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I’ve been trying to find an electric nylon string guitar that is comfortable, playable, good sounding and reasonably affordable. Here is my latest candidate. Let’s see, Tele shaped, check. Affordable, check. Sounds good, check. Playable? working on it. Here’s Moonlight in Vermont with a nice backing track by Phil Wilkinson. A link to the company that makes the guitar is in the videos description.
all the best Tim
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12-22-2025 01:33 PM
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WINNER....is it a Fivcil....
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$599 are they serious
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Yes, Fivcil.
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Tim,you could make a cigar box guitar sound great.Beautiful playing as always.
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That's groovy, I bought one of these used (mint condition) for about $800, I consider the adjustable bridge to be a must have for adjusting intonation.
Landscape SE-01 Guitar
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I'll keep my Vintage Ovations.
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Which models do you have? My first decent guitar was an Ovation.
Originally Posted by Cavalier
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For nylon strings I have a very early 1624 Country Artist and a 1613 Classical. Really nice plugged in sound and great necks. I like the tone contrast of the different bowl depths and tops, the 1624 is mid depth with a spruce top and 14 fret neck and 25 1/2" scale. The 1613 is a deep bowl with a cedar top, 12 fret neck and 26+ scale. Originally Posted by Mick-7
I have steel strings too, you get used to the clear note.definition and projection of that bowl back.
If I had to grab 1 it would be the 1624.
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I have a Rick Turner Renaissance RN-6, as does at least one other forum member. Very similar to this: Tele-ish body, electric guitar-ish neck, comfortable, outstanding feedback rejection. Nylon string quality but not confusable with a real nylon string acoustic sound. Haven't had much call to play it for a long time. I also have a Takamine EC132C classical which, with a Cool Tube preamp swapped in, sounds really good.
This looks like a direct descendent of the Godin, also a very nice instrument and reasonably priced itself. Sounds very nice in Tim's hands!
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TL, I have owned and played many. What is your "affordable" number?
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I bought a Cordoba GK Studio Negra last week.
Used, in Japan, a few wear marks, under $400USD. New, I think they go for about $750.
Surprisingly good! Even the piezo sounds a little bit alright through an amp!
Alas, definitely not Tele-shaped!
Alas #2, I definitely can't play as well as Tim!
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I bought a Yamaha AS500 in November for au$700 so aboit $500. It’s the steel string floating humbucker/piezo bridge version and only 20 frets. It’s incredibly comfortable, maybe 5cm/2” thick. There’s a nylon string version too.
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The Cordoba Stage is a great guitar if you don’t really need a full size acoustic nylon string.
It sounds surprisingly good unplugged, in fact I play it unplugged most of the time, but you won’t confuse it with a real deep-body classical with or without a pickup.
But…the quality is excellent, it looks GREAT, and the amplification is superb. Can’t think of anything better for playing amplified for under $1000.
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I own a Cordoba Fusion-12 model that I bought new about 12 years ago and I must have used it on 100 gigs or more over the years. It‘s very comfortable with a 48mm nut, a slightly curved fingerboard, it has a solid spruce top and the Fishman Presys mic/piezo preamp works just fine, even excellent when paired with a decent outboard eq unit. I think I paid around € 700 back then . It def. beats any solidbody nylonstring I have tried, including the very expensive Sadowsky model. Highly recommended !
It should be mentioned however that a traditionally constructed acoustic guitar has a very different dynamic response and less sustain than the modern guitars from Godin, Sadowsky and the like . These types also rely much more on the on-board piezo transducers since their body-resonance is so greatly reduced. Hence any internal microphone will add some „Air“ to the sound but cannot add any „Body“ or warmth. Something to be considered….Last edited by gitman; 12-27-2025 at 02:57 AM.
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I have a similar Takamine (CD132SC? Don’t recall the exact model number, but from the 90s) and I’ve been thinking about the Cool Tube swap out, as the stock preamp seems fairly limited in terms of tone, so it doesn’t get played much. Did it make a big difference for you? Originally Posted by Cunamara
My other nylons that get played much more are a Godin Multiac SA, which I love, but does not tolerate playing outside in the sun, (which I suppose is an issue for all nylons), and a Yamaha SLG200N, which has an unwieldy neck and touchy preamp that I should probably take to my tech to make more playable.
Leo Amuedo makes his sound fabulous, so I know it’s possible!
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I got myself an Ortega Tour Player for my birthday last year, just about $500. I had to do a little setup work, dressed the frets a bit but I've been very happy with it.
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Interesting. I purchased a Cordoba Fusion 12 for $499 in 2016. It was a springboard purchase that made me curious about more expensive nylons. After it I purchased an Alhambra 9, and recently acquired a Lyon&Healy at a great price. It’s cedar with grenadillo back and sides with maple binding. I had a KK under saddle pickup installed. It’s an exceptional guitar for a very modest investment. Originally Posted by gitman
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My first guitar was a Yamaha classical/nylonstring (which I still own...) , a gift for my 12th birthday over 53 years ago.... so the sound and feel of these guitars is deeply ingrained in my musical self/fabric - and that's why I have not yet been convinced by any of the (more or less) solid body nylon string models available today. They are extremely convenient , yes, relatively cheap and they def. have their place in the canon of guitars BUT there is no arguing - for me - that none can hold a candle to any even mediocre acoustic guitar with either a microphone in front or one of the many very advanced built-in mic/pickup preamps of today. If one just wants to dabble a bit with the different sound and feel of nylon strings and wants or needs the convenience of just plugging in, then indulge ! Anyone with more specific needs, aspirations, expectations, with a critical ear and a body that feels the resonance of the guitar against one's tummy really should go for a true acoustic instrument and leave the other models for those who play in large and loud ensembles .... YMMV
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Yes. The Cool Tube preamp resulted in a much warmer, rounder and fuller sound. It's like the difference between a Twin Reverb and a JC-120. Originally Posted by yebdox
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Gibson Chet Atkins CE. Probably way too expensive but very nice guitar.
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Amplified nylon guitars falls in two categories:
1) full box with a piezo (maybe an internal condenser)
2) solid/ semi solid body with a piezo (also a condenser in some of them.
I played everything, had a Gibson chet atkins, play a Takamine C132 made in Japan for 20 years by now, and played godins too.
I think that once you rely in the piezo the resonance box begins nothing but your enemy, it feedbacks, doesnt seem to add any woodiness to the harshness of the piezo, and it takes away sustain.
A full box makes only sense for an hybrid middle of the road versatility.
If i were to play at a loud volume the solid is the way to go all the way, and it sounds great. Beside they are smaller and reliable. And they are great foe fingerpicking and soloing, and you can played standing with an strap, is not that you can in the full body, but it is different.
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We'll have to agree to disagree as I do find significant differences in the sound produced by solid and hollow bodies. A resonant top affects everything from dynamics, sustain, tone, bloom etc... a solid body just gives the string and pickup sound, not bad but different Originally Posted by Gustavo Eiriz
Same thing in electric violins, everything works together. Now your hex pickup could undoubtedly add models to the sound for synthesized tinkering but then you've got sampled sounds. Everyone really starts sounding the same then.
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Has anyone tried the JHS Clover preamp pedal?
Today, 05:41 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos