Yamaha LL16-12 Use and Care Guide - Page 3
String Replacement - guitar
UPC - 086792827001
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String Replacement Steel-string Acoustic Guitars Like the name says, these strings are made of steel or other metals, such as bronze. Steel strings gauges can vary widely, from extra-light tension to heavy tension. Why the difference in gauges? It depends on the player and the style. Heavier strings will give a thicker, beefier sound. They will also be harder to play! Extra light gauge strings will be easier to bend, but will also have a lighter sound. It depends on the player and the style of music played. Yamaha steel-string acoustics come strung with light gauge strings. This is the most popular tension, and strikes a good balance between playability and tone. A common set would range from a gauge of .012 for string 1 through to .53 for string 6. Because of the high tension involved in steel strings, if you change the gauge of the strings you are using you may need to have some adjustments made to the guitar, including adjusting the neck, bridge or nut. If you decide to use a gauge that is different than the gauge the guitar came with, it might be a good idea to have these adjustments made by an experienced technician. Electric Guitars This is where we find the most variety in string gauges. The strings are made of metal, although the alloys used are different than those designed for steel-string acoustics. Once again, there is a trade-off: light strings are easier to bend and do vibrato, but have a thinner tone and are harder to keep in tune. Heavier strings sound thicker, but are tougher to bend. There are many different gauges available, including 'hybrid' sets that use light strings for 1 to 3, but heavy strings for 4 to 6. Most electric guitars today come with fairly light strings that can range from a .009 gauge on string 1, to a .42 gauge on string 6. If this is too light, you could move to a range of .010 to .046 which is also very popular. Again, if you decide on a string gauge different from that of the original set, you may need to have the guitar adjusted by a technician.