20 Best Strings For 12 String Acoustic Guitar (2023 Updated)

Such nice strings!! The tone and action are great, and the feel is very tactile, making bends, vibratos, and harmonic insertions perfect every time. They are not a hard wearing string, In fact, due to their soft feel construction, you will go through these fairly quickly depending on your playing style, and playing time.

But I change strings often for recording purposes anyway, and the trade off is well worth it, as this vendor makes them so affordable. If you are going to get the most out of your playing time, keeping your instrument freshly strung will help you to become a more ear discriminant player.

If you aren’t listening closely to what’s coming out of your instrument, and training yourself to make incremental adjustments to your playing style based on your ear feedback, you’ll never improve much over time.

Give these Earth-woods a try. You’ll play better, and your fingertips will thank you in the long run. Best $15. 00 you’ll ever spend!.

I have used many different ernie ball products in my time, as well as many different types of strings. I restrung my acoustic today with the medium gauge strings as I have a gig tonight. After thirty or so minutes of tuning and playing to stretch there are already multiple corroded spots on the strings.

I have never seen anything like this before. Finger ease does not do the trick for these. Not sure if the packaging was bad, they sat on the shelf too long, or just bad strings. Either way, I will not be purchasing these again, and I will not recommend them to friends who also play.

It never occurred to me to try ERNIE BALL strings. I’ve used other branded strings in the past such as Fender, Martin etc. I heard on You Tube the guitarist Albert Lee saying that he used Ernie Ball strings.

Now if these strings are good enough for Albert Lee, they’re certainly good enough for me. I was pleasantly surprised at the tone of these strings when fitted to my Fender F75 acoustic guitar. Not too deep – but pleasantly rich.

They also hold their tuning very well. Some strings that I’ve used in the past tended to lose their tuning regularly. These Ernie Ball strings hold their tuning rather well. They are also very reasonably priced.

I would’ve given these strings FIVE stars but that stands for ” amazing ” I absolutely hate the word ” amazing “.

I like many six stringers have tried a lot of strings. Marting authentic acoustic are pretty bright. D’Addario can be very tinny sometimes. But these strings always work well on the matter what guitar you put them on.

They’re my go to strings. I’m sure they will be your go to strings. At least strings you’ll like to use every once in a while so as to switch things up a bit.

Bought a new guitar and these were the original strings. Martin Guitars also recommended the strings and I wanted to capture the original sound when purchased. The end result is the guitar sounds exactly as it did in the shop.

They sound great and are long lasting, maintaining a constant tonal quality. When I changed the strings there was no sign of degradation or pitting. To be fair, I only changed the strings because I thought they’d been on too long rather than any deterioration in sound.

I also regularly used a Fender Speed Slick String Cleaner.

These are the best acoustic strings I’ve yet to play. They are not coated like Elixirs with that squeaky, slippery sound. They are treated which means you get the extra life and playability without losing the authentic sound of a true acoustic.

They cost more than a typical string but pays you back by lasting longer and always staying in tune. They are LOUD and crisp. Great for strummers. You wont be disappointed! Rich M Brooklyn NY.

Being a neophyte to guitar, all I initially cared about was the durability of the strings. So I ended up gravitating to Elixer, and they did the job. However the more I played my Epiphone DR 500 Mastercraft, which IMO is a brite sounding guitar to begin with, I thought the guitar was a little too brite.

Since I was, and still am, a neophyte I was more concerned with learning chords, strumming and timing. So I put the strings on the bottom of the list. About 8 months ago I bought a Yamaha FGX5 and didn’t like the strings it came with.

I went on a search for strings that would bring out the warmth, intonation, separation and clarity of the guitar. I think I went through 6-8 different brands. Even tried the D’Addairos in the all black packaging and was pretty disappointed.

I reluctantly bought a set of D’Addarios SX’s, in the all white packaging. I went to 11’s to try and damper some of the briteness of the Epiphone DR 500. The Epiphone is still a little brite, but that is the nature of that guitar.

The strings made a noticeable difference, in a good way, IMO. So I put a set on my Yamaha FGX5. On the Yamaha, the SX’s sound great and the people I play with noticed it right off. I’ll keep 11’s on the Epiphone, but I’m going to go to 10’s for the Yamaha.

