Nylon String Guitar

[eastmanboy]

Does anyone know of an inexpensive nylon string guitat that isn't a classical style?
I'm looking for one for my girlfriend and I need one that has a narrower neck than a classical.
Probably in the -$300.00 street price range.

[Eric.Hope]

That's a rather tight price range, to be sure. If you'd like a narower neck than a standard classical, then you're looking at what are commonly known as "crossover" classicals, which tend to have nut widths of about 1-7/8", to make them more appealing to standard steel-string players. With nylon string guitars, you're really not going to get any narrower than that (the strings are thicker, and need more room to move around on the fretboard). Problem is, most crossovers start at prices higher than your proposed budget. You might do better to to go with a used piece. The first thing that came to my mind was the Takamine EAN60C, which fits your criteria of being more of a crossover nylon string guitar than a proper Classical, and with the narrower-than-standard-classical neck that you are seeking (1-7/8"). It is discontinued (actually, it just became the ETN60C, which is pretty much the same thing, but with some minor changes. But the ETN is way above your price range). There happens to be a used EAN60C on eBay right now, however, for a VERY agreeable price (in your price range). Might be worth a shot:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Takamine-Nylon-E...-/220637722972

There's also a used Cordoba Fusion available on eBay, which also has a 1-7/8" (48mm), and might even be a better choice than the Takamine (depending on its condition):

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Cordoba-Fusi...item2c55c8fe53

Of course, if you MUST have something NEW, there are quite a few guitars available on Musician's Friend that fit your budget, but I can make no claims as to their quality. And most of them appear to be Classicals, with a full 2" nut width, so may or may not suit your needs. Use the user reviews as a guide:

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/n...00001+330619+9

Hopefully, these suggestions can be a good starting point for you in your research. Good luck, and let us know what you come up with.

[Eric.Hope]

For whatever it's worth to you, India Arie plays an EAN60C:

http://www.takamine.com/fr/?fa=artist&id=363

John Scofield occasionally plays one as well:

http://www.takamine.com/?fa=artist&id=327

If it's good enough for them...

[deltoid]

Yamaha NX700 is about as cheap as you're going to get for what you're looking for.