i currently have just steel guitar strings, not a fan they need replacing and i was wondering whats the difference between steel and bronze strings and or nickle strings?
Not all strings have a steel core. There are different substances used for the core on metal guitar strings (not even mentioning nylons), but the market is predominated by a steel core. The tonal properties of what steel strings are wound up by can make a great difference to the overall sound of an instrument. In general, nickel strings are bright but give off well-rounded frequencies and have properties that make them perfect for use with magnetic pickups, such as those used in electric guitars. Bronze-wound strings are a little mellower in timbre but give off more high-low (harmonically rich) frequencies and are favorites on acoustic steel-string guitars. Silk and steel-wound guitar strings are the mellowest sounding and give off more low-mid frequencies than the others. They are generally used for folky types of acoustic playing where little attack is needed. There are others but I won't mention them because you won't find them easily. There are other factors and merits of each type of string like how long they last - Nickel resists corrosion the most; bronze less so; bare steel oxidizes very easily. There is also the way the string is wound to take into account (flat-wound, etc. like the other answerer mentioned).
This Site Might Help You. RE: steel vs bronze acoustic guitar strings? i currently have just steel guitar strings, not a fan they need replacing and i was wondering whats the difference between steel and bronze strings and or nickle strings?
You may want to experiment with different alloys to find which sound best on your guitar...but if it's acoustic, you should be using bronze wound strings.
That depends a lot on what type of music you want to play. Most of the acoustic guitar music you hear on the radio is steel string. That's the bright, sustaining tone most musicians associate with acoustic guitar. Nylon strings give a more muted, mellower tone. Typically this is used for classical playing, although it has been used in popular music very successfully. (Think of Clapton's Tears In Heaven -- the second, lead guitar is a nylon string.) Many people will tell you that a nylon string guitar will be easier to learn on. This is true, but if you go with a classical guitar, with the wider neck and shorter fretboard, you might find some troubles transitioning to the standard longer narrower acoustic fretboard.
