Nylon String question.

[Ditch]

I have been playing about three years. I like to get into finger style. For the life of me I'm not able to get a good clean sound from the steel strings. A friend let me use a classical guitar with nylon strings and that was great. I have a Yamaha 700 S that I have and don't use. Can I put nylon stings on this until I build up my strength in my hand or get the right movement? I have asked some folks I jam with and I got every answer under the sun. From sure to oh no!!!!!! I'm sure you folks can tell me if this is ok or a big no no. Thank you kindly.

[ChalkLitIScream]

Well its safe to do so in comparison to it being a no-no by putting steel strings on a classical. However, you wont get a good sound at all- the acoustic is built to require more energy to get a good sound out of it.

One more modification needed would be a new nut because the higher strings are way thicker than your plain steels and the G.

I also feel the thicker strings + limited space on the nut and fingerboard will really lead to a cramped playing experience and possibly some unwanted muting.

Youd also have to raise action since the slacker strings will vibrate in a wider pattern.

I wouldnt do it, because it will probably turn out horrible, but its safe to do so.

[Brucebubs]

Try some silk and steel strings on the Yamaha.
They have a soft feel and warm tone that suits finger style.

These La Bella 710M are very good and reasonably priced.
The Thomastik-Infeld Plectrums are superb too but more expensive.

[The Bard Rocks]

Do you suppose the difference was not steel versus nylon so much but instead the wider nut and saddle spacing?

[Swamp Yankee]

Has your Yamaha been set up? Any guitar with a poor setup can be a monster to play, especially steel string guitars.
A lot of players tune down 2 steps then slap a capo on the second fret.... give that a try. If you find it's a lot easier to play, spend a little money to have it set up properly by a luthier.... or do like my cheap friend does and always play it with the capo

[musicman1951]

By the time you pay for a new nut and a set-up for a steel string guitar that will only sound so-so with nylon strings, you might want to consider a used beginner classical guitar (which will probably run you about the same amount of money).

[Alan Carruth]

As has been said, it's safe to put nylon strings on a guitar designed for steel, but it won't work as well as you would like. Nylon strings have a lot less energy in the high frequencies, and less sustain, and that calls for differences in the way the guitar is made. For one thing, Classical guitars tend to be a bit smaller than steel strings, since it takes more energy to drive a larger box, and the large size tends to accentuate the bass. The Martin 12-fret 000 was the largest guitar they designed for gut strings, and it can work well if the top is lightly and carefully built, but you almost never see a nylon string guitar larger than that.

With fatter strings carrying lower tension higher off the fretboard you really do need the extra width at the nut that is usually built into Classicals. It's hard to play cleanly without it. Every time I've been asked to make a Classical with a nut narrower than 1-3/4" the person has come back later wanting me to widen the neck. That's hard to do; it's much simpler to carve one down. Don't bother if the nut is narrower than that, unless you have small fingers.

The 'belly' bridge was introduced when steel strings, with their higher tension, became factory standard. The extra depth along the line of string pull helps keep them glued down, and the added mass doesn't usually hurt either, as it tends to cut down a bit on treble response. Again, with lower tension and less treble in the strings you might find you'd get much better sound from a conversion by carving the bridge down a fair amount. This can be done without removing it, since the shape per se doesn't hurt anything.

If you decide to shave braces to help with the tone and power, I'd suggest going with a 'tapered' profile, rather than 'scalloped'. Again, scalloped bracing tends to favor bass and 'punch', where what you need with nylon string is treble and sustain.

Obviously, all of these mods will cost something, so unless you want to do them yourself it's hardly worth the effort. Even when well done you're likely to end up with a second-rate Classical guitar. It's harder, IMO, to make a good Classical than a good steel string, which is probably the reason you don't see top tier Classical players using production boxes.

[Kalani]

Don’t waste your time putting nylon strings on a steel string guitar, just get a nylon string guitar.

[Paraclete]

I wouldn’t put nylon strings on a steel string guitar. If you are serious about learning fingerstyle, I’d suggest either getting a classical guitar or an acoustic with a wider nut and saddle. But also make sure that whatever you have is set up well and the action is low.

[Tony Done]

Originally Posted by ChalkLitIScream

Well its safe to do so in comparison to it being a no-no by putting steel strings on a classical. However, you wont get a good sound at all- the acoustic is built to require more energy to get a good sound out of it.

One more modification needed would be a new nut because the higher strings are way thicker than your plain steels and the G.

I also feel the thicker strings + limited space on the nut and fingerboard will really lead to a cramped playing experience and possibly some unwanted muting.

Youd also have to raise action since the slacker strings will vibrate in a wider pattern.

I wouldnt do it, because it will probably turn out horrible, but its safe to do so.

I agree with all that, though I do know someone on another forum who is happy with nylon strings on a steel guitar. The greater string excursion of nylon strings also means that a wider neck works better than a narrow one. I've got small fingers, and 1 3/4" is getting too narrow for me with nylon strings. FWIW, I put nylon strings on a steel guitar for my young daughter, the low tension and narrow neck suited her small hands, and it was nice and quiet.

[Misifus]

Despite the fact that it’s counterintuitive, a friend of mine keeps nylon strings on his J-45. Surprisingly, it doesn’t sound too bad and it has fair volume. Call it his idiosyncrasy.