Why everybody needs a nylon guitar!

Guitars with nylon strings have a bit of an image problem. Because they are thought of as a bit nuffy, only suitable for boring music and the neck is also a lot wider than on an electric guitar.   

If you ask us this is a bit of a shame, because nylon guitars have a lot going for them and you can play anything using nylon strings. Just listen carefully to Dolly Parton's world hit Jolene. A Country Classic, but played on nylon strings. Looking for some extra melancholy? Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven will bring tears to your eyes, every time, thanks to that  beautiful, mellow nylon sound.  

Are you looking for a touch of summer to add to your guitar sound? Thanks to nylon, you instantly sound like a sip of a perfect cocktail at sunset in your favourite beach club. You can hear the surf, it's still warm, balmy even. The sun graced your skin with a nice tan today, some sand is crunching between your toes and you are sure that things could work out with that date tonight...um...sorry...we digress. But that is exactly what nylon does to you: it takes you to very pleasant places, you have never been before.

You can play anything with nylon

Guitar teacher, YouTuber and friend of the Fellowship, Meester David has shown with hundreds of videos that with nylon, anything is possible. From Taylor Swift to Bollywood and from Ed Sheeran to Billie Eilish: Master David conjures it all. 

Sometimes he plays a steel-string guitar, but mostly with his great love: nylon. Why?

Because it allows you to really make the sound yourself. With the fingers of your left and right hand. Directly and without any aids, which makes it very pure. Every nuance you want to hear in your playing and every difference in dynamics and timbre can be created.

lf you play too softly on a guitar with steel strings, you usually hear almost nothing. If you play too loud, the tone can quickly become disturbing. With nylon strings, the range is much greater. If you play soft, you will hear a soft tone and if you want to play loud, you can do so without the sound becoming muddy. You could say that nylon is more like a singing voice than a guitar with steel strings and this unique quality makes nylon very suitable for fingerstyle, where you combine melody and accompaniment” ​

Vorige

Volgende

Meester David shows this every week on his  YouTube and​ Instagram

 

Nylon is not boring!

We know that many guitarists remain hesitant, because well...nylon often sounds a bit dull, verging on boring. It's true that compared to steel strings, you sacrifice volume, but that doesn't mean nylon is only suitable for goodygood music you hear in hotel lobbies. On the contrary. Meester David: "You can actually play mercilessly loud on a guitar with nylon strings! Just place your hand a bit closer to the bridge, with lots of expression and a very direct tone. Think flamenco!”

Let's watch and listen to Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac one more time as he demonstrates how it can also be done with a nylon string guitar!

Great teaching tool

If you play guitar often and for a long time, steel strings can be very demanding on your fingertips. Nylon is softer and therefore more comfortable. Some guitarists may have to get used to its soft, rubbery feel. According to Master David, therein lies a great reward:

,,If you manage to play nicely with a lot of dynamics on nylon strings, you will bring that experience to your steel strings. You will find that you suddenly do manage to play soft while maintaining tone and warm while maintaining brightness, loud with a lot of tonal beauty and sharp with many, fine warm undertones. Because of the direct contact with the nylon strings, you just quickly develop a better sense of sound."

Which nylon guitar suits me?

 There is a vast choice of guitars with nylon strings and there really is a guitar for every budget. Do you already play a guitar with steel strings? Then a crossover is often a good starting point, as crossover guitars combine elements of a classical and a western guitar. They have nylon strings, but the neck is often a bit narrower and the body a bit smaller.

Cordoba Stage

The Cordoba Stage is a nice example: plays like an electric gutiar,  but offers all the nylon nuance one can hope for. This could turn into your next Big Love in a heartbeat!

Lowden Crossovers

Lowden makes stunningly beautifull crossover guitars tha we can recommend to any player for any style. 

The very beautifull guitars made by Noemi Schembri lift crossover guitars to an entirely different level. 

Are you looking for a classical guitar with nylon strings? The Spanish Alhambra offers a wide array of great guitars for all sorts of players an budgets. 

 Are you looking for something small on the side? Then we strongly suggest taking a serious look at the Jellinghaus Torres 77, Maybe the smallest ordinary guitar we have in our store , but they are really special. Light as a feather, plays awesome and they sound magical. 

 

Is it great power you are after? A flamenco guitar might be the right choice for you.

Buying a nylon strung guitar

​In our guitar villa in Dedemsvaart, we have well over 1,000 guitars in stock. Acoustic, electric and, of course: nylon strung guitars. New, second-hand and vintage: we have it all! You can see, hear and, of course, try these guitars without any obligation. Our Fellows are happy to help and the coffee is ready!