How Many Strings Does a Guitar Actually Have?

There are so many different guitars available these days, so if you’re a complete beginner looking for your first study-buddy, you might be asking yourself: how many strings does a ‘normal’ guitar actually have? What’s a ‘normal’ guitar anyway? And if I want to start lessons, how many strings should my guitar have?

A ‘Normal’ Guitar Has 6 Strings
12-String and 4-String Acoustic Guitars
7-String+ Electric Guitars
How Many Strings Does a Bass Guitar Have?
Basses with More Than Four Strings
See also…

A ‘Normal’ Guitar Has 6 Strings

Most guitars have six strings, and this is true of acoustic (classical or steel-string) guitars and electric guitars. Both acoustic and electric guitars all have the same standard tuning as well, which is: E, A, D, G, B, E, starting with the thickest, lowest-pitched string and up to the thinnest and highest-pitched string. So, if you’re thinking about signing up for guitar lessons, you’ll want to start with a normal six-string guitar.

12-String and 4-String Acoustic Guitars

The most common exception to the six-string rule is the twelve-string guitar, where each of the six strings of a normal guitar has been doubled, so you have six pairs of strings in place of just six single strings. The high B and E strings are both doubled with a string tuned to the same note, while the other four pairs of strings are tuned to the same note but an octave higher. The result is a lush and complex sound that has a more spacious, shimmering feel than the sound of a standard six-string. Then there are four-string guitars. These are much less common, and while the tuning can vary from model to model, the tuning of a typical ‘tenor guitar’ is C, G, D, A – the same tuning as a tenor banjo. Some four-string guitars have the same tuning as the four highest pitched strings of a normal six-string guitar.

7-String+ Electric Guitars

Thanks to guitar virtuosos like Steve Vai and Nu-Metal pioneers, Korn, the seven-string electric guitar was developed at the beginning of the nineties. These days, the standard extra seventh string is a low-B – so it’s tuned to a lower pitch than the low-E of a normal six-string guitar. And, since music has a habit of continuously evolving, eight-string, and even nine-string electric guitars have also become fairly common. These guitars get even lower in terms of pitch, adding on a low F# in the case of the seven-string, or a low F# and a C# in the case of the nine-string.

How Many Strings Does a Guitar Actually Have?

How Many Strings Does a Bass Guitar Have?

A normal bass guitar has four strings, and this applies to roughly 75% of all electric basses. Acoustic basses and double basses will almost always have four strings as well. Basically, if you’re thinking about taking bass lessons, then you’ll need a four-string bass, which has a standard tuning of E, A, D, G, just like the four lowest pitched strings of a six-string guitar, but an octave lower.

» What is the best bass guitar for me?

Basses with More Than Four Strings

These days, five-string basses are also a popular choice. Just like seven-string electric guitars, these models have an extra low-B string (but it’s tuned an octave lower than with the seven-string guitar). You can also get six-string basses (with a high C) and even seven-string basses (with a high C and F), but these are pretty advanced instruments and are considered a little bit niche.

» 4 or 5-String Bass: How Much is Just Enough?

Hopefully, this made things much clearer, but if you do have any questions, just let us know in the comments!