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#1
11-16-2020, 04:36 AM
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12 vs 14 fret NYLON string guitars?
Hi,
I know the general differences between 12 fret and 14 fret steel string guitars, the placement of the bridge, the scale length, string tension etc, and i have a few 12 and 14 fret steel string guitars. As i am looking at a 14 fret NYLON string guitar at the moment i wonder how that differs from the classic 12 fret setup. Do the general rules known about steel strings and 12- 14 fret mentioned above apply here or is there a difference? I am concerned about string tension as this is an important factor in playing nylon string guitars, more so than in steel string imo. Your help will be appreciated.. 
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#2
11-16-2020, 10:09 AM
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My understanding is that the 12th fret is the sweet spot. But I'm not sure that that is true anymore. The past considerations regarding string tension may not hold true in light of the many advances in strings.
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#3
11-16-2020, 01:17 PM
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String tension is directly related to tuning pitch and scale length, for a given set of strings. Not related in the least to what fret the neck joins the body at. The strings just don't care about stuff like that. What a 14 fret body does differently than a 12 fret body is stuff like bridge location in the lower bout, sound hole location, size of the body, bracing type and placement. Basically a 14 fret body will move everything up towards the neck compared to a 12 fret body. Will that be good or bad for sound, tone, playability? Who knows - that will be up to your ears and hands to decide. But it will be different. Just not in terms of string tension unless the strings or the tuning pitch or the scale length changes, and there is absolutely no reason why it would - unless the builder decided to for reasons unknown...
__________________
Brian Evans Around 15 archtops, electrics, resonators, a lap steel, a uke, a mandolin, some I made, some I bought, some kinda showed up and wouldn't leave. Tatamagouche Nova Scotia.
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#4
11-16-2020, 05:06 PM
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I would consider playability to be equal weight to tone. Do you routinely play high up on the neck?
I do and find that on a 12 fret, I run out of real estate, especially if it is 12 frets and no cutaway. I have heard that many nylon players prefer 12 frets for tone, but not sure if that is real or just hearsay. (I’m a steel string crossover guy). In any event, if I were to buy another 12 fret nylon, it would definitely be a cutaway, where I’m fine on a 14 fret without cutaway. Hope that helps, Gary
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#5
11-16-2020, 05:49 PM
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