Hello everyone. I need to buy an acoustic six string for a guitar class I am taking in school. I know I want an acoustic/electric. Should I get steel or nylon strings ( which is best for rhythm guitar ) ? I plan to later do rhythm guitar in a band. We will probably draw influences from bands like Coldplay, Radiohead, U2, and Snow Patrol.

I already own a fender squier, and have tried out my uncles nylon string guitar, so I'm pretty sure I want a steel string, but I'm just trying to make sure.

based on the music you are intending/expecting to play, i'd say go with steel strings. :)

Yeah, I went to the store, and tried a Walden D550E with a fishman pick-up. It was $349. I'm probably gonna buy it.

Nylon strings are used primarily for classical finger-picking, as well as a lot of Latin music. I'd say 95% of playing on a nylon is finger-picked.

 

For rock, blues, alternative, most of the music it sounds like you're describing, you'll want a steel-string and play mostly using a pick.

 

 

But hey, you could be an innovator and play rock with a nylon, why not? :lol:

you're best off with steeels, because then don't necessarily need a piezo pickup sytem (build into te bridge, taking up the mechanic string vibration), you could also equip it with a normal induction-based pickup...

i guess you're ok with that Walden D550E.

your fingers will hurt a little when you start playing steel strings, but later you could even play an electric - like no difference, instead of the nylon-guys...

 

@Twizted Logic

how's about playing rock on a nylon with a heavy distortion pedal through a marshall stack :D :D :D

Yes, it's best to go with the tougher strings when you're first learning, because then you'll be able to play both electric and acoustic. I learned on an acoustic, and I can play both. :)

I already play electric. I hooked my uncle's nylon classical guitar up to my spectra 30-7, with a pod preamp on a VanHalen preset.

Well, speaking from experience, switching from electric to acoustic is hard. Like I said, it would be better to learn on the tougher strings, because then you'd be able to play both nylon AND steel strings. Your fingers would hurt a little at first, but after a while you'd build up resistance.

 

@Twizted Logic

how's about playing rock on a nylon with a heavy distortion pedal through a marshall stack :D :D :D

haha you read my mind :D