Nylon-strung non classicals?

guitargeek62 · April 2021

Is this a thing? I’ve always loved the tone of classicals but have no interest at all in playing that style. Is there something out there that feels more like a western-guitar, but is nylon strung? I’ve seen some cordoba (?) crossovers, but haven’t had chance to try any. I wouldn’t mind adding something like this to the stable in the sub-£500 range one day

ToneControl · April 2021

there are some, typically they have a radiused fretboard, and a narrower nut, and have a cutaway and pickup

MrTee · April 2021

I owned a Yamaha ntx700c a while back, meets your exact specs! Paid £400 used. They don't seem to come up often but can highly recommend one if you spot one

mgaw · April 2021

+1 for the Yamaha ntx700c

sticker · April 2021

I have a Crafter CT125n , regular acoustic type neck and profile , Tele shaped hollow body and on board fishman pre-amp . Well worth keeping an eye out for one !

malcolmkindness · April 2021

I used to own a Taylor nylon string crossover guitar which was quite good. You might be able to find a second hand one for £500.

TheBigDipper · April 2021

I bought a new classical guitar last summer. I played several crossover guitars along the way before selecting a standard Concert classical. The truth for me was none of the crossovers sounded very good "in the room" compared to the concert guitars I tried. That doesn't mean you will feel the same way, We're all different. And so are crossovers compared to traditional classicals.

TheOtherDennis · April 2021

Macaferri style nylon strung acoustics tend to be used for Django Rheinhardt style playing. They're also very distinctive.

elkay · April 2021

Check out the Taylor Academy 12e-N, which might be just what you're looking for. Unfortunately, I've only just sold mine on eBay. No fault of the guitar, just that I got bored with nylon strings. Retail price is over your budget, but you can pick up a used one for much less. Mine went for £460.

Tannin · April 2021

There are many variants. Apart from those mentioned above there are the Yamaha Silent Guitar nylon variants (which I gather are oriented towards electric players), all those Godin nylon-strung stage guitars which are sort of a "nylon semi-acoustic" (various other brands do something similar, I mention Godin because they are fairly common, decently priced, said to be well-made, and it seems to be their specialty), and of course flamenco guitars, which look like classical ones but sound quite different.

I'll watch this thread with interest as I've been toying with the idea of a nylon-strung guitar recently and don't think I'd adapt too easily to a traditional flamenco (not enough sustain) or classical (very high action) instrument.

TDubs · April 2021

guitargeek62 said:

Is this a thing? I’ve always loved the tone of classicals but have no interest at all in playing that style. Is there something out there that feels more like a western-guitar, but is nylon strung? I’ve seen some cordoba (?) crossovers, but haven’t had chance to try any. I wouldn’t mind adding something like this to the stable in the sub-£500 range one day

I started this same journey at the end of last year. Cordoba, Camps, Alhambra, Martin, Taylor, Yamaha all have crossovers with a smaller nut. Then you have brands like Takamine, Raimundo, Godin, Ortega, Esteve that make traditional style nylon strings with a cutaway but not necessarily a smaller nut.

The secondhand market on these is decent and you can get a guitar at sometimes half the retail value, they just don’t surface very often. The cutaway models usually have a built in pickup and therefore the cost of the build is spent on this rather than the timber. The sides and back can tend to be laminate on the cutaway and crossovers rather than being an all solid wood guitar.

This was first listed on here in November and got bumped in February so may still be around.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/194969/

drofluf · April 2021

You could also add the Faith Lyra to your list; but perhaps out of your budget

ToneControl · April 2021

Tannin said:

There are many variants. Apart from those mentioned above there are the Yamaha Silent Guitar nylon variants (which I gather are oriented towards electric players), all those Godin nylon-strung stage guitars which are sort of a "nylon semi-acoustic" (various other brands do something similar, I mention Godin because they are fairly common, decently priced, said to be well-made, and it seems to be their specialty), and of course flamenco guitars, which look like classical ones but sound quite different.

I'll watch this thread with interest as I've been toying with the idea of a nylon-strung guitar recently and don't think I'd adapt too easily to a traditional flamenco (not enough sustain) or classical (very high action) instrument.

The one I have is a standard 2 inch flat fretboard
They may do other specs, I have not seen them

GTC · April 2021

As has been said, there are many options. The "standard" for a crossover seems to be a 48mm nut width with a slight fretboard radius of around 600mm. However, there are some with a narrower nut width and smaller radius to better suit someone accustomed to steel string guitars.

I've had a few of the 48mm options in the past and have not been impressed. Taylor - unexciting. Cordoba Fusion - unblanced and boomy. The best I've found by far is in the Furch Grand Nylon series (45mm nut width and 400mm radius). However, these start at over double your budget and rarely appear second-hand. Another option would be from the LAG range which has a 46mm nut - and sound surprisingly good for the money.

