Turning a classical into Acoustic ?

[skygem]

Hello softies ! its yours truely again. LOL.

I've a Suzuki SNG-3 (no, its not the car brand), which when I received from my friend. It came with nylon strings.

I'm really poor, so I can't really afford a cheap acoustic (financial crisis, man).. So is it okay if I replace the nylon strings with steel string ? Will it sort of, damage the bridge or the head or anything ? Thank You

 

[Lifehouse]

Yes. Tension is very different. I believe the tension for acoustic guitars is much greater than that of classical guitar.

You're much better off saving up for a cheap acoustic which you can sometimes find for less than $100.

 

[Phil]

So is it okay if I replace the nylon strings with steel string ? Will it sort of, damage the bridge or the head or anything ?

No, it is not okay. Here's why;

Tension wise, a set of steel strings exert a lot more tension than a set of classical nylon strings.

Steel-string acoustics have have different bracing structures as compared to the nylon-string classicals. As such, classicals would not be able to handle the added tension. Also, most classicals do not have a truss-rod, so the neck also cannot handle the added tension.

Should one persist and use steel strings on a classical, the neck would probably warp unnaturally, worst case, the whole bridge on the classical will come off.

Vice versa; nylon strings on acoustics are not recommended as well. Nylon strings simply do not have enough mass/tension to bring out the top. It would sound awful.

 

[skygem]

ahh ~ I see ! Thank you very much for the detail Almost wanted to tried the steel string part

Question's answered !