New to nylon- strings wearing at the frets ?

[JohnW63]

Given this is the Classical section, this topic may not be correct , as I do not yet play classical style. Hopefully, you can point help me , if it should be in the main section.

I just got a Yamaha SLG 200N and I guess my playing style has gotten the wrapped strings to get worn at the frets. I can see and feel little rough spots on the strings, like it has come ever so slightly unwrapped. I don't know if my attempts at vibrato or bends may have done this. I suppose Yamaha could have shipped with pretty low end strings. I've only had the guitar for a week. I am using this guitar for mostly Jazz tunes, for now, and for being quiet when the wife and kid go to bed. The Silent Guitar part works well for that.

Are there things I should not be doing with nylon that I can do with steel strings ? I figured that as hard as flamenco players play, this wouldn't be an issue.

What strings would be recommended for this style ? Are some strings more durable than others ?

[dickbarbour]

My wrapped nylon strings show wear at the frets after several weeks of use, normally. Some brands are worse than others, but I don't worry about it until they sound noticeably worse.

[mr. beaumont]

They'll wear in time.

If vibrato and bending are part of your style, you might just wear them out faster.

Where did you buy from? My guess is these strings had some wear coming in...or you fret REALLY hard...


Silent Nylon's a fun guitar, ain't it?

[dosland]

Fretware on the strings is sometimes the only reason I bother to change out a set - all strings will wear like that eventually, even the trebles (but those do take a lot longer, normally). It may be that you have to adjust your playing style a bit, bends and super-vibrato aren't very kind to the strings, and you have to do a lot more of both to get a similar outcome to what you're used to on a steel string guitar. Fretting hard is also something that you may be able to unlearn or at least soften over time - nylon strings are nicer to your wrists in that you don't have to work as hard to cut out the buzz. Finally, and this is a shot in the dark, it is also possible that your frets need to be leveled out or polished up a bit - you may actually be able to feel sharp spots/ridges on some of the frets with your fingers, and it's not at all uncommon for guitars to escape quality control with some "undressed" frets. A quick polish with some superfine steel wool or so might be just what the guitar doctor ordered. Not that taking off all the strings and protecting the fretboard and polishing each and every fret and then restringing is actually "quick," but it is generally not too burdensome a task for the able person. Good luck with the new guitar world!

[JohnW63]

Where did you buy from? My guess is these strings had some wear coming in...or you fret REALLY hard...

The guitar is brand new, from Yamaha. I have no idea what ships with the SLG200N.

I've ordered some D'Addario Pro Arte EJ45 and EJ46 strings to try out.

Now that I know bending of nylon strings really doesn't do much, I won't be doing that. Maybe that will help.

I don't think I fret REALLY hard. I think I can see small indentations on the high strings, but the wrapped lower strings have spots you can feel if you drag your finger nail on them. The A string at about the 7th fret might not be comfortable, if I were to fret directly on the fret, where the wire is frayed. The low E shows little wear.

I'll see how the new strings perform, when I get them. I just wanted to make sure there were things you really shouldn't do with nylon strings.

Silent Nylon's a fun guitar, ain't it?

Yep !

[oldtimeblues]

Originally Posted by JohnW63

The guitar is brand new, from Yamaha. I have no idea what ships with the SLG200N.

I've ordered some D'Addario Pro Arte EJ45 and EJ46 strings to try out.

Now that I know bending of nylon strings really doesn't do much, I won't be doing that. Maybe that will help.

I don't think I fret REALLY hard. I think I can see small indentations on the high strings, but the wrapped lower strings have spots you can feel if you drag your finger nail on them. The A string at about the 7th fret might not be comfortable, if I were to fret directly on the fret, where the wire is frayed. The low E shows little wear.

I'll see how the new strings perform, when I get them. I just wanted to make sure there were things you really shouldn't do with nylon strings.



Yep !

yeah, that's a good idea, both those string are a good place to start. The number one reason for string deterioration is body chemistry. I replace one string a week, so no string on my guitar is ever older than six weeks, and still the bass strings start to wear at the fret, But it has no noticable difference in sound or playability. As a matter of fact, they are about perfect and then it comes their day of the week to be changed.

[JohnW63]

I played the guitar for quite a long time tonight. It's really a lot of fun to have a very different feel and tone range to mess with. Heck, I hooked up a Boss SD-1 overdrive pedal the night before, and it sounded good for Fleetwood Mac stuff !

If you are OK with a traditional flat fretboard and a 1-7/8 nut width, I really recommend the Yamaha SLG 200N. I was concerned that I would really need a "crossover" guitar, but, I got used to it all, within an hour.

Now, to get a handle on string wear !

What else should I try, beyond the D'Addario strings for this guitar ?

[Gitfiddlemann]

Are there things I should not be doing with nylon that I can do with steel strings ?

I would say, don't even ask yourself that question and try not to let yourself be boxed in by the type of string you're playing. Try anything. If it sounds good, and you like it, then go for it, whatever it is. Let your ears and the music decide.

I've ordered some D'Addario Pro Arte EJ45 and EJ46 strings to try out.

