Bill Dutcher – Modern Acoustic Guitarist

There’s lots of choices when it comes to strings for acoustic guitars.  The two most popular are Phosphor Bronze and Bright Bronze or 80/20.  Phosphor Bronze tend to have a more rich full-bodied tone – great for fingerstyle.  Bright Bronze or 80/20 (80% bronze – 20% tin) tend to have more brightness.  Phosphor Bronze will sound just as bright for the first day or so then they tend to mellow out.  If you use a magnetic sound-hole pickup you may consider using Nickel or White Bronze.  These have more magnetic content to them.  The core is steel and so is the wrap.  Therefore the pickup ‘hears’ more of the string.  When using 80/20′s or Phosphour strings the magnetic pickup only ‘hears’ the core of the string as the wrapping has no magnetic quality.  If you have an older fragile instrument you may consider silk-and-bronze or silk-and-steel.  These use a thinner core that is wrapped with silk (to make up for the mass of a regular sized core – but without the tension), then it’s wrapped with the winding.  These type of strings have less tension and are easier on the hands and on the instrument.  Gauges depend on your style.  Yes, you’ll get more tone and volume with medium guage strings but with that comes more wear and tear and tension which can shorten the life of the guitar.  If you use low altered tunings medium gauge are a great choice as they tend to hold the lower notes better without flapping about.  Your choice depends on what you like and your style.