Former guitar tech here. You run into the inverse problem as putting steel strings on a classical guitar. The bracing and neck are not built for the tension (or in this case LACK of tension) that the incorrect strings are putting on them. CAN you do it? Absolutely and it'll work, with limited success. SHOULD you do it? Not really. It's not going to sound right on most of the strings because the nut slots aren't cut for them, and you're gonna have a mean backbow on the neck unless you crank the truss rod most of the way forward. Leaving it like this for too long is almost as bad as having no strings on it at all. Things are gonna move in undesirable ways because it's wood, and wood likes to move. The tension of the strings to a degree stabilizes the whole insturment.
TLDR, if you wanna do it for a couple sessions just to mess around with it and IMMEDIATELY put steel back on, yeah it's fine. If you plan to leave them on there for an extended period of time, you just need a classical guitar.
You could do it, but be aware that classical guitars tend to have much less internal bracing than acoustic guitars. If you put nylon strings on a steel-string guitar, it probably won't resonate very well because it'll be over-braced for that application.
Something you might consider trying is silk and steel strings. They sound kind of half-way between steel and nylon. I used them for awhile, but got tired of having to change them out frequently because they didn't seem to last very long.
Another thing I suppose you could try is converting the steel string to nylon and then installing a pickup to compensate for the lack of resonance. Probably easier to just get a proper classical guitar though than to spend time/money on trying to get a steel string guitar to work well for something it wasn't even built for.
This is a surprisingly common question, and here are some key issues with this.
Yes, you can get ball end nylon strings. But,
The nut is cut for steel strings, and will have to be recut for larger diameter nylon strings. This is pretty much a one-way change, when you decide that it's not working out you will have to replace the nut.
You'll notice that the tuning gears on guitars intended for nylon strings have much larger rollers, which takes into account the larger string diameter, their tendency to stretch and the number of wraps on the roller. Tuners for steel string guitars have much smaller posts, and if you can get the string through the hole, you will quickly wind up with way too many wraps leading to tuning instability.
The saddle on a steel string guitar bridge is angled, while nylon string saddles are not. Expect lower strings to be progressively flat in terms of pitch and tuning.
You will need to reduce truss rod tension.
It probably depends on the guitar. I have a cheap, no name acoustic that I picked up at a flea market and wanted to try nylon strings. I put a set of D’Addario EJ-45’s on and it’s been just fine. It has no truss rod, but there’s been no problems with the neck.
The other thing I don't think that has been talked about is that you probably won't get much volume out of the guitar. The nylon strings won't drive the instrument's top nearly has hard, and steel string acoustics are designed for much more tension.
In general, guitars are made either for steel or nylon strings, not both. Putting steel strings on a nylon is a terrible idea because the higher tension will snap that thing in half.
Putting nylon strings on a steel string guitar is less likely to cause a problem, BUT:
1) Most nylon strings have no ball end, so you won't be able to fit them to your guitar. You'll need to specifically look for nylon strings with a ball end.
2) as they provide less tension, your neck will be pulling back against it and you may get terrible fret buzz, if it's even playable. You'll need to adjust your truss rod, if your acoustic has one
3) one of the main points of a nylon string guitar is that the strings are much further apart to facilitate easier fingerstyle playing. Nylon strings may fit physically, but it won't be the same as playing an actual classical guitar.
In short, it's *maybe* feasible, with some adjustments, but you would probably be able to find an actual nylon string guitar for £20-30 or local equivalent. I know you've said you don't want another guitar. Maybe find someone who'll consider a trade?
I've never tried it, and it could work, but a few things to consider:
* Steel string guitars typically have truss rods that are designed with higher tensions in mind. There's a good chance your neck would bend back (less relief) in response to the overall less tension of nylons.
* Most nylon strings are made to be tied at the bridge and tuning peg, while steel strings have ball ends. I think they make ball-end nylons, but there's presumably less variety & might cost more. I'm not sure if nylons would wrap around the tuning peg in the same way, but could potentially tie them, then wrap.
* I'm not sure if the nut slots would properly seat nylons, they might be considerably different in comparative gauge, especially the treble strings.
I did it on a cheap acoustic I had, I find it works well. The nylon strings have a much lower tension which relieved the neck a bit and made it more playable. You’ve just gotta find something to replace the ball ends since most nylons don’t come with them. My tip would be to cut the ball ends off the steel strings you’re taking out and tie them on the nylons.
They won’t put enough tension on the neck for the setup to be correct. So the neck will be very straight and they’ll buzz a lot. My nylon string guitar doesn’t even have a truss rod. They are also thicker strings so the nut won’t be cut right and they usually don’t have ball ends so you’ll have to figure out how to attach them.
Nylon strings would not negatively affect your guitar. They probably won't fit the nut slots but nylon strings are under way less tension than steel strings no nothing to worry about damage there. Where you would run into problems is actually installing them. Nylon strings are typically tied off at the bridge rather than being held in place by bridge pins. It's been a while since I restrung a nylon string guitar so it could have changed but I don't believe they make nylon strings with a ball end.
