Jerryc41
Well-known member
Browsing online, I saw listings for nylon strings for guitars. I don't play the guitar, but what's the story with that? I thought they were always steel.
Nylon Strings on a Guitar
- Thread starter Jerryc41
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CPG
Well-known member
Not just nylon, but also flourocarbon and Nylgut. Aquila, D'Addario, and others make a whole mess of strings designed for classical guitar (and/or non-classical guitars that are braced for nylon). Be aware that nylon-type strings and steel strings are not interchangable on any guitar though. Steel strings on a classical or other guitar that is braced for nylon would put way to much tension on it. Technically, you might be ably to put nylon strings on a guitar that is built for steel but I'm not sure how it would sound.
I'm not really much of a guitar player but I really enjoy my Godin Motif (which is sorta a full scale classical guitar with a parlor guitar sized body) and often prefer to noodle around it over my very nice Taylor steel string. The string set I have on it has is a D'Addario set with a nylon 1st string, flourocarbon 2nd and 3rd strings, and wound 4th, 5th, and 6th strings.
I'm not really much of a guitar player but I really enjoy my Godin Motif (which is sorta a full scale classical guitar with a parlor guitar sized body) and often prefer to noodle around it over my very nice Taylor steel string. The string set I have on it has is a D'Addario set with a nylon 1st string, flourocarbon 2nd and 3rd strings, and wound 4th, 5th, and 6th strings.
A number of different types of guitars use nylon and silk&steel strings. Classical, Flamenco and what used to be called folk guitars used these combinations of strings. Also these types of guitars couldn’t be strung with steel strings because they don’t have metal truss rods in the neck to take the strain.
I have been using ‘guitar’ strings for years on my Ukes. I concocted ‘Frankenstein’ sets made up of single strings from different manufacturers.
Last edited:
Canada Jim
Well-known member
Two clues that indicate if a guitar is made for steel or nylon strings:
The headstock is usually slotted with white plastic (these days) rollers.
The bridge will have tied on strings:
The main difference, although not easily visible, is that a nylon string guitar is often fan braced, a lighter bracing not meant to stand up to the tension of steel strings and light enough to allow the nylon strings to ring.
Putting steel strings on a nylon string guitar endangers the guitar, which was not meant for the extra tension.
Putting nylon strings on a steel string guitar won't pull the guitar apart, but the guitar is built for higher tension strings to get the best sound, so it's not advisable.
Nylon string guitars are common in classical music, flamenco music, and South American music. Many finger-pickers, like Chet Atkins, Duck Baker and Jerry Reed make/made use of nylon string guitars for effect. Willie Nelson likes the sound he gets from his nylon string guitar, Trigger.
The headstock is usually slotted with white plastic (these days) rollers.
The bridge will have tied on strings:
The main difference, although not easily visible, is that a nylon string guitar is often fan braced, a lighter bracing not meant to stand up to the tension of steel strings and light enough to allow the nylon strings to ring.
Putting steel strings on a nylon string guitar endangers the guitar, which was not meant for the extra tension.
Putting nylon strings on a steel string guitar won't pull the guitar apart, but the guitar is built for higher tension strings to get the best sound, so it's not advisable.
Nylon string guitars are common in classical music, flamenco music, and South American music. Many finger-pickers, like Chet Atkins, Duck Baker and Jerry Reed make/made use of nylon string guitars for effect. Willie Nelson likes the sound he gets from his nylon string guitar, Trigger.
Rick Turner always used Savarez Classical Guitar strings on his personal tenor ukes.
Pirate Jim
Well-known member
Half the uke strings available have always just been repackaged classical guitar strings
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