I'm thrilled to be sharing some exciting news with all of you!
At 66 years old and recently retired after a lifetime working as a professional guitar vocalist, I've decided to teach myself classical guitar.
I'll be adding a new section to my channel very soon where I'll be documenting my journey into the world of self-taught classical guitar with short, light-hearted, fun videos sharing my progress.
I know it isn't going to be easy because my 66 year old brain doesn't process or retain information like my 30 year old brain did, and arthritis has slowed my fingers down considerably, but it's going to be great fun and I hope you'll join me on this exciting new chapter in my life.
I am looking forward to seeing your progress. Hoping you are the real deal and not just looking for a retirement gig to have another income stream. Your struggle is what we want to see, not polished pieces. Put a marker on this series of videos so we do not have to look through irrelevant videos.
Dunno' if anyone have answered, but nylon strings will not work with the electric type pickups that go into the soundhole. They are basically magnet(s) with coils around it and the vibration of the steel in front of it will generate electricity in the coil. As the nylon is not ferromagnetic, it will not have the desired effect, unless you put some steel on the strings somehow where the pickup is.
The John Pearse Fingerpicking Folk Strings are nylon wound strings with a steel rope core that should work with a sound hole pick up. I did a review of them here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rwssLZ98pd4.html
I have a 12 string Applause Ovation guitar. Do you think the ball of each string will fit through the bridge without any problems? I see that the bridge has very little space and I think (maybe I'm wrong) that the balls of each nylon string are bigger than the balls of the metal strings. Help me.
Hi. The balls are the same size, but I'm not sure it would work on a twelve string guitar because of the octave string tuning of the bass strings. I've never seen a twelve string nylon guitar before.
Hi Phil, I really like Martin Silk and Steel Strings on my Koa on Mahogany parlour guitar it might be worth giving them a try. I did a review of them here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vVMAQnczP6w.html
Hi Paul. The D'Addario EJ45FF Carbon Strings have what they call "Dynacore" basses, which to my ears are brighter and project more than the basses of the standard EJ45 nylon strings
@@AlanRoyHocking Hi Alan, thank you! I am looking for a bass string set that is a bit warmer sounding than my Savarez HT Cantiga basses, which sound to harsh to me now. I use Alliance HT carbon trebles.
Thanks for the review, I've got an unruly spruce maton, which is a nightmare to record on, so silk strings seem to be the way to go. The low end is muddy, whist the higher mids are too bright and brash.
Drinking water with baking soda in it may help your joints. If your pH is less than 7 that could be the cause of sore joints. I use 1/2 tsp twice a day in a glass of water.
The top E is just a bit too trebly for my liking and as you say they may be better for larger guitars and strumming....great review though Alan :) I'm currently using the Martin Tommy Emmanuel set on my Grand Concert. Fabulous strings as you know :)
Hi Jitka. No I'm sorry I don't know and I don't have this guitar any more so I can't measure it for you but if I remember correctly it's a copy of the Ovation nylon string guitar so should be very similar dimensions to that
- they sound great on my Ramirez flamenco 1970. I also like the Hanabach Low tension and super low tension strings but both those sets are way much money than these, and I find these to be quality Strings.
Mr.Alan, I have a question on this video. 123strings for the nylon string is thicker than acoustic steel strings, so do you need to adjust the bone nut on the neck to fit in the strings?
It depends. Every guitar is different. You need to try them first. I had to slightly widen the slot in the nut for the G string on my Ovation, but that was all
There will be less tension on the neck, so you might need to slacken the truss rod a little bit (if you have one) to avoid the strings buzzing. I didn't need to on my Ovation, but as I said before, every guitar is different, and you won't know until you try putting the nylon strings on it
i use this and the fiddilink i just got them in today i have been using a more cheap version of this but the dd'dario is much better let me tell you that fiddlink can be taken anywhere
How would you say silk & steel strings compare (tone-wise) to the Thomastik John Pearse Folk set? I usually have D'addario S&S on my folk size acoustic, but recently tried the Thomastik Plectrums. The Plectrums are very nice, but the treble strings are not quite as mellow/rich as I was hoping. They are very versatile strings though, and seem to strum nicer than S&S strings. Cheers!
I prefer Martin Silk and Steel Strings personally. The tone is a perfect match for my Koa on Mahogany parlour guitar, and they are easy to fret with my arthritic fingers, although I mostly play fingerstyle with very little strumming and very rarely use a pick
Thanks for your input I appreciate it. I only had to file out the slot in the nut slighty to accommodate the thicker G string on my Ovation, but obviously, every guitar will be different.
Here's a question for you: I LOVE the tone of the Martin Authentic Acoustic Silk & Steel strings. They especially match well with your koa and mahogany HB guitar. Have you ever tried these strings on your Taylor Academy 12? and if so, did they match well? I ask because if there is one major thing I have learned from building a Hifi music system, the synergy between the different components is just as important as the build quality and sound of each component on its own. And so I am wondering if these Martin strings are also a good match for the Taylor, which I also have? Your thoughts would be appreciated!
@@AlanRoyHocking Ha! Dumb me! I saw your video asking if you can put nylon strings on a steel string guitar and somehow read it backwards to where i thought you were putting steel strings on your Taylor! . . . obviously i am in need of a coffee! I really DID like the tone of the Martin Silk & Steel on your koa guitar, and was hoping they would work on the Taylor also.
@denniswade4998 Ha ha! No problem. I'm sure they would sound great on your Taylor, but keep in mind that the overall tension of the Martin Silk and Steel Strings is only 122.2 lbs. I think the Taylor Academy 12 comes factory fitted with D'Addario light guage Phosphor Bronze strings that have an overall tension of 160.51 lbs, so you might need to adjust the neck to avoid string buzz although I didn't need to do any adjustments to my Harley Benton parlor guitar and that also came factory fitted with light guage D'Addario Phosphor Bronze strings. Let me know how you get on with them if you do try the Martin Silk and Steels 👍
@@AlanRoyHocking I just realized that we are not talking about the same guitar. My Taylor Academy 12 is the nylon string version, same as yours. Until now i didn't realize that they had a steel string version of the same guitar. It just shows how important it is to give the FULL name of the guitar when talking about it. So, no, I now understand that the Martin Silk & Steel strings are not going to work.
@denniswade4998 Ahh, yes, the full name is Taylor Academy 12-N or 12e-N if it has a pick-up/pre-amp fitted (electronics). The "N" part means it's the nylon string version. You definitely don't want to be putting steel strings on it! If you want to get it to sound and feel more like a steel string guitar, try the John Pearse Folk Fingerpicking Strings. I did a review of them on my Taylor Academy 12e-N here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rwssLZ98pd4.html
Hi Martin, I think the tension would be too low for a steel string guitar, so you would probably get a lot of string buzz but Let me know if you try them 👍
Hi Robin, Yes, very expensive, but they only have an overall tension of 95.60 lbs, which is around the same tension of some hard tension nylon strings or normal tension, carbon strings. I don't think anyone who's into classical guitar and likes the sound and feel of nylon strings would be interested in them anyway. They're more for people with a crossover nylon guitar that wants a steel string sound.
Initally I don't believe in ball ends. I installed Martin Ball End Claasical Guitar and Addario CT Classical Guitar> However changed my perspective when I tried Martin ball ends on my classical guitar. Its mellower then Addario classical XT while Addario Xt is much brighter. Due to its good sound I also converted my other guitar to ball end using a ball end converter.
Hi Nick. The radias of the fretboard won't make any difference. Lots of top guitar manufacturers like Taylor and Martin make nylon string guitars with a radiused fretboard.
