Cleartone Coated Strings: Which Set and Gauge (2026)
The Cleartone sets in this guide cost between $19.99 and $52.99 CAD, aimed at guitarists, bassists, and classical players who want a familiar uncoated-string feel with longer service life. The job is simple: keep your instrument sounding consistent through rehearsals, recording sessions, gigs, and long practice weeks without swapping sets as often. Start by choosing the right string family for your instrument and sound, then choose the gauge that suits your tuning, touch, and setup.
Top Cleartone Picks
Cleartone Brand Overview
Cleartone was founded by Phil Everly in 1998 and builds its strings in small batches at its Utah facility using U.S. sourced materials. The company has stayed focused on one main idea: strings should last longer without feeling coated. That is the point of its twice-patented No-Feel treatment, which Cleartone says is less than one micron thick and bonded directly to the metal instead of sitting on top like a conventional coating.
For players, the appeal is practical. Cleartone claims its treatment can extend string life by three to five times while retaining the texture and response of a regular set. The company also cites independent lab tests showing 36% more output and 48% more sustain. Those figures are useful as a sign of Cleartone's design target, but your guitar, pickups, playing attack, and setup will still shape the result.
Across acoustic, electric, bass, and classical sets, Cleartone uses its own Super High Tension Winding process. Acoustic players get a real alloy choice instead of several versions of the same sound. Electric players can move between light standard gauges and heavy drop-tuning sets without leaving the Cleartone feel. The colour-coded ball ends are also handy during a rushed restring: low E is black, A is silver, D is red, G is green, B is purple, and high E is brass.
Cleartone Product Line Breakdown
Acoustic Guitar Strings
Cleartone acoustic strings sit between $21.99 and $24.99 CAD in the sets covered here. They are for acoustic players who want longer-lasting tone but still need to choose a clear tonal direction before selecting gauge. Start with the alloy. Phosphor bronze is the warm, full option. 80/20 bronze puts more focus on crisp highs and brightness. EQ Hybrid Metal is the targeted choice for players trying to balance bass, mids, and top end on one guitar.
Cleartone Phosphor Bronze Light 12-53 is $24.99 CAD for players who want a dependable all-purpose acoustic set that brings warmth and body to strumming, fingerpicking, and recording. This is Cleartone's flagship acoustic formula, with phosphor bronze wrap wire and a high-carbon steel hex core. Light 12-53 is Cleartone's popular middle-ground gauge, giving most steel-string acoustics enough weight for full rhythm parts without feeling excessive under the fretting hand.
If your acoustic already sounds dark, heavily built, or mellow through a microphone, the Cleartone 80/20 Bronze Light 12-53 is $21.99 CAD for players who want to put more edge and definition into the guitar's voice. Its 80% copper and 20% zinc alloy is built around a brighter, crisper sound. It suits flatpicked parts that need to cut through a dense arrangement and fingerstyle tracks where you want more note separation.
The Cleartone EQ Hybrid Metal Light 12-53 is $22.99 CAD for acoustic players who want to correct an uneven-sounding guitar at the string level before reaching for EQ in the mix. Cleartone uses pure copper on the low E, phosphor bronze on the A and D, and 80/20 bronze on the G. The idea is warm bass, full mids, and a more articulate upper register in one set. It is a sensible pick for a single acoustic that has to cover rhythm, lead lines, and home recording.
Need more tension and a firmer attack? Cleartone Phosphor Bronze Medium 13-56 is $24.99 CAD for strong acoustic players who want a fuller response and more resistance under a heavy pick. The phosphor bronze formula keeps the same warm, balanced direction as the 12-53 set, while the 13-56 gauge is better suited to aggressive strumming and players who find lighter strings too loose.
Electric Guitar Strings
Cleartone electric guitar sets in this guide are $19.99 CAD. They are for players who want a bright, articulate nickel-plated sound and a coating that extends string life without changing the feel. The standard Nickel-Plated family is the sensible place to begin. Cleartone calls it its best-selling electric set, and its long-scale length also suits baritone and other longer-scale guitars.
Cleartone Nickel-Plated Light 10-46 is $19.99 CAD for the player who needs one reliable set for standard tuning, rehearsals, recording, and general live work. Cleartone identifies 10-46 as its balanced electric gauge, and that tracks with how most players use it: enough tension for solid rhythm tone, with enough flexibility for lead playing and bends. Nickel-plated steel and the high-carbon hex core aim for a bright response, strong output, and stable tuning.
