guitar strings are stiff, help pls!!?

Question

Hi,
I bought a guitar recently, i have tuned it using auto tuner. The thing is the strings are very stiff, my fingers are hurting when i had to press the strings for chords, so is it problem with my new guitar or initially the strings will be like that for all the guitars? btw, i bought LYON by washburn guitar.. pls suggest me a good accoustic guitar.

Answer 1

I know you'll hate to hear this, but you gotta work through the pain. Play every day for a few weeks and eventually you will have built up some serious calouses. If they still hurt after that change the gauge. The lower the gauge, the thinner the string, the easier to manipulate the strings. You should also check the neck of the guitar. If the neck is bowed too far back then the strings float too high off the neck which calls for more pressure on the strings. The more pressure you have to apply, the more painful the note. Every guitar player goes through that stage, but the most important thing is that once the calouses forms on the finger, you have to keep playing so they don't fade away and you have to start from square one.

As far as the guitar search goes, play everything and anything you can get your hands on! Not everything has to be in your price range, but note the things you like and dislike. Do you like the cut away? do you like electric acoustics? do you like the full body? Check everything so you can narrow down what you like in your price range.

Answer 2

The action on your guitar may be too high. The neck never comes straight off from the body or your stings will rub on your frets and make it sound very bad. But sometimes the neck tilts too far up and you really have to push hard on the strings to get a sound from them. This will cause the strings to cut into your fingers and make it sound crappy. You can take it to someone that knows how to adjust the neck and stet it up for you. Washburn makes very good guitar so this may not be the case. At any rate, if you are a beginner it may take some time to develop callouses on your fingers. Until then, try different gauges of strings. Once you get comfortable playing, you can choose a gauge that best gives you tone you want.

Martin, and Blueridge And Gibson are some good guitar makers I can think of right now.

Answer 3

The first thing you need to do is figure out what guage of strings are on there! They make strings in a light, medium, or heavy guage! And also, acoustic strings are heavier guage than electric sets,! If I were you I would change the strings to a light set to start, then if they are too light, change to a medium set, and if the light strings are still too heavy, change to an extra light set, they make those also,! You just have to experiment to get comfortable ! And also, if your fingers are sore because you are new , be sure not to over do it, just take it easy on the fingers, and let time build callouses on your fingertips without getting blisters! And also, have the distance of the strings to the fretboard lowered to the appropriate distance so it won't be so hard making a note, that hurts also!

Answer 4

Fender makes some very (finger friendly) acoustic guitars... But most of the acoustics you will find will be like that... It has nothing to do with the strings... More that the bridge is set higher than on an electric. U could always put electric strings on the acoustic... and, no that won't ruin your guitar

Answer 5

Just get a lighter gauge of guitar string. As your fingers get stronger you can increase the gauge if you'd like for a different sound

Answer 6

c'est la vie, my friend. getting your fingers accustomed to guitar strings is part of learning the instrument. people have theories about ways around the pain, but it's virtually inevitable. practice and get some calluses.

one alternative is using a slide, but that's a challenge in and of itself imho. as for good acoustics, i like taylors and larrivees. if you're not in the market for something in that price range, seagulls are also good.

Answer 7

most new strings on acoustic guitars tend to be tight, hard, & difficult to manipulate. in time they tend to stretch and become easier to play. and, if you are a beginner on an acoustic....your fingers will hurt like hell for weeks, until the tips of your fingers get used to the pressure of the strings on them.

good acoustic?....i would say....depending on price.

taylor
takamine
seagull
ovation
applause
jasmine
montana

Answer 8

its not about the guitar
its the strings man
you gotta get some new stings first
then just like endure the pain till ur fingers get tough and used to it. it sucks, but one day it wont be problem anymore.

Answer 9

The problem is with your fingers. They need to develop callouses on the tips to make playing easier.

Answer 10

if ur a beginner, it's suppose to hurt when u first play. idk bc I haven't seen ur guitar. It's possble that you tune the strings to the wrong note like a higher note.