If you just want to buy a basic set of strings, here's a list of the features you should be looking for.
Electric Guitar
- Nickel-plated Steel Strings
- Light or Medium Gauge
- Roundwound
- Hex Core
- Not Coated
Acoustic Guitar
- 80/20 Bronze Strings
- Light or Extra Light Gauge
- Roundwound
- Hex Core
- Not Coated
- This advice also applies to electro-acoustic guitars.
Bass Guitar
- Nickel-plated Steel Strings
- Light or Medium Gauge
- Roundwound
- Hex Core
- Not Coated
- Be sure to check the length.
That's all you really need to get a decent set of strings without a ton of research and without paying for features you don't need.
If you want to know a little more about what these features really mean, see the extended version of this post.
This is one of a series of posts about guitar strings.
