Best Steel Strings For Acoustic Guitar (2024 Update)

I have been doing a comparison of silk & steel strings from multiple brands, and these are by far the loosest feeling and easiest to play. They really do feel like having nylon strings on a steel guitar. This is great if you want to make playing easier, and it definitely does. The sound is pretty good too, not as loud as regular strings but a more sweet sound. If your guitar has low action you will probably get fret buzz since these are basically extra lights. Also, another plus to these strings is that they are wrapped with silk at the ball end, which is good for delicate or older instruments. I would recommend these for people who want the easiest to play strings. Otherwise the LaBella 710L strings sound similar and aren't quite so light.Chris

Looking at the description, I wasn't sure if it had "silk" threads underneath the wrap wire. On the Martin website, "silked" seemed to refer to the windings at the ball end. I took a string apart and, indeed, it is a true silk and steel. I'm using them on a very old Gibson flat top with many repaired cracks. Also, my hands seem to be degrading where normal strings are too high tension.Roy

Smoother, more comfortable to play than typical wound strings. OK, silky, if you will. Price is higher, though, and they have a shorter lifespan. Before they wear out, they sound good.Ned

These came installed on my new Epiphone J-45 and man do they sing. Nice bass response and they are not tinny sounding, got the just right acoustic sound. They are coated and to me they make it easier to play. As I haven't played them for that long I'll have to see how they hold up. One other reviewer gave them 3 stars but if you read the review, he was complaining about the shipping time and even said he hadn't tried them. I find it hard to believe that it was AMS's fault for the delay, they always ship super fast. We were (and still are) getting slammed by Covid and delivery times by carriers were way behind in September when that review was written.Greg 'Purple' Hays

I like to keep my J45 Gibson guitar all "Gibson", so I use Gibson coated strings. They sound great and last a long time. Other coated strings are nice too but the Gibson strings just seem to sound brighter and louder.Guy

Nicer for low register pull-offs and high-end resonance re string 3 than a 14 gauge IMHO on a 5-string banjo with a tailpiece accepting of ball-end strings.Nicholas W.

A replacement very thin wire string for a snapped 7 from the Jim Dunlop Billy Gibbons set. It's thin fragile …and effortless to play.J S.

Great replacement string for my acoustic guitar. Dont have to worry about breaking the string again. Have plenty of spares now. Good fair price.gilord_0

These are an awesome product, with consistently great quality. Although I don't buy them for a guitar (I use for stringing a soap cutter), they have out performed any other brand I have tried, and I continue to come back for more of the same, and happily recommend them to other soap artisans.kaythebrowser

Bought extras for a gig, just in case I had any sharp edges on my guitar. Been using D'Addario string for over 30 years and they have been consistent and long-lasting!Peter who used to be at 52

pretty good, high quality string. i bought this expecting a pack of 6 and ended up only receiving 1. it was my fault, i should have read more carefully. but maybe it would be helpful to have a picture of the actual product.sonicyouthfan123

I have used these strings on my guitars for over three years with out any problems with them losing their intonation. And they seem to last for about over two years under daily playingd_rock_e

As always Guitar Center backs up everything they sell. I purchased 2 sets of strings for a 12 string guitar and an e string broke while putting in on. I told the people at Guitar Center just in passing and they gave me a replacement string. Typical of Guitar Center.Coach Ed

These came installed on my new Epiphone J-45 and man do they sing. Nice bass response and they are not tinny sounding, got the just right acoustic sound. They are coated and to me they make it easier to play. As I haven't played them for that long I'll have to see how they hold up. One other reviewer gave them 3 stars but if you read the review, he was complaining about the shipping time and even said he hadn't tried them. I find it hard to believe that it was AMS's fault for the delay, they always ship super fast. We were (and still are) getting slammed by Covid and delivery times by carriers were way behind in September when that review was written.Greg 'Purple' Hays

I like to keep my J45 Gibson guitar all "Gibson", so I use Gibson coated strings. They sound great and last a long time. Other coated strings are nice too but the Gibson strings just seem to sound brighter and louder.Guy

nice to know that everytime my b-bender telecaster snaps a b string (which can be quite frequently) i don't have to buy whole setsrmid041

Very nice strings apart from the "G"string snapping on both sets, but this was promptly resolved by the company with replacements.ior o.

