Several years ago, a friend of mine from US has offered me a classical guitar (not a Ric, but still much better than the other one i have). A beautiful classical guitar, made for nylon strings, naturally, with plastic tuners & nut, etc. Didn't play it too much, since i have trouble playing nylon for some reason, but the first thing i learned when i started pickin' my guitar as a teenager is "Steel strings are not to be used on classical guitar - read it again carefully - STEEL STRINGS ARE NOT TO BE USED ON CLASSICAL GUITAR."
So, a bit later, my Man took this guitar from me claiming my playing skills do not deserve this kind of instrument. Guess what he has done first? Yep. He put steel strings on, moreover, those were strings for electric guitar, and then he said to me "Listen how it sounds NOW!" I've tried to explain to him that he shouldn't have done it, but all in vain.
So, quite naturally, a coupla days ago, my kid was tuning the guitar in her little room when i heard her scream: "The bridge! It's cracking!" Well it didn't come off in fact but close to that. I removed the strings immediately, naturally.
Now could you tell me please: 1) is there a chance it can be cured and what kind of cure is better in this case (tuning pegs are OK, as well as the frets and nut) - no more steel strings of course! 2) i've tried to explain to my "big donkey" that the problem appeared due to steel strings, but he insists that it's just the guitar that is lousy, and the problem has nothing to do with steel strings, i'm lost for arguments, could you give reasons that'll "beat him down"?
Cheers,
SC
A "bullet-in-the-head" needs an advice again...
Moderator: jingle_jangle
A "bullet-in-the-head" needs an advice again...
Nothing will get you dead quicker than being deadly serious about yourself.
No, because someone with that low a level of understanding would never comprehend the explanation.
But I'll waste my time anyway.
Nylon strings have a much lower tuning tensions that steel strings. A classical guitar's construction is designed for those lower tensioned strings. Putting higher tensioned strings on that guitar stresses the construction and leads to catastrophic failure.
If you install a shelf on a wall that is designed to hold 25 kg and you put 100 kg of stuff on it, when it breaks is it because the shelf was bad or because you used the wrong kind of shelf to hold your heavy things?
But I'll waste my time anyway.
Nylon strings have a much lower tuning tensions that steel strings. A classical guitar's construction is designed for those lower tensioned strings. Putting higher tensioned strings on that guitar stresses the construction and leads to catastrophic failure.
If you install a shelf on a wall that is designed to hold 25 kg and you put 100 kg of stuff on it, when it breaks is it because the shelf was bad or because you used the wrong kind of shelf to hold your heavy things?
Listen to that sustain!
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steve_hershberger
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Alan's first line says it all. 
Some people already know everything and any kind of logic or evidence won't make any difference to them, you know?
Just don't let him touch your stuff anymore.
Seriously though, I did all that with my first guitar - a cheap-o classical a cousin left at my house, and I decided I'd teach myself to play it. After progressively breaking a few of the nylon strings, I put a set of steel (Black Diamonds) on it. This was '67 or so.
Naturally, the bridge lifted up and eventually cracked. I took it out to our driveway and did a couple minutes of Pete Townsend antics against the concrete and finished it off with some gasoline and matches ala Jimi.
Some people already know everything and any kind of logic or evidence won't make any difference to them, you know? Just don't let him touch your stuff anymore.
Seriously though, I did all that with my first guitar - a cheap-o classical a cousin left at my house, and I decided I'd teach myself to play it. After progressively breaking a few of the nylon strings, I put a set of steel (Black Diamonds) on it. This was '67 or so.
Naturally, the bridge lifted up and eventually cracked. I took it out to our driveway and did a couple minutes of Pete Townsend antics against the concrete and finished it off with some gasoline and matches ala Jimi.
Steve: LOL! 
I had never been that adventurous, even as a teenager, although when i was tryin' to learn my first chords, namely Am-Dm-E-F, i sometimes did have thoughts of destruction...
Naturally, he WON'T touch any of my stuff anymore...
