# Nylon String? Where Ya Been All My Life?



## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

I finally made the plunge into the world of nylon string guitars. I don't want to oversell this, but this may be the greatest guitar-related move I've ever made. There's something about that mellow sound and I'm finding it way easier to play than I thought. On paper, a 2" wide nut and a neck that resembles a fence post doesn't seem appealing; but once I picked this one up I found it way more comfortable than most acoustics I've played. And the sound: tons of bottom end and incredible sustain on plucked notes. This one has the kind of bottom end you feel in your chest whether you're playing finger style or strumming. 

I'm not a classical guitarist and it's not really the kind of music I enjoy listening to. I was drawn to nylon string guitars because of Willie Nelson and his legendary guitar "Trigger". When this one popped up on Kijiji recently for $100 (with a hard case) it was a no-brainer. It already had about 1/100th the wear and tear that Willie's has so I figured it would be a good candidate to relic into Trigger territory, but after playing it for several hours, I've realized this might be the best $100 guitar I've ever owned so further relic'ing has been suspended.

Anyway, I'm not sure how old it is (1960s or 1970s maybe) but it's a made in Japan Aria A552, not particularly high-end, but I think it's pretty damn fantastic. If you know anything about this model please share.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I had a similar …..moment of clarity around X-mas last year. I received a nice little classical (made a NGD thread I think) made by one of the Godin companies (La Patrie I think) and it's still the one I reach for most often.

Until I received that guitar I had a less than stellar opinion of classicals and nylon strings in general.

But, there's something about them.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

My bandmate picked up a 60s Gibson nylon a few months back on a whim. They are a lot of fun.


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

Got this for ya. You can determine the year from the serial number.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Great dor you !
Though I have and play many folks, I also have two good nylons : ARIA AC-80 and Ramirez R-4.
Yep ! Their sound is also a must for me !

Add on : I "forgot" a La Patrie Etude at my son's house... ;-)


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

I toured solo for 1.5 years with only a Nylon string guitar. They can be rocking. 

I like the Matt finish top three strings. Those sets are worth trying. FYI changing the top three strings is useless unless they break. And you’ll double the life of the bottom three if you flip them head over heals and re-string them. Moves thre wear marks. .


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

My La Patrie Etude has a tone I can only describe as sweet. I use it when I’m trying come up with song ideas. Chords sound so pretty I can concentrate on melody and lyrics.


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## Jim9guitars (Feb 15, 2016)

I've been in on the secret for a good many years now, I have a Takemine electric classical and a Godin Multiac nylon string that are among the top 3 or 4 of my guitars. I credit the Takemine for pushing me to learn to read music and get more into fingerstyle.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I received this one for X-mas last year. It's surprisingly nice for the price and I still reach for it almost every day. Made in Canada.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I’d only been playing a few years when I got my first classical guitar, a Takamine, cedar and rosewood. It always suffered a little in the intonation department, though if I knew then what I know now I would have fixed it easily. Anyway, since then I’ve had a succession of Yamaha and La Patrie guitars, mostly La Patrie. Right now I have a Cervantes Crossover and a newish La Patrie. Surprisingly, neither are rosewood back and sides, my former preference, the Cervantes is paloescrito and the La Patrie is mahogany.


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

It's nice to have a nylon string. I have had a few of the Yamaha mid-level models and found them good bang for the buck. Gave one to my daughter and sold the other to a local player. 

Had a modern Larrivee cutaway that I moved on to a player in Australia. It was very nice, but a bit too"modern" (cutaway, abalone inlays) for me, although it sounded very nice.

My lifetime keeper is the ca. 1983 Larrivee L35 (Jean personally built the L35 model during this era) I picked up a few years ago that had languished in its case for ~20 years following the death of the original owner. Apparently he was a very good player in his day, having taken a masterclass from Julian Bream. An autographed copy of "Life on the Road" was included with the guitar sale. The family interviewed me to see if I was suitable to be custodian of the instrument.


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## Wooly (Feb 17, 2017)

I have a LaPatrie Concert. I don't reach for it too often but there are pieces that seem to be meant for nylon string. It's just a nice switch sometimes.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

SaucyJack said:


> Got this for ya. You can determine the year from the serial number.


Is this an Aria? Model seems familiar as I set up a buddies old one a couple of years ago. Nice. @JethroTech , congrats on finding out about nylons stringed guitars. I was lucky enough to get into it in my teenage years because of an awesome guitar teacher who is still my hero to this day.


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## JethroTech (Dec 8, 2015)

Dorian2 said:


> Is this an Aria? Model seems familiar as I set up a buddies old one a couple of years ago. Nice. @JethroTech , congrats on finding out about nylons stringed guitars. I was lucky enough to get into it in my teenage years because of an awesome guitar teacher who is still my hero to this day.


You bet. It's an Aria A552. Love mine so far. I can't believe I waited this long to get a nylon string guitar. Haha.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

the first nylon string guitar I spent any amount of time with was the C1 Gibson I repaired for a friend last winter. Flat fretboard, nylon strings, and yet knowing the music that poured out of that guitar when it was in his hands......it didn't make sense to me.

I have respect for nylon string guitars now.


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