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Question about nylon string guitars ( not classical's )


Tony Burns

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Im not bonding with my Classical- it has a nice sound and all, but really feel a arched fingerboard -maybe something easier to play than your typical classical .

I know that Taylor makes a few models with nylon strings -thou their typically not selling very well with their dealers -

and they can be a bit pricy - whats out their that is nylon string ( other than your typical classical ) that wont have the classical guitar learning curve -

something that plays more like a steel string but easier . any suggestions for something of the beaten path ?

also not fond of bargain basement chinese stuff !

 

thank you in advance for your help !

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Tony, I just had a Cordoba "Luthier Series" nylon string guitar come thru my shop that frankly impressed the heck out of me. It was a brand new guitar and had a buzz that was bothering the owner - I suggested a couple of possibilities but rather than have me work on them he decided to have Cordoba replace it.

 

Anyway, I had it for several days and played it pretty seriously each evening. First, I'm not a classical player (my only classical pieces are Mason Williams "Classical Gas" and Kottke's version of a Bach song) but did play most of my standard folkie/blusie repertoire on it. It was amazingly responsive and fairly loud, and has a 1-7/8 (at the nut) fretboard with at least some radius to it - I could almost thumb wrap my F chord. This particular guitar has built in electronics (both a UST and mic) which I tested (in case it was the buzz) and it does have a cutaway. Built with a Spanish heel, it still has a truss rod so kind of a blend of traditional construction with modern.

 

I didn't bother to check the price but I do think that Cordoba is in the "affordable" range - I also know that it is made in China. Haven't tried the Taylor nylon but it is supposed to be a cross over and I know that Yamaha does make a few. However my short experience with the Cordoba left me pretty impressed and made me think that maybe I should add nylon to the quiver.

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I had the Yamaha NTX1200R. I took the original 44mm nut out to 48mm to make it playable for me, strung it up with some decent strings and it became my go-to. Oddly enough, the spacing between the edges of the neck and E strings is pretty far. Taking the nut width out to 48mm did not encroach on the edges on either side. Then my son commandeered it for his guitar class so I ended up gifting it to him. I'd buy another one but I have a decent classical that's become my new No1. I rarely get the juice up to play steel string now.

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Various companies make crossover or hybrid guitars. Ibanez, Breedlove, Takamine, etc. You should be able to find something. I do recall that BlackHatHunter (sp?) had problems with his Taylor but I don't know if it was just him or Taylors in general.

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Thank you one and all !

will look into the Cordoba , Yamaha , Tak and breedlove choices -

all of those brands have good reputations -

Nylon stringed guitars are not common among most sellers -

I talked to one shop nearby and they told me the Taylor they use to have took a long time to sell

so they may not carry another for a while ( which i can understand )

 

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you could go for your standard steel string and go for nylon strings with ball ends. I do that a lot of times. GHS and Martin strings come with ball ends.

 

Ive been thinking about doing that with an old George Washburn i have ( early 1900's Era ) i know its braced lighter so the sound might be decent .

Ive got the Argentine low tension strings on it now -but their dead from old age ( havent played it in a while )

and the fact its about a OOO size and B.R back and sides might make it have a nice sound - not sure about those old T frets ,

but its worth a try - ill try a set of either GHS or Martins Nylons and see what happens - would be nice to use something i already have than buying another guitar - was also thinking about lowering the saddle on my Lucida and see what happens -but my guess is that with the flat fingerboard

I wont be happy -

 

Worse comes to worse , ill sell the Lucida Concerto and pick up a Cross over - Acoustic guitar magazine has a video with 5 or so crossovers (reviews ) that was a fun watch -

but trying to find them to play may be a chore -

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Various companies make crossover or hybrid guitars. Ibanez' date=' Breedlove, Takamine, etc. You should be able to find something. [/quote']

 

This.

 

My daughter has a nice little Ibanez with a narrower neck that's designed for nylon strings. She's coming over for a visit this evening, so I'll try to remember to ask her what the model number of it is.

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