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Question on nylon strings

emergeemerge Posts: 22
edited April 2005 in Musicians and Gearheads
Hello, someone just gave me an acoustic guitar and I got a few questions:

-The strings on the guitar are horrible, so for this occasion I wanted to try out nylong strings because I've never used them before. This sounds dumb but can I change all the strings into nylon strings? I'm asking this because the only nylon-stringed guitar I've seen had 3 low strings in steel and 3 high string in nylon so I was wondering if that was how you should do it.

-Or do we never put nylon strings on acoustic guitars? Again, because I think the nylon-stringed guitar I saw was a classic guitar.

Yes I'm new to the whole nylon world, help me.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,281
    i know very little about nylon strings except that they are usually put onto classical guitars. if you have a regular acoustic why not just get all steel strings?
  • WhiteMaleRatWhiteMaleRat Posts: 301
    same thing - someone gave me an old beat up acoustic, a real piece. I brought it to a little music shop and the guy said only nylon strings. steel would damage the neck, to much tension req'd for steel. Anyway, I believe all 6 are nylon. It cost about $25.

    I learned how to play on that guitar which I've had about a year. I think it may be time to upgrade or go electric.
    "This guy back here is giving me the ole one more....one more back to you buddy."

    - Mr. Edward Vedder 7/11/03


  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,281
    WhiteMaleRat wrote:
    I learned how to play on that guitar which I've had about a year. I think it may be time to upgrade or go electric.

    i would think so.
    i love the classical guitar sound but being a PJ board, i'd get a new acoustic with steel.
    i've had a fender dg-7 for a year and a half (first guitar) and it's great. i put new strings on it...fantastic sound!!
    well, i recently inherited a really old acoustic folk guitar. it is very much "out of shape". the back is straight and the neck isn't quite right. i put new steels on it and it sounds great. it didn't hold a tune for some time, but after a while it held it and it sounds great now!!
  • emergeemerge Posts: 22
    what i simply want to know is "can i put nylon strings on acoustic guitars?"
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    emerge wrote:
    what i simply want to know is "can i put nylon strings on acoustic guitars?"


    If the guitar was built for steel strings, I would advise against it. Nylon strings don't provide enough tension to keep the neck straight and clean. Also, nylon-string guitars have flat fingerboards, whereas steel-string guitars have rounded fingerboards, and the action is usually higher. This is because nylon strings vibrate at a higher amplitude (back and forth a greater distance) than steel strings, which will cause them to fret-out and buzz on a guitar meant for steel strings.

    If you want nylon strings, you'll need a guitar designed for them. If your guitar WAS designed for them, no prob...
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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