So far I am very satisfied with the SX’s and will use them until I find something better. Everyone’s taste is a little different, but I think these strings are definitely worth trying.

Overall: So I’ve been playing guitar for 30+ years, both acoustic and electric. I got a pair of these free as a test set through Guitar League. Here’s my take on them. First, I’ve had these strings on my Martin for a minimum of 5 months, and while I’m not gigging or playing hours a day, these still are by far.

very far, the longest lasting strings I’ve ever used. They still sound crisp and very new, with just a little loss of the crispness of brand new strings. Second, they are very quiet when sliding up and down the strings, and don’t have that very loud squeak you get with many new strings, which is nice when playing quieter passages.

This probably has to do with the extended life coating they put on the strings. I absolutely love these strings so far. I’ve already purchased another set for my 6 string and 12 strings. They sound terrific, are smooth, comfortable to play, stay in tune, and after all these months still sound almost new.

amazing strings.

As a long term user of Elixir Brand nano coated bronze 80/20 strings, I have long searched for their competition in that regard. I purchased 3 sets of XT’s. In the 80/20 bronze I bought one set of ‘regular lights’ for myself and one set of ‘custom lights’ for my duo partner.

We put them on the night before a performance and we both agreed that we liked the initial sound and feel of the string. The gig was outside, hot and we sweat like hookers in church, but out of the pack the strings sounded as pleasing as the Elixirs we have used for some time.

Show was 3 hours. We both have other guitars we play acoustically at home, so these strings sat untouched in the 10 day interim till our next show. Imagine opening the guitar cases to see noticeable corrosion on the wound strings (of both guitars) and further discover that both sets now sounded dull and lifeless, at least the wound strings in the sets.

It was a short, disappointing life for both sets of these strings. I was fortunate to have some Elixirs with me, but my partner was not so lucky. We started show a few minutes late as I swapped all the dull, lifeless wound strings out.

My poor partner had to suffer the gig with them, He mentioned that they had also lost the ‘slick’ feeling they presented for the first show and just felt ‘sticky. ‘. As a result of our experience, I could not in good conscience recommend them to other working musicians.

I had hoped for an experience to rival the Elixir brand strings, but these strings did not offer it. Bummer.

Long lasting, great sound. I went to my girlfriends sisters home for Xmas and a few guys got a some guitars out and we played some rock, country and bluegrass on Elixers strung on acoustic instruments.

They claimed the strings were three years old. They sounded quite good for their age. After seeing a John Paul Jones interview where he said Elixers were all he used. I already used them but his opinion completely sold me.

I even bought an Elixer tee shirt. I use them on all my guitars and mandolins. I won’t settle for anything else. I just bought a FX5 that had Addario’s on it. No pause, I replaced them with Elixers. Great sound.

Long lasting. Stay good looking too. Buy multiple set bundles and save money.

I have used Elixir Nanowebs for years now, i’s so hard to find anything comparable. I tried these hoping, and while these strings do last a bit longer than any regular string – they are nowhere near what Elixirs are.

I gig every weekend, normally playing for 10 hours. These strings collected grime and oxidised still quite a bit. The Elixirs just simply don’t do that anywhere near as much. The Elixirs also take a bit more of a beating.

I can normally get 2 weekends out of a set without a breakage, these Morgan strings broke every second gig. So for half the price of Elixirs, these barely make the grade. The feel of the steel strings was quite nice though, they responded and had a great feel to them which I actually preferred over the Elixirs I normally get at the same gauge.

All in all, I’ll be sticking to Elixirs – if anyone finds a product that does what Elixirs do for cheaper, let me know! For a player who likes a strum every now and then, these strings will do and are pretty well priced.

For gigging musicians, you may want something that holds up a bit better.

Yeah these strings are legit. Within a few days of putting these on and breaking them in. They sound amazing. My guitar went from sounding like a £400 guitar to sounding like £1,000. Reccoment you have the brige saddle set up to handle these as they are on the heavy side but the tone is unmatched and the feel on my fingers is so much more softer than any strings I’ve used before.

Definitely buying again after being told to try these. PMT delivered on time undamaged and well packaged. Overall I’m one very happy plucker.

