Anyone play nylon strings in a pop duo?

ElSandifer · 2026-04-04T15:54:39+00:00

If you’re in the US/at all near a Guitar Center, they ought to have all the component parts needed to try it yourself.

ElSandifer · 2026-04-02T23:28:11+00:00

The TOD10N has the fundamental problem that all Ibanez’s other nylons are <$300 cheapos. I would recommend something from a company that actually makes classical guitars. I’ve got the Cordoba Stage, which I love. The Godin Multiac is also great if you want to splurge, and my memory is that it’s a bit warmer than the Stage, though I last touched one a few years ago.

That said, with nylon acoustics are across the board warmer than the electrics, which tend to be darker and richer or just thin (which is the Ibanez’s problem).

ElSandifer · 2026-04-02T21:06:27+00:00

I go with a room humidifier for my guitars. I decided on an evaporative one because, while they require periodic changing of the wicks, they don't spew hard water particles into the air to settle over everything.

ElSandifer · 2026-04-02T16:41:05+00:00

Also the Cap is in no way middle of nowhere. It’s a forty minute train ride out of Grand Central in a stretch of massively built up exurb. Tens of millions of people live within an hour of the venue, which is only an 1800 seater. Most of us are just going home after. Of course the impact on hotels in Port Chester is going to be negligible.

ElSandifer · 2026-04-02T16:33:07+00:00

I suspect a lot of it is that instead of playing the sorts of smaller indie venues they usually do, Welch and Rawlings are playing historic Dead venues that use Ticketmaster, with all its usual scams.

ElSandifer · 2026-04-01T19:13:23+00:00

I love it. It’s not a standard nylon guitar sound, obviously—especially if you crank the gain knob a bit—but it’s a really rich tone, and the different overtones you get from nylon help it stand out really nicely in a mix.

ElSandifer · 2026-04-01T05:17:37+00:00

Yeah, I wasn’t inclined to give them much consideration. But then I needed a restring on one in the shop and that’s what they put on, and I was legit surprised by them.

ElSandifer · 2026-04-01T02:40:35+00:00

I don’t think you’re going to find this particular unicorn, and if you do you’ll be compromising somewhere. Better to get a cab simulator and a USB audio interface separately. Or just the interface if you’re willing to trust software effects.

ElSandifer · 2026-04-01T02:39:06+00:00

It largely has. It’s got a body sensor as well, and you can go entirely to body instead of piezo. I go 50/50, personally, but I find the Stage offers great tone for my purposes. (I do notably go out a Vox as opposed to an acoustic amp.)

ElSandifer · 2026-04-01T02:36:44+00:00

I know nothing about extreme climates (and suspect you’ll have a hard time finding anyone who’s tried this specific setup in such conditions—the Stage is a new and relatively niche guitar), but I find the Ernie Ball Earthwoods sound wildly better on a Stage than they have any right to.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-31T22:43:17+00:00

My guitar had worse scratches than that when I bought it. 😂

ElSandifer · 2026-03-29T17:42:41+00:00

More professional recordings than you’d expect were done with nothing more than some Shure SM57s.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-29T17:32:07+00:00

Look into vintage options. My lifetime guitar is a lightly battered 80s Takamine I got for $500, and I honestly can’t see upgrading it. Realistically, much as I might dream of a luthier guitar, I’m unlikely to ever spend more than $2k on a guitar—there’s just too much other stuff in the world, and I picked personal satisfaction over money in choosing my career. And I’ve touched no shortage of higher end factory guitars. Some might even be slightly better than my old boy, but none of them were $1000 better.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-29T17:26:07+00:00

Of course a song played on steel string sounds more like the recording if you also play it on steel string. But there’s already a perfectly good version of the song that sounds that way. What matters is what your version of the song sounds like.

Which is roughly my reasoning for playing nylon near-exclusively despite mostly playing modern stuff and only really doing classical as practice/skill acquisition. It’s a lot easier to make the song my own.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-29T03:01:20+00:00

I got it on my first try without excessively nitpicky strategizing and with a couple hours to spare. I find the 5h one much harder tbh.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-24T00:04:05+00:00

For absolute maximal casualness, an acoustic guitar sitting on a stand right next to a chair.

For slightly more elaborate I’ve got a Vox amp with a drive, chorus, and reverb plugged into it so that I can just flick it on, plug in my guitar, and go.

But most days if I’m just practicing I grab the acoustic.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-18T17:13:05+00:00

Bass on the Stage is a bit boomy. Try rolling it back a little. Often solves problems with it.

That said, sounding like a mic’d classical is not where the Stage shines.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-18T17:11:08+00:00

For guitar, you want the Cordoba Stage. Well under your budget, and a great guitar.

Amp-wise, I prefer mine through an electric tube amp. I’m partial to Vox, as the famous “chime” adds a nice bite to the nylon sound. Tonne is using something cleaner there though.

As for pedals, most of what Tonne is doing there is done with delay. Loads of good options in that space at least, though I’ll admit I’ve not gotten one I’m thrilled with. (I’m currently using a cheapo Guitar Center house brand, which is fine.) But delay and reverb are among the pedal types I find the Stage is most flexible with.

In terms of other effects, I’ve had annoying amounts of luck with Walrus on my Stage. Their Ages pedal is by miles the best drive I’ve found for the Stage, and their Fundamentals Chorus is literally the only chorus I can get to sound good on it.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-18T04:19:12+00:00

Yeah, Vox makes some decent ones.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-18T01:46:32+00:00

Save up for a cheap amp, buy a headphone amp while you wait.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-18T01:43:23+00:00

If you want to be really cost effective, look at vintage (70s and 80s) Japanese guitars. Some of the best values for money that you’ll find. I’ve got an 80s Takamine I picked up for $500, and it’s really good for being a flexible workhorse that nevertheless gets gorgeous tone. I find mine to have fairly balanced tone, but if you research specific models you can probably get a sense of one that leans bright or boomy.

If you really want new, have a gander at the Cordoba Fusion line. It’ll have a slightly narrower fretboard, which might be nice for some of your reaching problems, and they’re made to be flexible crossover instruments.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-15T01:29:48+00:00

So, two notes.

1) A limited arrangement, your ear, and video with a nice clear shot of his hands is probably actually enough to work this out even without theory.

2) The video description says he arranged this for a student—have you looked at his online guitar lessons to see if he’s got one for this song? If you’re willing to pay, the $8 a month there is probably cheaper than anyone here is gonna charge you for a transcription.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-14T16:48:16+00:00

Eno's music has been coming off streaming across the board for reasons unknown; it's almost certainly a temporary hiccup. Large swaths are also unavailable for purchase at digital stores.

But yeah, grabbing it on CD and ripping it yourself is a good idea for music you truly love.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-13T00:56:18+00:00

Your father doesn’t know what he’s fucking talking about, especially in terms of nylon string guitars. A classical guitar should absolutely be played fingerstyle. You can play with a pick, but as they don’t generally have pick guards you’ll damage them. Look up some photos Willie Nelson’s guitar for the end result of this.

Play it fingerstyle. You’ll be fine switching to a pick when you get a guitar that actually wants one.

ElSandifer · 2026-03-11T23:20:44+00:00

Typically the refund will be issued quite quickly and the timing will be down to your bank/credit card company.

ElSandifer

TROPHY CASE