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HOW TO CHOOSE A STRING GAUGE FOR YOUR ACOUSTIC GUITAR
String gauge is an important part of playing and getting the best possible sound out of your guitar.
Here’s everything you need to know about acoustic guitar string gauges to make an informed decision about what strings are best for you.
Gauge refers to the diameter of a string. Gauges are described in thousandths of an inch and can be found listed on the back of a string pack.
Overall, string gauges are classified as:
- Extra light
- Custom light
- Light
- Medium
- Heavy
For purposes of this tutorial we’ll refer to anything from extra light to light as “lighter,” and anything from medium to heavy as “heavier.” While we want this article to be a comprehensive overview of string gauges for acoustic guitars, it is important to note that Martin does not recommend heavy gauge strings for any Martin guitars. We recommend using only extra light through medium gauge strings on our guitars. Heavy strings can cause too much tension on the top which may cause irreversible damage.
