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Need Info and/or opinions please
Hi All
I just registered with ag forum after reading several very interesting and informative posts. Here is where I need some info or advice. I have played (although not very well) a series of cheap guitars all my life. I have always wanted a Martin. I'm sure there are better/cheaper ones out there, its just that I have always wanted to own one. I played one that belonged to a friend when I was in college (many years ago) and it had nylon strings. All my guitars have had nylon strings. I went to a Guitar Center a few days ago and all the Martins had steel strings. I don't want steel - I like the sound of nylon. The question is: If I get a Martin (which I definitely am going to), can I put nylon strings on it - or is that like wearing sneakers with a Tux. Advice and info please. All opinions are welcome. Thanks Shrink |
#2
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Welcome.
You won't want to put nylon strings on a guitar made for steel. If you want a Martin nylon, look for a used 00-16C or N-20. These were designed for nylon. |
#3
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Or more forcefully, forget about the brand name. If it was possible go into the acoustic room with a blindfold on and don't feel the headstock for a clue about the name of a guitar. Martin is not known as a nylon builder his reputation is for steel strings.
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#4
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Worse than that.......more like wearing swim fins to a track meet. Not only will it look bad, but your performance will suffer horribly.
Steel string guitars are built entirely different from their nylon counterparts. Everything about a steel sting is built more heavily to withstand the pressurs applied by the steel strings; in fact a steel string guitar (like a Martin) depends on the heavier pull of the steel strings to produce the sound. Martin has made a few nylon string guitars from time to time, as noted in an earlier post, but you may have to hunt for a used one. Maybe if you tell us a little more about yourself and what type of music you plan to play, we can help point you to some alternatives that would be good to try on for size (back to the sneaker/swim fins analogies) Oh, and lest I forget,...........welcome to the forum; there are some nice folks around here. Gary
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Taylor 612c (1994) Taylor Custom GC All Mahogany (2010) Eastman E10-OM Yamaha NTX700 Recording King ROS-06 Greg Bennett OM 8CE Yamaha CGX 171 SCF Flamenco Ibanez AG95 DBS |
#5
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Welcome to the Forum!
I don't think Martin makes nylon string guitars anymore so a used one may be the only option. Here is one on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/C-F-Martin-N20-G...ht_5922wt_1167 Putting nylon strings on a steel-string guitar makes the sound like rubber bands. If you give us a price range we can recommend some other brands to consider. |
#6
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If you are looking at a mid-priced Martin, then you will be in the range of some very nice nylon classical/fusion guitars. While you will get a variety of responses on what people like, I can recommend the Antonio Picado 49, Kenny Hill Estudio line, and Paco Marin PM395. If you need to plug in, the Kenny Hills for sure. The Picado and Marin are more traditional classical nylon instruments.
I would also suggest giving Michael at The Classical Guitar Store in Philly a call. Oh, and Gryphon Stringed Instruments has also been very helpful to me. They can match you up with exactly what you're looking for. Good luck!
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Adam '10 Bourgeois Custom OMC, '90-ish Lowden F22, '09 Simon & Patrick Folk Cutaway, '09 Recording King RO-06, '10 Paco Marin PM 395 '92 Epiphone Les Paul, '11 Grosh ElectraJet |
#7
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For what it's worth, I made a makeshift nylon stringer out of one of my dread steel strings. I had to use extra hard tension strings, and adjust the truss rod quite a bit to keep it from buzzing alot. The end results - though it is coming through in a pinch, it suffers from what a guitar made for nylon strings can do. The top bracing on a nylon string guitar is lighter and lets the top vibrate much more freely for the lower tension nylon strings. A steel string guitar has a heavier bracing to accomodate for the higher tension steel strings, and when using nylon strings the top doesn't vibrate as freely. I am currently in the market for a nylon string guitar myself as I like the sound better than steel strings. And, welcome to the forums!! Last edited by bfloyd6969; 04-08-2010 at 04:13 PM. |
#8
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Martin does not have any current nylon models in their lineup. However, you might be able to special order one. The most recent were the 000c-16srne (rosewood) & 000c-16sgtne (mahogany). These had cutaways, cedar tops, and fishman electronics. They sound great. Not too many were made but they do come up from time to time on ebay, craigslist, and the UMGF, and here.
Martin used to make a standard classical the N-20 (rosewood) & N-10 (mahogany), and the Humphrey & Sting models. These can be found on ebay, Gryphon, Gruhns Guitars, Elderly Instruments, UMGF, & craigslist. From these same places, you can come across a Martin folk nylon string like the 00-18g, 00-18c, 00-16c, 00-28c, & 00-28g. If you place a wtb martin nylon guitar ad on the UMGF, state your budget, you will find what you are looking for. Those Martin Nylons sound good fingerpicked and sound great flatpicked too.
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Lady Toni Gibson Hummingbird True Vintage CV Precision Basses (2) |
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Last edited by Dogsnax; 04-09-2010 at 12:54 PM. |
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My scuttlebutt comes from another forum discussion that included input from a couple of classical guitar luthiers/techs who noted the bridge glue problem. Per your custom, please take my post with a giant grain of salt. Have a wonderful weekend. Fred Last edited by Dogsnax; 04-09-2010 at 02:11 PM. |