I don’t think there’s a guitar player out there who’s never faced a broken string before. I’ve had strings snap in my face more times than I can count, and while it’s not ideal and it can be scary, it’s part of the process, especially if you’re an intense player. But what if your guitar …
From the very beginning of civilization, stringed instruments like the lyre have been part of our culture, and people still play them today. If you picked up lyre, though, what would you use to string it? Can you use guitar strings on a lyre? While you’re going to be better off with a matched set …
There are hundreds of fantastic guitar players worldwide, but even players like Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Nancy Wilson of Heart, or B.B. King need their guitars to stay in tune to sound their best. Regardless if you are playing songs in standard tuning or looking for something more unique musically, the strings need to …
From the ethereal darkness of the bass line from “Come Together” to the airy acoustic fingerstyle of “Blackbird,” Paul McCartney has offered up some of the most iconic parts in all of rock music. But what kind of strings does he use on guitar and bass to play those well-known riffs and how do they …
What Guitar And Bass Strings Does Paul McCartney Use? Read More »
If you’ve ever known the pain of breaking a string on your mandolin while showing off your double-picking skills during a bluegrass jam session, you know how important having spare strings can be. While searching to replace your string and continue your solo, you probably wondered: Can you use guitar strings on a mandolin? You …
You pull out your acoustic guitar on Jan. 1, ready to start your New Year’s Resolution of practicing every day, when, while tuning up, you break a string. You search your case, but you don’t have any extras, and no stores are open. You have to keep your resolution! Can you make your own guitar …
Any player knows that string choice, especially string gauge, is a key part of the tone equation. That raises the question: Do thicker guitar strings sound better? In general, a lot more goes into the sound of a guitar string than its thickness, but thicker guitar strings will sound louder than thinner ones. In some …
It’s hard to imagine a guitarist more influential than B.B. King, who used his iconic guitar, Lucille, to spread the love of the blues into the mainstream of music. Everyone knows B.B. King played Lucille, but what guitar strings did B.B. King use? B.B. King’s famous blues style came in part from the lighter gauge …
If you’ve ever picked up a guitar that hasn’t been played in a while and been surprised at how difficult it was to play, you might have wondered what was going on. Do guitar strings get stiff with age? In general, guitar strings that are played regularly tend to get looser, rather than stiffer, over …
It can be frustrating, especially for beginners, to always feel like they’re changing guitar strings — after all, that’s time not spent doing what they love: playing the guitar. One things guitarist both new and experienced wonder is how to make guitar strings last longer. The best way to make guitar strings last longer is …
