Best Classical Guitar Strings & Nylon Guitar Strings 2024

Things to Consider When Buying Nylon Guitar Strings

All essential terms are explained below for a better understanding of string performance. We also include the basic steps on how to install classical guitar strings.

How to Tie Classical Guitar Strings?

Unlike the standard best acoustic guitar strings, installing new classical guitar strings can be challenging especially if you haven’t done it before.

If you’re replacing your strings for the first time or need a little refresher, here’s a simple step-by-step on how to restring a classical guitar.

Prepare Tools:

• Wire clippers
• String winder (can be skipped, but would make things faster)
• Headstand or anything the guitar neck can rest on
• New strings

Remove Old Strings:

• Loosen and cut the old strings
• Remove the strings from the bridge and tuning pegs
• Clean your guitar, if needed

Attach New Strings to the Bridge:

• Insert the string through the tie block hole
• Loop the string over and under itself twice
• Secure the crossing part at the back of the tie block

Attach New Strings to Tuning Posts:

• Insert the string through the tuning post hole
• Loop the string over, under, and through itself
• Wind the string, ensuring the correct direction for bass (inside) and treble (outside) strings

Trim Excess String:

• Cut off any extra string from the bridge and tuning pegs

Tune and Adjust:

• Tune each string and make necessary adjustments
• Your guitar is now restrung and ready to play

NOTE: You may find the strings easily going out of tune for the first couple of days. This is natural, as classical strings require time to stretch and settle.

To better understand this whole process in great detail, you may refer to our guide on how to string a classical guitar.

You could also watch this video for reference:

Nylon vs. Classical Strings: Is There a Difference?

Nylon and classical guitar strings are the same. There’s no type of string that is considered to be the classical guitar string. Rather, players use a variety of different types (we’ll go into these different types in more depth below) based on their preferences and what works well with their instrument.

However, some strings are exclusively marketed for flamenco guitars. Flamenco guitar is characterized by its bright and percussive tone, and strings intended for flamenco are meant to emphasize these elements. These strings may pair well with a darkly voiced instrument, but they’ll offer less of the overtone-ridden and gentle sound that defines the classical guitar. They also tend to sustain less than other nylon strings, making them a good fit for flamenco and some fingerstyle arrangements but a poor fit for a more traditional classical playing style.

With that being said, even flamenco players use a variety of different strings. If you’re looking to play flamenco guitar strings designed for that genre are a good place to start, but they aren’t your only option.

If you’re a fan of authentic vintage sounds, consider using gut strings on your guitar. For a reliable option, you could try the Aquila Classical Guitar Strings.

Keep in mind that these gut string sets can be quite expensive and not very long-lasting. You may find yourself needing to tune your guitar frequently or even damaging the strings if you play too aggressively.

Materials

There are three main types of nylon string: genuine nylon, fluorocarbon strings (technically not nylon, but deserves to be included due to its popularity), and titanium nylon. To avoid repeating ourselves, we would like to state that the differences inherent to each type of string are going to vary based on your technique, the instrument you use, and the proficiency/intent of the manufacturer. Consider the information below a rough guide as to what you should expect from these strings, not a definitive guide as to how they sound.

Genuine nylon strings are what most players think of when they hear the term “nylon guitar string.” These strings are made from nylon, and the three bass strings are coated with a bronze or silver alloy.

These are the types of strings you’ll often encounter from different brands.

Nylon strings have a warm and rich tone, though they don’t have the volume of the other types. Cheaper nylon strings also tend to sound muddy when compared to cheap titanium or fluorocarbon strings. Another advantage of nylon strings is that they help to facilitate vibrato more so than the other two types of strings.

Fluorocarbon strings, commonly referred to as carbon string fiber, are voiced brighter than classical strings. These strings have more volume than nylon and a very articulate tone, but there are instances where they suffer from intonation problems. They also lack sustain when compared to nylon strings, which depending on the pieces you play, may or may not be a good thing. Faster pieces benefit from the articulation that comes from a lack of sustain, but slower pieces may sound brittle and/or unemotional.

