Best 5 guitar strings for kids guitars

You spent a lot of time choosing the best guitar for your child. It came with a set of strings installed, but as your child practices more and more, the strings become worn, or can even break.

If you need to replace the strings on a short scale guitar that your child plays, there are a few things you need to be mindful of when choosing guitar strings for kids guitars.

Nylon strings on short scale classical guitars require high-tension

Because children have smaller hands and arms, it’s best to purchase short-scale guitars for them instead of a full-sized guitar. Short scale guitars come in 3 sizes:

• 1/4 scale
• 1/2 scale
• 3/4 scale

Short scale guitars have a shorter distance between the nut and the bridge, this is obvious.

Nylon strings are used on classical guitars, like the Hohner HAG250P. These strings are classified by the amount of tension they exert on the neck of the guitar:

• low tension
• normal tension
• high tension

It is not a good idea to use normal tension guitar strings on a short scale guitar, since you will run into tuning issues. While you could technically tune the guitar, it will be difficult to play, come out of tune easily, and the strings will feel wobbly.

This is why we use high-tension strings on short scale guitars.

High tension strings (sometimes called hard-tension strings) are much firmer than normal strings. When used on a short scale guitar, they compensate for the shorter size of the body, and will feel and play like normal strings on a full-sized guitar.

Steel strings should be light gauge for kids

You might be asking yourself, “What is string gauge on a guitar?”

First of all, know that when you talk about string gauges, you are talking about steel stringed guitars. Nylon strings, as discussed above, are for nylon stringed classical guitars, and are classified by tension.

Secondly, string gauge refers to the physical thickness of guitar strings. Simply put, gauge = thickness.

Thirdly, both acoustic and electric guitars use steel strings, but they are not interchangeable. There are separate strings for electric guitar and acoustic guitar.

There are 6 strings on a standard 6 stringed guitar. A typical pack of guitar strings comes in a pack of 6, so you can replace each string on the guitar. The gauge of each steel string is different. The highest in pitch will be the thinnest string, while the lowest in pitch will be the thickest string.

You can purchase string sets with several gauge variations, ranging from extra light gauge to extra heavy gauge for steel strings.

Here is a table to help you understand the gauges of steel-string guitars, notice how the gauge of each string increases.

As I mentioned earlier, nylon strings are not classified this way, as their gauges are non-linear.

What is the difference between light, medium and heavy gauge steel strings?

There is a trade off between playability and tone.

The lighter the string gauge, the easier it is to play, but sonic qualities are lessened.

Vice-versa, heavy gauge strings are harder to hold down, but they produce more sound.

When choosing a string gauge for your child’s guitar, you want to keep these in mind:

• Heavy gauge strings are not good for children. Their little fingertips will hurt, and holding chords will be uncomfortable.
• Extra light strings are to be avoided as well, since they snap easily. Kids will sometimes whack the strings way to hard, which may cause a string to break.

There is just one more thing to keep in mind when choosing replacement strings for your kid’s guitar: the G string. Some manufacturers use a wound G string, instead of a plain string. A wound G string is harder to play, so it’s best to avoid while your child is a beginner.

Keeping all the above in mind, here are my recommendations on suitable strings for children’s guitars.

Top nylon guitar strings for kid’s guitars

Most children start learning to play guitar on nylon string guitars, as they are easier on the little fingers. Here are some great replacements strings for your child’s guitar.

D’Addario EJ27N 1/2 Nylon Guitar Strings (Normal Tension)

D’Addario is one of the biggest string manufacturers in the world.

They sell nylon strings made specifically for 1/2 sized guitars at a cheaper price than their regular length strings. The only downside is that they are normal tension, not high tension. At half-price though, they are a good compromise.

D’Addario EJ27N 3/4 Nylon Guitar Strings (Normal Tension)

The same set of nylon strings is available in 3/4 length as well for 3/4 size classical guitars.

As before, the price is great, but they are normal tension like the 1/2 scale version.

D’Addario EJ27H Nylon Guitar Strings (Hard Tension)

The full-length version of these strings is a bit more expensive, but come in high-tension. These strings stay in tune better and feel more firm when playing.

Since these are full length strings, you will have to cut off a lot of it for 1/2 and 3/4 size guitars after stringing them.

It’s up to you to weigh the pros vs cons.

Best acoustic steel guitar strings for kid’s

If your little one plays an acoustic guitar with steel strings, you need to get light gauge replacement strings.

This is the one I prefer to use on my son’s acoustic.

Ernie Ball Earthwood Extra Light

These extra light strings from Ernie Ball are 80% copper, 20% zinc. This is the most popular guitar string alloy on the market. It sounds great, and is durable.

The gauge of the strings is 10 – 14 – 20 – 28 – 40 – 50.

They are easy on your child’s fingers, but thick enough as to avoid snapping easily.

Best electric guitar strings for kid’s guitars

As I mentioned before, the steel strings used on acoustic guitars cannot be used on electric guitars.

If you are looking for electric guitar strings that will be easy on your child’s fingers, this is my recommendation.

Ernie Ball Extra Slinky Nickel Wound

Ernie Ball makes great strings, and this type specifically is great for kid’s guitars.

The gauge of the strings is 8-11-14-22w-30-38. These are the lightest electric guitar strings you’ll find.

They are super easy on fingertips, so your child’s finger soreness will be minimized.

How to change strings on a kid’s guitar?

Changing the strings on a short scale kid’s guitar is the same as a normal guitar.

The technique you would use depends on the type of guitar you have: nylon stringed acoustic, steel stringed acoustic or electric.

You can get strings changed at any music shop… but why would you?

You can do it at home, it’s easy, and you’ll save money.

The only thing you’ll need are your new set of strings, and this winder/cutter tool:

As most children get nylon stringed acoustic guitars, here is a video made by Martin & Co on how to change strings on a nylon stringed guitar.