I have a rare FRAMEworks silent guitar with a 45mm nut width and 600mm radius and that plays beautifully. However, after trying a lot of different crossovers I've found I prefer standard classicals with a 50mm or 52mm nut and flat fretboard.

viz · April 2021

I have an Ibanez AE450 and an Alvarez rc20sc, both of which have deep Florentine cutaways, slim necks and decent electronics.

guitargeek62 · April 2021

Thanks all, it's mostly the nut width that I'd want to reduce I guess. I'm not fussed at all about having cutaways, silent guitars, or pickup options as it would purely be for acoustic use at home anyway.

I was hoping there'd be something akin to a nylon-strung parlour guitar out there but it seems that's a relatively non-existent offering! I guess I could settle for a ⅞ size classical too, some of those seem to have 48-50mm nuts

fretmeister · April 2021

guitargeek62 said:

Thanks all, it's mostly the nut width that I'd want to reduce I guess. I'm not fussed at all about having cutaways, silent guitars, or pickup options as it would purely be for acoustic use at home anyway.

I was hoping there'd be something akin to a nylon-strung parlour guitar out there but it seems that's a relatively non-existent offering! I guess I could settle for a ⅞ size classical too, some of those seem to have 48-50mm nuts

I had a 3/4 kids classical for home use.

Sounded far better than it should have done. Slightly shorter scale and a narrower nut.
It was a no-name starter special and was about £50 when I got it a good 20 years ago.

GTC · April 2021

guitargeek62 said:

Thanks all, it's mostly the nut width that I'd want to reduce I guess. I'm not fussed at all about having cutaways, silent guitars, or pickup options as it would purely be for acoustic use at home anyway.

I was hoping there'd be something akin to a nylon-strung parlour guitar out there but it seems that's a relatively non-existent offering! I guess I could settle for a ⅞ size classical too, some of those seem to have 48-50mm nuts

Nylon-strung parlours do exist (but aren't common). I've messaged you about a Pepe Romero Sr. Signature Parlour which I'm likely to be selling shortly, in case you might be interested.

Aria and Martinez both have had Torres-style nylon-strung parlours (19C replicas) with 48mm nut width and 630mm scale. These are hard to find in the Uk though.

LukePalmer · April 2021

I have a Fender, Nylon string guitar. It has a 43 mm nut, A solid top and Fishman electrics. It came in a hardcase and was about 270 quid new, I think the model number is

Fender CN-140SCE,Hope that helps

meltedbuzzbox · April 2021

Another +1 for the yamaha ntx700

GTC · April 2021

If a parlour-sized body is the most important thing then there is the La Patrie (Godin) Motif. I've tried one of these and they are very nice. They are currently discontinued but there is one currently for sale on eBay (BIN £250).

The La Patrie neck is one of the most comfortable I've come across - with a 50mm nut width and 600mm fretboard radius. I got Brook to copy this neck profile in a custom Cary they made for me.

The light oiled finish on the La Patrie is a refreshing change from the normal heavy gloss lacquer.

TheBigDipper · April 2021

GTCs comment matches my experience, too. When I was trying out different nylon-strung guitars in my search last summer, I also thought the La Patrie crossovers were the nicest to play. But they didn’t sound as nice as any "proper" classical to my ears, so I ended up choosing tone over playability - because that was more important for me. Not bad, but not in the same ballpark. I wasn't looking for anything with a pickup, BTW, so it's only a comment on the acoustic tone in the room.

guitargeek62 · April 2021

GTC said:

If a parlour-sized body is the most important thing then there is the La Patrie (Godin) Motif. I've tried one of these and they are very nice. They are currently discontinued but there is one currently for sale on eBay (BIN £250).

Nice find - thankyou! THat's more in line with what I'll likely end up with, and that oil finish is a bonus in my opinion! I've really liked the Godin-group's acoustics that I've played before, so I'll keep a keen eye on these.

Cheers.

@TheBigDipper - I'm not too worried about it not having a "true" classical tone, as long as it's got that nylon-string response really. I'd prefer not to lose too much low-end, but that's inevitable with a smaller body I guess.

GTC · April 2021

guitargeek62 said:

GTC said:

If a parlour-sized body is the most important thing then there is the La Patrie (Godin) Motif. I've tried one of these and they are very nice. They are currently discontinued but there is one currently for sale on eBay (BIN £250).

Nice find - thankyou! THat's more in line with what I'll likely end up with, and that oil finish is a bonus in my opinion! I've really liked the Godin-group's acoustics that I've played before, so I'll keep a keen eye on these.

FYI - the Art and Lutherie (also Godin) Roadhouse nylon is virtually the identical guitar to the La Patrie Motif - but has a rather nice bourbon stained top. Unfortunately these are also discontinued but occasionally appear second-hand.

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Nylon-strung non classicals?

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Nylon-strung non classicals?