Strings - Electric

LAWK STAR Guitars offers a full selection of electric guitar strings by companies such as: Cleartone, D’Addario, Ernie Ball, GHS, Dunlop, DR and Dean Markley.

Electric Guitar String Buying Guide

Gauges: A guitar string’s thickness, or gauge, affects how it sounds. Thicker strings have more tension; the thicker the string, the harder it is to fret. The gauge size generally refers to the size of the first string (E). If a person says the need “10s” for strings, this means the gauge on the first string is 0.010 inches.   Electric guitar strings range from extra super-light (8s) to extra heavy (13s). Extra super-light- to light-gauge strings (8s to 10s) are good strings for beginners. Blues and classic rock musicians tend to use medium gauges, while jazz guitarists use heavy gauges.   Electric guitar strings have ferromagnetic metals and each has its own distinctive sound. Popular materials include:

• Nickel: Warm, broken-in sounds; not as bright as nickel-plated steel
• Nickel-plated steel: Balanced warm and bright sounds with some attack
• Stainless steel: Crispy, edgy tones with sustain
• Titanium: Bright tones
• Chrome: Warm tones and less resonance
• Cobalt: Dynamic, bright tones with good pickup response

Windings: The windings on strings are the ridges that you see and feel. Most electric guitar strings are roundwound, giving them a traditional feel and tone. Flatwound strings feel smooth and produce mellow tones. Halfround strings feel smooth and produce dark tones that have less attack.