British Steels

The quintessential sound of British guitar – Rotosound’s early electric guitar strings which were the choice of music legends. This range originates from the sixties and offers a distinctly bright tone with increased presence over its nickel-plated counterparts. As British Steels are nickel free, they’re aptly suited to players with a nickel allergy.

The British sound

In the early days of rock and pop, stainless steel strings were the sets of choice with top players. Rotosound supplied stainless steel strings to the best players of the sixties and seventies such as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Syd Barrett, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Brian May.

Unmistakable tone

With such high iron content in their ferritic stainless steel covers, British Steels offer a clear and bright sound that still packs a punch. Serious twang is at hand with cleaner amp settings but turn up the overdrive to unleash unmistakable upper harmonics and presence unique to steel strings.

Great British quality

Manufactured in the UK to precise tolerances and using only the finest materials, you can rely on Rotosound British Steels for consistent tone and performance in every packet.

Every British Steel string is manufactured on custom built machines designed and built in the UK by Jason How.

Iconic music strings

This innovation continues Rotosound’s proud legacy of cutting-edge string design that started with our roundwound strings in the sixties.

Developed in conjunction with some of the world's top artists, Rotosound strings are synonymous with timeless tone, longevity and rock history.

Started in 1958 by James How, an engineer who made strings for his own instruments, Rotosound became known around the world for its superior quality products and famous endorsees such as Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and Queen to name just a few. The Who’s John Entwistle started a long partnership with James and helped develop the Swing Bass roundwound strings which have become the industry standard.

Gathering the most prominent artists over the following decades from Jaco Pastorius to The Edge, Oasis to Guthrie Govan, Rotosound has been the go-to string for every music generation.

• Stainless steel electric guitar strings
• Bright tone
• The classic British string sound
• Strong output
• As heard on classic recordings from Jimi Hendrix, Queen, AC/DC, and Pink Floyd
• Factory-fresh foil packaging