Strings 101 - Nylon Strings
 

Nylon strings are the string of choice for classical style guitars. Most nylon strings do not have a ball-end and require their ends to be tied to the bridge. However, more recent nylon string designs have incorporated a ball on the end. Nylon strings made there debut during the second world war. The war had placed a demand on resources such as surgical thread, which at that time was made from gut.  At the time, DuPont had developed a new synthetic material called Nylon. It was being used in the textile industry and for fishing lines. The war was also finding a new use for nylon in parachutes as the material was lightweight and extremely durable. Many guitarist were struggling find cat gut strings during the war. Albert Augustine was a luthier at the time who decided to try the new nylon thread as an alternative guitar string to cat gut. The results were impressive and very different from the traditional classical guitar sound. Nylon was lightweight and did not have the same density as cat gut strings. In effect, nylon was less brighter sounding but had better strength and surface texture.