This electric guitar or bass string consists of nickel plated steel wraps around a steel core. The steel gives you better magnetic pull thus more volume electronically, and the nickel helps keep the steel from corroding. This is the most common type of electric string.

This string consists of nickel wraps around a steel core. Due to the pure nickel content of the wrap this string is mellower in tone and has less output electronically. It gives that "vintage sound".

The brightest material for electric strings, and has good volume electronically. The stainless steel is not as smooth to the touch as the nickel types of strings. Stainless steel is a very hard material and combined with its rougher texture causes quicker fret wear.