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Nylon String Guitar Myths Busted! - What I Wish I Knew Before Switching

Alan Roy Hocking

11,095 views

I was enjoying a cold beer listening to the guy playing some flamenco in my local bar when I overheard it: nylon-string guitars are for classical guitarists and six-year-olds.

I didn't say anything at the time, but it got me thinking. I believed most of these myths myself before I switched to nylon in my 60s.

In this talking-head video I bust the 4 myths that put me off the longest — from wide necks and plasticky tone to restringing worries — with stories from nearly 10 years on nylon, including my Taylor Academy 12e-N crossover with its 48mm nut, and why players like Willie Nelson, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin, Richard Smith and Zac Brown chose nylon far beyond classical.

If you're on the fence about buying a nylon-string guitar, I hope this helps you decide.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Cold beer, flamenco and the comment that started this video
00:49 - Myth 1: Nylon guitars are only for classical guitarists and six-year-olds
02:47 - Myth 2: They all have massive wide necks and flat fretboards you can't play
05:52 - Myth 3: Nylon guitars sound cheap and plasticky
07:16 - Sound demo: you decide - does this sound plasticky?
07:54 - Myth 4: You'll never be able to restring it again
09:14 - Ball-end nylon strings close-up - no knots needed
11:13 - My ball-end nylon strings review series - all 12 videos linked on the end screen and below
11:32 - Over to you🎬 My Ball-End Nylon Strings review series (Martin, D'Addario, La Bella Folk, Ernie Ball, Fender and more): Best Ball End Nylon Strings – (No Tying Re...

What myth put YOU off nylon the longest?

And what else is still stopping you?

Drop it in the comments below — after nearly 10 years on nylon I can probably answer it for you.

#NylonStringGuitar #CrossoverGuitar #ClassicalGuitar #AcousticGuitar

20 Comments

@AlanRoyHocking Creator 4 days ago (edited) Pinned

Which nylon string guitar myth held YOU back the longest?

1 - Just for classical players and kids
2 - Wide necks you can't play
3 - Cheap plasticky sound
4 - Restringing nightmare

Just drop 1, 2, 3 or 4 below — and if there's another worry still stopping you, tell me about that too. After nearly 10 years on nylon I'll do my best to answer every one this week.

And if restringing was yours, you'll find my full ball-end nylon strings series here: Best Ball End Nylon Strings – (No Tying Required!): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1xjY7Zq7KaDYUJSIK0vADOSNb99G4jji

@josephpetrino1741 15 hours ago

My "old man" fingers just couldn't take steel strings any more and I was about to quit guitar playing.
Then I switched to an inexpensive nylon guitar and found the joy I once had playing. Ease of play and lovely tone.
I'm a bluegrass flat picker so this was a surprise for me.

@leapark01 1 day ago

My nylon strung guitar sits here in my kitchen beside my laptop and I can pick it up and play as and when I wish. It's easy to play and allows me to play creatively beautiful music as and when I wish. The tragedy, of course, is that no-one else hears it....

@derekwade4042 1 day ago

Never bash a nylon! I fell in love with the steel string sound and also I like the feeling of playing steel much more. I'm only a beginner, so maybe at one point in my journey it will change.
Really a nice clearing video.

@michaelmcinnis911 5 hours ago (edited)

Standard classical guitar necks are actually wider than 2" - they're 2 1/16" (52.39 mm). So yes, very wide!

@toddvogel7752 3 days ago

You forgot about Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed who both often played nylon string.

@normanbean5175 4 days ago

Thanks for your wonderful review. I'm a retired Guitars for veterans CC/Instructor. During my many lessons I introduce my Taylor 814ce-N guitar to the students. All were extremely impressed and some went on to buy a similar guitar. I am presently teaching my wife on a Taylor academy 12e-N and she is doing very well.
Several years ago I was asked to perform with a group for an American Legion event. I walked up to the mike with my 814ce-N and most people got this uh-oh look on there face. But when I began to play and the sound began to penetrate throughout, I notice a look of joy in there faces.
I am full retired now and this nylon string guitar gives me and my family many hours of joy.

@KeithC.H.9959 4 days ago

Classical, Flamenco, all of that- those are later-ascribed labels, basically, so people don't buy the wrong tickets. Play what you want; it has 6 strings, it has frets, it's tuned the same way (most of the time). It's all the same tool - a box with strings that make noise and annoy the neighbours.

@lw216316 14 hours ago

Yesterday I ordered a Cordoba c10 cedar nylon crossover - 1 7/8 nut with a radius fretboard.
I had a C7 before that and liked it so much I decided to upgrade.
I agree with everything Alan says in this video.
If you are a fingerstyle player or desire to become one then the nylon is excellent for you in many ways.
If you are primarily a strummer then you may not be happy with a nylon - try one and see.
I also play a steel string (almost exclusively fingerstyle) and it is hard on my nails, nylon is much easier.
Be prepared for the long break in time with nylon - you will have to retune often until they settle in.
I find nylon string guitars to be lighter weight and more comfortable to play - I keep one close by to play at a moments notice.

