nylon vs steel

douglas englund · #1 May 4th, 2006

can i put steel strings on a classical nylon guitar?

si16 · #2 May 4th, 2006

I wouldn't, Douglas. Steel strings need to be strung to a higher tension than nylon and there's a strong chance that the classical guitar would be damaged by the extra tension.

douglas englund · #3 May 4th, 2006

thankyou for the info. i just bought the guitar because i have thick fingers and i like the 2" nut width and thought i could possably change to light steel sings but i don't want to damage the guitar. thanks for the info. Doug

RockerWilly · #4 May 4th, 2006

Thats not a good idea, if you do the neck will warp and the bridge will begin to pull off the body. It does more harm than good.

6string · #5 May 4th, 2006

note: nylon guitar strings come in different tensions also

douglas englund · #6 May 4th, 2006

what is a good brand to buy just for learning to fingerpick?

Cedric01 · #7 May 4th, 2006

La, Classique strings by GHS.

6string · #8 May 4th, 2006

I usually only change strings when they break, D'Addario are decent.

douglas englund · #9 May 4th, 2006

thank you

nagukush · #10 May 5th, 2006

Hi Friends

I hope everything is great there

After I had bought the Classical Guitar, I played it for a few days (maybe for only a week) and I kept the Guitar (in Tuned Condition) without playing it for about 2 - 3 months. Now, recently I took it out to start learning it, but I find that the action has slightly raised (I feel so

) and the Strings wont stay in tune !!! I tried to tune it with my Elec-Tuner too, but I feel its still not in tune.

Is it because the Strings have worn out ? Or has the Neck warped as it was kept without playing ? Is changing strings on a Classical Guitar very Difficult ? Sorry for so many questions, but I dream that I could play my Nylon-Strung (its my Fav Instrument

)

Thanks and Lots of Care to All
Your Pal
Kush

douglas englund · #11 May 5th, 2006

i wish i could answer your question but i have only had this guitar for three days.

Jean · #12 May 5th, 2006

I've put steels (mediums) on my classical guitar,
Luckily, it didn't to anything to it, but I would not advise it...

Back then I didn't know the difference between steel and nylon!!

Good luck anyway,
Jean

Jean · #13 May 5th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by nagukush

Hi Friends

I hope everything is great there

After I had bought the Classical Guitar, I played it for a few days (maybe for only a week) and I kept the Guitar (in Tuned Condition) without playing it for about 2 - 3 months. Now, recently I took it out to start learning it, but I find that the action has slightly raised (I feel so

) and the Strings wont stay in tune !!! I tried to tune it with my Elec-Tuner too, but I feel its still not in tune.

Is it because the Strings have worn out ? Or has the Neck warped as it was kept without playing ? Is changing strings on a Classical Guitar very Difficult ? Sorry for so many questions, but I dream that I could play my Nylon-Strung (its my Fav Instrument

)

Thanks and Lots of Care to All
Your Pal
Kush

Hi Kush,

Glen (UGB) would know more than I do about this,
From what you've said it sounds like the neck may be warping center up, if you know what I mean, but probably not after just three months...

I mostly play my nylon most of the day when I have the time, and I've recently changed the strings, not hard at all if you've had some experience, the first time I did, I sweated into a mess...

Maybe the tuners are bad quality, and how old are the strings about?

I wish I could help more Kush,

Good luck,
Jean

P.S - check out this link - http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/onlinetuner.html

Ultimate Garage Band · #14 May 5th, 2006

Most classical/nylon string guitars don't have an adjustable truss rod and they aren't made to take the tension of steel strings, not only in the neck but the body is braced in a different manner. Most steel strings use the Martin developed 'X' bracing whereas most nylon guitars use an older 'fan' bracing method. The answer is, no, don't put steel strings on your nylon string guitar. You could look for a maker that offers a wider than standard nut for steel strings, like Seagull or Art & Lutherie, or have a guitar custom built for you. If I keep going the way I'm going w/the acoustic stuff I do live, I'd seriously consider dropping $3500 or so on a custom build. I mean realistically, that's 7-10 of the Washburns I'm currently playing and as much as I play I could go through that many Washburns in 10 years easy. If I had a custom guitar built w/stainless steel frets it'd last me my lifetime and beyond. I'd get a wider nut too; in fact I'm thinking of modding my Washburns by cutting a new, wider nut for each. We'll see.

Kush, 2-3 months is enough time for humidity conditions to change to affect the action. Unfortunatly, there's not much you can do on a guitar w/o an adjustable trussrod to lower the action other than take the bottom edge of the saddle down. If you don't have a measure of woodworking skills and some good tools to do this, it's a very tricky process that can lead to a useless saddle after hours of labor on it. If you do decide to do it yourself, buy a new saddle to modify and if you screw it up you still have the old one to use.