Best nylon string for playing John Fahey

[sirwhale]

Hi

I'm preferring nylon string guitars nowadays. I don't like the metallic edge of the trebles on steel strings and the tension is also too high.

I have bought a crossover to see how I like it with the songs I play, and I really, really like it. I play Bert Jansch, blues, folk, John Fahey stuff, which includes some bending and good volume from the trebles.

So, if I were to upgrade at any time, what would be the best combination of woods and strings for a bright sounding guitar suitable for playing the music I do?

I currently have a solid cedar top with Savarez alliance high tension g and b, normal tension e strings for the trebles. Are there other strings more suitable than the savarez alliance? I also change to Drop D and Open D, the strings at the moment seem to go sharp after a minute or two after tuning down. I've heard that Alabastro strings have good tuning stability, but do they suit this style better than the Savarez?

Would spruce be a better option? Wood for back and sides? Come on, feed my GAS

[Bax Burgess]

You could go inexpensive by switching to a corian saddle for increased clarity/volume, or go with cutaways for their slightly-less-warmth than their full-body counterparts. A drier flamenco may suit. Palo Escrito Rosewood b&s with a cedar top can give more snap to the sound.

[sirwhale]

Originally Posted by Bax Burgess

You could go inexpensive by switching to a corian saddle for increased clarity/volume, or go with cutaways for their slightly-less-warmth than their full-body counterparts. A drier flamenco may suit. Palo Escrito Rosewood b&s with a cedar top can give more snap to the sound.

Thanks, I'll look into these ideas.

[rob2966]

I often play blues fingerstyle stuff on my flamenco guitar, it sounds really nice, more subdued but sweet nonetheless. However, you will find that anything with string bending is not really going to translate well to nylon. Getting some nice vibrato is not a problem, but bending up even a half step (let alone a full step or more) tends to not be very practical.

Later
Rob