advice needed on classical guitar

[MJScott]

Originally Posted by RWG

wcap makes a very valid point. If you have never played nylon, if you don't know the difference between a free stroke and a rest stroke, you might want to enlist the help of someone who does play nylon strings. I did.

I am going to mildly disagree. I think that while nails are desirable, but not entirely necessary. I don't have nails on my "picking" hand (long enough to pick with -there are nails there ha ha). I have caluses (sic?) from all the steel string picking though. I don't intend on growing them out because I do a lot of physical activities that nails don't exactly work for. I also only dabble with classical techniques. I play mainly county blues and some pop/rock/folk stuff on it and only because of some arthritis in my fretting hand. So....................depending on what sound you want to get out of it you may or may not need nails.

I agree with the La Patrie recommendation. I have two a Presentation and a Motif. Both are really good - especially based on cost:value (tone playability etc)

Just my $02. YMMV however

[bravebone]

thanks all, great ideas and advice. I do have nails, had em for 12 years but only in the last two have switched to thumbnail over thumbpick. trying to emulate some of the thumb work done by my idol PBS. I asked him on his last US visit if he was double jointed in the thumb. he says "whats that?" He did let me open for him once and jumped on stage during my soundcheck and said "itz tooo brrigght," (referring to my guitar sound) ha!