Members easilyspooked Posted November 25, 2009 Members Share Posted November 25, 2009 Good Morning!A cohort of mine is looking to learn to play, and he has his mom's old beater Yamaha G-50A classical guitar from the 70's. He's got it strung up with steel strings, it's got a good sound and i was surprised by how comfortable it was to play. Thing is, boy wants the comfort and security and ability to move of a strap. I looked in to classical guitar straps and those look pretty easy to make, but just for giggles, and for his comfort, i was curious of there was a known mod to put a normal guitar strap onto a classical guitar? I ask because it appears to me that there's no brace on the bottom end to shoot a screw into, just the sidewood, which i assume would not bear the load well. Could i drill a hole into the bottom and use washers or maybe glue in a small piece of wood to take the screw and increase the surface area asserting pressure on the body? and as i haven't posted here in a while, just been lurking and learning, i wanted to once again say that you lot rock for spreading your knowledge so willingly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoldierStape01 Posted November 25, 2009 Members Share Posted November 25, 2009 I don't want to drone or lecture, but you really don't want to keep steels on there any longer than need be. The bracing and construction is not designed to withstand the tension pull of steel strings. Although it might sound good and feel good now, there is a world of problems that are just waiting for him like a ticking time bomb. It might not be right away, but problems are soon to come. They might not, but that isn't a gamble that I would like to play with. With the absence of a bridge plate and proper bracing there is so much stress on the bridge as well as neck... I'm sorry I just wanted to throw that out there. As per for the strap you are correct there most likely is no end block in that one to sink a screw in. Technically you could glue a block in there, but unless you have x-ray vision and thin as hell arms with a creative clamping method you most likely are looking at pulling the back off the guitar where it wouldn't be worth it. If you don't really want to maintain the integrity of the back you could use washers. I mean you can do just about anything, there are just variables that make it worth it or not. Personally I don't see the overall gain in trying to put a conventional strap on it. I would recommend telling your friend to take some time and learn to play properly just sitting around the house, and when he decides he NEEDS to get up and move around, get on Craigslist and pickup a cheap steel string or you can get good values at a local shops that carry used gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benagain Posted November 25, 2009 Members Share Posted November 25, 2009 agreed^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members easilyspooked Posted November 25, 2009 Author Members Share Posted November 25, 2009 no need to appologize for lecturing, if i don't know it and you do than i'd love to hear it, i had wondered about the steel strings but had no real idea, thanks for the tip! sometimes i assume guitars are more rampently abusable than they really are, so i'm glad i posted here rather than mucking things up for my friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoldierStape01 Posted November 25, 2009 Members Share Posted November 25, 2009 Always willing to help... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted November 25, 2009 Members Share Posted November 25, 2009 The correct way to do a strap on a classical guitar is to put a strap peg at the tail end and tie the other end to the guitar with a string (shoestring works) around the neck between the neck and tuners. I would not drill a hole like a standard guitar has. The heel of the neck usually has veneer on the heel that will crack and the hole devalues the instrument. The tail end stud is usually a plastic strap insert that gets drilled and glued in place. I also agree about the steel strings, I give the instrument a few months before it starts warping up. Get classical strings on there right away. If you reall have to, silk and steel would be better than standard acoustic strings but I still advise the classical. Ince they're stretched in thay sound great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted November 26, 2009 Members Share Posted November 26, 2009 I also agree about the steel strings, I give the instrument a few months before it starts warping up. Get classical strings on there right away. If you reall have to, silk and steel would be better than standard acoustic strings but I still advise the classical. Once they're stretched in they sound great. I too am on the lecture wagon with this. And silk & steels is a viable option if you go as light a guage as you can. But you're still pushing it. I had these on my steel string acoustic for years. When I went back to regular strings I had to tighten up the truss rod that I loosened for the silk & steels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sailorman Posted November 26, 2009 Members Share Posted November 26, 2009 I'd get the steels off there quick. I've had the bridge pull off 3 times on a Guild MkII classical; with nylon strings. Can't imagine it would have survived steels even overnight. I have a buddy with a 70's Yamaha classical and it's a pretty nice guitar as you say. You might try stringing it with hard tension nylons which feel a bit more like steels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoldierStape01 Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 Not to be an ass in anyway sailorman, but to have a bridge pull 3 times. You might want to check either who is resetting your bridge back on, or the process you are using because I can see once okay, stuff happens, but to have it pull 2 more times sounds like really bad work to me. I really hope after saying that you weren't the one doing the work, or I would feel very much like an ass... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sailorman Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 no, you're correct, I was doing {censored}ty work myself, or more accurately, doing it without the proper tools. Once I bought a set of bridge clamps, the bridge has not pulled off since. Before that, I tried a number of clamping methods but evidently didn't get a good glue bond, even though it looked good, eg., no gaps. I should have bought the bridge clamps the 1st time but that occurred long before the days of the internet and I had no idea what the proper tools were or where to get them. No offense taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoldierStape01 Posted November 27, 2009 Members Share Posted November 27, 2009 I would say next to the type of glue you use, proper clamping is just as important if not more.... I have 3 deep mouth C-clamps and a nice caul system that works very well. Makes life very nice! I found a guy that had a bunch on 1" MDF scrap that I picked up for free off of CL. I have a couple stacks of blanks for future cauls as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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