"People always ask me 'What's the best string in the world?' and I say, 'The one that your guitar likes,'" says our friend Tommy Emmanuel, who recently spent some time here with us at Reverb to talk about proper string care. And though seemingly lighthearted in tone, he means what he says.
To Tommy, picking a guitar string isn't about finding which one you necessarily like best, or by going out and picking up a pack of your favorite musician's favorites. It's not even about finding a set of strings that necessarily sound the best, either, as much as it is finding strings that can hold a tune. "My message to you today is: Try different strings until you find the string that A, sounds the best, but I think even more importantly, tunes up the best. Because if you're playing solo, like I play, everything is exposed—especially your tuning."
But once you find those perfect strings and have been using them regularly for a while, don't be afraid to switch it up. In Tommy's experience, guitars begin to get used to the same string after lots of use-time and can often benefit from switching it up or alternating between two favorite string types if you have them, for example.
Be sure to check out the full video above to hear more about Tommy's string philosophy and his tips for how to stretch them for the best results, and let us know what you though in the comments below.