For a look at how these two (carbon and nylon) strings compare, check out this video:

Titanium nylon strings are either made from a titanium-nylon polymer or a polyamide (a repeating molecule chain linked by a certain type of chemical bond) formula, depending on the manufacturer. Galli’s GR45 Titanium Genius is of the former category, while others are called “titanium” strings due to the coloration caused by their composition. These strings have a brighter sound than nylon strings but have a lesser representation of mid-range frequencies than true nylon or fluorocarbon strings. Some musicians state that the strings have a more metallic sound than a traditional nylon string.

The video below doesn’t have the same guitar player using the same guitar showing off the differences between different strings so it doesn’t provide as accurate of a comparison, but it does help to give you a basic idea of how titanium nylon strings respond.

Classical Guitar String Tension and Gauge

The playability and tone of steel strings are largely decided by their gauge. String gauge is the thickness of the string, with thicker strings having a higher representation of low to low-mid frequencies and thinner strings having more high-mid and treble frequencies.

Nylon guitar strings are generally divided by tension. Tension is the tension the strings are under, with low tension strings feeling easier to play and high tension strings feeling stiffer. Compared to steel strings, the difference between low and high or hard tension strings isn’t quite as dramatic, but tension has a huge impact on tone. Gauge has the same impact on the tone of nylon strings that it has on steel strings, but the main variable is tension.

Tension influences the following variables: volume, playability, and frequency representation. Low tension strings have the least volume and are easier to play, with high tension having the opposite characteristics. Medium tension strings are a middle-ground between the two. So watch out for tension when Changing Your Strings.

Low tension strings have more “body” and a higher representation of low and low-mid frequencies. Body is the presence of overtones, so a low tension string will generally have a more complex and musical tone. High tension strings have more high-end representation and more “attack.” Attack is the immediacy with which you hear a note, so the more attack a string has the more notes seem to leap out of your guitar.

Another thing to note about tension is that some instruments may not be able to hold up to the strain of high tension strings. Older instruments, in particular, aren’t designed to hold up to the strain, so before you slap on a set of high-tension strings, research the specifications of your instrument. If you can’t find them, take your guitar to a luthier and get their opinion on the issue before you commit to high tension strings.

If you’d like a bit more info, check out this video. It’s a bit long, but it goes into the topic in way more depth.

Platings

The bass strings (the thickest three) are usually plated, almost always with a metal. Different manufacturers use different metals and alloys, all of which have their pros and cons. The general rule of thumb with platings is that denser materials offer more clarity, while less dense materials create more warmth.

Pairing Your Strings with Your Guitar

The two biggest variables on how your strings are going to perform are the tonewood the instrument is made from as well as your technique. For the sake of brevity, we’re not going to go into much depth here, but as a general rule, you should look for strings that balance out the tone of your guitar.

If you have a darkly voiced instrument (cedar topped guitars are a perfect example of this) you’d likely get great results from a brightly voiced string. The inverse is true with spruce top guitar instruments, which are considered to have a brighter and more lively voice. However, you could always try to mix things up to see which combination you like most.

Your playing style also impacts the resulting tone of a string set. This includes your nails and right hand technique.

What About Ball-End Nylon Strings?

Nylon strings are a bit of a hassle for beginners because you have to learn how to tie them, which takes some practice. So rather than learning how to tie classical guitar strings, many beginning musicians prefer ball-end strings. Nylon strings, which have a ball end just like steel strings, make stringing acoustic guitars easy. You just feed one end of the string through the bridge, wind it around the peg, tune it up, and you’re good to go.

Nylon strings also come in more price tiers than steel strings, with some strings being aimed at beginners and others at more advanced musicians. Because they’re more convenient for beginners, ball-end strings get a reputation for being beginner-tier strings. Companies don’t launch professional quality ball-end nylon strings because professional classical guitarists generally won’t buy them due to their reputation.

With that being said, ball-end strings aren’t any better or worse than other strings in the same price tier. However, you do limit your options by not knowing how to tie plain end nylon strings.