A common pickup for an electric guitar consists of a coil of wire around a small permanent magnet. Why will this type of pickup fail with nylon strings?
This type of pickup, known as a magnetic pickup, relies on the interaction between the vibrating metal strings and the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet. When the metal strings vibrate, they disturb the magnetic field, which induces a small voltage in the coil of wire wrapped around the magnet. This voltage is then sent to an amplifier, which produces the sound we hear from the electric guitar.
However, nylon strings are not made of metal like traditional electric guitar strings. Nylon is a synthetic polymer, which means it does not have the ferromagnetic properties required to disturb the magnetic field in the same way that metal strings do. Therefore, when nylon strings are used with a magnetic pickup, they do not induce a significant voltage in the coil, resulting in weak or no signal being generated.
To properly amplify nylon stringed guitars, a different type of pickup called a piezoelectric pickup is usually used. Piezoelectric pickups work by converting mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. These pickups consist of a small piezoelectric crystal or film that generates a voltage when stressed or deformed by the vibrations of the nylon strings. This voltage is then sent to an amplifier to produce the desired sound.
In conclusion, magnetic pickups fail with nylon strings because nylon lacks the necessary magnetic properties to disturb the magnetic field and generate a strong signal. Piezoelectric pickups are a more suitable choice for amplifying the sound of nylon stringed guitars.