possible dumb question

[ewalling]

Good question! It makes no sense to me, and I've been a committed fingerstyle player for the best part of twenty-five years. I like both 1 11/16 and 1 3/4, but if I can choose, I'll go with 1 11/16. Why I'm supposed to find fingerpicking more difficult on the narrower nut width, I really don't know. Perhaps those who say it are assuming that everyone's fingers share the same fat girth!

[CycleBob]

Originally Posted by fingerguy

Or you can do what I do. Ignore all the mumbo jumbo about nut size, and this and that and just go to a store and play guitars till one fits like a pair of shoes for the first time. The one that makes you say....AAAAAAAAAAA and then you are smiling.

^this. For me the nut width makes a difference for my picking hand playing fingerstyle. Specifically I find it noticeably easier to finger pick cleanly with a wider nut. No difference to the ease of fretting for me, but then I have hands the size of baseball mits (please note seemless usage of American sporting reference )

[MrDB]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

And skydiving! And Swimming!

I only drink alone! Or when I'm with someone!

[NigelT]

I'm in the it helps me both ways camp.

[zabdart]

Originally Posted by RosewoodJoe

When a guitar company advertises something like 1 3/4 nut width as being good for fingerstyle (or even wider being good for fingerstyle) to the extent that that is something other than marketing nonsense, is the advantage that the fretting hand benefits from more space to fret precisely, or the fingerpicking hand needs the extra room? What's the theory there?

The theory is just what you identified: marketing. A wider space at the nut benefits only those players with larger hands and longer fingers. It's got nothing to do with whether you prefer to flatpick or fingerpick. If you've got smaller hands or stubby fingers it's not going to benefit you at all.

[MC5C]

If you consider that classical guitar is kind of the ultimate finger style playing method, then a 2 1/16" nut width and 2 1/4" saddle spacing would kind of be the optimized choice for finger style playing, wouldn't it?

[Mdinterman]

I don't see how nut spacing could affect fingerpicking with the picking hand. That would be more related to string spacing at the saddle. Right? Pete Huttlinger played a 1 3/4 nit and he said it was because it gave him more space between string on the fretting hand to fret more cleanly. At least that is the way he explained it.

[SFCRetired]

Originally Posted by RosewoodJoe

When a guitar company advertises something like 1 3/4 nut width as being good for fingerstyle (or even wider being good for fingerstyle) to the extent that that is something other than marketing nonsense, is the advantage that the fretting hand benefits from more space to fret precisely, or the fingerpicking hand needs the extra room? What's the theory there?

Back to your original question. yes fingerstyle players benefit from wider spacing because you use your fingers to pick individual strings with. The fretting hand only benefits if you have fat fingers. But if you have small hands the fretting hand does not benefit, it becomes more challenging.

I don't actually play fingerstyle but I do what I call finger picking with only a thumb pick and I find the 1.75 nut makes it easier to play that style. But I can do it on a 1/ 11/16 nut as well but sometimes not as cleanly. As far as string spacing goes, yes it makes a difference, but when you have a 1.75 nut you typically have a wider string spacing at the saddle. It does come down to string spacing yes.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by MC5C

If you consider that classical guitar is kind of the ultimate finger style playing method, then a 2 1/16" nut width and 2 1/4" saddle spacing would kind of be the optimized choice for finger style playing, wouldn't it?

With thicker nylon strings, yes. I have two nylon string instruments and they both weigh in at 1 7/8" nut widths, which is how I like them. But with steel string guitars, where the top three strings, at least, are very thin, a narrower nut width suits me better because it makes thumb wraps easier. I also grew up playing a 1 11/16" acoustic, and I think that formative experience explains in part why this width feels so comfortable for me.

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by PTC Bernie

That's part of it, but saddle spacing, neck profile, frets and other considerations come into play as well.

Best option, as mentioned above, is just to play the heck ut of everything you can get your hands on. You'll know when you have the combination that works for you.

Exactly. I find that nut width is not an issue for me as much as needing a minimum 2.25" string spacing at the saddle.

Jimmy

[DanleyJ]

I have big hands and the tips of my fingers are squared off. However my approach to fingerstyle is to minimize movement in a compact way when playing for both left and right hands. The smaller the spacing the more compact I can play. Less movement for fingers of both hands. Not to mention the occasion when I need to stretch across 5 frets for a note makes less distance to cover. I have a 1 3/4 nut on my dred and 1 11/16 on my Gibson 335. A lot of the time I prefer my 335. Just seems quicker and more comfy to me. I've been considering the Eastman ES20ss for that reason as my next guitar.

[Monsoon1]

I can think of a couple of things that make the wider neck better.

I have really big hands, and it's really hard to not buzz strings on narrow necks. I pretty much can't play anything more narrow that 1.75". And i've played a Seagull Artist that I believe has a 1-7/8" neck, and it was even better for me.

Then there's the string spacing for your finger picking hand, which as has been mentioned makes it easy to pick the strings.

Over the years i've had plenty of time to consider the amount of guitars with narrower necks, and I can't help but wonder if the guitar companies are unnecessarily limiting their sales, as I suspect nearly any adult could play a 1-3/4" neck, but not the other way around.

[BKENNA]

RLOL, Yeah You got that one "When a guitar company advertises" it has an equivalent = "When a Politician speaks......" both have the same objective, appeal to the widest audience possible.

Ultimately, as I think the majority of folks here are saying, try guitars at your local guitar shop, keep track of what nut and necks seem to work for you.

Myself I am 6'1" long arms and really big hands. Once I discovered 1 13/16th nut size I sold everything I had that was 1 3/4, I play finger style 99.9% of the time and on the 1 3/4 I was pretty cramped, never been happier than with the 1 13/16th.

Going out on a limb here a little and I am sure some Classical player will correct me, If memory serves me correctly I believe 2" is the standard classical size, not 100% sure on that and I would guess they also have their "other" sizes.

Cheers, (Hey weren't you going to ask some kind of a dumb or stupid question or something? You had a good observation.

[Monsoon1]

Originally Posted by BKENNA

RLOL, Yeah You got that one "When a guitar company advertises" it has an equivalent = "When a Politician speaks......" both have the same objective, appeal to the widest audience possible.

Ultimately, as I think the majority of folks here are saying, try guitars at your local guitar shop, keep track of what nut and necks seem to work for you.

Myself I am 6'1" long arms and really big hands. Once I discovered 1 13/16th nut size I sold everything I had that was 1 3/4, I play finger style 99.9% of the time and on the 1 3/4 I was pretty cramped, never been happier than with the 1 13/16th.

Going out on a limb here a little and I am sure some Classical player will correct me, If memory serves me correctly I believe 2" is the standard classical size, not 100% sure on that and I would guess they also have their "other" sizes.

Cheers, (Hey weren't you going to ask some kind of a dumb or stupid question or something? You had a good observation.

yeah 1-13/16", sign me up. so hard to find wide necks though. I live about 4 miles from a GC, and it's right near a shopping center that I go to a lot. so i've stopped into the GC tons of times over the years, and picked up a lot of guitars, and the wide necks are just ridiculously underrepresented, imho.