I’d been having intonation problems all of a sudden on two of my acoustic guitars. One of which I just spent a heap of money on putting a fancy magnetic pickup/microphone on. All the local luthiers are booked solid, so in desperation I had to tackle the problem myself.

Filed / intonated the nut, bridge, tweaked the truss rod, and tried different gauge/brands of strings. nothing was satisfactory. especially the pickup sounding like a dime store product. Looked into what strings perform best with a magnetic pickup.

the answer was always the same. it doesn’t matter. Until someone mentioned that GHS White Phosphor is designed specifically for the job. My local stores don’t carry them. Bought a couple sets on line and then reordered a stack of them.

Now that they’re singing so well, I’m beginning to wonder if all the other work I did was even necessary. And one more kicker. Even the Extra lights stand up on my acoustics. It’s a joy to now be able to bend strings without delegating that job just to my electric guitars.

Since discovering Stringjoy and finally taking the plunge…man…I am a HUGE fan of their strings! I’ve played for 40+ years (gigging, recording, playing at church) and getting older has had me experimenting with lighter gauge strings.

After using the 9. 4/44 set from another manufacturer for a few years, I struggled feeling like they were a compromise. Enter Stringjoy – I tried their Signature 9/42 set and that was it…I had found my new strings.

The tone, life and most of all the feel is just right. I use them on all my guitars except for my Gretsch 6118T Anniversary which gets their Signature 10. 5/50 set. Keeping 11 electric guitars in fresh strings is not cheap and these strings are not cheap, but they are exceptional value and have a longer life for me and in how I play.

I even went so far as to sign up for a subscription and get (3) sets of Signature 9/42 delivered once a month. Best. Strings. Ever.

I have been using Stingjoy string on my 3 Ibanez electric guitars and a 5 string Fender Jazz bass bass for a couple years now. I really cannot comment on the bass strings- I just do not change them often enough.

The electric guitars on the other hand I change quite frequently. I have found that the Strinjoy strings make more and a broader sound ‘acoustically’- that is with the guitar unplugged, and as I use low to medium output PUPS that ‘acoustic’ sound translates when plugged in.

Over the years I have managed to get a handle on Floyd Rose double locking systems which can offer really solid tuning stability once you do learn how to manage them. With the Stringjoy strings the tuning stability on my FR guitars went from very good to ridiculously solid.

Once the a new set of strings are settled in, If I stick to whole tone bends or < and nothing environmental intervenes, I can play 6 plus hours a day and be not need to tune, or if I do it is just to sharpen the high E and perhaps B string occasionally.

The tuning stability coupled with the great sound and extended time the strings sound good has made Stringjoy strings my electric guitar strings of choice.

I never leave reviews for anything…but I am going to make an exception here. I was actually completely satisfied with the strings that I was using prior but I tried a set of Stringjoy signatures on a whim.

Despite not looking for a new choice in strings, Stringjoy became my new choice in strings. I don’t know how or why, but my guitar is more in tune with these strings. I am always skeptical of claims like this but somehow it is true.

As if the quality of strings wasn’t enough, their customer service may be even better. I ordered a ridiculously weird custom set of giant strings. They came in just as I ordered and only then did I realise that I had ordered a giant plain G string instead of a giant wound G string.

I reached out to them and they sent me the wound string at no charge. So in a time when you can barely get some companies to fix their own mistake, Stringjoy actually fixed my mistake. Anyway I can’t speak highly enough about either their products or my customer experience.

I was pleasantly surprised by both. Keep it up guys and don’t change a thing.

It started almost 7 years back when I was experiencing someone perform with an identical model Taylor acoustic/electric that I owned – yet HIS guitar just sounded significantly brighter and more tone appeasing to me.

I was dying to ask what kind of strings he was using – turned out to be the Martin SP Phosphor Bronze series. He even had an extra pack that he generously gave me, and I couldn’t wait to get them on mine.

I was previously using primarily Elixir coated strings, who’s sound I had gone completely bored and disappointed with, very plastic-like. My guitar was reborn, I have not gone back to anything but the Martin SP Phosphor Bronze since.

