Today I feel like I have been "doing a Jocko" in that I came home yesterday with a 7 year old's new guitar, which is an Ashton 3/4 size mini guitar, steel-string, dreadnought style, and today I filed down the sharp fret ends (a first for me), put a new nut on, changed the steel strings to nylon strings (because his teacher insists he has a nylon-strung guitar) and put some washers under the strap buttons, sort of home-made straplocks that were free because I had two spare washers.
The challenge for me was that his guitar teacher at school (where, sadly, they only teach classical guitar) said that it would not be possible to put nylon strings on a streel-stringed guitar because the tailpiece is different, while his parents are saddened as their son was given the guitar by a family friend and they don't really want to have to return it and buy a classical guitar, especially as the little lad's aim is to learn chords and songs.
To make classical strings workable on this guitar, I tied a figure of 8 knot in the end of each string and used the little ball-ends from the old strings. The trick works and, as you can see, it looks good. Another satisfied customer, so to speak!
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Comments
The old nylon string tie method is because the technology for anything much else didn't exist in string making back in the day. Guitarists as a breed tend to be conservative and backward looking in the main.
I can't imagine the 7 year old is anything but delighted.
Thanks also for the mention of nylon strings will ball ends; I didn't know they existed.
I hope laddo isn't put off by the classical training but the teacher is right. If he is doing that sort of syllabus then nylon strings are a must.
Digressing here.
Strings make a heck of a difference. I now have a Vintage mahogany guitar and a Sigma J45 copy (spruce top) and have recently changed strings. I used D'addario phosphor bronze on the Vintage and Martin 12s on the Sigma. The Vintage now sounds a different league to the Sigma. I will have to do the same for the Sigma but am so tight that It'll be a few years before I do.
I'm really enjoying sitting down and noodling, switching guitar to guitar. The Sigma is now my second. £460 (Sigma) vs £160 (Vintage.) the difference a tenner can make. Wow !
I agree with you: strings make a heck of a difference.
(Play your acoustics facing a corner in the room. You get great feedback from it.)
Good for you Lester - helping the next generation in their pursuit of music is a wonderful thing. The world is a slightly better place now.
It's completely irrational, but that's just how it is
. But ’ve never found a need for one, which doesn’t usually stop me buying gear!
The action at the 12th fret was around 6 inches and the neck was 12 inches wide.
The little ladybird size book I got said "Put your fingers here and strum" 3 weeks later the strings didn't buzz, then it said "Now put your fingers here" Another 3 weeks and no buzz. then it says "Now you can play Skip to my loo". WTF is that? Never heard of that song!
Tied a string around it's neck and hung it on the wall as a decoration for 20 years.