Inspirational 22+ Electric Guitar Strings Gauges. Ug community > electric guitar >. A guitar string's gauge refers to the string's physical size, given in inches. Some guitarists prefer standard strings, while others like coated ones for. There's a lot of guitar folklore about players like stevie ray, jimi hendrix, billy gibbons & the like, as to whether or not the string gauge they used really contributed to their unique tones.