1. Products & reviews
2. Buying advice
3. How we choose
If you’re looking to breathe some life into a classical or Flamenco guitar, then there’s no better or easier way than fitting it with a set of the best nylon guitar strings.
Product guide and reviews
Best overall
Materials: Nylon 202 / silver-plated wound
+ Great set at a good price
+ Bright, but balanced
+ Intonate well
- Not much
One of the most popular choices among professional classical guitarists is the La Bella 2001 set of nylon strings. La Bella conducted a ton of research amongst some of the most highly demanding players and came back with these. They’re also incredibly well priced.
This is a very well balanced set of strings offering superb clarity and projection as well as excellent intonation. They’re lively and bright, but not overly so and will work well for a range of applications. The Medium Hard set provides volume and punch without being too difficult to play. They also make a set of these designed specifically for Flamenco guitars.
Best premium
Materials: Super Carbon fiber / Golden-wound high-density and highly resistant synthetic core
+ Strong attack
+ A pro’s choice
- Super clear
- The price
- Medium/high tension not for everyone
Definitely on the more expensive side, but probably one of the best sets of nylon guitar strings out there, these Hannabach carbon fiber strings are many top players’ first choice.
They’re quite bright sounding, with a strong attack – likely thanks to the carbon. They’re also incredibly clear across all six strings. If you’ve got a naturally warm sounding guitar that you want to counterbalance, then these strings could well do that, or if you just want a modern, immediate sound then they’ll definitely do that too. The high tension might not be for all players, particularly those towards the start of their playing journey, but these are some quality, professional-grade strings.
Best warm
Materials: Nylon / silver-plated copper
+ Super popular
+ Sweet, mellow tone
+ Consistently good, thanks to their technology
- If you have a dark-sounding guitar, you might want something brighter
This is one of the most popular nylon guitar strings sets, and, given that they offer great tone and feel at a very reasonable price, it’s easy to see why.
D’Addario proudly states that these strings offer versatility and great intonation; the treble strings are actually sorted using a computer-controlled laser for consistency, so you can buy with confidence. The bass strings are wrapped in silver-coated copper and offer sweet, mellow tones without sounding too dark.
This string set is everything you might first think of with nylon strings – they're warm, responsive and dynamic, and easy on the fingers!
Best budget
Materials: Normal tension nylon / medium tension nylon multifilament, silver plated copper
+ Soft feel
+ Ideal for beginners
+ An icon in the nylon string world!
- You want something brighter and snappier
Albert Augustine actually helped with the shift away from organic and inconsistent guitar string materials like catgut to nylon; he essentially created nylon strings and helped redefine the sound and intonation associated with the guitar forever.
The Augustine Classic nylon strings are really close to Albert’s original sets and have been designed so that they’re easy to play. The bass strings are wound with a light gauge of copper so that they’re forgiving on the fingers and the tension is at a nice mid-way point. They sound warm and mellow and make for a great starting point if you don’t know what to go for. They’re also very reasonably priced.
Best ball end
Materials: Solid nylon clear filament / 80/20 bronze wraps
+ Strong attack
+ Bright tone
+ Ball ends are easy to fit
- Some prefer a mellower sound
This is a nice, simple set of nylon guitar strings from one of the biggest string brands in the world.
The bottom three strings are coated in an 80/20 bronze alloy (80% copper, 20% zinc), and the treble strings are a solid nylon clear filament. They’re bright and bold sounding with a strong, percussive attack. If you’re playing with other musicians, these strings can cut through, though they’ll also work well for solo performers.
Another feature that might draw some players in is that these strings have ball ends, making them really easy to fit.
Best coated
Materials: Carbon / silver-wrapped copper
+ Sound fresher for longer
+ Bright tone
+ Perfect for regular live players
- Too bright for some
D’Addario’s XT series offers string coatings that feel natural. Some players don’t like coated strings due to their ‘slippery’ feel; the idea behind the XTs is to get rid of this – something that rings true with its classical versions too.
The Dynacore bass strings in this set feature a multi-filament nylon core, then they’re wrapped in silver-plated copper. They project wonderfully, have a responsive attack and intonate really well too. It’s just these bottom three strings that are coated, so they can take plenty of abuse before they start to feel or sound worn out.
The carbon treble strings are lovely and bright so will really help cut through. This combined with the extended life you get from the coating makes this one of the best nylon guitar string sets for those playing live often.
Buying advice
Tension
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