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Nylon string VS. Steel string guitars.


KATMAN

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Posted

If you could ONLY have one acoustic,which one would you choose? Tough choice here,but if I could only pick one,I'd go with a nylon string guitar. Perferably a very expesive nylon strung guitar. I love the rich warm tone that a classical has. I would never thought I would say it,but then again when I was much younger I didn't think that I would prefer acoustic music over electric music either.

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I just bought my first classical - I can hardly put it down. I am seriously looking for a good teacher. I am amazed at the many different voices that can be made with just ever so subtle a change in the way I attack the strings.

 

I have a Strat and three Acoustic steels. I'd give then all up and keep the classical. It has really helped my all round playing.

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I'm never very good at these games because I inevitably start asking questions like "Can I choose all the other specifics of the guitar, besides the strings? Or do I just get assigned a random representative of the steel- or nylon-string species?"

 

I'd hate to tell the genie that I want a steel-string guitar, only to wind up with an Esteban or First Act. Especially if I can get a decent nylon-string. With laser-cut fragments of the Hope Diamond as side-position markers.

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Completely different animals - depends on the the style of music. Haven't played nylon since the 60's, when they were popular for folk music (remember that?). Different tone, different feel than steel - more mellow sound.

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Steel strings for me, although I love my little requinto. I can get a lot more variety of sound out of my Martin using different picks, no pick, palm muting, ect. Of course, that's partly because my nylon string technique is pretty weak.

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Requinto! We need a forum!
:cool:

NYLON for me.


 

I love requintos, I'm on my second, a Manuel Raimundo, with cedar top and rosewood back and sides:love:

 

That manouche is gorgeous!

(but did you notice under the specs: "traditional Selmer trapeze tailpiece" :D

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My steel string has been away now for almost two months getting refretted. I still am waiting for my custom Lowden nylon string S35JazzX, which will fill the bill of a high end nylon string. So, I am left with my Yamaha nylon string in the interim.

 

When I left my steel string with the luthier, I went a whole week without playing my nylon string. I seemed to have no interest in playing it. When I finally picked it up to play it was so rubbery on the strings. I literally had to get used to it again.

 

A month later, still playing the Yamaha nylon, once again I realize that my best playing comes from a nylon string. There are no shimmery high notes, and I miss that, but the fat tone of all the strings makes it so effortless to play. And I can ratchet it up into an overdrive technique whereby the notes sustain enough to blend your technique of individual notes into a continuous phrasing sound that is not possible with a steel string. Or at least not at all similar. This blending of notes leads me to improv that I cannot find with a steel string. Once again it is like an electric guitar for me.

 

This is what I have known all along: a nylon string guitar is the acoustic equivalent of an electric guitar.

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Posted

If you asked me this question last year , i would of said Steel - i just think Nylon better fits my present frame of mind - great jazz instrument , and i love the warm sound --wonder why I didnt know this eons ago .

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Posted

 

If you asked me this question last year , i would of said Steel - i just think Nylon better fits my present frame of mind - great jazz instrument , and i love the warm sound --wonder why I didnt know this eons ago .

 

 

Ditto.

 

Charlie Byrd is king on the nylon-string jazz box IMO. Earl Klugh sounds lush on his solo nylon efforts. All those Brazilians blow my mind, too: Gilberto, Bonfa, Sete. Can't forget about Willie's honky-tonk Django stylings. Chet and Jerry, anyone?

 

Nylon-string guitars--not just for classical!

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Posted

Steel for me, I am one of those people who can't get the same kinda noises out of a nylon that I hear others getting.

 

When I play it, to me it sounds dull and muffled....I spent alot of time trying to learn, but when I hear other folks play nylon I think it is beautiful...and I love Willies tone!

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Posted

nylon string without a shadow of a doubt in my mind. in fact, if i had to take one object into the afterlife with me, it would not be my choicest concubine, it would be my classical guitar.

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Posted

I don't even own a steel string acoustic. :o

 

So most definitely, I'll be going with my flamenco guitar.

 

Requinto! We need a forum!
:cool:

NYLON for me.


GASsing for this Manouche beauty:

manouche_concert_nylon.jpg

More
info
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Please stop posting that. I want it too much, but I really can't afford to buy any guitar right now. :cry:

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Posted

The one name I don't see on this forum much is John Knowles. Besides Tommy Emmanuel, he is the only other Chet Certified Guitar Player, as far as I know. His FingerStyle Quartely is packed full of great arraignments, all of which he plays on a classical, again AFAIK. A few of them are classical pieces, or classical style, but the bulk is popular music. I am currently working on his version of Vincent and it is beautiful, at least when he plays it.;)

 

Judging from the sound he gets from a nylon/classical, I could live without a steel string if I had to. Just glad I don't have to.:thu:

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Posted

Please stop posting that. I want it too much, but I really can't afford to buy any guitar right now.
:cry:

 

I know, I know. I just can't stop ... it's so gorgeous. And it's the closest I'll get to it. :(

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Posted

I know, I know. I just can't stop ... it's so gorgeous. And it's the closest I'll get to it.
:(

 

Where would you buy something like that? I've never seen a nylon strung manouche in shops. I hear Thomas Dutronc had his custom built.

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Posted

Where would you buy something like that? I've never seen a nylon strung manouche in shops. I hear Thomas Dutronc had his custom built.

 

Djangobooks.com is only one of the few places I've seen them. I posted a question about them there and got a good response.

 

I can see why a nylon manouche may not work in a purely acoustic setting, which is why there are probably not too many of them. That, and Django didn't use them! But live or studio with mics or pups it should be no problem.

 

Another beauty, a Luis Sevillano--

 

LS_476_frontL.jpg

 

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