![]() This means that when you go from one string to another you should feel a similar performance under your fingers. There’s always room for improvement!Ī newer development, balanced tension aims to keep the tension across all the strings roughly the same. In short, traditional guitar strings totally get the job done, but they are not without their flaws, which is why modern innovations have sought out modern solutions. Our lowest notes need the most tension, yet your low E string doesn’t have as much tension as your A string with a traditional string pack… doesn’t make much sense, does it? So you end up with a low string that doesn’t stay in tune, a bit of an odd feeling jump between all of your strings, and a slight impairment to your tone. So, using a thicker string for more tuning consistency is a trade-off. The result can sound “dull” and lack in clarity. On top of that, thicker strings tend to sound more round, darker, and produce less harmonic content. The higher the tension, the more consistent the tuning of that string will be when it’s played, minimizing the the amount of “pitch bend.” Well, tension actually plays a huge role in tone, tuning stability, and playability.Ī looser string will tend to go very sharp when initially hit, and then settle back into tune. Hypothetically your thickest string should be the tightest, and your highest string should be the loosest, but this isn’t the case with 90% of strings. Traditional guitar strings have their tension all over the place. Decades of scientific improvement have gone by and yet we’re still using the same strings? Yikes… I know most of us are probably happy with our 50+-year-old technology… but we could be happier. If anything, it means that the technology is long overdue for an update. However, just because we’ve used something for more than half a century doesn’t mean that they can’t be improved! The standard off-the-rack guitar strings you’ve been buying for ages are good enough for all your guitar idols, I know. So are they all bogus? What’s “progressive tension”? If guitar strings have worked for decades already, why should I switch? All great questions, let’s dive in. Not only can we choose from a wide variety of gauges and material types, but now each set can provide its own unique impact on tension across the strings. Traditional guitar strings have been around for decades, but today guitarists have far more options when it comes to string tension.
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