How to Set Up and Use Guitar Nylon

Right, let's get your hands dirty. Fitting a fresh set of nylon strings looks intimidating the first time — no ball ends, proper knots to tie, a totally different bridge system to steel — but once you've done it once, it genuinely clicks. Here's the whole process for restringing with nylon strings, done properly.

Before you touch a single string

A few things worth knowing going in. Nylon guitars use a tie-block bridge — you tie the string on rather than push a ball end through a pin — and the strings stretch considerably more than steel during their first few days, so expect repeated tuning while they settle in. Change strings one at a time rather than removing all six at once; this keeps steady tension on the neck and avoids sudden structural shock to the top.

How to restring a nylon guitar, step by step

1. Remove one old string at a time, starting with the low E, loosening it fully at the tuner before unwinding the knot at the bridge.
2. Thread the new string through the bridge's tie-block hole from the back, leaving roughly 8–10cm of tail.
3. Loop the tail back over the main string and under itself, then pass it under the loop again for the wound bass strings (two to three wraps for plain treble strings) to lock the knot in place.
4. Pull the short end and the main string simultaneously to snug the knot down against the bridge, keeping it tidy and flat.
5. Thread the other end through the tuner post, leaving enough slack for two to three winds around the post.
6. Wind the string onto the post, keeping the wraps neat and heading downward toward the headstock, and bring it up to rough pitch.
7. Repeat for each string in turn, then tune the whole set properly once all six are on.
8. Stretch each string gently by hand, then retune. Expect to repeat this stretching-and-tuning cycle several times over the first day or two.

Trim any excess string only once you're confident the knots have settled and you're not planning to readjust anything — leaving a little extra initially gives you room to redo a knot that slips.

Getting comfortable with the guitar itself

Once it's strung and settled, spend a bit of time just holding it. Classical technique traditionally uses the fingers rather than a pick — thumb on the bass strings, index and middle fingers alternating on the trebles. Rest strokes (where the finger comes to rest against the next string after plucking) are the natural starting point before you move on to free strokes, which clear the next string entirely for a cleaner, more resonant tone.

Setting the action properly

If the guitar feels harder to play than it should, the action (string height at the 12th fret) is the first thing worth checking, along with neck relief and saddle height. A flamenco setup deliberately runs lower and faster than a classical one, so don't assume your classical guitar's action is "wrong" just because it feels different to a flamenco player's instrument — they're built for genuinely different techniques.

Keeping it stable long-term

Nylon strings and the guitars built for them are sensitive to humidity swings — a top that dries out can shrink, crack or cause fret ends to protrude, while excess humidity dulls the response and shifts the action. A stable room and a hygrometer do more for long-term tone than any amount of fiddling with the setup.

It's also worth knowing that nylon strings don't need replacing anywhere near as often as steel — many players go months between changes, since they don't corrode the same way. Replace them when the tone dulls noticeably, the wound basses start sounding fuzzy, or you're preparing for an important performance, rather than on a fixed schedule.

Where to go next

If you're still working out which guitar to actually buy, our buyer's guide covers classical, flamenco and crossover options. Brand new to the instrument? Our beginner's guide is the gentler starting point, and our common mistakes guide will save you from the errors most new owners make.

Frequently Asked Questions