String Tension 101

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String Tension 101
Modern music has become so sub-divided and fragmented that there
is no longer one turn-key string solution for every playing style or
desired sound. At one point in time, there were no standardized string
gauges, but John D’Addario Sr. changed all that in 1939 with the
introduction of light, medium and heavy gauges for acoustic
instruments. Throughout most of the 20th century, standardized
electric and acoustic guitar gauges were sufficient for needs.
Occasionally, new gauges (often hybrids of existing sets), were
created for specific purposes and string offerings from manufacturers
became immense. However, today there are so many popular styles
and trends that it is often necessary for players to go outside of
standard gauge sets to get the effect they desire. Whether it’s open tunings, drop tunings, baritone guitars,
5-string guitars, 7-string guitars or a variety of other reasons, many players are opting to go their own
way and customize their string selection and sound. Go to Tension Guide
Why Do You Need To Know About String Tension?
D’Addario receives hundreds of inquiries each year from players who have questions or problems to
solve related to string gauges or tensions. To assist players in determining the appropriate string for
their needs, we created the Online String Tension Guide, a complete book of charts for determining the
appropriate string to be used in just about any situation. The guide includes formulas for determining
string tension for any string on any instrument type or scale length using three basic measurements: the
Unit Weight, the Scale Length of the instrument, and the Frequency of the string. If scientific formulas
aren’t your strong point, we have pitch/tension charts for just about every string we make, including
electric guitar, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, and bass guitar.
T (Tension) = (UW x (2 x L x F)
2
) / 386.4
String Tension Facts and Figures
Before we dig in to examples of how to determine various string tensions, here is a brief summary of
what string tension is and what effect it has on your instrument and your playing.
Guitar Fingerboard Layout
(Standard Tuning)
Nut / Open
1st Fret
2nd Fret
3rd Fret
4th Fret
1st String
e’ - 329.6 Hz
f’ - 349.2 Hz
f#’ - 370.0 Hz
g’ - 392.0 Hz
g#’ - 415.3 Hz
2nd String
b - 246.9 Hz
c - 261.6 Hz
c#’ - 277.2 Hz
d’ - 393.7 Hz
d#’ - 311.1 Hz
3rd String
g - 196.0 Hz
g# - 207.7 Hz
a - 220.0 Hz
a# - 233.1 Hz
b - 246.9 Hz
4th String
d - 146.8 Hz
d# - 155.6 Hz
e - 164.8 Hz
f - 174.6 Hz
f# - 185.0 Hz
5th String
A - 110.0 Hz
A# - 116.5 Hz
B - 123.5 Hz
c - 130.8 Hz
c# - 138.6 Hz
6th String
E - 82.4 Hz
F - 87.3 Hz
F# - 92.5 Hz
G - 98.0 Hz
G# - 103.8 Hz

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