The (Pro Arte) J46's are my favorite treble string. Although it's a very individual choice, it's hard to go wrong with D'Addarios in my opinion.
Personally I like to mix and match bass and treble sets, because I inevitably end up switching out the basses much more often than the trebles, and the trebles take (relatively) a longer time to break in and intonate properly.
My current favorite basses are Savarez Corum HT (high tension). I've tried many brands over the years but that combination (Savarez basses + Pro Arte J46's) is what I inevitably always end up going back to.
But, string choice is as personal a choice as it gets. There are so many factors involved, starting with the guitar itself and what you like to play. It's best to experiment, but with those D'Addarios you're off to a good start.
Enjoy your new guitar. Sounds like you and nylon will become good friends!

[oldtimeblues]

Originally Posted by AndreF

I would say, don't even ask yourself that question and try not to let yourself be boxed in by the type of string you're playing. Try anything. If it sounds good, and you like it, then go for it, whatever it is. Let your ears and the music decide.

The (Pro Arte) J46's are my favorite treble string. Although it's a very individual choice, it's hard to go wrong with D'Addarios in my opinion.
Personally I like to mix and match bass and treble sets, because I inevitably end up switching out the basses much more often than the trebles, and the trebles take (relatively) a longer time to break in and intonate properly.
My current favorite basses are Savarez Corum HT (high tension). I've tried many brands over the years but that combination (Savarez basses + Pro Arte J46's) is what I inevitably always end up going back to.
But, string choice is as personal a choice as it gets. There are so many factors involved, starting with the guitar itself and what you like to play. It's best to experiment, but with those D'Addarios you're off to a good start.
Enjoy your new guitar. Sounds like you and nylon will become good friends!

normally I would agree with you, but what does a Yamaha Silent guitar even sound like? And why would different strings even make a difference? When I want to get quiet late at night so as not to wake anybody up I just play softly.

[Norman2]

Originally Posted by JohnW63

The guitar is brand new, from Yamaha. I have no idea what ships with the SLG200N.

I've ordered some D'Addario Pro Arte EJ45 and EJ46 strings to try out.

Now that I know bending of nylon strings really doesn't do much, I won't be doing that. Maybe that will help.

I don't think I fret REALLY hard. I think I can see small indentations on the high strings, but the wrapped lower strings have spots you can feel if you drag your finger nail on them. The A string at about the 7th fret might not be comfortable, if I were to fret directly on the fret, where the wire is frayed. The low E shows little wear.

I'll see how the new strings perform, when I get them. I just wanted to make sure there were things you really shouldn't do with nylon strings.



Yep !

Hi I suggest you change from EJ45 or EJ46 to EXP45 and EXP46. They are D'Addario with coated Basses which will last much longer than Normal EJ.
This will definitely help your wound string wear. Regards
Norman2

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by oldtimeblues

normally I would agree with you, but what does a Yamaha Silent guitar even sound like? And why would different strings even make a difference? When I want to get quiet late at night so as not to wake anybody up I just play softly.

Hi oldtimeblues,
I was just drawing on my experience with my own "silent guitar", which is an old Gibson Chet Atkins CEC model. That one is a flat body electric/classical nylon stringer which I play mostly unplugged or through headphones. I use that guitar quite a lot actually just to work things out when learning something new (because it's so easy and kind on the fretting hand) and, like you say, when I want to play and not bother anyone else.
I find for myself that strings do matter in that case too, even if the guitar is not an acoustic per say. It helps me transition to my regular nylon acoustics more easily. The feel of the strings is the same, and I just think those particular strings sound better than others on that guitar too.
Anyway, I'm sure his silent guitar is different than mine, but a similar enough concept that I thought it perhaps helpful to share my own views on the question he asked about using different strings.

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by oldtimeblues

normally I would agree with you, but what does a Yamaha Silent guitar even sound like? And why would different strings even make a difference? When I want to get quiet late at night so as not to wake anybody up I just play softly.

Well, the Silent Nylon sounds like almost nothing, unplugged. So with headphones, you can play as hard as you want and not wake people up.

Strings make a difference in feel, tension, intonation, a whole lot of things besides just tone. But there's tonal differences too, even when just playing through the pickup into headphones.

[oldtimeblues]

Originally Posted by AndreF

Hi oldtimeblues,
I was just drawing on my experience with my own "silent guitar", which is an old Gibson Chet Atkins CEC model. That one is a flat body electric/classical nylon stringer which I play mostly unplugged or through headphones. I use that guitar quite a lot actually just to work things out when learning something new (because it's so easy and kind on the fretting hand) and, like you say, when I want to play and not bother anyone else.
I find for myself that strings do matter in that case too, even if the guitar is not an acoustic per say. It helps me transition to my regular nylon acoustics more easily. The feel of the strings is the same, and I just think those particular strings sound better than others on that guitar too.
Anyway, I'm sure his silent guitar is different than mine, but a similar enough concept that I thought it perhaps helpful to share my own views on the question he asked about using different strings.

if you ever want to sell that CEC let me be the first to know

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by oldtimeblues

if you ever want to sell that CEC let me be the first to know

I promise!
I really believe everyone should have a "utility" type guitar like this. If anything, for playing longevity purposes.

[JohnW63]

Another benefit of a silent guitar is you can jack in another sound source, like and MP3 player, and play along and STILL no one hears you, but you can adjust the volume of your guitar and the input of the player to play with. You could then play with just about as much gusto as you want.

You would have a hard time just playing softly to get that.