D'Addario EJ10 80/20 Bronze Extra Light (.010–.047): the softest touch in the bright acoustic line

D'Addario EJ10 is the lightest gauge in the company's 80/20 Bronze line, built from the same bright bronze wrap wire over a hex high-carbon steel core as every other set in the family, just drawn down to Extra Light .010 to .047. D'Addario calls 80/20 Bronze its "brightest acoustic guitar strings," and EJ10 delivers that same crisp, zingy voice at the lowest tension the line offers.

80/20 bronze itself is not new. It is the original acoustic string alloy, co-created by John D'Addario Sr. and guitar maker John D'Angelico back in the 1930s, decades before phosphor bronze existed. EJ10 is D'Addario's current production version of that bright, vintage-leaning voice, built in the Extra Light gauge that suits beginners, light-touch players, and small-body acoustics that don't need or want a heavier string pulling on the top.

Most players who want maximum brightness reach for 80/20 bronze at Light or Medium gauge, because a heavier string under more tension drives the top more and projects further. EJ10 exists for a different priority: comfort. Lower tension means less finger pain while calluses build, easier bending, and a gentler pull on the guitar's neck and bridge. That makes it a common factory-default gauge on parlor guitars, travel acoustics, and any small-bodied instrument built with a lighter top that doesn't need a Light or Medium string's tension to sound its best.

The tradeoff is volume and fullness. A dreadnought or jumbo body is designed to move more air, and stringing one with EJ10 instead of the more common EJ11 Light .012-.053 will sound noticeably quieter and thinner, even though the alloy is identical. If you're chasing maximum brightness and projection on a full-size acoustic, EJ11 or EJ12 will get you there better than EJ10 will. If your priority is comfort, a smaller body, or a lighter touch, EJ10 is the right call. For the alloy tradeoff itself, see our phosphor bronze vs 80/20 bronze comparison.

• Beginners still building calluses who want the lowest-tension string that still sounds like a real acoustic set
• Parlor, travel, and small-body acoustics built for a lighter string to begin with
• Light-touch fingerstyle players who bend and fret more easily at lower tension
• Anyone switching down from a heavier gauge who wants an easier feel without leaving the 80/20 alloy

• Full-size dreadnought or jumbo owners chasing maximum volume: D'Addario EJ11 Light drives a big body harder
• Heavy strummers: thinner gauge strings buzz and break more easily under an aggressive attack
• Warm fingerstyle tone: phosphor bronze's fuller low end and longer sustain suit fingerstyle better than a bright, light-tension 80/20 set

EJ10 is the string to reach for when comfort and ease of play matter more than raw volume: beginners, small-body acoustics, and light-touch players who want 80/20 bronze's bright, vintage-leaning voice without the tension of D'Addario's more popular EJ11 Light gauge. It is the same alloy and the same hex steel core as every other 80/20 Bronze set, just drawn to the lightest gauge in the line.

If your guitar is a full-size dreadnought and you find EJ10 too quiet, stepping up to EJ11 Light .012-.053 is a small tension increase that most players adjust to within a week and gets noticeably more volume and low end out of a bigger body.

D'Addario

EJ10 80/20 Bronze Extra Light (.010–.047)

.010 – .047

Price tier: $

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