I have an oldish classical acoustic guitar that was my wifes, not amazing quality but more than good enough for my 12 yr old daughter to start on. It just needs a clean up after being in the loft for a few yrs and needs new strings…..
wheres good to get these from .. I’m lost on the guage/material etc or what might be suitable. My brother stole all the musical talent and hes not available just now and I’d like to get them ordered today?

thank you

Any local music shop or on-line from the likes of Andertons classical guitar strings – type that in your browser.

While there are some exceptions, if it’s a nylon-string guitar, you’ll probably need the same. If it’s metal stringed, buy metal strings.

Also the thickness of the strings on acoustic, medium guage (heavier strings) can put quite a lot of tension on the neck, which over time can be detrimental to the structural integrity of of the guitar if it’s lightly built.

Heavier guage tend to have a better fuller more bassy sound to them, but harder on the fingers for bending notes etc. lighter guage tend to be a bit quieter but a little more sparkly and nuanced at the trebble end.

As a beginner i’d go for a lighter set regardless, as they are a bit easier to play, other things being equal.

It just needs a clean up after being in the loft for a few yrs and needs new strings

I’d go to a decent shop, they will be happy to chat shit about strings and setups all day long! it might be worth spending a couple of quid to get them to check and make any basic adjustments too – the best guitar in the world will sound rubbish and be hard to play if the ‘set-up’ is all out of whack.

What he says. Lighter will be easier to play to start. A nicely set up guitar will sound nicer and be easier to play too.  You don’t need to do it but it is worth asking how much it is to do because the difference can be night and day

Been a while since I bought strings for a classical guitar, but I seem to recall there being much less variety/choice of gauges? So, OP… is it nylon strung (classical guitar) or metal (usually steel) strung (acoustic guitar)? Bonus question if nylon strung – how do the strings attach? Are they wrapped/knotted at the bridge like this:

or ball-end type attachment through the bridge like this:

/edit
one of these days, I’ll figure out posting pics, promise…
/endedit

thanks everyone, I’ll get some light gauge strings as its for a kid, its for christmas when my brother will be here and he’s a guitar player so he can set up properly for her but at least I’ll have a better idea what to order now.

hopkinsgm Thanks I will check again tonight as i only really looked at the neck, then report back!
cheers

leffeboy
Full Member
What he says. Lighter will be easier to play to start.

not necessarily on a classical guitar tbh, light strings can feel like rubber bands.

tbh the biggest defining factor on a classical guitar is that the neck most likely won’t have a truss rod, so if you get light strings than aren’t intended for the guitar, you might end up with a back bow and buzzing strings. (it’s important to choose the right strings on a guitar with no truss rod. you don’t really get any set up options, string tension is what sets the neck relief)

tbh if you don’t know, I’d take it into a shop and ask them about it.

I’m actually restringing mine at the minute, need to put hard tension on it, cause I prefer them, but I’ve been playing for years. but secondly and more importantly, the guitar needs them.

Also if it is classical, get it strung up the day before, as classical strings stretch, a lot.

I think most modern ‘classical’ guitars have the thicker strings in wound steel and the thinner strings in nylon.. but I digress..

Also if it is classical, get it strung up the day before, as classical strings stretch, a lot.

So do steel strings, brand new ones go out of tune really fast until you thrash the elasticity out of them a bit.

Also if it is classical, get it strung up the day week before, as classical strings stretch, a lot.

FTFY 😉

thanks everyone, I’ll get some light gauge strings as its for a kid

Just be carefull, some are fully nylon, some are nylon and steel as per the second pic from @hopkinsgm

it depends on how the guitar is built.

Or not, you could just go full willie nelson
https://www.celebstoner.com/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/WillieNelson_TriggerFB2.658e65f41aebcd149041b12da7c1972d.jpg

I think most modern ‘classical’ guitars have the thicker strings in wound steel and the thinner strings in nylon.. but I digress..

The thicker strings *are* wound (to bind together the multiple cores – typically nylon threads – that form the core), but usually a softer metal, such as brass or copper. Unlikely to be steel on a classical.

The thicker strings *are* wound (to bind together the multiple cores – typically nylon threads – that form the core), but usually a softer metal, such as brass or copper. Unlikely to be steel on a classical.

I stand happily corrected! My acoustics are both steel strung ‘modern’ rather than classical/spanish.

All the more reason to take it into the local guitar shop just for a 5 min chat, we don’t have pictures or brand/make of guitar.

mattyfez
Free Member

So do steel strings, brand new ones go out of tune really fast until you thrash the elasticity out of them a bit.

a wee bit aye, nylon stretch like mad though, you can over stretch them to get there quicker, but it still takes a good hour or 2 before they settle into stable tuning even if you over tune them by 4,5 or 6 halfsteps(If you just tension up to pitch and constantly retune, it can take half a day or more). Steel strings don’t particularly stretch in comparison(I know they do, but a quick over stretch by a half step or 2 and you are good to go in 10/15 minutes).

hopkinsgm
Full Member
I think most modern ‘classical’ guitars have the thicker strings in wound steel and the thinner strings in nylon.. but I digress..

The thicker strings *are* wound (to bind together the multiple cores – typically nylon threads – that form the core), but usually a softer metal, such as brass or copper. Unlikely to be steel on a classical.

yeah, ones I just stuck on are silver plated copper wound nylon core on the E,A,D.

mattyfez
Free Member

All the more reason to take it into the local guitar shop just for a 5 min chat, we don’t have pictures or brand/make of guitar.

defo agree, even just to get the right tension strings on as I said this is important, you really don’t want a back bow.

hopkinsgm
Full Member
Also if it is classical, get it strung up the day week before, as classical strings stretch, a lot.

FTFY 😉

haha, missed this, yeah, if you want to go quicker, you need to be very brave on the over stretching! 😆

I’m going to take it to a shop to get the right advice based on all your advice, its a good job bikes aren’t this complex!

thanks again FB

I’m going to take it to a shop to get the right advice based on all your advice, its a good job bikes aren’t this complex!

Well, bikes kind of are, if you don’t know, you don’t know. A bike analogy might be, you wouldn’t put a roadie groupset on a mountain bike, or you have to buy specific chains depending on your gear set up, etc, etc.

Someone who knows nothing about bikes could reasonably assume that a bike chain is a bike chain…they are all just bikes with 2 wheels, right? heheh same with guitars, 6 strings? must be the same.

ha ha… it was very much a tongue in cheek comment re bikes. I just know a bit about them and not much about geeetars!

Yeah, sorry I realised after posting you might have been being tounge in cheek.. hehe