How to Choose Guitar Strings for Alternate Tunings

If you've decided to start using alternate tunings, you will have to pay close attention to the strings you use. The more you change the tunings on your guitar, the more metal fatigue your strings will experience, which can lead to them breaking. But you will also need to experiment with a number of different string types to determine which work best for the tunings you want to use.

Things You'll Need

• Guitar
• Variety of string types, weights, and tensions
• Many sets of spare strings

Instructions

How to Choose Guitar Strings for Alternate Tunings

1. Start by using your normal strings. If you use light gauge strings, expect to break a few as the lighter the strings, the less they take many changes in tuning.

2. Re-tune your guitar a number of times using the tunings you plan on using. If your strings break after only three tunings, you will need to use heavier gauge strings.

3. Use only medium strings if you plan on tuning up, or tuning your strings to notes higher than standard tuning. Light strings will suffer from metal fatigue and heavy strings will often go sharp when fretted above their intended tuning.

4. Use heavy gauge strings if you plan on tuning your 6th string down to C (or any note below D). If you use anything lighter than about 52, the notes will be inconsistently sharp when fretted.

5. Practice using your new strings. Your fingers will take time to become accustomed to the different tensions that go along with new tunings.

6. Expect to keep a number of extra sets of strings on hand if you use altered tunings. You will break at least twice as many strings just from natural metal fatigue.

Tips & Warnings

• Breaking strings is to be expected with altered tunings. Don't worry that you are doing something wrong if your strings break.

• Many companies have started producing special sets of strings for non-standard tunings. If you use a common altered tuning (like DADGAD or slack-key tunings), look for special sets to cut down on broken strings.