Mod for slide

Ray

Good people, give me some advice please. I've been reading what you okes do with guitars and stuff and I am now itching to have a bash at this modding thing. I have an old Yamaha CG-100A nylon string acoustic guitar lying around that has hardly been played. Cost about 1K 15 years or so ago. I've been thing to turn it into something specialized viz. slide. I was thing to whip out the nut and put something higher in. Slap a pickup inot the guitar and use specifically for slide. I started thinking this way when I saw something on the internet about a little wedge you fit over the nut specifically for slide. I would appreciate two things plse:
1. Is this a stupid plan?
2. Why?

Thanks and regards

Gearhead

1. No 2. because you will learn even if it sounds sh#t.

I do suppose slide and nylon is not such a happy combi since the sustain will be too little to really slide. And, the bracing pattern in all likelihood will not enable you to just put on steel strings.
It's also not always an easy job to just 'slap' a pickup onto an acoustic. What kinda pup were you thinking of?

Ray

Ok, I was also thinking I could change the bridge for steel strings. If that is not a good idea I'll leave it nylon. As far as the pickups are concerned I was thinking along the lines of a sinle coil just between the sound hole and the bridge and also one of the Seymour Quick-mount, passive, magnetic soundhole pickups.

Gearhead

Hmm, first note this:
- magnetic pickups need strings that are 'magnetisable': they work by first magnetizing a string with a permanent magnet and then picking up the movement of the magnetic field of the string when it vibrates. Since you nylon strings (not even the wound ones) contain magnetically influenced material, they won't work.
- the tension of steel strings is much higher than that of nylon ones. Guitar manufacturers know this ? and make guitar tops for steel stringed guitars much stronger - but in the process they become less flexible.
Armed with this knowledge it's one of two things: either redefine your goals or suffer GAS.

Ray

OK I'm with you. It isnt really what I want or need, I'm just wanting to do some exploratory stuff. so, I shall redefine my goals and equip myself a little better for when next I ask a question. Thanks for your time Gearhead.

Gearhead

It's a thin line between preparing and not asking or just asking away. There's probably a couple of guys reading your thread and learning new things so don't worry.

AlanRatcliffe

BTW, you do get a few low tension steel sets specially made for classical guitar. Made by Thomastic, they are metal tape over nylon core and were quite popular with the folk crowd at one point. There were a few different sets - one set I remember is the John Pearse signature set. I have no idea how they would work with slide, but might be worth a try.

Nylon string guitars also work pretty well as fretless instruments (I know I'm showing my own bias here, but, you did say you wanted something specialised ?). Fretless is like having a slide on each finger! Chords become a complete cow on a nylon, but single note runs are wonderful and sustain is better on the unwound strings than with a steel string fretless.

Brian-Fanner

A nylon string converts nicely into a fretless instrument and is a great way to get into modding. carefully extract the frets heating them with a soldering iron to melt any glue. clean out the grooves and fill them with maple veneer. When its dry you flatten it off carefully with a block and presto... ultra camel dung desert vibes flowing from your fingertips! Check out Ben Badenhorst for some masterfull fretless playing for inspiration http://www.myvideo.co.za/video/ben-badenhorst-solo-guitar-part-one ( towards the end of the vid... electric here but he plays nylon too ). Brian

Ray

Gearhead wrote It's a thin line between preparing and not asking or just asking away. There's probably a couple of guys reading your thread and learning new things so don't worry.

Ya, no worries , just concerning the nylon/pickups thing should be obvious since I've read that stuff. Just got a bit carried away in the frenzy of wanting to modify and all. But seems like there are avenues to explore here so I'll pursue this thinking a while longer.

Ray

From the site jpstrings.com

"Now! The strings that established John's international reputation back in the 70's--the THOMASTIK- JOHN PEARSE® SET. A revolutionary departure from a "traditional" classical string construction, every string is wound, even the first! Made like a fine violin string, the trebles are a braided metal rope core wound on with a flat nylon monofilament, while the basses are a perlon floss core wound on with a silverplated bell bronze wire. For many years, the preferred strings of the top Brazilian guitarists, the THOMASTIK- JOHN PEARSE® set gives unbelievable clarity, projection and volume--almost like a steel string--with no more tension on the guitar than a traditionally made firm tension CLASSICAL set. TOTALLY UNIQUE!"