These are great strings be not for everyone. They are different in that they aid the upper register of vocals. I've put them on a 00-27 and a J 200; tow very different guitars. The affect is magical for those musicians who want a harp-like tone from their steel strung axe. They have an interesting configuration. From e to E; 12, 16,12,16, 23 W, 30 W. The result is crisp, clear highs and rich lows. These strings are different, but wonderful.goeller2006

I have tried countless strings over the years, and these John Pearse strings are fantastic! You name it, I've tried it. Everything from D'Addario, Elixer, Martin, Gibson, DR, Cleartone and even Dean Markley. Cheap and expensive, I have tried them. All I can say is that these are the best acoustic strings I have tried to date. I just went from a set of Elixers (which I thought were expensive, but good) to these, and these strings won out hands down. As soon as I installed these, my guitar absolutely came ALIVE! It was almost like night and day. Everything was better! Immediately what I noticed was the added volume and projection I was getting, but most of all, it was the tone that absolutely sold me on these. With these strings I heard more woodiness, percussive body, clarity, string to string definition, harmonic overtones, and resonance than any other acoustic strings I have heard to date. The top end also opened up and became even more tactile and transparent. These strings are just more organic, yet highly defined and less sterile than anything else I have heard, and they also have a very balanced output from string to string that is excellent. In no small measure, these strings have been a bit of a revelation. These strings are also very smooth, and I also noticed less finger noise between fretting notes and bar chords as well. However, regarding that smoothness, I also noticed something interesting as well. Just try to follow me with this: These are the first set of John Pearse strings I have ever installed, so I don't know if this is a "one off", but as smooth as they are, I also noticed that the unwound strings have an ever so slightly uneven and wavy finish to them in spots when you shine them in the light. I don't mention this as a negative IN ANY WAY, but just purely as an observation. Besides, I could care less because they sound so darn amazing. Anyway, my point of mentioning this (and this is based purely on conjecture), is I wonder if the barely perceptible finish inconsistencies contribute to the overall tonality of these strings? TBH, I have never seen strings that had this kind of "inconsistency" to their finish before, and I am wondering if this has anything to do with the great tonality of these strings? All the other strings I have bought over the years have been extremely smooth and consistent in their diameter and finish. Again, I don't mention this as a negative in any way because you never feel this while playing in the least. The only time I noticed it was when I looked at them under direct light. These strings sound fantastic, and obviously their specific alloy and construction plays a great part to their sound, but on the other hand, I have never seen strings with this kind of finish before, and yet I have also never been so excited about a set of strings before either. There has to be something to it. The only other thing I can mention is that these strings also have excellent string life as well. I have had these on my acoustic after about a month and a half of use, and they still sound fantastic! Anyway, all I can say is that I have tried A LOT of strings, and these ones are the standouts by far. Buy with confidence. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Peace. 🙂Eywa Dude

Had a pesky b and e string on short scale 000. Solution was it wanted more tension to ring true. The 13 and 18 did it; short scale so they play like lighter strings! The 22w g is awesome, the rest balance nicely. 52 is lite for E but not much of a sacrifice; drop D tuning still do-able. SO HAPPYJohn

These strings are so great! I love the way they sound and hold up. Great overall strings to get, you can't go wrong with these.eiliasmctalun

I use these on my Takamine G series Jumbo bodied Acoustic electric both 6 and 12 strings. I get a ton of mid-range and bass and substitute .015 for 2nd (B) and .012 for first (E) strings so the treble isn't so brassy. It works terrific for the contemporary church music I play both with and without an amp.9376roberth

after trying many makes and gauges for my guitar I have settled for the steel silk strings that give the perfect tone for what I want. I have found the balance between low end depth and high end clarity that suits my playing. The Martin Steel Silk may be slightly more expensive than the Bronze varieties but the difference is more than worth it. I recommend any acoustic player should give them a try.kenuphog

Try them, they're great. Feel nice, sound wonderful, last a long time. I've been through so many brands and so many different types of string, and these are the absolute best (for me). Even better than the expensive Austrian and German brands. I play many acoustic gigs, most are three sets a night. Some mainstream brands don't even last for one gig, going dead too soon. And if you try to squeeze a second gig out of them, it's normally the wound third string that disintegrates, regardless of manufacturer or price. But these White Bronze strings hold up well. My acoustic guitar is also stiff to play (yes, I should get an easier-playing guitar), but these feel perfect and my fingers aren't beat up by the end of the night. The singer-songwriter I often work with heard these strings on my guitar and immediately noticed the difference, and then wanted a set on her guitar.Colin

