Phosphor Bronze vs 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Strings

Some guitarists love to engage in friendly debates over the best acoustic guitar strings. One long-simmering discussion has been over comparing phosphor bronze and 80/20 bronze strings.

What is phosphor bronze? What is 80/20? Read on for answers and decide for yourself which is best for you and your guitar.

One of the biggest factors in the sound of acoustic guitar strings is the wrap wire. This wire is wrapped around a core wire to provide deeper and more sustained mid-range and bass tones for your acoustic guitar. While tone will vary slightly in each guitar, here are general characteristics of different wrap wire materials:

• 80/20 bronze acoustic guitar strings offer a bright tone. Some players prefer this 80% copper and 20% zinc string because of its brilliant "true brass" tone out of the box.
• Phosphor bronze acoustic guitar strings offer a rich, warm tone. Some players prefer this 92% copper and 8% zinc composition because of the consistent and slightly warmer tone it provides out of the box compared to 80/20 bronze.

Maybe you like one type of strings better than another. Perhaps you want to experiment with both. Here at Strings and Beyond, we've got you covered. You can shop a full lineup of D'Addario phosphor bronze strings and D'Addario 80/20 bronze strings here as well as Elixir 80/20 bronze strings and Elixir phosphor bronze strings.

Don't see what you need? Check out our full selection of Acoustic Guitar Strings and Current Specials.