Get FREE shipping on all orders!

Fast FREE shipping on all orders!

My Cart
Account

Guitar Strings

From acoustic to electric, it all starts with the string. Materials include chrome, cobalt, nickel, phosphor, bronze, nylon, silk and steel. Diverse windings, different gauges, crazy colors, cryogenics, and protective coatings are all called upon in the ultimate pursuit of tone, longevity, and well...yeah...looking cool. From eight-string to baritone to classical to straight-ahead rock, AMS has the right set of guitar strings for every player.

Items 1-16 of 223

  1. Ernie Ball Slinky Guitar Strings
    Ernie Ball Slinky Guitar Strings
    The Top Selling Guitar String, Ernie Ball Slinky Electric Strings offer the highest standards through precision manufacturing to achieve a world-class tone Widely revered for consistency by ensuring exacting...
    $6.99 - $64.99 Save $6.34 - 34.01 (48%)$13.33 - 99.00

    Or 4 Payments of $16.25

    No Credit Check

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  2. D'Addario EXL Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    D'Addario EXL Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    EXL110 EXL110, D'Addario's best selling set, offers the ideal combination of tone, flexibility and long life. The standard for most electric guitars. EXL116 EXL116 is a hybrid set with an .011 on top and a...
    $6.99 - $119.99 Save $6.81 - 143.41 (54%)$13.80 - 263.40

    Or 6 Payments of $20.00

    No Credit Check

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  3. D'Addario EXL120 XL Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings 10 Pack
    D'Addario EXL120 XL Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings 10 Pack
    D'Addario XL Electric Guitar strings are world-renowned as The Player's Choice amongst gutiar players of all genres and styles. XL strings are wound with nickel-plated steel, known for it's distinctive bright tone...
    $54.99 Save $63.56 (54%)$118.55

    Or 4 Payments of $13.75

    No Credit Check

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  4. Elixir 16102 NanoWeb Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
    Elixir 16102 NanoWeb Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
    Elixir Acoustic Phosphor Bronze Guitar Strings feature the exclusive, ultra-thin NANOWEB coating. Strings are not just strings. They are the connection between you and your music. When strings go dead, so goes the...
    $19.99 - $47.99

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  5. D'Addario NYXL Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    D'Addario NYXL Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    D’Addario NYXL guitar strings will bend farther, sing louder, and stay in tune better than any string you’ve played before. Envisioned, perfected, and manufactured by DAddario in New York, this newly engineered,...
    $12.99 - $229.99 Save $9.21 - 194.36 (46%)$22.20 - 424.35

    Or 6 Payments of $38.33

    No Credit Check

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  6. Elixir 12052 NanoWeb Electric Guitar Strings
    Elixir 12052 NanoWeb Electric Guitar Strings
    Elixir NanoWeb Electric Guitar Strings give your guitar long lasting tone! Breathe life in to your electric with Elixir's NanoWeb guitar strings. Providing excellent tonality that lasts 3 to 5 times longer than...
    $14.99

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  7. Elixir 11052 NanoWeb 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
    Elixir 11052 NanoWeb 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
    Elixir Nanoweb Acoustic Guitar Strings; Don't Mess around with An Ordinary String! Elixir Strings with ultra thin NANOWEB coating sound great 3 to 5 times longer than ordinary strings. They have the bright tone...
    $17.99 - $42.99 Save $41.01 (49%)$84.00

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  8. Elixir 16182 NanoWeb Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Strings
    Elixir 16182 NanoWeb Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Strings
    Taylor Guitars worked with Elixir Strings to create a custom string set that brings bolder highs and fuller lows to the Grand Concert and Grand Auditorium guitars. Elixir Acoustic HD Light Phosphor Bronze Strings...
    $19.99

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  9. Ernie Ball 2222 Hybrid Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    Ernie Ball 2222 Hybrid Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky Electric Strings are a perfect match for those who like the ability to combine the combination of Super and Regular Slinkys. These strings are precision manufactured to the highest...
    $6.99 - $17.99 Save $6.88 - 20.00 (53%)$13.87 - 37.99

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  10. D'Addario EJ Series Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
    D'Addario EJ Series Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
    EJ15 D'Addario's lightest gauge of acoustic strings, EJ15s are ideal for beginners or any player that prefers a softer tone and easy bending. EJ26 Referred to as Custom Light, EJ26 strings are a D'Addario...
    $8.99 - $71.99 Save $8.76 - 79.91 (53%)$17.75 - 151.90

    Or 4 Payments of $18.00

    No Credit Check

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  11. Ernie Ball Earthwood Acoustic 80/20 Bronze Guitar Strings
    Ernie Ball Earthwood Acoustic 80/20 Bronze Guitar Strings
    Made from 80% copper, 20% zinc wire wrapped around hex shaped tin plated high carbon steel core wire. One of the most popular acoustic guitar strings as used by the Eagles, Elvis Costello and Joe Bonamassa. Ernie...
    $6.99 - $64.99 Save $7.34 (51%)$14.33

    Or 4 Payments of $13.75

    No Credit Check

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  12. Ernie Ball 2220 Power Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    Ernie Ball 2220 Power Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    Ernie Ball Power Slinky Electric Strings are a perfect match for those who like chunky rhythms for rock and roll or blues. Power Slinkys have long been favored by Slash, Metallica, & Kenny Wayne Shepherd due to the...
    $6.99 - $17.99 Save $6.88 - 20.00 (53%)$13.87 - 37.99

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  13. Martin MTCN160 Titanium Core Acoustic Guitar Strings
    Martin MTCN160 Titanium Core Acoustic Guitar Strings
    Martin Titanium Core strings deliver the ultimate player’s experience with patented technology and a proprietary winding process only available from Martin! The patented technology and proprietary winding process...
    $39.99

