We Put Steel Strings on a Classical Guitar – Here’s What Happened (Part 1)

"Never put steel strings on a classical guitar." We’ve all heard it… but what actually happens when you do?

In this video, Reyn from Turbo Guitar runs a controlled experiment: installing steel strings (D'Addario, Phosphor Bronze, .012-.053 gauge) on a lightly built classical guitar without using a TurboTail. Instead, the strings are anchored with metal washers inside the guitar to prevent immediate bridge failure. We closely inspect of the soundboard before and after installing the steel strings.

🎯 The goal? To observe how the guitar top warps over time under steel string tension.

🔍 What you'll see:

Pre-stringing top profile check with a straight edge

Steel string installation with internal washers

Structural changes: bridge lift, top dip, and belly formation

First-week results and plans to monitor long-term effects

This is Part 1 of a real-time test showing why the TurboTail exists—to safely route tension to the tail block and preserve the guitar’s tone and structure.

In Part 2 of the test, we will show you how the soundboard holds up over a period of weeks, or months, or however long the guitar lasts. We expect the soundboard to warp and the bridge to lift, until the guitar becomes unplayable, since the light, fan-bracing of nylon string guitars is not designed to withstand the tension of steel strings.

Eventually, as a comparison, we will demonstrate that when a TurboTail is installed on a classical guitar, the soundboard remains in new condition, even after months and months of being subjected to steel string tension.

The TurboTail redirects string tension away from the delicate soundboard and onto the structural tail block, allowing for much lighter bracing to be used with steel strings. With TurboTail, the soundboard is free to resonate fully, resulting in surprising volume, clarity, and sustain, even on a lightly braced classical guitar.

👉 Stay tuned for Part 2,

🔧 Learn more at: https://TurboGuitar.com
📸 Follow our builds & demos:   / turboguitar_  
🔔 Subscribe for more guitar innovation: Click to Subscribe:    / @turboguitar_  

#steelstringsonclassical #guitarmods #NylonGuitar #LuthierLife #GuitarTech