It's rare that I can go through a day here at Sound Beach Music without receiving one of these string related questions: "Why can't I put nylon strings on my steel string guitar?", or "What do you mean 'string gauge?'".

Well friends, in this month's installment of How/Why, I'll be answering all these burning questions and more.

Chapter One: If Nylon is fine on a classical, then steel is the deal to get the right feel...

Hey, I never claimed to be a poet. Here's the deal, guys. It all comes down to tension. And no, I'm not talking about the weird tension at the table after your holiday dinner when Uncle Jack had a little too much to drink. I'm talking about string tension.

When a guitar is tuned to standard tuning (EADGBe), there is a certain amount of tension exerted on the neck. If you look at a tuned guitar neck, it should be straight. If you removed the string tension, the neck will bend backwards. This is because a guitar neck is designed to have a certain amount of tension exerted on it at all times.

Now, let's look at materials. Classical strings, or nylon strings will exert substantially less tension on the neck of the instrument. Steel, because of the tensile strength of the material itself, will exert substantially more tension on the neck. This is why these strings are not interchangeable. Nylon strings on a steel string guitar will not bring the neck straight, and steel strings on a nylon string guitar will pull the neck too far forward. Both lead to an instrument that is not playable. And worst of all, doing this could permanently warp your guitar's neck. No bueno.

Chapter Two: Electric Guitar String Gauge

This is possibly the most frequently asked question by new players. "What is a 'string gauge?'" It's not as complicated as it sounds.

Let's say you came in to our store and bought your first guitar. It's an electric guitar from Ibanez, or maybe a Starcaster. From the factory, that guitar had 9-gauge strings. 9's are considered "extra light." These are frequently used by rock players and those who live to solo. They bend easier and are light on your fingers. The next step up is 10-gauge.

10's are used by players from all genres. It's a personal preference, but it's generally accepted that your tone will be better as you move up to a heavier string. 10's are harder on the fingers and won't bend as easily, which some players like. It's a matter of control really, and you'll have more of it with this gauge string.

11 and 12 gauge strings are typically reserved for two types of players. Either those who are playing jazz music and demand the best possible tone, or the metal heads who drop tune down to C or lower. This is really for more advanced players and by the time you know enough to play these styles of music, you'll know a whole lot about strings.

Chapter Three: Acoustic Guitar String Gauges

"There's a difference?" Of COURSE there's a difference! It's never that easy!

Acoustic guitars typically utilize a heavier string. This is for tonal purposes as well as volume. Light gauge strings on an acoustic are 12 gauge. This is most likely what came on your instrument from the factory. Up from there, we have 13 gauge strings. People choose these for the tonal properties they exhibit, as well as the feel. Some people just prefer a heavier string. Heavier strings are available, but are very uncommon.

Now, down from the 12 gauge strings are your 11 gauges. These are easier on the fingers and are frequently used by those who do a lot of playing on an acoustic/electric guitar. These are the "9 gauges" of the acoustic world.

Chapter Four: Know your onion materials

It seems like strings can be made of anything these days. We've got colored strings, coated strings, and strings that glow in the dark. Nickel, steel, bronze, and what the heck is "phosphor bronze?" String material comes down to a couple of features. Tone, playability, and life span. On an acoustic guitar, the strings will have a more drastic effect on tone than on an electric.

Electric guitar strings are more about feel and longevity, but that's not to say that it won't still affect your tone. Recently, some companies have taken to using different colored coatings on strings to spice things up a bit. These not only look cool, but will increase the life of your string. However, some players will argue that this impacts how a string feels. This is really an issue of personal preference though, as is the differentiation between nickel wound and steel wound strings. Your best bet is to go with what you know at first and to explore once you become a more proficient player.

Now, acoustic guitars are an entirely different game. Phosphor bronze is regular bronze's warmer cousin. Phosphor bronze is an alloy, and is not only tonally different from regular bronze, but it lasts longer due to the addition of phosphorous, a deoxidizing agent, during the melting process. Now, an option in extending a strings life span is moving on to a coated string. There are pros and cons to making this move, however. While the string will last substantially longer, many believe that the coating will deaden the tone of the string a bit. At this point, it's a personal preference. There is a seemingly endless array of coated strings all claiming to have better tone than the next. Your best bet is to try a bunch over the course of your playing career and pick for yourself.