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GNewbie

Beginner Help Needed!

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Hello,

First time posting on a forum like this, hope everyone is keeping well in lockdown!  I find myself furloughed and looking to pick up a new skill - my dad was a very keen guitar player and for years tried to get me into it (I played piano and sang and generally find it quite easy to pick up musical things) but for some reason as a child I was just never that into it.  Anyway, before he died he bought be the most beautiful Baby Taylor, as I was a fair bit younger than I am now and so didn't need anything large.  I still also have one of his old Taylor acoustic guitars that he loved.

Anyway to cut a long story short, I need to restring them as they haven't been played in years, and I would like to start learning now that I have all this free time!  I have been a bit boggled by all the different options of what strings to get, so thought I would post on here for some help.  Obviously I don't need anything top of the range, but any advice would be appreciated.  

Thank you!

G

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:crigon_04:
Wow, those are some really nice  guitars to learn on.
 

Strings can be a bit of a minefield, especially for acoustic guitar. However, I’d suggest one of the mainstream, middle of the road  brands like D’Addario or Ernie Ball. As a beginner (or even beyond) I’d probably go light gauge 11-52, as these won’t wreck your new fingers too quickly and won’t be too thin sounding.

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/03121018032318--daddario-ej26-custom-light-acoustic-11-52

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/171122317049008--ernie-ball-2004-earthwood-8020-bronze-light-guitar-strings

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@GNewbie: Ignore the above ^^; an acoustic guitar needs heavier gauge strings than an electric, which is what is referenced by Kiwi. Those links are the safe route to start you off, bronze strings at something like 12's for the top 'E'.

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On 29/04/2020 at 17:15, GNewbie said:

Hello,

First time posting on a forum like this, hope everyone is keeping well in lockdown!  I find myself furloughed and looking to pick up a new skill - my dad was a very keen guitar player and for years tried to get me into it (I played piano and sang and generally find it quite easy to pick up musical things) but for some reason as a child I was just never that into it.  Anyway, before he died he bought be the most beautiful Baby Taylor, as I was a fair bit younger than I am now and so didn't need anything large.  I still also have one of his old Taylor acoustic guitars that he loved.

Anyway to cut a long story short, I need to restring them as they haven't been played in years, and I would like to start learning now that I have all this free time!  I have been a bit boggled by all the different options of what strings to get, so thought I would post on here for some help.  Obviously I don't need anything top of the range, but any advice would be appreciated.  

Thank you!

G

Hello, I am also a newbie. I use Ernie Ball Mediums 13-56, and I find that they have a tone that I Like very much, hope this helps.

Mike

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I would suggest maybe 11's as you are starting out, when it comes to acoustic strings I only use Newtone heritage strings, they are lower tension than other brands and the tensions are even across the fretboard, I have been playing for 20 odd years now and have introduced quite a few people to these strings, I have yet to find anyone who didn't like them. They are a tiny bit more expensive than D'Addario or ernie ball but I find they last a bit longer so it all balances out in the end. 

 

Matt

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For longevity, Elixir strings are very hard to beat, and sound fine (or rather better than 'fine', to me...). Their 'Nanoweb' phosphor-Bronze are ideal, as they tune up well and hold their tune, and keep their tone for much longer than others; in my view 'Medium' is the best weight (13-56...). Easily available; here's the Amazon offering, but there are many other sources...

Elixir Strings ...

Edited by Dad3353
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i would be a bit careful with anything thicker than a 12, especially if the guitar has a cedar top or is lightly braced, my McIlroy came with a note that fitting anything thicker than a 12 would invalidate the warranty as the cedar top was only strong enough for 12's. the Newtone Heritage strings have a much lower overall tension than other strings, the total tension  of the 12's io use is less than the total tension of 11's from D'addario. if you arte total beginner to guitar then a lighter gauge will be easier on the fingers, you can always experiment with thicker gauges when you have a bit more experience.

Having said all that  do use regular 13's on one guitar as it has a slightly shorter scale and i usually have it detuned a tone which helps a bit.

Matt

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