ever get tired of steel string and switch to nylon?

[CharlieBman]

I have an old Martin nylon string guitar that still sounds beautiful. I play it for certain songs because of the way it feels and sounds. Some songs it suits..some it doesn't. But I never play it because I've gotten tired of steel strings.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by musicman1951

I actually went the other way. I love the sound of classical guitars, but they are difficult to amplify keeping that same tone. Not that the amplified tone is bad, but it's just different and seems to lose some of the sweetness.

For me there are some songs that just sound better with the nylon, and others that just sound better with the steel.

I agree that most of the audience won't care one way or the other.

Very true!

I purchased a Cordoba Cadete (3/4 Size classical) as a "couch guitar" and I REALLY love the tonality of the guitar, as well as it's smaller size and shorter scale. It's so light and quick under the fingers, but that rich tone is the thing that pushes it over the top for me. You just aren't going to get that with any steel string guitar.

I would gig with the Cadete if there was a good way to amplify it, but that's something that eludes nylon strung guitar at present.

[blakey]

My mind was changed about nylon string guitars after I owned a proper Spanish made flamenco guitar. They're nothing like a classical or a nylon string crossover.

[Woolbury]

I've been really intrigued with getting a nylon string guitar lately because of some of the songs Ive been playing. I don't think about playing Robert Johnson style blues on it, but when I learned Tears in Heaven I got intrigued and it's gone on from there. I've been playing Jobim stuff lately, working through Corcovado and Ipanema, such cool chords and rhythms. I also love a lot of Pat Methenys nylon string solo tunes, I'd add a nylon for that jazzy mood /direction in itself, and return to my steel for the other things I play.

[rmoretti49]

I have one nylon stringed guitar, a Cordoba. I bought it to use mainly when the wrist on my fretting hand starts to feel painful when playing steel stringed guitar. It works well for me, enabling me to keep playing while my wrist gets a chance to recover.

[lkingston]

I was very happy on steel stringed guitars except that my arthritis was getting bad and long practice or gigging sessions were starting to really hurt.

I switched to nylon almost a year ago and the relief on my left hand is considerable.

To my surprise, I really love the sound. Less bend and sustain, but I love the way the vibratos sound. I’m using crossover guitars.

I have no problem whatsoever with the pickup sound.

[Leocino_2804]

I did switched to classical just to diversify my repertoire. There are pieces that were composed and would only work with nylon strings.

I say do whatever makes you happy.

[Tleek]

I love my nylon guitar and probably go about 50/50 between it and steel.

[FrankHudson]

I started on a cheap department store classical style nylon string. I also started out wanting to learn to fingerpick. Long-story-short: my nails and skin couldn't handle bare fingerpicking.

I eventually moved on to steel-string acoustics and electric guitars, but before those became my customary instruments I continued to play my cheap nylon string using a pick. I don't sound like Willie Nelson (who does) but instead I most often cross-pick like I do on steel strings.

The thread has already pointed out that the feel and sound differs. One thing no one's mentioned, but I noticed as bluesy string vibrato bender in my youth: you need to bend a nylon string farther to get the same pitch change. You can play Blues on anything really, but some techniques need to work differently.

Decades after starting out with that nylon string I bought a used Yamaha classical from their low-end student lines. Every so often I bring it out and enjoy the change of pace.

Besides Willie Nelson and Charlie Byrd, another pop music Nylon player, one who became associated with my home-town scene, was Michael Johnson. Ralph Towner alternated nylon string with steel-strung 12-strings. And there was the Bossa Nova bloomlet of my youth that I liked.

Here's my Yamaha recorded recently backing a performance of a William Wordsworth poem: The World Is Too Much With Us on the Parlando Project