@tulyar57 13 hours ago

I agree there are many misconceptions in the steel v nylon debate. However, one consideration that should not be overlooked though is playing technique. 'Classical' requires both left and right hands at 90 degrees to the strings in order to achieve a consistent clean sound (hence the use of a footstool) whereas steel strung guitars are more generous and using a classical technique can be less efficient (think using your left thumb to barre a moveable chord, for example). I think recognising what sounds best on each and understanding both the limitations and the possibilities of each (and therefore owning both) opens more musical doors.

@BrianCampbell303 21 hours ago (edited)

For decades I played nylon string guitar - greater comfort, easier to play in a lot of ways, especially for a fingerstylist like me, with a special warmth and dynamism you can't get with a steel-string acoustic. Also, in Latin America, nylon is as much the norm as steel is in North America, and virtually all my favourite singer songwriters from down there - Pablo Milanés, Silvio Rodrigues, Victor Jara, Angel Parra, to name a few, played nylon. For the last twelve years I gravitated towards steel string, playing a Taylor and a Martin, for its crisper sound and greater volume and unity of sound for strumming. Two perfectly good nylon string guitars, one a classical and another a jazz crossover, literally collected dust on my walls. But about months ago I badly broke my middle fingernail (crashed into the end or a swimming pool, believe it or not), and couldn't get much of a sound out of what was left of it on a steel string. So I've been playing my nylon string guitar while it heals. I've come to to really appreciate it again! It feels (this is a joke I make) like playing badminton compared to tennis... The wider neck on the classical makes some things harder and others easier. Changing strings though is still a bitch on the nylon string guitars, but I find they last longer once they stay reliably in tune, which can take a couple of days of a million stretchings and retunings. Didn't know about ball-end nylon strings. An obvious idea. I'll have to try them out! Thanks for the video.

@nadegeandthekites 3 days ago

I have been listening to Jose Gonzalez and Ichiko Aoba and they have inspired me to pick up my nylon string again. Sounds beautiful!

@dino_j 1 day ago

Great video, thank you! One thing you didn't mention (but you showed it on the Martin String package), is that for steel string players who don't like the lower tension loose feel of nylon strings, you can get 'high tension' that offer more resistance. I personally prefer the regular tension, but with high tension it's not as dramatic a change if you're going between a steel string and a classical guitar.

@canipetthatdog1005 1 day ago

If you play guitar, and you have never played a classical guitar... you're leaving ton of creativity on the table!🤔

@V-man-i6c 3 days ago

I believe that Rotosound also make ball end nylon strings, but I love restringing my flamenco guitar, tying a knot at the bridge really feels like some kind of connection with older times! 👍

@billgreen6263 1 day ago

I picked up an old nylon string Giannini guitar made in Brazil at a flea market a few years ago. The nut width is a little under 2 inches which is perfect. That’s pretty much all I play now and I have several steel string guitars. Plays like a dream and has a nice full warm sound.
One of my better purchases in my life.

@csmith0921 3 days ago

I had a 300 series nylon taylor. Like you've stated it had very nice tonality (not "plastic") and surprising projection. The wider nut and string spacing took some adjustment but wasn't difficult to deal with. I ended up selling it because I struggled with the other adjustments I had to account for coming from a steel string Taylor.

@KekLife-p7h 1 day ago

play what you have and i had a classical guitar i started on it was in the house and i didnt know it was even a thing so i was putting out cowboy chords on it

@PatRooney-oh5dc 2 hours ago

Was thinking of. Nylon. Could. I. Put. Them. On. A Martin. Dm. Guitar. To. Try. Them out
Hats your. Thoughts.

@raymondward8817 3 days ago

Great video. I just have a few observations on the ball-end strings. While they save you the trouble of tying the strings at the bridge, there's a downside with the wound bass strings. Every time you change the strings, you have to pull the entire length of the string through the hole on the bridge. Over time, that's going to cause extra erosion inside the string holes, as the windings rub against the wood. That zipping sound you hear when you pull the wound string through is the sound of the windings rubbing against and eroding the wood. In contrast, when you tie the strings on the bridge, you're only feeding a few inches of string through the hole, not the entire length of the string. So unless someone physically can't tie strings (arthritis, missing fingers, whatever), I'd recommend learning how to tie the strings and avoiding the ball-end strings.

BTW: I have a Martin nylon-string guitar. I agree it's not a classical guitar. I've called it a hybrid, but "crossover" works too. Nut width is 1 and 7/8 inches, and the saddle radius is 18 inches. It has a nice sound that suits some songs, and it's not a huge jump from my steel-string acoustic guitars to the nylon.