GNewbie Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Hello, First time posting on a forum like this, hope everyone is keeping well in lockdown! I find myself furloughed and looking to pick up a new skill - my dad was a very keen guitar player and for years tried to get me into it (I played piano and sang and generally find it quite easy to pick up musical things) but for some reason as a child I was just never that into it. Anyway, before he died he bought be the most beautiful Baby Taylor, as I was a fair bit younger than I am now and so didn't need anything large. I still also have one of his old Taylor acoustic guitars that he loved. Anyway to cut a long story short, I need to restring them as they haven't been played in years, and I would like to start learning now that I have all this free time! I have been a bit boggled by all the different options of what strings to get, so thought I would post on here for some help. Obviously I don't need anything top of the range, but any advice would be appreciated. Thank you! G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Wow, those are some really nice guitars to learn on. Strings can be a bit of a minefield, especially for acoustic guitar. However, I’d suggest one of the mainstream, middle of the road brands like D’Addario or Ernie Ball. As a beginner (or even beyond) I’d probably go light gauge 11-52, as these won’t wreck your new fingers too quickly and won’t be too thin sounding. https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/03121018032318--daddario-ej26-custom-light-acoustic-11-52 https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/171122317049008--ernie-ball-2004-earthwood-8020-bronze-light-guitar-strings 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GNewbie Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 Thank you so much for this! I will look into these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 Most guitar gods for for 009-042, sometimes 010-045. Although, Billy Gibbons apparently has 007's installed on his axes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 3, 2020 Share Posted May 3, 2020 @GNewbie: Ignore the above ^^; an acoustic guitar needs heavier gauge strings than an electric, which is what is referenced by Kiwi. Those links are the safe route to start you off, bronze strings at something like 12's for the top 'E'. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinnyman Posted May 5, 2020 Share Posted May 5, 2020 What Dad and Ezbass say..... There are loads of re-stringing videos on YT but I found the Taylor one to be the most helpful when I first started doing my acoustic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeod Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 On 29/04/2020 at 17:15, GNewbie said: Hello, First time posting on a forum like this, hope everyone is keeping well in lockdown! I find myself furloughed and looking to pick up a new skill - my dad was a very keen guitar player and for years tried to get me into it (I played piano and sang and generally find it quite easy to pick up musical things) but for some reason as a child I was just never that into it. Anyway, before he died he bought be the most beautiful Baby Taylor, as I was a fair bit younger than I am now and so didn't need anything large. I still also have one of his old Taylor acoustic guitars that he loved. Anyway to cut a long story short, I need to restring them as they haven't been played in years, and I would like to start learning now that I have all this free time! I have been a bit boggled by all the different options of what strings to get, so thought I would post on here for some help. Obviously I don't need anything top of the range, but any advice would be appreciated. Thank you! G Hello, I am also a newbie. I use Ernie Ball Mediums 13-56, and I find that they have a tone that I Like very much, hope this helps. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 I would suggest maybe 11's as you are starting out, when it comes to acoustic strings I only use Newtone heritage strings, they are lower tension than other brands and the tensions are even across the fretboard, I have been playing for 20 odd years now and have introduced quite a few people to these strings, I have yet to find anyone who didn't like them. They are a tiny bit more expensive than D'Addario or ernie ball but I find they last a bit longer so it all balances out in the end. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 (edited) For longevity, Elixir strings are very hard to beat, and sound fine (or rather better than 'fine', to me...). Their 'Nanoweb' phosphor-Bronze are ideal, as they tune up well and hold their tune, and keep their tone for much longer than others; in my view 'Medium' is the best weight (13-56...). Easily available; here's the Amazon offering, but there are many other sources... Elixir Strings ... Edited June 22, 2020 by Dad3353 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 i would be a bit careful with anything thicker than a 12, especially if the guitar has a cedar top or is lightly braced, my McIlroy came with a note that fitting anything thicker than a 12 would invalidate the warranty as the cedar top was only strong enough for 12's. the Newtone Heritage strings have a much lower overall tension than other strings, the total tension of the 12's io use is less than the total tension of 11's from D'addario. if you arte total beginner to guitar then a lighter gauge will be easier on the fingers, you can always experiment with thicker gauges when you have a bit more experience. Having said all that do use regular 13's on one guitar as it has a slightly shorter scale and i usually have it detuned a tone which helps a bit. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 This is the Taylor web page concerning strings for their guitars ... Best Strings for Your Taylor Guitar ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Club Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Which ever strings you go for Don’t take all the old ones off in one go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 (edited) What he said ^^ Edited June 26, 2020 by Dad3353 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
