple to look at. They don't tend to jump out at you, especially not outside of their packaging. Yet, string choice is an extremely personal aspect of guitar playing, acoustic or otherwise. Every artist has their string brand and gauge they prefer.

For beginners, it can be tricky to get started with strings because there are a lot of variables to consider. Primarily, acoustic guitar players have the following three things to think about when it comes to strings:

• Brand
• Gauge (size of the string)
• Coated or uncoated

When you're able to choose the right string and get something that suits you, it'll help you play more, sound better and have an more positive experience overall.

Our first choice is the Elixir acoustic string sets with a NANOWEB coating. For beginners, we'd recommend the "light" set, which is easier to play and gentler on fingers. They're more expensive than non-coated strings, but they last a lot longer and sound significantly better. 

At the bottom, the sixth string is .053, while the high E is .012.

You can also get an extra light version where the low E drops to .047. Elixir sells them in single packs and packs of three. Though don't let the sticker shock get the best of you. They're well worth the extra cost simply for the fact they last months longer than an uncoated string.

You'll play a long time before you notice any corrosion or rust.

D'Addario makes a warmer string that's more strum-friendly, better-suited for rhythm players. We like them primarily for their tone and for their extremely solid reputation among even professional guitar players, the likes of which include Dave Matthews, Jerry Douglas and Joe Satriani, just to name a few.

A single pack of D'Addario acoustic strings are nearly half the price of the coated Elixir pack. While they do seem to be somewhat resistant to corrosion, they don't last as long as the Elixir's do with the NANOWEB coating. Be careful about the labeling "corrosion-resistant packaging." All this means is that they're guaranteeing you a fresh set of strings out of the paper casing. It's not a coated string.

We noticed that the tone, while leaning warm, seems to balance well and go high on concert-style acoustic bodies while trending lower on dreadnoughts. 

Gauge and pack-count vary widely, allowing you to buy them up in bulk if need be. 

Ernie Ball has long provided some of the best acoustic strings for beginners, primarily because of value and affordability. You can get a single pack of Earthwood acoustic strings from Ernie Ball for less than the previous two packs we looked at with a ton of different gauges to choose from. The strings don't sound at all cheap and actually seem to get a little closer to the Elixir's tone than the D'Addario set does.

The strings are a copper, tin and phosphorous mixture, with some kind of coating that isn't NANOWEB, but still does a decent job of protecting the strings from sweat and open-air elements.

We don't see them lasting as long as the Elixir sets, but they do a good job of keeping their tone, which is really clear and bright. Where the D'Addario string tone is a little thicker and warmer, Ernie Ball gets closer to the high-end tonal spectrum, with a lot of shimmer and clarity.

At the same time, thicker gauges sound great on a strumming dreadnought acoustic.

It's a good set for those who prefer fingerpicking or lead acoustic.

The SP "treated" acoustic strings are Martin's attempt (they're actually made by a company called Clear Tone) to compete with Elixir's coated string. While it's not entirely similar to Elixir's sound, the Lifespan strings do have a reputation of lasting longer than something like the Acoustic SP (more on that set next) or the Ernie Ball Earthwood sets. We'd call them the "poor man's Elixir string."

One interesting aspect of this string set is that they sound significantly better when used for melody picking or lead acoustic playing. Bluesy solos and jazzy technique sounded full and held a lot of nice sustain. This type of playing seemed to be a really ideal spot for the Martin Lifespan set, while their strumming tone wasn't nearly as impressive.

There's definitely a crispness to the tone they produce, which is characteristic of coated strings.

The light gauge we used felt easy on the fingers, responding well to bends and vibrato. Whatever coating they used also seemed to help fingers slide better, which is something you'll notice on Elixir string sets as well. While we didn't use this set as long as some of the others, we'd expect that since it exhibited all the characteristics of a coated string that you'd get more life out of them than your average Martin string pack.

Almost all the reviewers we read said the same thing, that these strings lasted significantly longer than their un-treated counterparts. 

These are Martin's "garden variety" non-coated acoustic string, which we believe are essentially the same string used in the Lifespan version just without the coating. You can definitely feel a difference in how they play, though we were surprised at how similarly they sounded. The Acoustic SP has a steel middle wire which is wound with bronze and that's pretty much it.

Martin does a good job here of giving you a cheaper string that still sounds really good, using a simple steel wire and bronze construction. We thought it even sounded a little better than the Lifespan set in a rhythm and strumming context, though not quite as clear or defined.

GHS ships strings with each in an individual sealed bag within the pack. This is something we wish all string companies would do, as opposed to the paper flap we see with Elixir and Ernie Ball strings. It just helps to keep the materials fresh a little longer. The GHS Bright Bronze set is exactly what it sounds like, a brighter and more lead-friendly acoustic string.

The winding is made up of an 80/20 mixture of copper and zinc, and comes in three different sizes.

• Ultra light
• Light
• Medium

In terms of tone quality, we didn't like these as much for strumming. However, they did have a lot of clarity on the high-end, similar to what we got out of the Martin Lifespan strings. 