I’ve played acoustic for almost 20 years, and have performed as a solo acoustic musician for 10 years now – so I’ve played a variety of acoustics and strings over time. These have become my ultimate go-to.

They are bright, yet have a full tone – beautiful and natural. They stay in tune very well, which is always an issue because I strum so heavily. They also remain in tune pretty much immediately after changing, which has been great when I’ve had the occasions where I needed to get them changed shortly before a show.

Can’t go wrong with these. They are Martins. Taylor guitars come with and recommend Elixir coated strings for their guitars. I will never ever do that again.

I found a late 1960s Yamaha 12-string acoustic at a garage for a ridiculous price, because it had a terrible belly, caused by light construction, general mistreatment, pressure from heavy strings, and poor humidification.

I measured the belly-bump = almost a full inch! I cleaned it up, and began a slow process of re-humidification that lasted almost 8 months. I used home-made Zip-Lock snack bags with holes made by a hand punch, and new synthetic sponge material cut to fit.

I wet the sponge and squeezed it out till the water wasn’t dripping, slipped the packet into the sound hole and used painters tape to hold an old CD over the sound hole, then out it into a good case with tight-fitting lid.

Checked every day and re-wet the sponge every day. After just a week, I found a big difference in the belly! I kept it up for 3 months before the top was flat. I did it for a long time longer, just to make sure it would be stable.

When it was time to re-string, I had to consider using strings with less pressure. I remembered my early days, during the Folk Music Scare of the mid-1960s. I didn’t know anyone still made Silk and Steel strings anymore! MF and Martin strings to the rescue! This Yamaha is rather delicately built for a 12-string = thin spruce top, thin bridge plate, and braces that are narrow and well-shaved.

It has a deep booming sound when you thump the bridge. I’ve had the Martin strings on it for 3 months and it still plays and sounds great. so far, no sign of that belly bulge returning = I am also keep it well-humidified and it lives in that good case with those home-made humidifiers.

I only use PB strings – apart from these on my ’60s Harmony. Truth is apart from D’addario Ej37s there’s no other choice in a 12/12-30/54 gauge, which I use tuned down one tone. Enjoyable? My old 12 string with these on – yes.

Good value? I look for the best price when I buy, like all string purchases. Recommend them? No,not for everybody but you’ll get all scratchy if I said no.

This is my first experience with the Dunlop strings. They sound good, and are even tonaly. My problem with them is I don’t like how they feel. Maybe its the gauge, maybe its me. One thing I did notice right away, finger picked.

the Dunlops are no louder than any other set of strings, but with a pick they are much louder. The very heavy gauge does make fingering notes much more difficult. In the future when I want to use fingers and slide I will go back to a regular gauge (13’s).

Plus the regular set of strings costs about half. As for my recording purposes, (at least so far) I’ve not heard enough of a difference to warrant keeping the 16’s and will be switching back. But if I was gigging and only playing slide, these strings would work very well.

I’ve been stringing up guitars for 56 years and never had core strings break like this. I could tell the. 036 and. 046 strings were going to break when I was within a step and a half from getting them into basic C6 tuning.

I don’t know if because Musiciansfriend has had them on the shelf for too long, or if they’re just made that way, but these are the most brittle strings I’ve ever experienced. Core breaks and outer winding still intact.

I have tried alot of reso strings in search of the best. Jim Dunlop’resonator strings are probably the best so far. High quality phosphor bronze and well balanced. They come with an extra. 018(B string)for adding a little more mass to the high D string.

I tried the extra. 018 and it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. 016′ are kind of wimpy if you do alot of single string playing. I’m comparing these to D’Addario EJ42 reso strings. My usual preferance.

I really like the Dunlops better. They seem a little heavier though the same guage. Just a really well made tonally rich set of strings.

I have a Moon 003CE, a treasured guitar that just seems to get better and better with age. I’ve tried just about every brand of strings on it over the years, but for whatever reason these make it sing like no others.

They’re quite expensive but the coating helps them last longer without being as uncomfortable to me as other coated strings. They have a nice smooth feel, and once they’re settled they give a wonderful bright yet lush tone for my fingerpicking playing style that’s very well balanced across all strings.

High strings sparkle while mid and lows are full-bodied without being overpowering. Love them, and so does my Moon.

