Stay in tune with a sonic miracle: Guitar music may not dominate in the way it once did, but guitars are still a billion-dollar industry with the strings that go on them a feat of engineering in their own right

WITH 2.5 MILLION UNITS sold annually in the US, and the UK pitching in with an extra 750,000, guitars are a billion-dollar business. Which means that the strings that go on them are big business too. If every new American and British six-string had their strings changed at the recommended frequency of once per month, they would in their first year alone consume sufficient length of metal wire to reach the 384,400km it takes to get to the Moon.