Nut width question.......

[Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by Broadus

As a matter of fact, a wider nut width may have the same string spacing as a narrower nut width at the first fret, depending upon the spacing at the nut. I understand that some Yamahas with a 1 3/4" nut width have surprisingly narrow string spacing at the nut.
Bill

This is very true. I like a wider string spacing for fingerstyle, but I also like a little space on the fret board above and below the top and bottom strings. On some guitars (e.g. my Taylor) the top string's very close to the edge of the frets, and I sometimes pull the string over the edge when pulling off - not a great sound.

[jeremy3220]

If you leave the string spacing at the saddle the same and increase the string spacing at the nut by a certain amount then the string spacing at the 12th fret will have increased by only half that amount. So yes, as you move up the neck the difference in string spacing at the nut is less noticable.

[Broadus]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Bill...
The nut width of Seagulls is 1.8 inches (as opposed to 1.75'' on most Taylors) and the strings are slotted from the factory at the same width as a Taylor. The ''Entourage'' and ''Slim'' model necks are 1.72'' which are equivalent in nut slot width to the USA measurement of 1 11/16'' nut width.

Not trying to be contrary, and your basic premise is correct, a 2 1/4'' saddle spacing at the bridge (as opposed to 2 1/8'') will increase the distance between strings over the soundhole for fingerstyling...

Similarly, the depth of the neck profile affects fingerings with the fretting hand. A deeper profile can be harder to fret than a thin profile if a person has small/med sm hands and rides the thumb at the edge and wraps the 6th string a lot.

I think the 'differences' in Seagull's measurements come from the fact that they use metric measurements for many measurents in Canada, and then convert them to inches for the purposes of technical specs for the USA...

Hi Larry. Thanks for clearing that up. I knew that the Seagull nut width is 1.8" but had forgotten and mistakenly typed 1 7/8". And you are right to point out the narrower nut widths on some Seagulls. I mentioned the typical, wider classic Seagull nut width to juxtapose it with the evidently Godin-ubiquitous 2 1/8" saddle string spacing (a Godin choice that still perplexes me.)

Bill

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by terrapin

I recently read an interesting post to another thread about nut width that said something I had never thought about..............

So, the difference between a 1 3/4 and 1 11/16 or a 1 7/8 is ONLY 1/16 difference either way at the nut..............

My question......... How does that 1/16 change relative to string spacing as you move up the neck?

Let's start with good arithmetic. The difference between 1-3/4" and 1-11/16" is 1/16". the difference between 1-3/4" and 1-7/8" is 1/8". So you are talking about 1/16" in one direction and 1/8" in the other, for a total variation of 3/16".

OK, the strings spread out as you go up the neck. The amount by which they spread varies among builders, and also with the purpose of the guitar. The Martin standard for OM style guitars is for the string spacing (center of the two E strings) at the bridge to be 1/2" more than the width of the nut, and for the width of the fretboard at the 12th fret also to be 1/2" more than the width of the nut. So the board's width at the 12th fret is the same as the string spacing at the bridge (which is what people usually mean when they just say "string spacing"). For dreadnoughts, the Martin standard is 1-11/16" nut, 2-1/8" 12th fret and string spacing. So the taper of the dreadnought board is less; it's 7/16" from nut to 12th fret, instead of the OM's 1/2".

There is a little room to play with that 1/2" flare in the board, and also room to play a bit independently with the string spacing. This depends on how wide the player wants the board to be up the neck, how wide the player wants the strings to be spaced apart up the neck, and also how close to the edges of the board the strings are to sit. For example, a flatpicker tends to want the strings closer together over the body than a fingerpicker. That's why the Martin standard is for closer spacing on the dreds, which are intended more as a flatpicking guitar. A jazz player is usually a flatpicker, and often will want even less flare on the board, so, for example, Bob Benedetto's standard board is 1-3/4" at the nut, and 2-1/8" 12th fret (probably also 2-1/8" string spacing, I'm not certain). The 12th fret and bridge spacing don't have to be identical--it depends on how close to the edges of the board the strings are to go as well as the spacing the player likes. I have found that a 1-3/4" nut and 2-1/4" string spacing can be comfortably used with the board only flaring to 2-3/16 at the 12th fret; I put the strings just a bit closer to the edges (an average of 1/32" on each side, but I'll usually give the high E more room than the low E).

Did this help?

[Doubleneck]

To me the string spacing is what is critical. I played a new CA guitar with 1 3/4 nut but the E strings were well off the edge. It made it difficult for me to put my thumb around the neck and grab the low E string. Also the edges of the finger board seemed sharper and added to the difficulty. My Gibson J-100 is a little narrower than the 1 3/4 but they put the strings out closer to the edge, easier to grab and increase the spacing beyond what the CA is I believe. A very small difference can make a huge difference in feel, though I am sure you can get used to many different necks. But if you grap the E string (I know maybe not good form) spacing and placement makes a big difference.
Steve