sixstringed

Sixstringed is an adjective used to describe musical instruments that have six strings. In common usage it most often refers to the six-string guitar family—including classical guitars, steel‑string acoustics, and electric guitars—but the term can apply to any instrument with six strings, such as some six-string basses. The hyphenated forms six-stringed or six-stringed are standard; the unhyphenated form sixstringed is less common and generally discouraged in formal writing.

Guitars with six strings are the most widespread example of six-stringed instruments. Standard tuning for many six-string guitars is E2–E4 (low to high: E A D G B E), though alternate tunings, drop tunings, and baritone designs expand the range and timbre. Other six-stringed instruments include nylon-string classical guitars and some hybrid instruments that maintain six strings while varying construction and tone. Some players use six-string basses, which adopt the six-string format at a lower register.

History and scope: The six-string guitar became the dominant form in Western music by the 19th century, with electric versions popularized in the mid-20th century. The six-string configuration supports a wide array of techniques and genres, from intricate classical fingerpicking to distorted electric rock. The term sixstringed is primarily a linguistic descriptor and is less common in contemporary titles or product names than “six-string guitar” or “six-string.”

See also: six-string guitar; guitar; list of guitar tunings.