nylon crossovers

[jayhawk]

I'm looking at nylon string crossover (hybrid) guitars. I am not interested in a classical. I want something with a narrower, radiused neck. I want a cutaway. I don't know if I care if it is 12 fret or 14 fret to the body. I've played a Cervantes Crossover 1. It was very nice, but might be more than I really want to spend on one.

I was talking to a local guitar store owner who I respect. He spoke highly of the Breedlove Atlas N250. I have to admit I think the Atlas series has a very good price/performance ratio. It has most of the features I am looking for.

I have also seen the La Patrie Hybrid on the web. I am going to try and play one. La Patrie is built by Godin and I think they do a pretty good job with their products.

The Atlas and the La Patrie are more in the range of what I wanting to spend. A wild card is the Godin Multiac. It has many of the features I am looking for, but is a chambered body guitar with midi capabilities. One of the things I really want is that nylon string sound.

I know that more of us are looking at nylon string guitars. I am wondering what experience you guys are having with them and recommendations you would make.

thanks

Jack

[Moobox]

Alos looking for a crossover type and got my eye on the Yamaha NTX/NCX range which I have read about but not come across yet in this neck of the woods.

[Glennwillow]

Jack,

You seem to be pretty well informed about nylon crossover guitars. I once owned a Takamine EC132C but as a steel string player I could never get used to the 2" nut width. I sold that off and bought a Taylor NS34CE which has a 1 7/8" nut width. To me, the Taylor sounded better than the Takamine both acoustically and through the pickup. Not everyone agrees, of course. I payed about what the Cervantes Crossover 1 would cost for my Taylor NS34CE.

Crossover nylons are becoming more common and there are more and probably better choices than the Taylor NS series today. The Cervantes Crossover 1 may be an outstanding possibility. I have no idea what the Breedlove Atlas and LaPatrie sound like, but obviously they are about 1/3 less in cost so they might be a terrific bargain.

Good luck,
Glenn

[JoeCharter]

I played a Godin Multiac and must say playability is very close to an electric and the amplified sound is amazing. I was shocked. I personally don't care for the looks but your opinion might differ.

The La Patrie guitars get decent reviews from most users but I find the preamp controls to look excessively cheap. Incidentally, this is a budget guitar, too. The Cervantes might be a bit too much. In this context I think the La Patrie might not be enough.

I haven't played the Breedlove.

If I were looking for a budget crossover, I'd probably get a Taylor. Looks great, plays great, and it's made in the US.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by jayhawk

The Atlas and the La Patrie are more in the range of what I wanting to spend. A wild card is the Godin Multiac. It has many of the features I am looking for, but is a chambered body guitar with midi capabilities. One of the things I really want is that nylon string sound.

I've just returned the Multiac's twin brother, the ACS SA, to the store. Beautiful guitar and great sound, but one issue is that they are contructed like electrics with low fast actions, so if you're used to digging in a bit as we do on acoustics, everything feels a bit too buzzy and insubstantial.

[Rosco NZ]

Originally Posted by Moobox

Alos looking for a crossover type and got my eye on the Yamaha NTX/NCX range which I have read about but not come across yet in this neck of the woods.

I played a Yamaha NCX900FM and was quite taken with it. I see that Rodrigo Y Gabriela play the same models but probably the flamenco ones and they sound great.

Rosco

[Coke_zero]

Originally Posted by Moobox

Alos looking for a crossover type and got my eye on the Yamaha NTX/NCX range which I have read about but not come across yet in this neck of the woods.

What he said.


Amazing guitar, great sound acoustically/plugged in for a great price. I got one just before Christmas no regrets at all.

[Kindness]

The transition fro a 1 3/4 inch nut width to a 2 inch nut width takes time and patience, and once you play the typical classical with the wider neck, you really get used to it. The key is to use normal tension strings, and make sure the guitar is set up with low action. The wider nut will really teach you some wonderful things around fingerstyle.

