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I am thinking of doing my next build as a nylon string folk guitar - not classical.

Question #1: Is there different bracing patterns compared to steel string? Would imagibe lighter bracing, maybe classical pattern??

Question #2: Could this be done with standard headstock or would I have to go to slotted headstock with classical style tuners?

Rich,

Your bracing pattern will definitly be different, most likely something similar to classical instead of steel string. I haven't built a folk guitar, but the nylon strings will have considerably less tension than SS, therefore your bracing pattern will need to be tailored accordingly. Is the scale length similar to classical (around 650 mm)? In general, classical guitars are built as light as possible without sacrificing integrity. The lighter weight helps the guitar project better with lower tension nylon strings.

As far as tuners, I think you could use a standard headstock, but you might not like it. For one, the nylon strings are a much thicker gauge for the treble strings, so there might be a little much to fit around the peg. The bigger reason I wouldn't want standard tuners is because of the gear ratio. Classical tuners are a lot easier to make fine adjustments with the low tension strings. I think you would get really frusterated tuning nylon strings with SS tuners. You'll keep passing up your note going above and below while tuning.

Good luck!

John

Post edit: okay, I just noticed the gear ratio difference isn't as big as I thought (12:1 vs 14:1). It sure feels like SS has a much lower ratio, although it must be from the higher tension in the strings. John Elshaw38759.9799305556

Rich, there is nothing wrong with standard tuners but it may not have enough room to wrap as much string as you may need to in order to tune since nylon strings "give" a lot more thus the need to wind the a lot more....then, like John said , it would be extremely hard to tune because of the ratio....real hard to get to the exact point if you know what I mean!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

First: remember that all Martin guitars up to the 12-fret 000 were designed for gut strings, and used X bracing.

Second: what sort of sound are you looking for?

I've built three nylon string guitars with X bracing that are the size of a 12-fret 000: one with a Red spruce top, BRW back and sides, and 'normal' Martin style bracing, one in BRW/Cedar with double-X bracing (my 'Autumn' guitar, that you can see on my web site), and one with a 'sandwich' top. The 'Autumn' guitar has the most 'Spanish' sound of any one I've made. The Red top, as you might expect, had a more 'forward' tone right out of the box, although I suspect it has mellowed a bit, and the 'sandwich' top had a nice, balanced Classical sound, and lots of it, but also had some structural problems.

The key, IMO, is that if you want to use X bracing, go for the bigger body size, or at least a wider lower bout. X bracing has more strength for the weight, and particularly more crosswise stiffness, and you need to watch the balance to get a good tone from nylon strings.

Second, watch your weight. Nylon strings have a lot less energy than steel at a given amplitude of vibration, and you can only raise the action so much to increase the power. Even for a 000 size box use a top thickness that's about the same as a 'normal' Classical and keep the bracing fairly narrow and not too tall. I'd shoot for an all-up top weight without the bridge of 170 grams or less on a 000 size. Use a low density wood, such as cedar or Englemann.