The main types of guitar strings are steel-core strings for acoustic and electric guitars and nylon strings for classical guitars. Within those, the wrap material (phosphor bronze, 80/20 bronze, nickel, stainless steel), the gauge, the winding and whether the string is coated decide how it sounds, how it feels and how long it lasts. This guide walks through each choice so you can pick the right set for your guitar and the music you play.
Strings are the cheapest tone change you can make, and the one most players get wrong at first. If you already know what you want, our acoustic guitar strings guide and electric guitar strings guide compare specific sets. If you’re still working out the difference between steel and nylon, start with steel strings vs nylon strings.
🎸 Free download
Not sure which guitar is right for you?
Get the free Guitar Gear Cheat Sheet: match your style, budget and hands to the right guitar in 2 minutes. You’ll also get my 30-Day Practice Plan as a bonus.
Send My Cheat Sheet →Here’s the short version before we go deeper:
| Guitar | Usual string type | Common starting gauge | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel-string acoustic | Phosphor bronze or 80/20 bronze | Light (12–53) or custom light (11–52) | Warm and full (PB) or bright and crisp (80/20) |
| Electric | Nickel-plated steel | 10–46 (regular) | Balanced, works for most styles |
| Classical / flamenco | Nylon trebles, silver-plated copper basses | Normal or high tension | Soft, round and warm |
| Jazz archtop | Flatwound nickel or stainless | 11–50 or 12–52 | Smooth, dark, little finger noise |
What Are Guitar Strings Made Of?
Every steel guitar string starts with a steel core wire. The three or four thinnest strings in a set are usually plain steel. The thicker strings have a second wire, the wrap, wound tightly around that core. The wrap adds mass so the string can reach a low pitch without being impossibly stiff. Because the wrap covers most of the string’s surface, it’s the wrap metal that people mean when they talk about “bronze” or “nickel” strings.
Nylon strings work differently. The trebles are solid nylon (or a similar polymer such as fluorocarbon), and the basses are a bundle of fine nylon filaments wrapped in metal wire, usually silver-plated copper. That’s why classical guitars feel so much softer under the fingers.
Not sure which gauge to buy? Try our free string gauge finder for any tuning and scale length.
Materials: Phosphor Bronze, 80/20, Nickel, Steel and Nylon
Material is the biggest tone decision after picking steel or nylon. The rule that saves most mistakes: bronze strings are for acoustic guitars, and nickel or steel strings are for electrics. Electric pickups are magnetic, and bronze wraps are not, so acoustic strings sound thin and quiet through an electric pickup.
Phosphor bronze (acoustic)
Phosphor bronze is roughly 92% copper and 8% tin, with a trace of phosphorus that slows corrosion. It’s the most common acoustic string today. It sounds warm and even, with a strong midrange and good sustain, and it tends to keep its tone a bit longer than 80/20. If you’re unsure what to put on an acoustic, phosphor bronze is the safe default.
80/20 bronze (acoustic)
Despite the name, 80/20 “bronze” is technically brass: 80% copper and 20% zinc. It sounds brighter and crisper than phosphor bronze, with strong bass and treble and a slightly scooped middle. Many players like it for strumming in a band mix or for recording, where that sparkle cuts through. It does lose its brightness faster.
Nickel-plated steel (electric)
This is the standard electric string: a steel core with a steel wrap plated in nickel. It sits in the middle of the tone range, bright enough for rock and clean enough for pop and blues, and feels smooth under the fingers. Most electric guitars leave the factory with nickel-plated strings.
Pure nickel (electric)
Pure nickel wraps are warmer and a little softer in output than nickel-plated steel. They’re the string behind a lot of 1950s and 1960s recordings, so blues and vintage-rock players often reach for them.
Stainless steel and cobalt (electric)
Stainless steel wraps are bright, cutting and very resistant to corrosion, which suits players with sweaty hands and heavy styles. They can feel slightly rougher and may wear frets a little faster over many years. Cobalt alloy strings interact strongly with pickup magnets, giving a hot, wide-range so