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Nylon strung guitars

Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2017 9:43 pm
by Peter Lee
Any members playing nylon strung guitars? Not as in classical or flamenco guitar but one of the newer types of crossover guitar that has features of steel acoustic guitars. Variations in nut width, scalelength, fingerboard radii and the likes.
I like the sound of a nylon guitar but I just can't manage the wider and flatter fingerboard of a classical. Suggestions will be gratefully received.

Re: Nylon strung guitars

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:01 pm
by GORDON
Hi Pete.

Check out the Roger Williams crossover classical on the JHS website,a stunning guitar.I used mine for the launch of the vinyl LAST OF ENGLAND album, and there is a clip on YOUTUBE I believe of the night.

G.

Re: Nylon strung guitars

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:27 pm
by Peter Lee
Hello Gordon and thanks for the John Hornby Skewes website suggestion. I'll have a look on YouTube of you playing the Roger Williams crossover guitar.

Thank you,
Pete.

Re: Nylon strung guitars

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 8:32 pm
by Moodyblue
Ah Nylon string guitars. Always loved them.
An old guitar teacher of mine from the 80's owned a Giannini 6 string and it was lovely. I bought one from Ebay last year on a whim, but oh what a disappointment. It's been played for about an hour since it arrived. Kind of sad really.
I think you really have to hunt these fellas down as they aren't widely stocked in most guitar shops.

Very interesting recommendation Gordon by the way.

Re: Nylon strung guitars

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 2:44 pm
by sultan4swing
Back in the late 1960's when I first starting playing and singing, one of my mates had an accoustic guitar with a massive body - can't remember the name - but with nylon strings.... It was obviously a steel-strung instrument - it had a narrow non-classical guitar neck. Have not seen such an instument since..... Re another post on budget classical guitars - have recently bought a Yamaha one - with pickup - around GBP150.... It's fine for me for general finger picking but not playing classical guitar beyond an acceptable (to me) standard. But not a patch on previously owned classical guitars back in 1970's - a B&M and especially an Aria (the latter now a classy instrument)... Still have a 1960's EKO 12S, an Ovation 12S, and the piece de resistance, my 1976 Yamaha's first solid top accoustic 6S, CC-838S, purchased new around 1976, for about GBP200, a lot of money then.... now worth around USD1500-2500, still plays like a dream - even if I don't.... !!!!

Re: Roger Williams crossover and cheap guitars

Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 10:09 am
by Andrew Loake
I recently bought a "Roger Williams" nylon-strung crossover guitar (the only other nylon guitar I had at that point was a parlour guitar, made in Swindon in around 1820 and I wanted something I could use occasionally for gigging). I bought the Roger Williams 2nd hand, but it was "as new" and I'm sure nothing had been done to it since it was purchased. I have to say that the set up was not good: the nut was too high, the radius on the bridge insert was just wrong and the strings were not balanced through the pickup - and, believe it or not, there was a high fret. So, it took a bit of time for me to correct these issues and to set it up properly.
But: When the work was done, my goodness, what a fabulous guitar! It's not just good value for the money, it's wonderful by almost any standard.
I've been playing for a long time and I remember that, when I started, cheap guitars were awful and they used to hurt! Nowadays though, you don't have to spend a lot of money to get something decent - it's just a shame that many cheap guitars aren't better set-up. I'm lucky to be able to do it myself, but for those that can't it's more difficult.
Now, I know that the cost of having a guitar set up by a luthier can be almost as much as buying a cheap guitar. The industry has made HUGE advances over the last few decades - but, if cheaper guitars could be better set-up at the point of purchase, we could soon get everybody playing!!
Keep spreading the word.

Re: Nylon strung guitars

Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 2:57 pm
by GORDON
I could not agree with you more. Sadly many companies don't have the time to set up instruments when they leave the warehouse. Most guitars need setting up to a players individual requirements. I always set up my own guitars in a sort of intuitional way but it works for me but I have been doing it for a long time now, so wouldn't recommend you doing it yourself if you don't have the skills.

I have the Williams classical and its an outstanding guitar. So once set up will give years of playing pleasure.

Hope the above helps.

G.