For easy bends and a softer fretting feel, Cleartone Nickel-Plated Super Light 9-42 is $19.99 CAD for electric players who want quick lead work and lower resistance under the fingers. It keeps the same nickel-plated voice and No-Feel coating as the 10-46 set, but the lighter gauge is a better fit for players used to 9s or guitars with a naturally stiff feel.
Cleartone Nickel-Plated Medium 11-48 is $19.99 CAD for players who want more tension than 10-46 without stepping into a dedicated drop-tuning set. It works well for firm rhythm work, punchier single-note parts, and players who tune down occasionally but do not need the thicker core design of the Heavy Series.
The Cleartone Heavy Series Drop 56 11-56 is $19.99 CAD for players running lower tunings, extended-range guitars, or hard-hitting modern rock and metal parts. Its thicker core-to-wrap ratio is designed to raise tension and reduce excess string movement, helping low notes stay defined. Pick this set when regular 10-46 or 11-48 strings become too loose after tuning down. Cleartone also offers heavier Heavy Series sets, including 13-70 and 14-80 gauges for serious low-tuning work.
Electric Bass Strings
Cleartone Nickel-Plated Electric Bass Medium 45-105 is $52.99 CAD for four-string bassists who want punchy lows, focused mids, and crisp note definition across rehearsals and recording sessions. The medium 45-105 gauge is the broad-use option for standard-tuned bass, with enough tension for solid fingerstyle and pick attack without becoming overly stiff. Cleartone uses nickel-plated steel wrapped around a high-carbon hex core, then applies its patented treatment to keep the set sounding fresh longer.
This is a more expensive bass set than many basic uncoated options. The value is in reduced string changes for players who wear through standard sets quickly, need a consistent bass tone for tracking, or prefer not to lose brightness halfway through a run of gigs. If you swap bass strings rarely and prefer a dead, broken-in sound, the price is harder to justify.
Classical Guitar Strings
Cleartone Sevilla Classical Nylon Medium Tension Tie End is $28.99 CAD for classical and nylon-string players who want a warm traditional sound with a smooth feel and longer-lasting tone. Medium tension is the sensible starting point for many students, performers, and home players because it balances response and comfort. This tie-end set is made for a traditional classical bridge, so confirm your guitar uses that attachment style before ordering.
Sevilla is the right Cleartone family if you want the company's treatment on a nylon-string instrument without moving toward an overly bright or aggressive voice. It is built for balanced projection across the register, useful for solo repertoire, ensemble work, and close-miked recording where uneven treble and bass response can become obvious.
Who Is Cleartone For?
Cleartone is for players who notice when strings lose their initial clarity and do not enjoy the slick texture some coated sets can have. Acoustic players should make their first decision by alloy: phosphor bronze for warmth, 80/20 for brightness, or EQ Hybrid Metal for a more deliberately balanced response. Electric players can begin with Nickel-Plated Light 10-46, then move lighter for bends or heavier for down-tuned work.
The brand makes particular sense for gigging musicians, working teachers, studio players, and home producers recording guitars repeatedly across several weeks. A fresher set can save time during editing and mixing because transient detail and intonation tend to hold up better. Bassists who need a defined direct-input tone and classical players who want a familiar nylon feel also have a clear entry point in the range.
More Cleartone Strings to Explore
These additional gauges cover players who need more acoustic tension or a lighter or firmer electric setup. Each remains within Cleartone's treated-string approach, so your gauge choice can be driven by feel and tuning rather than a change in coating system.
How to Choose Your Cleartone Gauge
For steel-string acoustic, choose the alloy first. Phosphor Bronze Light 12-53 is the safe starting point if you want warmth and a full body. Choose 80/20 Bronze Light 12-53 if your guitar needs more brightness. Choose EQ Hybrid Metal Light 12-53 if you want more tailored bass, midrange, and treble behaviour. Move to Medium 13-56 if you play hard, prefer higher tension, or need more resistance for strong rhythm work.
For electric guitar, Nickel-Plated Light 10-46 is the practical default. Super Light 9-42 suits easier bends and lighter touch. Medium 11-48 gives you a firmer feel for rhythm playing. Heavy Series 11-56 is the better call for drop tunings because it is designed with a thicker core-to-wrap ratio. Do not force a heavy gauge onto a guitar set up for light strings without checking intonation, nut slots, neck relief, and action.
For four-string bass, Medium 45-105 is the broad-use choice for standard tuning. For classical guitar, Sevilla Medium Tension Tie End is the straightforward pick for a traditional tie-block bridge. In every case, buy for your instrument's setup and your hands.