I purchased these to see how they compare to Elixir Nanoweb 80-20 extra lights. Because these are pure phosphor bronze, they have a mellower, richer overall sound. Definitely not on the bright side. Rich overtones and best used for accompanying oneself while singing I’d say.

Nice for fingerpicking, but not quite as bright or flexible as I prefer. In terms of rating acoustic strings I put them in this order. GHS White Bronze extra lights are the brightest most flexible string I’ve played and are the closest to electric stings with acoustic capability; Elixir Nanoweb 80-20’s are definitely on the bright side but still have a nice bass presence and are also very flexible, Elixir Polyweb 80-20’s sound very much like these Cleartones due to their heavier coating and both sets prevail in the bass and mid-range tonality with the Cleartones reproducing that rich phosphor bronze sound that most of us started with.

Flexibility is not their strong suit though. I must confess, that the older I get the brighter I like my acoustic sound. Losing some hearing maybe? LOL These Cleartones would suit most players needs quite well, however I’ve been playing for 50 years and have very specific requirements so these probably won’t be my ‘go to’ set very often.

I’m just more into treble and midrange overtones these days and not so much bass. These are good strings though.

I usually use Elixir Lights or Mediums which is the recommended brand for all Taylor Guitars but I always wanted to try out Cleartone. Picked up the Cleartone Grand Lights which is a mix of medium and light strings and they do not disappoint.

They sound beautiful on my Taylor Grand Auditorium! I highly recommend picking up a set of these and try them out on any acoustic guitar. If you like the crisp bright tones of lights with the rich and loudness of medium strings then these are the strings for you! They are corrosion resistant and have a thin flake free coating on them like Elixirs do.

These just might be my new favorite strings! I will have to check out some different sizes and see what else they have. But as of now I am happy with my very first set of Cleartone acoustic guitar strings!.

I’ve preferred Martin strings for my Martin guitar since purchasing it 9 years ago. These strings have proven durable, rarely breaking during a gig. They sound great on my recordings, in my YouTube videos and my live streaming concerts.

The Marquis maintains its tone and quality longer than the original line. I can play about 4 hour-long streaming concerts before needing to change them.

I fitted these to my Martin OO, replacing the factory supplied 12-54s. Bright, bendier and a little bit easier to play. I really like them. I should change strings more often – it’s more rejuvenating that a washed car and a tank full of petrol.

BRAND NEW strings! Better than buying a new guitar. well, next best. new strings make ALL the difference. Now all my guitars sound like MAGIC! Get an automatic winder and you’ll change strings more often.

NEW STRINGS! What’s not to love? (And talking guitars with the staff is almost as good as jammin’! These guys know EVERYTHING! After the Rickenbacker, I see a ukulele in my future. ).

Solid not plate. Pure nickel silver aloy. Only two realy ring. FOR ACOUTUIC IT’S MARTIN PHROUR BRONZE 80/2O BUT FOR MY GIBSON LES PAUL CUSTOM AND FENDER STRATOCASTOR. IN 09 GAUGE. THEY RING AND BEND.

YES GIBSON AND OTHER MAKE SIMULER STRING. BUT FENDER HAS IT ALL OVER THEM IN PRICE AND PLACE TO GET THEM. BUT THIS IS MY OPINEN. FROM AGE 11 TO NOW 64. I PLAY GUITAR BANJO VIOLIN FLUTINA. WITH REAL FENDER MEN WOMEN CHILDREN.

HAVE MADE MUSICAL HISTORY! THANK YOU.

3 packs of quality fender strings great price. Same feel and sound as more expensive strings out there(earnie ball). No issues with dropping out of tune or snapping. Only slight issue if being fussy is the rather odd colouring system on the ends.

If your a newbie at changing strings could be an issue with mixing up the e/b/g string. with silly fender colour names but just be careful when sorting through!.

My main regret is that two of them snapped while I was stringing up. Because I start from the middle and work out, I had the D and G strings on, and they are lovely to play. They feel smooth and sound good.

It’s a rounded, full sound, nothing twangy or shrill. But I do need all six. I can’t remember the last time I broke a B string, and they really shouldn’t go when you’re just putting them on.