What is a Guitar string made of?
What is a Guitar string made of?
A high-carbon steel core with a wrap of nickel or bronze — or, on a classical guitar, nylon.
Strings die from corrosion and from grime working into the windings, not from stretching — the sweat and skin oil that get into the gaps damp the vibration and flatten the harmonics, which is why a string sounds dull long before it breaks. Coated strings put a very thin polymer layer over the wrap to keep that out, lasting several times longer at some cost in brightness. Gut was the original material for both classical guitars and violins, and nylon replaced it during the Second World War when gut became unobtainable — a wartime substitution that turned out to be more stable in humidity and never went back.
Component by component
| Part | Material | Why that material |
|---|---|---|
| core | high-carbon steel wire, round or hexagonal in section | A hex core grips the wrap wire so it cannot slip; round cores are more flexible and warmer sounding but harder to make stable. |
| electric wrap | nickel-plated steel, or pure nickel | The pickup responds to magnetic material, so the wrap alloy changes the tone directly — pure nickel is warmer, steel brighter. |
| acoustic wrap | phosphor bronze (about 92% copper, 8% tin) or 80/20 bronze | Bronze is non-magnetic and irrelevant to a pickup but bright and resonant acoustically; phosphor bronze corrodes more slowly. |
| classical strings | nylon monofilament trebles, and silver-plated copper wound on nylon floss basses | Nylon at classical tension puts a fraction of the load on the top that steel does — a steel-strung classical guitar tears itself apart. |
| ball end | a brass or steel ferrule with the string wound around it | It anchors the string at the bridge; classical strings have no ball end because they are tied. |
Other musical instruments objects
- Piano key A spruce or basswood lever with an acrylic top and a plastic sharp — ivory has been out of use for decades.
- Violin bow A pernambuco or carbon fibre stick strung with horsehair, which grips the string only because of rosin.
- Drum head A polyester film tucked into an aluminium hoop with epoxy — plastic replaced calfskin in the 1950s.
Common questions
- What is a Guitar string made of?
- A high-carbon steel core with a wrap of nickel or bronze — or, on a classical guitar, nylon.
- What is the core of a Guitar string made of?
- High-carbon steel wire, round or hexagonal in section. A hex core grips the wrap wire so it cannot slip; round cores are more flexible and warmer sounding but harder to make stable.
- What is the electric wrap of a Guitar string made of?
- Nickel-plated steel, or pure nickel. The pickup responds to magnetic material, so the wrap alloy changes the tone directly — pure nickel is warmer, steel brighter.
Related pages
- Piano key A spruce or basswood lever with an acrylic top and a plastic sharp — ivory has been out of use for decades.
- Violin bow A pernambuco or carbon fibre stick strung with horsehair, which grips the string only because of rosin.
- Drum head A polyester film tucked into an aluminium hoop with epoxy — plastic replaced calfskin in the 1950s.
- Pencil Stationery and paper
- Tennis ball Sport and games
- Banknote Around the house
- Golf ball Sport and games
- Paper Stationery and paper
- Glass Building materials
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place