IMHO, I think that Takamine and Yamaha both do a great job with their classical guitars. Great price points, so it is not painful financially to get into a classical.

[Alexander Coe]

Originally Posted by Coke_zero

What he said.


Amazing guitar, great sound acoustically/plugged in for a great price. I got one just before Christmas no regrets at all.

I think I played that model at Guitar Center as well. (or it was a similar Yamaha.) Thin body? I liked the neck a lot and the body was comfortable but the sound was lacking. I would prefer a shorter scale length too but the other specs seemed great to me. Very comfy (and available to try out!)

[Aaron Smith]

Originally Posted by itself

The transition fro a 1 3/4 inch nut width to a 2 inch nut width takes time and patience, and once you play the typical classical with the wider neck, you really get used to it. The key is to use normal tension strings, and make sure the guitar is set up with low action. The wider nut will really teach you some wonderful things around fingerstyle.

IMHO, I think that Takamine and Yamaha both do a great job with their classical guitars. Great price points, so it is not painful financially to get into a classical.

+1 on this post. Narrower string spacing makes it harder to gain many of the advantages that nylon strings have over steel- rest strokes vs. free strokes, clean slurs, tremolo, etc. I played steel strings for 15 years before I took to nylon; I'm glad I got a standard classical instrument and took the time to adjust to it.

[ltsgt2gether]

Hi. I play classic country ,older rock and love ballads and wanted to incorporate the nylon string into my music so I too went for a crossover. I have a classical (Almansa 457) which I love but not being classically trained, it's very hard to play like a standard guitar. I use a flat pick with a little finger style (if you want to call it that, really not proficient at it). Anyway, I have the Alhambra CS 3 CW E2, spruce top and 48mm at the nut. It's in the $2500-3000 range. I have the same guitar in cedar on it's way. they are fantastic guitars. If you want a nice crossover for about $1000, try the Cordoba RS 14 with the B-band sytem. It too is a nice guitar, I just prefer the Alhambra, it's hand crafted in Spain. I have never played his guitars but Renaldo Belluci builds guitars. I've seen some and they are absolutely gorgeous and most are in the $2500-3000 range as well. hope this helps.

Daryl

[Play2PraiseHim]

Looks like the op went with an applegate crossover.

[john bange]

the Guild gad's offer couple of crossovers with 1 3/4 nut and radius, solid wood, pickup, and case

[fingerstyle1952]

The best sounding crossover I have played it the one I own built by David Webber in Vancouver (Engelmann Indian). It smokes the Taylors and Breedloves and sounds as good as the Goodalls for less money. Mine has a radiused fretboard with a 1 13/16 inch width neck at the nut -- in hindsight I should have gone for 1 7/8 inches but I didn't have the arthritis I have now. It is the only nylon string I have kept for any length of time, mostly because it has more of a treble response than any other nylon string than a flamenco guitar. David builds a shallower body -- I own three of his instruments (000 12 - fret steel string, bouzouki and the crossover) because of the balance and treble response of his instruments.

[limnephilidae]

Originally Posted by ewalling

I've just returned the Multiac's twin brother, the ACS SA, to the store. Beautiful guitar and great sound, but one issue is that they are contructed like electrics with low fast actions, so if you're used to digging in a bit as we do on acoustics, everything feels a bit too buzzy and insubstantial.

I love my Godin Multiac Grand Concert Duet Ambiance (2" nut) for playing out. I'm not big on the synthesizer electronics from Roland (ACS) myself, so I got the one with fishman electronics and mic modeling. It sounds awesome for recording and very much like a good amplified classical. It does NOT sound like a classical when unplugged, but is the perfect volume practice; you never have to strain to hear the tone/quality of your technique. Want something that sounds awesome unplugged? Look elsewhere.

As noted above, the action could be set higher for flamenco or aggressive technique but that could be said for any guitar. I don't think it will be a problem for most performers unless you are on steroids or coke during your gigs.