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  14. Elixir 11050 PolyWeb 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
    Elixir 11050 PolyWeb 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
    Elixir PolyWeb Acoustic Guitar Strings feel like a dream with tone that lasts! Elixir Strings boasting the original POLYWEB coating have the full-bodied sound you would get from broken-in strings. Touting an...
    $16.99 - $37.95 Save $46.05 (55%)$84.00

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  15. Ernie Ball Slinky Custom Gauge Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    Ernie Ball Slinky Custom Gauge Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings
    Legendary tone used by legendary artists! Featuring that iconic Slinky feel and tone, the custom gauge Slinky strings are perfect for all playing styles and genres. Precision wound with nickel plated steel wrap...
    $6.99 - $64.99 Save $6.88 (50%)$13.87

    Or 4 Payments of $16.25

    No Credit Check

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
  16. Ernie Ball Paradigm Slinky Electric Guitar Strings
    Ernie Ball Paradigm Slinky Electric Guitar Strings
    Continuing their passion for innovation and high-quality products, Ernie Ball introduces Paradigm electric and acoustic guitar strings - the world’s strongest and most advanced string out there! They also feature...
    $14.99 Save $18.00 (55%)$32.99

    h m s

    free-shipping-icon
Page
per page

This is a carousel slides. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate.

Guitar Strings

When it comes to tone, your strings are make-or-break. From alloys to gauges, from windings to protective coatings, choosing the right guitar strings will ensure the best sound and ease of playability for your axe. With a diverse selection of strings from Ernie Ball, D’Addario, Elixir, and numerous other top-selling brands, American Musical Supply is the place to find your ideal Electric Guitar Strings, 6-String Acoustic Guitar Strings, 12-String Acoustic Guitar Strings, and Classical Guitar Strings.

Guitar String Construction

To help you choose the best guitar strings for your needs, let’s begin with a little background on how strings are constructed. Electric and acoustic guitars are strung with a combination of both plain and wound strings. For the plain strings, a length of round tin coated Swedish steel music wire is cut to size and fitted with a ball end. Manufacturing their wound counterpart is a little more complicated. Wound strings are created by wrapping wire, made from one of several alloys, around a round or hexagonally shaped steel core wire, with different gauges achieved by altering the thickness of the wrap wire.

The alloys used for the wrap wire are chosen based on the different properties required for use on either an electric or acoustic guitar. Where acoustic strings need to generate massive amounts of volume, electric guitar strings are made of ferromagnetic metals to interact with the instrument’s magnetic pickup. Other considerations include tone, longevity and overall feel.

Varieties of Acoustic Guitar Strings

The most popular alloy used in the making of acoustic guitar strings is Phosphor Bronze. Composed of 92% copper alloyed with 8% tin, Phosphor Bronze strings have a reddish hue and produce a rich, warm tone.

Also popular for acoustic guitars is 80/20 Bronze, sometimes called 80/20 Brass. Combining 80% copper with 20% zinc for a crisp bright tone, 80/20 appear more golden in color due to their high percentage of zinc.

For the acoustic guitarist desiring a softer, mellower feel and tone there are silk and steel strings. A silver-plated copper wire wrapped around a silk covered, thin steel core offers an easy fingering string with a silky smooth tone.

Varieties of Electric Guitar Strings

By far, the most popular alloy used in electric guitar strings is Nickel Plated Steel. Providing the strong magnetic properties needed to interact with an electric guitar’s magnetic pickups, Nickel Plated Steel delivers a warm, smooth tone and can usually be found factory installed on most new guitars.

Pure Nickel strings, once the standard in the sixties, are back in a big way. They produce a darker tone with less brightness that’s preferred by some players. They are also the least abrasive on your frets.

Stainless Steel strings generate the brightest tone and will provide extended life as they resist corrosion better than any other untreated string.

Flatwound strings are a different animal altogether. Instead of using a round wire for the wrap, flatwound strings are wrapped with flattened steel or tape and then ground smooth for the dark, dusky sound often preferred by Jazz guitarists.

Half-Round strings straddle the divide between round and flat. Wrapped with a round wire, it is then ground flat to give the smooth feel of a flatwound with a brighter sound than flatwounds.

Varieties of Nylon Strings

Nylon strings, often times called Classical Guitar Strings due to their regular use with that family of guitars, are unique in their construction amongst all other guitar strings. For the unwound strings, a single filament of Dupont Nylon is used. For the wound, a fine Nylon threadlike filament core is wound with silver-plated or bronze wire resulting in a mellow sound with a soft feel that is played without a pick. Nylon strings are available with the traditional “tie-end” or the easier to restring “ball-end.”

Coated and Treated Strings

The biggest innovation in string design in the last twenty years is the coated or treated string. To postpone the inevitable rust and oxidization that will eventually inhabit your strings, manufacturers have taken to offering strings coated with anti-corrosive treatments. These strings will last longer and retain their brighter sound without being dulled by corrosion.

Guitar String Gauges

The other big consideration when choosing strings is their gauge, or thickness. Measured in thousandths of an inch, the sets are often referred to by the gauge of the thinnest string. For instance, 9’s would refer to a set ranging from .009 - .042. Common gauges for electric guitar strings include 9’s (Light Gauge) or 10’s (Medium Gauge.) Acoustic strings are generally a little thicker to produce more volume. Common gauges are 12’s (Light Gauge) or 13’s (Medium Gauge.) Nylon strings are labeled as “tensions”, Light Tension, Normal Tension and Hard Tension.

About the Author - Michael Barberich

CONTINUE READING
SHOW LESS
Copyright © 1996-2024 American Musical Supply, Inc. All rights reserved