Ball ended nylon strings
 

Yay or nay?

Something like D’Addario EJ32 http://www.daddario.com/products/gui...nylon-trebles/

Any reason not to use them on my classical?

Perfectly fine.

That's what I'm using (ball ends) right now and I just bought three more Ernie Ball folk. I can tie, but the ball ends are quicker and don't slip.

I'm a steel player though by nature. :)

Thanks, the classical is new to me - technically it’s a crossover :) but I changed the strings last weekend for the first time and found it frustrating. Should persevere I suppose.

Some treble strings are very slippery, which requires greater care in tying at the block. Thomastik Infeld Classic S KR116 strings have the same tension as high tension classical strings, they're expensive, ball-end, the trebles are nylon wrapped steel-rope core, and will take your guitar to places that nylon/carbon/etc simply can't while staying within the realm of the classical sound.

I have a set of the PJ116 folk with the nylon wrapped steel/rope core. Too much like a steel string for me. I have enough of those, :) I'm taking them off today (to be saved, just in case)

The PJ116 #1 (PJ16) is Nylon Flat Wound on Steel Core, which I did not like. The KR116 #1 is a steel-rope core, very different, not piercing.

Thanks. Maybe someday I'll try them.

I find tying strings at the bridge annoying as well. While I'm perfectly capable, I prefer to use what they call "String-Tie Beads" or "Bridge Beads".

One basically makes his or her own ball-ends by tying a bead to the end of each string. Tying a bead is way easier than tying a bridge knot, I'd say I cut out 5 minutes of time by using them. It's not as easy as just getting a ball-end set of strings, but this way one can use whatever strings he or she prefers.

Thanks; may sound like a dumb question but what knot do you use to tie the beads? I know from experience how easy it is to tie a knot in nylon that comes undone easily, usually when you don’t want it to*!

*and is impossible to untie when you do!

Whenever the stringing tying discussion comes up and always like to post this very helpful link:

http://www.schrammguitars.com/stringingmethod.html

Not only did the late John Gilbert build many fantastic classical guitars, he also left us this ingenious method for handling the pesky treble strings. I've been using it for over 10 years and it's fantastic - so much easier, just as secure, no harm to the guitar or bridge tie block.

12 hole tie blocks also make things easier as well. Definitely a feature to look for when your ready to buy your next nylon string guitar.

The different beads are designed to be tied differently, but the ones I use on all my guitars are Rosette Guitar. I'm not trying to advertise for them by any means, but they sell on Amazon, and one of the photos they have shows how the knots are made. Here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E7FQ03O..._cg3gEb8PBEB1V

I've never had the knots slip. They say you should double loop the high E string to ensure there aren't any problems. I usually do, but have experimented with not doing it, and haven't had a problem when I didn't do it.

Last tid-bit, I think other bridge beads have similarly easy tying methods. Of course a different design means a different tying method, but the whole intent is to decrease time and make the tying process easier.

Thanks

Out of interest how much are they in the U.S.? For me in the U.K. they show as £55 which is about $70!

That's nuts! I think they are typically $15-20 here. Shouldn't be more than £15. If it is, I recommend buying your own 3D printer and making a business out of selling £15 bridge beads over there. You'd get all the business *laugh*.

Thanks again. Think it’s an Amazon “thing”. Your link magically redirected to the U.K. site. If I go to the U.S. site I can get them delivered for about $20 from the U.S.. But I managed to find a local seller for about £12.