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2: You are going to have to do something clever to fix the strings in place at the bridge end.
3: You might have to do something even cleverer to get them through the holes in your tuning machines.
4: The tension will be all wrong and it will probably buzz like crazy
5: And it will probably sound like crap.
I am very confident about 1 to 3, fairly confident about 4, and ready to be proven wrong about 5.
You won't break anything, so why not give it a go?
Re: point 4. Is’nt theoretically possible to resolve any potential tension maladjustment on the standard tuning EADGBE set up, just by tightening/ loosening the strings from there, to hear if they sound better in another tuning?
How much does a neck move when you take the strings off? I've never measured it.
There are some classical guitars which have bridge pins and a steel-strung style headstock and similar methods are used.
Although the choice is limited, there are nylon string sets available with ball ends.
Having said all that, there may be problems with tension and buzzing. It probably won't sound that great either as the the guitar's build would have been designed for heavier steel strings. It shouldn't do any harm though.
But there is an element of curiousity in experimenting with a combination of string tension and radical style fretting to see if it could produce some kind of ‘unique’ sound, that no other steel string acoustic has ever produced.
Collings are the opposite of cheap guitars and this one quite rare all mh example, but unless my experimentation with tension is going to strain the neck or the connecting material between the pins and the bridgeholes, is there any actual risk?
This article looks at it from the perspective of putting steel strings on a classical but you can probably flip the logic
Tannin's points 1 is correct. Point 2 is true for the OP, @Smellyfingers , as he has probably got standard classical strings. See @GTC 's post to deal with that. I bought ball-ended classical strings so the attach just like electric strings. Point 3 is not true unless you have a PRS with winged locking tuners (I tried it) or something similarly unusual. Point 4 is true. Because classical strings (even high tension strings) have less tension that steel strings, I relieved the truss rod tension a tad and raised the bridge a little and moved the bridge back a bit to correct the intonation with a higher bridge; now mine plays beautifully. Point 5 is subjective, so anyone and everyone can have a valid opinion.
And no, you won't break anything. I intentionally did not widen the nut slots nor do anything to the saddles just in case it didn't work and I could return it to its original state. In fact, it so works for me that I stripped all the electrics out to make it simpler and lighter, although I have the electrics back in place at the moment, not that they work with nylon strings. A piezo bridge plus preamp will add another £700 to the £200 guitar so while that would be a neat thing to do, I am not rich enough.
You will need to double (or triple) knot the strings or use old ball ends from a set of steel strings to make them work with the bridge pins.
The nut grooves are likely to be too narrow for the plain strings. You can probably get away with just resting the strings on top unless the nut is very tall.
You will need to pull the strings as tight as you can before you tie them to the tuners, or there will be too much wrap on the posts before they come up to pitch, especially as they stretch - which nylons do, a lot.
The action will be too low and it will be very buzzy. You will need a much higher bridge saddle. You will also probably need to slacken the truss rod as the neck will be a bit too straight, although it won’t make as much difference.
Other than that it will work. It may sound OK, but it’s likely to be a bit quiet and might not have a lot of depth.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
But there is no way that a retard like myself should think about messing with a £6k Collings saddle or Truss Rod, it’s just a step too far- what were you thinking?
But yes, it might be simpler just to say don’t .
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
4-reasons-why-you-cant-swap-nylon-and-steel-string
'Why' is the question I'd be asking, not 'how'!
Would you run an Aston Martin on tractor deisel?
Best of luck with it, but if it was me I'd fit steel strings & give the Savarez nylons to someone with a guitar built for them.
In truth, it doesn't sound as good as it looks, and the main reason it's playable with nylons is because it definitely wouldn't be (apart from for slide) with steels now - the action is 4 to 4.5mm at the 12th fret, and that's with the bridge saddle not much higher than the wood!
As a means of making a 70-year-old plywood guitar a bit better than just an ornament - great.
As a sensible thing to do with a high-end steel string guitar - not so much.
The correct solution to your problem is of course to buy a classical guitar .
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein