Acoustic strings are manufactured in a range of thicknesses or gauges. These gauges are designated in thousandths of an inch. The lightest strings are typically.010 and the heaviest a.059. String gauge has a big influence on playability and sound. Most acoustic guitars ship with light or medium gauge strings, which are also known as 12s or 13s.

The most common acoustic guitar string gauges are: extra light (.010-.047), light (.012-.053), medium (.013-.056), and heavy (.014-.059). The extra light string gauge is the thinnest and therefore produces the lightest sound.

This will depend on your playing style, Heavy strummers, for example, will require a heavier gauge, while finger pickers will use strings on the lighter side. As a general rule, the best gauge for acoustic guitar strings will be the 12’s (.012,.016,.025,.032,.042,.054).

Most acoustic guitars have 12-gauge strings and are often supplied with this set as standard from the manufacturer. Acoustic string gauges can range from 9-gauge to 13-gauge to suit different playing styles and scale lengths, and to produce a different tone.