hese strings have a silk filament running underneath the outer winding which gives them a smoother tone. To make this possible the cores have to be thinner too, which means these strings have less tension than regular steel strings meaning they’ll feel softer under the fingers and be easier to play.
The concept of Silk & Steel strings is intriguing. Rather than being manufactured in the traditional way with the outer wrap material being wound directly over a central core, ‘Silk and Steels’ have a thin layer of silk sandwiched between these two components, which you can see in the image above. The purpose of this being that it ‘softens’ the strings’ tone and is meant to make the strings a bit easier to play (a great option for RSI or arthritis sufferers). Straight out of the pack, you’ll notice that the strings are quite a bit more flexible than regular acoustic strings, just by holding them in your hands.
It's important to remember that these won’t sound or play like classical (or folk nylon) strings which have a nylon core although they may feel similar before you put them on the guitar. Silk & Steel strings have a warm sound without the bright or harsh overtones of normal steel sets. This is due to the silk layer ‘dampening’ the contact between the windings and steel core. If there ever was an excuse to use the term ‘mellow’ to describe a sound then this is it! And that is the perfect word.