For what it's worth, GHS seems to have an extremely faithful following of customers and consistent users, many of whom prefer these over Elixir, Ernie Ball and other more popular string manufacturers. For the price, it's worth a shot, especially if you're not getting what you want out of the other recommendations we've made.

Fender's attempt at an acoustic string set is extremely similar to the D'Addario phosphor bronze design.

This means that yes, the Fender variety is good, but we don't see any real reason to buy these as opposed to buying the D'Addario set. Both feel, sound and play very similar. That's not to say they're bad, but as Fender has done lately - particularly with the inception of Fender Play - they seem content to rehash existing wheels and refrain from any kind of significant reinvention.

There's actually a coated version of this string called "Dura-Tone" for a couple dollars more. We didn't get a chance to test these out, but would be comfortable assuming they're similar to the difference between the Martin Lifespan and Acoustic SPs. 

The natural tone was definitely balanced, similar to the D'Addario set.

Strumming sounded good while lead notes came out clear and with a little bit of bronze-induced grit. 

We seemed to get less sustain out of this set than others, though that's not a major issue when you're playing acoustic. There's nothing really "wrong" with these strings, but again, it just seems like there's no real reason to buy Fender acoustic strings before others.

Since acoustic strings are naturally heavier and harder to play, the best acoustic guitar strings for beginners should be a lighter gauge and, if possible, coated. The coating - like the kind Elixir uses - makes strings easier to slide on and less gritty, which is a small, but helpful perk for beginners trying to get the hang of guitar.

We also drew heavily on our own personal experience with acoustic guitar strings. Between Bobby and a handful of other folks that write or consult for Guitar Chalk, we've used a lot of different string sets.

Here are some more common acoustic string features to keep in mind, beginner or otherwise:

• NANOWEB Coating: A type of treatment used on Elixir acoustic strings (brighter tone)
• POLYWEB Coating: A second type of treatment used on Elixir acoustic strings (warmer tone)
• Steel Core: Most guitar strings start with a high-carbon steel core
• String Gauge: The size of the string, usually given for each one in a pack
• 80/20: Commonly used to describe the breakdown of bronze and phosphor used in guitar strings 
• Bright EQ: Strings will respond better to the mid and treble end of the EQ spectrum
• Low EQ: Strings will respond better to the bass end of the EQ spectrum

• Balanced Tone: Acoustic guitar strings should sound good, both on low and high EQs. Generally speaking, this means they'll be amicable for both strumming and single-note picking patterns.
• Coating or Age-Prevention: Many of the acoustic guitar strings on today's market come with a coating or treatment, which helps to preserve the life of the string and improve the string's tone.
• Construction & Materials: Guitar strings are wound which means you have a core (usually steel) with another layer of material wrapped around that core. The type of materials used here - nickel, bronze, phosphor, etc. - will have a lot to say about the quality and durability of the strings, particularly the thicker gauges.
• Length of Life: How long is a string able to last while maintaining its tone and resonance? Strings that lose freshness not only corrode visibly, but will lose their tonal vitality as well.

In this section, we'll cover some basic FAQ about the best beginner acoustic guitar strings, focusing on issues and questions that commonly arise.

For beginners on acoustic guitar, I would highly recommend a light gauge coated string. They'll be easier to play and will last longer, making it well worth the increased up-front cost.

While you can certainly do fine without them, I really like how easy they are to play and the difference you feel when sliding on the thicker, wound strings.

They definitely make a difference.

Uncoated acoustic strings that are played daily (or semi-regularly) will last around three to five months.

Coated acoustic strings, like Elixir, will last around seven to 10 months with the same amount of playing.

These numbers can shift depending on the frequency of playing time they get.

Storage conditions (humidity, temperature, quality of guitar case, etc.) can also have an impact on string life.

Definitely, yes.

Lighter string gauges will make everything easier, including basic chords, sliding, string to string movement, and even single note melodies.

As a beginner, you should be worrying about finger positioning and proper form without putting an unnecessary amount of stress on your fingers. Take advantage of lighter acoustic guitar strings in your earlier playing days.

A peg winder is the easiest way to change strings, drastically cutting down the time compared to doing it by hand. This handy article shows you the process in photos.

You'll notice that on most acoustic string sets, the G, B and E are unwound, left to only the steel core in varying sizes. This is a normal aspect of steel string construction which winds the low E, A and D strings, but leaves the other three unwound to more easily achieve the balance of size and tone between the six strings.

This stands in contrast to nylon strings, which are not wound with any kind of additional material.

Acoustic guitar strings tend to discolor easily, especially on the thicker wound strings (the low E, A, and D).

Once they start losing their color you might also notice a distinct drop in tone quality, as though they've lost a lot of their body and chime.

When this happens, a change of strings is advisable.

• Reverb.com, Guitar String Materials & Construction, Article
• ErnieBall.com, Company String Page, Manufacturer Website
• ElixirStrings.com, Company Home Page, Manufacturer Website
• Wikihow.com, How to Change Guitar Strings, Instructional Article
• Amazon.com, Musical Instrument Best-Seller List, Review Source