For acoustic strings, there are 3 main types of wound materials...
there're 80/20's, 85/15's and 90/10's...
80/20's means 80% copper, 20% zinc... it is actually alpha brass but i don't know y on the packets, its called bronze :roll:
The characteristics of these wound strings are bright and twangy but they corrode the fastest and loses this tonalty quick... they're usually used for recording purposes or for performances which requires only a few days of use...
85/15... welll its like rojak between 80/20's and 90/10's... still alpha brass + a very small amount of phosphorus, it ain't bronze too... IMO, they are not here not there and they sound totally crappy, although they last longer then 80/20's... not mellow not bright... just crappy...
90/10's are what they call phosphor bronze... i very much doubt its phosphor bronze howver as its not known for any good acoustic properties...
phosphor bronze as seen in wikipedia: "an alloy of copper with 3.5 to 10% of tin and a significant phosphorus content of up to 1%. The phosphorus is added as deoxidising agent during melting. These alloys are notable for their toughness, strength, low coefficient of friction, and fine grain."
i think the ones used in guitar strings are allys of copper with 90% copper, 9% zinc and 1% phosphorus instead... which make it phosphor brass 8O
These strings are mellow and not twangy like the 80/20's but they last long and even after going through some corrosion, they still keep their tonality and won't sound like crap...
so, i'd suggest using phosphor "bronze" strings for everyday use on ur acoustic guitar...
as for tha gauges, heavier gauges have more "volume" and they are capable of making some solid top guitars sound louder...
lighter gauges sounds thinner...
the loudness these strings create is usually not affected on laminated wood guitars... so light gauge would sound as loud as medium gauge on laminated guitars...
however, before going to heavy gauges (medium gauge is already considered quite heavy), do note that they're tension are very high when u tune them to concert pitch... they may warp woods of laminated guitar or fragile guitars which is bad... and they may sound softer too on not so well built guitars...
so usually, to be on the normal and safe side, use light gauge for acoustic guitars instead of the "medium" gauge ones... light gauges are normal and they reange from 0.012" to 0.053" (varies with different brands)
edit: btw, i use daddario phospor bronze light gauge (blue packet) on my cheapo $10 second hand guitar and it sounds good
