Official Luthiers Forum!

I've been thinking about building a nylon string guitar sometime, and I have just been wondering about a few things. I have never built or even owned a nylon string guitar and I just generally don't know a whole lot about the history and the culture surrounding the instrument. The plan I have in my head is to build a nylon string guitar for the steel string player. The main changes here would be the neck shape and the neck/body joint. How important is it to have the sides connected into the slots of the head block/heel? Please pardon my lack of correct terminology, by the way. Would building this guitar with a bolt on neck be a big no no? I'm not too worried about angering the classical guitar gods, but I just don't want it to have any adverse side effects on the sound of the instrument. Right now I'm busy making molds and I'm wondering if I should go ahead and make a mold for this guitar or not. Obviously a mold wouldn't be able to be used if the bolt on neck is a bad idea. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I don't think there is any real problem with a bolt on neck, But if you want to use a mold with the traditional spanish neck joint, you can use a removable section at the neck location as shown in Sloan's book.

Even as a die-hard traditionalist, I think a bolt on neck is fine for nylon guitars, particularly those that fall into the "cross-over" category.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Even as a die-hard traditionalist, I think a bolt on neck is fine for nylon guitars, particularly those that fall into the "cross-over" category. Even classical players are fine with it.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Go for it Ellison! That's how I do my classicals. I make the internal neck block look just like a traditional Spanish heel, but really it has a tight-fitting M&T joint with a single bolt. You can hide the bolt head behind a shim of wood if you like, although I haven't bothered doing this so far.

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

I too use a bolt on neck. First a simple bolt on and now a mortise and tenon bolt on. (Use the same for ss guitars)

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Indeed, no issues with bolt-on.

I did build classicals for acoustic players. They tend to like a round neck shape (as opposite to a flet 'D' shape), similar to an acoustic or electric guitar neck shape, as well as a slightlty radiused fretborad. Makes them feel 'at home', if I can say so.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

I use a bolt on as well, no issues. I;ve done the traditional methods as well on many guitars. I just think the bolt on is simple and can benefit the guitar in the future should the neck be damaged or need to be reset.