Alan: The shelf argument did work (more or less), thank you. My neighbour (who sure knows something about guitar repairing) & myself managed to take the bridge off, and i'm not willing to describe what we've seen, it's too painful.
But everything is not lost, however, it can be repaired thankfully...
Thanks.
Cheers.
I had never been that adventurous, even as a teenager, although when i was tryin' to learn my first chords, namely Am-Dm-E-F, i sometimes did have thoughts of destruction... Naturally, he WON'T touch any of my stuff anymore...
Alan: The shelf argument did work (more or less), thank you. My neighbour (who sure knows something about guitar repairing) & myself managed to take the bridge off, and i'm not willing to describe what we've seen, it's too painful.
But everything is not lost, however, it can be repaired thankfully...
Thanks.
Cheers.
Nothing will get you dead quicker than being deadly serious about yourself.
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steve_hershberger
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- Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2005 12:37 pm
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Well Sheena, the guitar I had was a piece of junk and if my cousin paid any more than $10 for it (brand new) then she got ripped off. All I know about it is it was stamped "Made in Finland" in the soundhole
She bought it in the early '60's folk music craze because she was going out with a "beatnik" at the time, and having a guitar somehow made her part of that scene. It's funny, because I'm sure she never learned to play at all, and she broke up with that guy. She just left the guitar at our house one time when she was babysitting for me and my little sister, circa '63 or so.
And that guitar sat in our house for a few years before I picked it up and tuaght myself to play it via the chord diagrams in a Beatles songbook I had. I'd been taking piano lessons for years at that point, but I was more attracted to guitar by that time.
I took that guitar as far as I could too - I didn't know much about how to treat them, but I was careful to some extents. It did get beat up though. And putting steel strings on it was like the death knell after some time. I did try to "fix" it, but that just made it worse, so I ended up smashing and burning it. Believe me, there weren't ANY parts of it worth saving.
The only thing good about it was the fact that I used it to learn how to play. Shortly thereafter I got a "real" guitar (a Giannini classical which I still have) and then a '65 Fender Mustang, and then it's been down the financial hole ever since.
All I know about it is it was stamped "Made in Finland" in the soundhole She bought it in the early '60's folk music craze because she was going out with a "beatnik" at the time, and having a guitar somehow made her part of that scene. It's funny, because I'm sure she never learned to play at all, and she broke up with that guy. She just left the guitar at our house one time when she was babysitting for me and my little sister, circa '63 or so.
And that guitar sat in our house for a few years before I picked it up and tuaght myself to play it via the chord diagrams in a Beatles songbook I had. I'd been taking piano lessons for years at that point, but I was more attracted to guitar by that time.
I took that guitar as far as I could too - I didn't know much about how to treat them, but I was careful to some extents. It did get beat up though. And putting steel strings on it was like the death knell after some time.
I did try to "fix" it, but that just made it worse, so I ended up smashing and burning it. Believe me, there weren't ANY parts of it worth saving. The only thing good about it was the fact that I used it to learn how to play. Shortly thereafter I got a "real" guitar (a Giannini classical which I still have) and then a '65 Fender Mustang, and then it's been down the financial hole ever since.
Uh... sounds so familiar Steve, my first was one of infamous "Leningradka"'s, which means a guitar costing about $5 (made in St Petersburg, or Leningrad as it was several years before), made of something which you'd call wood only if you're too polite, and the strings all the way too far from the neck, no possibility to tune bass strings in fact. But i was a bit disappointed, however, when somebody stole it (not only because it was my first, but also because i couldn't suggest anyone could be as silly as to get interested in such a piece of c-rap).
("Made in Finland"! Cool! Not that i doubt Finnish people can make guitars, it's just i've actually never seen a guitar made in Finland!)
("Made in Finland"! Cool!
Not that i doubt Finnish people can make guitars, it's just i've actually never seen a guitar made in Finland!)Nothing will get you dead quicker than being deadly serious about yourself.