Welcome
Welcome to stringcritic.com. This web site features guitar string reviews with corresponding audio samples to compare different string brands. All reviews are done in the String Critic Studio, a professional sound treated studio. You can see more of it in my YouTube videos.
Affiliation
String Critic is not affiliated with any string manufacturers. Any strings that may be advertised here are a result of Google targeted ads. Ads are what keep this site funded. I have no direct relationship with any string manufacturers and endeavor to keep these reviews free of any such bias or favoritism.
Navigating the Web Site
You'll find a Navigation Panel on the left that will take you to the different sections of this website. Read reviews in the String Reviews section and see how they compare in the String Rank. Discuss or share your own reviews in the Forum. Read my musings in the Blog. Watch my video reviews in my YouTube channel. Or if you're on an old browser, or want to browse using a stripped down version of the web site, you can navigate by way of the SiteMap. Contact me with any questions, comments, or ideas at the email listed in my Contact section.
Optimum Viewing
To optimally view this site, press and hold "CTRL" then "+", on your keyboard to increase the size and "CTRL" then "-" to reduce the size. This should enable you to view the site as intended.
My Background
I'm a long time musician. I started with violin at the age of six and choir at age eight. I picked up the guitar at age fourteen. My first inspiration was just listening to and singing to music as a child. My dad would play piano and sometimes I'd sit next to him on the piano stool and sing to some songs he was playing. I would have a great time doing that.
Then at the age of fourteen I remember finding an old worn out piece of music. I asked my dad what it was and he said it was a piece for classical guitar and played it. For some reason that piece of music really fascinated me and the next day I sat down and tried to play it. It was a few weeks before I was playing it but after many weeks of sore fingers I managed it. I suppose the experience from violin carried over making a smooth and fast transition.
It wasn't until later that I discovered the joys of writing and performing my own music. My main sources of inspiration were Metallica at thirteen, The Beatles at fourteen, James Taylor at sixteen, and Nick Drake at nineteen. Since then I have found various artists and inspirations outside of music.
I studied engineering at university and then heard Nick Drake for the first time. He showed me a world of sound that I had not known before. It opened up a door in my mind to new territory, and inspired many compositions and explorations into new musical grounds. It was also the point I decided I was to be a musician.
At the age of twenty one I had the opportunity to record my original songs in a professional studio in Germany. This gave me a taste of what it was like to record professionally. After this experience I knew I wanted to not only play music but learn to record professionally as well. It was a joy getting up each morning and heading to the studio to record my labors of love. It was something I could see myself doing as my profession.
I wrote more songs, developed my guitar playing, taught guitar lessons, played weddings, played guitar in a restaurant, studied acoustics, and designed and built a recording studio. Music has become my full time profession.
Leading up to this Site
As a professional musician and guitarist, strings are one of the main tools I use and rely on. When you're obsessed with getting the best possible sound, you end up trying many strings and changing strings a lot. Therefore I came to hear and appreciate the differences between different strings. I decided if I'm going to change my strings and compare them, I may as well do it as a part time job and offer the resource to other people. I didn't see a resource such as this already on the internet so I decided to provide it myself. This is what this site is about.
Using this Site
You need quality tools, tools that help you perform at your best. This site is a tool for you to use to help make your own string buying decisions. This site will help you learn about strings and their differences and be able to hear and compare for yourself using the provided audio samples in the String Reviews section.