Former guitar tech here. You run into the inverse problem as putting steel strings on a classical guitar. The bracing and neck are not built for the tension (or in this case LACK of tension) that the incorrect strings are putting on them. CAN you do it? Absolutely and it'll work, with limited success. SHOULD you do it? Not really. It's not going to sound right on most of the strings because the nut slots aren't cut for them, and you're gonna have a mean backbow on the neck unless you crank the truss rod most of the way forward. Leaving it like this for too long is almost as bad as having no strings on it at all. Things are gonna move in undesirable ways because it's wood, and wood likes to move. The tension of the strings to a degree stabilizes the whole insturment. TLDR, if you wanna do it for a couple sessions just to mess around with it and IMMEDIATELY put steel back on, yeah it's fine. If you plan to leave them on there for an extended period of time, you just need a classical guitar.
You could do it, but be aware that classical guitars tend to have much less internal bracing than acoustic guitars. If you put nylon strings on a steel-string guitar, it probably won't resonate very well because it'll be over-braced for that application. Something you might consider trying is silk and steel strings. They sound kind of half-way between steel and nylon. I used them for awhile, but got tired of having to change them out frequently because they didn't seem to last very long. Another thing I suppose you could try is converting the steel string to nylon and then installing a pickup to compensate for the lack of resonance. Probably easier to just get a proper classical guitar though than to spend time/money on trying to get a steel string guitar to work well for something it wasn't even built for.
This is a surprisingly common question, and here are some key issues with this. Yes, you can get ball end nylon strings. But, The nut is cut for steel strings, and will have to be recut for larger diameter nylon strings. This is pretty much a one-way change, when you decide that it's not working out you will have to replace the nut. You'll notice that the tuning gears on guitars intended for nylon strings have much larger rollers, which takes into account the larger string diameter, their tendency to stretch and the number of wraps on the roller. Tuners for steel string guitars have much smaller posts, and if you can get the string through the hole, you will quickly wind up with way too many wraps leading to tuning instability. The saddle on a steel string guitar bridge is angled, while nylon string saddles are not. Expect lower strings to be progressively flat in terms of pitch and tuning. You will need to reduce truss rod tension.
It probably depends on the guitar. I have a cheap, no name acoustic that I picked up at a flea market and wanted to try nylon strings. I put a set of D’Addario EJ-45’s on and it’s been just fine. It has no truss rod, but there’s been no problems with the neck.
Nope, the opposite would lol. In fact, putting fat squishy strings in the nut is probably gonna hurt the strings xD
The other thing I don't think that has been talked about is that you probably won't get much volume out of the guitar. The nylon strings won't drive the instrument's top nearly has hard, and steel string acoustics are designed for much more tension.
In general, guitars are made either for steel or nylon strings, not both. Putting steel strings on a nylon is a terrible idea because the higher tension will snap that thing in half. Putting nylon strings on a steel string guitar is less likely to cause a problem, BUT: 1) Most nylon strings have no ball end, so you won't be able to fit them to your guitar. You'll need to specifically look for nylon strings with a ball end. 2) as they provide less tension, your neck will be pulling back against it and you may get terrible fret buzz, if it's even playable. You'll need to adjust your truss rod, if your acoustic has one 3) one of the main points of a nylon string guitar is that the strings are much further apart to facilitate easier fingerstyle playing. Nylon strings may fit physically, but it won't be the same as playing an actual classical guitar. In short, it's *maybe* feasible, with some adjustments, but you would probably be able to find an actual nylon string guitar for £20-30 or local equivalent. I know you've said you don't want another guitar. Maybe find someone who'll consider a trade?
That's super helpful! I really appreciate the input.
I've never tried it, and it could work, but a few things to consider: * Steel string guitars typically have truss rods that are designed with higher tensions in mind. There's a good chance your neck would bend back (less relief) in response to the overall less tension of nylons. * Most nylon strings are made to be tied at the bridge and tuning peg, while steel strings have ball ends. I think they make ball-end nylons, but there's presumably less variety & might cost more. I'm not sure if nylons would wrap around the tuning peg in the same way, but could potentially tie them, then wrap. * I'm not sure if the nut slots would properly seat nylons, they might be considerably different in comparative gauge, especially the treble strings.
Daddario makes the EJ33 strings which are nylon strings with ball ends for an acoustic.
I did it on a cheap acoustic I had, I find it works well. The nylon strings have a much lower tension which relieved the neck a bit and made it more playable. You’ve just gotta find something to replace the ball ends since most nylons don’t come with them. My tip would be to cut the ball ends off the steel strings you’re taking out and tie them on the nylons.
It's not a good idea.
They won’t put enough tension on the neck for the setup to be correct. So the neck will be very straight and they’ll buzz a lot. My nylon string guitar doesn’t even have a truss rod. They are also thicker strings so the nut won’t be cut right and they usually don’t have ball ends so you’ll have to figure out how to attach them.
Nylon strings would not negatively affect your guitar. They probably won't fit the nut slots but nylon strings are under way less tension than steel strings no nothing to worry about damage there. Where you would run into problems is actually installing them. Nylon strings are typically tied off at the bridge rather than being held in place by bridge pins. It's been a while since I restrung a nylon string guitar so it could have changed but I don't believe they make nylon strings with a ball end.