I have my favorite strings for acoustics, electrics, and classical guitars. But I needed something that would work well with the pick ups on my new Ibanez arch top Expressionist. I've tried several. These are a great option. I like the wound 3rd string. There's a set of D'Addario with a wound 3rd string I also want to try. The D'Adarrios have a slightly smaller gauge 3rd and 6th string, but these ghs white bronze will definitely be on my favorites list.Coca-Cola Cowboy

These strings are great for archtop guitars that carry a magnetic pickup. I play my Gretsch archtop unplugged every now and then and the flat wound jazz strings just don't have much acoustic presence. I tried the DR Zebras and they are pretty weak when plugged in. These guys are the best of both worlds. Sound great unplugged and are nice and clear through the amp!Riverrat123

Ernie Ball produces excellent strings, most people know. These strings are no exception. They sound beautiful, on my dreadnought. Low end is nice and warm. While the high end sounds crisp. Perhaps what I don't like, is they loose their brightness in about a month (of course depending on how much you play). And I know they will keep sound if you clean them. But their price is comparable to their string life. And they don't break easily. I will keep using these sets for as long as they make them. And I would recommend them to any player.litlmooserichard

I highly recommend these strings for darker sounding acoustics. I installed them on my new Epiphone DR-100, and they sound amazing. Much better than the factory strings, in my opinion. I normally like phosphor bronze acoustic strings, but I've found that the DR-100's sound better with the brighter 80/20 bronze strings. Full disclosure, I'm a big fan of Ernie Ball strings in general. I use exclusively the RPS Hybrid 9-46 strings on my electrics. Also highly recommended. Great price on the 3 packs of these. I also really like the 11-52 gauge, vs 12-54. Both sound great, but the slightly lighter gauge works best for me, since I play electric much more often than acoustic. Enjoy!!waterboy411

I've been playing guitar since 1969, and have used countless brands and varieties of acoustic guitar strings. My first go around with Earthwood strings was less than impressive, as I had the ball end fall off of the high E as I was removing it from the package. This put me off Earthwoods for a while, but when I came across an inexpensive project guitar a while back the only acoustic strings available to me at the time were Earthwoods. I bought that set out of necessity and strung the guitar up. I love the gauge of this set since it's only slightly heavier than the sets I've been using on my electrics for years and very comfortable to play, while not sacrificing much in the bottom end of the tone. I was thoroughly impressed with these strings to the point that they're now my go to acoustic strings. Naturally every guitar is going to sound slightly different and every player will have different taste in the way a set feels and sounds to them, but these are my favorite right now. Definitely worth a try if you've never tried them and are looking to replace a set.papastratomaster

reliable, strong guitar strings. shipping was fast. Have purchased them before and am very satisfied with the brand and durability. I've been playing the guitar for years. These are good.Sophi

Tried these on a friend's recommendation and I'm not disappointed. I put these on a nearly new Gibson J45 Studio and was happy the strings that came new on the guitar were gone. These sound so much sweeter. It's only been a few weeks but I think they'll last as long as most strings (usually a D'Addario user). A normal set is 12-53, for some reason these are 12-54 but I couldn't notice much difference on the larger 6th string. Try a set.mmall001

I just recently picked my guitar back up after about 20 years of not playing. I have Gibson Hummingbird that I always had and the did use Martin strings on. I really got the bug about playing and ended up buying a Yamaha R 700 as well as a Seagull S6 (with a Seagull Artist Mosaic on the way). While talking to Josh on MF one day about strings he told me about these Earthwoods–lighter gauge–.11-.52. He swore by them. I had a credit with MF so I bought two sets. They are as good on my Seagull S6 as the Martin's ever were and easier to play (I finger pick mostly) and the combination of the full sound of the S6 and the Ernie Ball Earthwoods is a perfect combination. I've had them on for three weeks already and play sever hours every day and they still sound bright and full of tone. I put the other set on my Yamaha just recently and they sound as good as the Martins ever did. Whether they will remain crisp remains to be seen (each guitar is different). But in anticipation of getting my Seagull Artist Mosaic soon I've decided to buy four 6 packs of the Ernie Ball Earthwood Strings with my certificate from Backstage pass. I couldn't ask for a sweeter deal than that.KB