can I use acoustic metal strings on my Spanish guitar?
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at
8:22 am
I bought metal strings for my Lotus LC30 guitar, and People are telling me that it’ll warp the neck and some are telling me that it’ll be fine. If you know that it is or isn’t a excellent thought, please let me know and try to clarify why?
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Tagged with: Acoustic • Guitar • Metal • Spanish • Strings
Filed under: Spanish Guitar
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I did that with my first guitar way back when. Never warped the neck, but eventually the bridge did pull up a bit. When you place steel strings on, they exert much more pressure than the nylon strings do. Even though my neck didn’t warp, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible, in fact I would suspect that it would after a while.
If you could find really light acoustic strings, say 9′s or 10′s, you’d more than likely be ok. And steel strings do not exert anywhere near 600lbs. of pressure. 9′s may be around 120lbs. and 10′s may go to near 140lbs., but never near 600. Whoever said that, get your facts straight.
And the whole thought behind neck warp is that there is too much tension and the relief on the neck becomes too fantastic. What some people forget is that guitars are equipped with a truess rod that fights the tension, so your guitar could be adjusted to take the increased tension without a problem. The nut is no different than a steel string, it’s probably plastic. Use light strings and it’ll be fine. Not everyone can afford to run out and buy a new guitar. I did this with my first guitar and I had that thing for a long time. The only difference you may find is the smaller body (probably either cedar or mahogany with a cedar top), isn’t going to be quite as loud as a full size guitar, but it’ll get the job done.
not a excellent thought, may not warp the neck, but your bridge and nut was set up for nylon and will certainly sound like crap
On a classical guitar with nylon strings, there is approx. 100 lbs of pressure trying to collapse the guitar . . . steel strings it is approx. 600 lbs.
A guitar designed for nylon strings is not strong enough to take steel string and will start to collapse. A guitar designed for steel string is too strong and has too much resistance for nylon ones and will either break strings or warp the neck because of not enough tension.
If you have a classical guitar (nylon strings, tie bridge, slot head) then steel strings will ruin your guitar. Don’t do it. As others have already pointed out, steel strings exert substantially more tension than nylon. Steel strings on your guitar will pull up and eventually tear off the bridge and may also warp the neck.
Maybe it’s time for you to get a steel string guitar.
Spanish guitars are not braced to take metal strings… if you want an acoustic guitar then BUY ONE… for one thing, it will SOUND BETTER than if you try to screw up a classical guitar with the incorrect strings because the type of WOOD is different for classical guitars than it is for acoustic guitars…