Almost all of the guitars produced throughout the world use a default 12 gauge string. This is something that can be a bit heavy if you are an absolute beginner. Keeping this in mind, most of the guitar guides suggest you use an extra light gauge string set for your guitar. However, are extra light guitar strings easy to play?
Yes, extra light or even light gauge strings are easy to play. With such strings, your fingers will not hurt, and bending and pressing will be a lot easier. This happens because extra light or light gauge strings require less tension, and they are easy to bend, strum and press.
Therefore, if you are tired of using a heavy gauge string set on your guitar, it will be fine if you try to move to an extra light or light gauge string set. However, if you want to know more about using an extra light string set on your guitar, follow the article below.
Contents
What Are Extra Light Gauge Guitar Strings?
We all have heard about extra light strings and their benefits for beginner guitarists. However, most of us do not even know what gauge is used for extra light guitar strings.
Therefore, if we talk about acoustic guitars, then extra light guitar strings mean the high E string will be 0.010 inches, and the Low E string will be 0.047 inches.
Now, if you talk about an electric guitar, then the lightest string on a string can be as light as 0.009 diameters in inches. Also, for electric guitars, there are custom light strings in the extra light strings category, and they are as thin as 0.008 inches. So, these are what we call extra light gauge guitar strings.
Do Extra Light Guitar Strings Sound Good?
Well, this is something that never depends on the gauge of your strings. The production of the good or bad sounds depends entirely on the guitarists, their style of playing, the guitar, and in the end, there are strings.
However, it is true that extra light guitar strings are easy to play and require less tension while pressing and bending. However, this does not mean that they will sound good or bad.
If you know how to play guitar, you have got a good guitar, and your strings are not so old, then no matter what gauge strings you are using, the guitar will sound good. All in all, the light or high gauge guitar strings do not decide the quality of sound produced.
Will You Have To Alter Your Guitar To Switch To Light Gauge Strings?
This is something a bit tricky. Most people think that changing the gauge of your strings is as simple as putting on a new set of strings. However, things are a bit different when you change the gauge, and if you are shifting to a lighter gauge, it is sure that you will have to make a few changes to your guitar.
When you shift from a high to a light gauge string set, the action of the guitar lowers due to less tension, and the strings will get closer to the fretboard.
So, if this is the case, you might hear a buzzing sound a lot. This happens because you are used to playing guitar on a high gauge, and you strum the same way you did before.
However, due to low tension and a high stretch, the light gauge strings bounce back and hit the frets if strummed or pulled harder. So, to avoid this, you will either have to keep the action high, or you need to change the style of play.
Will Extra Light Guitar Strings Break More Often?
We do not want to threaten you, but it is true that extra light guitar strings break more often. They are quite thinner than medium or high gauge strings and have low tension. So, if you are using an extra light gauge string set, there are high chances of breaking them.
Most of the time, the strings break when you try to tune them. While tuning, if you are a beginner, you will break a lot of strings, especially the E high string. This particular string is the thinner of all, and this is why it breaks more than you even think.
So, if you are going to use an extra light gauge string set, you need to be quite careful while playing and tuning.
Are Extra Light Strings Good For Beginners?
Certainly, they are good for beginners. The extra light gauge strings are soft, have low tension, offer more stretch, and above all, they do not hurt a lot while playing. So, if you are an absolute beginner whose fingers are not used to playing and bear the pain given by guitar strings, the extra light gauge string set is for you.
However, what we suggest is that you must not stick only to the extra light gauge strings. When you are comfortable playing on them, try light, then medium, and then high gauge strings. This will make you familiar with all gauge string sets.
However, you can later shift to light or extra light, but you must try playing on all of these strings too.
Will Thick Guitar Strings Sound Better?
There is no way that thick guitar strings will sound better, and the thin ones or the light gauge string will not sound well. Though it is true that thick strings sound way louder than thin strings, this does not mean that they sound better.
No matter what gauge of string set you are using, if you are playing it correctly, the strings will sound well. So, this is a mere stereotype that thick strings sound better than light ones.
If the issue is of sound, then today, almost all guitarists use an amp while jamming and performing. And, on an amp, the loudness of the sound of the strings can be adjusted according to your requirements.
Will Changing To Extra Light Gauge Strings Increase Buzzing?
Yes, changing from a high gauge string set to a light or extra light gauge string will increase the buzzing of your guitar. This happens because the light gauge strings have low tension, and this is why they become closer to the frets. So, when you play and strum the strings, the light gauge strings bounce back due to low tension and hit the fretboard.
This is what creates a buzzing sound. To avoid this, you will strum lightly or increase the action of your guitar. This is the main reason why people call extra light guitar strings perfect for finger-style guitarists.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can finally say whether you know if the extra light guitar strings are easy to play or not. We have tried and enriched you with extra light guitar strings and how they are helpful to play your guitar with ease.
Along with it, we have also listed and elaborated on some of the most asked questions relating to extra light guitar strings. However, if you find anything missing or need any additional assistance, do let us know. We always love to assist you.
