I've had a guitar in the house for a couple of years now, and I'm not sure who bought it or what they were intending to do with it... But I decided to learn to play it a couple of weeks ago, and somewhere I came across 'types of guitars' through one of my internet searches. From what I could gather, it looks like a classical guitar, but it doesn't have nylon strings; they're steel. Now, I don't know if this guitar was new or what when it got here, and it plays fine - I've had a 'guitarist' friend tune it and things like that - and I've been using it without any problems for the last two weeks. I'd like to know though, if I should buy nylon strings instead, and if this 'arrangement' really makes any difference, seeing as I'm only learning and not too concerned about the finer acoustic aspects yet.
I also have an Ibanez electric at home that my boyfriend dropped off because he wasn't using it and wasn't likely to. Apparently it has a 'floating bridge' that needs fixing. All that aside, I'm really more comfortable with this acoustic, so any help would be great. :)
Some parlour guitars (which use steel strings) have headstocks which look like classical ones (with two long slits in the headstock, where the strings are wound). It would probably help us if you could post any photos of the two guitars, as there's a very good chance one of us could identify the guitars for you.
It wont hurt a steel string guitar to put nylon strings on it, but if you put steel strings on a classical guitar, it could break as it isn't designed to take that much pressure. The fact that it hasn't (as yet) suggests it could well be a steel string guitar, but I'd post anyway to be sure.
Welcome to GN!
Scrybe wonders where she can find a boyf who will happily donate an Ibanez to her...
Slotted pegheads are found on some steel string guitars, but there's a pretty easy tell: if it has bridge pins, you can use steel strings. If you have to thread the strings through the back of the bridge, it's probably not going to take the strain.
Bridge pins don't actually hold the ball end in place. Instead, they trap it against a reinforcement called the bridge block - that's right under the bridge, inside the body. Bridges on steel string guitars are actually attached to the bridge block - most use dowels, some use screws (screw heads are often covered by decorative inlays, or even decals, but I've seen a few with bare screw heads).
The bridge block distributes the string pressure across about 4" of the top and keeps things safe under tension. But bridges that thread strings through the back end are just glued to the top - put steel strings on, which have roughly twice the tension of nylon, and that glue joint will fail; the bridge peels right off, starting at the back end.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Only that doesn't work for my old Ovation guitar, which is steel string yet doesn't have bridge pins. You string it through the bridge.
But your Ovation doesn't have a slotted peghead. The two go together as a tell :)
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
It does have bridge pins, thanks a lot!
As for pictures, I'll post them soon, I'd like to know what model the other guitar is.
Scrybe wonders where she can find a boyf who will happily donate an Ibanez to her...
:P
Scrybe wonders where she can find a boyf who will happily donate an Ibanez to her...
My girlfriend's son left his Ibanez with us whilst he went off touring south-east Asia (gloat gloat). We'll see him again in February. I've used it to do some recording.
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
But your Ovation doesn't have a slotted peghead. The two go together as a tell :)
Um, actually it does have a slotted peghead. It's a 1978 Ovation deepbowl which belonged to my Pops before coming to me. He used classical strings on it in later years as he preferred the tone, and I haven't used it since getting it as it needs refretting and some serious FB-smoothing (grooves in the FB from being played so much). I don't know many techies locally, and none I'd trust with doing this kind of work on an old guitar with sentimental value. But when he bought it new, it was strung with steel strings and presumably it was intended to be kept that way. But it is more the size of a dreadnought than a parlour guitar imho.
Hmm... all the current Ovations with slotted pegheads are nylon string. Going through their discontinued models, it looks they made some slotted peghead/steel string models... so lemme rephrase: if the bridge has a tie block, it's for nylon only. :)
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Okay... do you know where I can find pictures so I can be clearer on the difference between the two? Thanks!
Don't sweat it, scoks - all guitars with bridge pins can use steel strings.
But this is what a tie block looks like:
%3Fv%3D0"> %3Fv%3D0">
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
