How to Use the Stringjoy Guitar String Tension Calculator

We made the Stringjoy String Tension Calculator to help players make an informed decision about which custom guitar string gauges will work best for their needs—no matter how unique they may be. To get the most out of this tool, read these instructions to understand what it does, how it works, and how to use it.

The Most Important Thing of All:

Let's cut right to the chase here because this is the biggest issue players face when using string tension calculators. Listen carefully: You almost always want more tension on your wound strings than on your plain strings. If you're looking for a balanced set you might only want 2-4 lbs more tension on an electric guitar, or 5-7 lbs more tension for an acoustic guitar. If you want even more power on your wound strings as many players do, you can go even higher than that.

There are many reasons for this, but the big two are:

1. Wound strings have a different geometry than plain strings, this causes them to be more flexible even at higher tension numbers.
2. Plain strings have more output than wound strings because they're pure steel rather than steel wrapped in nickel or bronze wire (steel has more output on its own than nickel or bronze does). 

To get a set of strings that both sounds and plays balanced, we need to compensate for these factors, and that's why we aim for more tension on wound strings than on plain strings.

The (other) Most Important Thing of All:

As gauges increase, so does overall output and bass response. Because of this, when you get to the very heaviest string (or strings in the case of a 7 or 8 string guitar or 5 string bass), you may find it best to ramp the tension down slightly to avoid excess bass response overpowering other strings in the set.

What is String Tension?

In tangible terms for guitar players, string tension is the amount of force required to fret or bend a string.

How is String Tension Calculated?

String tension is a product of a string's mass, the pitch it's tuned to, and the string's scale length. Increasing any of these factors will increase string tension, and decreasing any of them will decrease string tension, simple as that.

Why Are Your Numbers Different than Other String Tension Calculators?

These numbers are based on our own measurements of Stringjoy strings. They will be different than other companies' measurements because we make our strings differently than other companies.

I also want to note that any string tension calculator is working off of averages. Strings are man-made, and as such small variations are always present from one string to another which will cause micro-changes to how a string responds.