Is nylon louder

[whvick]

Are nylon strings louder, or does it vary from player to player.
My classical seems to have more volume, and more sustain than my steel strings.
Is it the nylon, the guitar design, or my imagination

[Malcolm Kindnes]

Nylon string guitars certainly can be very loud, but it does depend a lot on the quality of the instrument and the quality of the player. Only one thing is sure, it's not your imagination.

[Villamarzia]

My flamenco Villalba is louder than my Lowden (which is not a quite guitar either!) but definitely not the same sustain. But a Lowden rings forever...

[Christian Reno]

Steel strings are under more tension than nylon strings and to my experience, are generally louder, but of course any given guitar can prove that generalizations are flawed.

What I don’t think I’ve ever experienced is nylon having more sustain. The G, B and high E are usually the only 100% nylon strings and I have never heard them have the sustain a G, B and high E have in a typical set of steel strings. The only thing I can think of to explain more sustain from nylon is that nylon strings last longer than steel strings and old steel strings can be pretty dead sounding.

[pmichael]

Originally Posted by whvick

Are nylon strings louder, or does it vary from player to player.
My classical seems to have more volume, and more sustain than my steel strings.
Is it the nylon, the guitar design, or my imagination

The typical classical guitar is a 12 fret instrument. That can be one factor that gives it a bigger voice. I heard a Taylor crossover 14 fret nylon string ws nothing like my classical ... it was very subdued in contrast.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by Christian Reno

....The only thing I can think of to explain more sustain from nylon is that nylon strings last longer than steel strings and old steel strings can be pretty dead sounding.

How about internal damping? The vibrations in steel will ring on much longer than in nylon. Hold a piece of copper pipe lightly from one end and tap it with any metal object. Now do the same with some PVC or ABS pipe. One rings and the other goes "thunk".

As a rule classical guitars are built and braced much lighter, intended to fill a concert hall without amplification. They only have to withstand about 90-100 pounds of string tension, versus ~165 pounds for light gauge steel strings (and 185 pounds for medium gauge). Classical players also spend considerable time and effort learning techniques to get the best projection and tone from their instruments. I don't think you can compare apples and oranges directly......

[The Bard Rocks]

Classical guitars also often have higher action, which helps out on the volume end, along with 12 frets and some construction methods. My classical was as loud as my jumbo - boy, was I surprised at that discovery.

Still, other things equal, steel strings are louder than nylon ones.

[j3ffr0]

It depends on the guitar. Nylon string guitars can be louder than steel string and vice versa. Just depends on how it's built. People are often surprised at how loud a good nylon string guitar can be in the hands of someone who has the technique for it.

[Mark Stone]

Out of my three guitars, my nylon K. Kairi is the loudest by a long shot. However, it doesn't have close to the sustain of my Taylor 814ce DLX (V-Class). But I have no idea why the little classical is so loud - but that little thing can dominate a room. Here I am playing it when both of us were younger, maybe 15(?) years ago. You will notice the lack of a sound system - lol - what a screamer!

[mtdmind]

Many classical guitars are designed to be played to a concert hall unamplified. Especially the modern ones with double tops. They can be very loud.

[Gitaman]

Originally Posted by mtdmind

Many classical guitars are designed to be played to a concert hall unamplified. Especially the modern ones with double tops. They can be very loud.

Can you name some double-topped models I could check out? Any with short scale? Thsnks!

[mtdmind]

Matthias Dammann is the most famous. Many makers make double-tops. Most makers do not have standard models the way Martin or Gibson does. Most players commission a guitar and work with the maker as to how they want it. I myself play a guitar by Michael Thames. He has made double tops but, my guitar is not double topped. Many will also make shorter scale guitars for their clients upon request. Hope this helps.

[Dogsnax]

Another innovation associated with classical guitars is lattice bracing (as opposed to the traditional fan bracing). In a very general sense, lattice bracing allows for a thinner top, which allows for more top vibration, resulting in more volume. I have two classical guitars, one lattice braced (Carrington) and one fan braced (Friederich copy). I enjoy both guitars, but my ear is more often drawn to the fan braced instrument.

Kenny Hill builds classical guitars that combine both lattice bracing and double top construction. I would say these guitars generate more "immediate" volume and sustain.

[mtdmind]

I read somewhere that the tops can be as thin as 1mm on lattice tops. That's scary thin.

[acousticstyle]

@Gitaman: Check out Keijo Korelin. I play one - you can hear it on my Youtube channel. He is from Finnland and builds Double Tops that have a beautiful bright and still warm sound (sounds contradictory but check it out...). In my experience the double top nylon string guitars are a lot louder than the western guitars. And the projection is far better. But you have to compare them when both are plugged.