Nut Width
 

Hi, all.

I have a decent tax refund coming my way and plan to use part of it to satisfy a severe attack of GAS. Excuse the newbie question, but how significant is the difference between a 1 11/16" nut and one that's 1 3/4"? By my math -- admittedly not very good -- that's a difference of 1/16" and seems negligible to me. I'm still learning to play, though, so maybe it's a bigger deal than I think it is?

Thanks for any input.

Nellie,
The only input you need is this: It's your hand that's going to be holding the neck. Just because your logical mind dismisses 1/16" as 'negligible' doesn't mean your hand/fingertips won't have something to say after you've spent your money.

Ignore them at your own peril, or waste more money.

HE

Nut width
 

The nut width is rarely the only difference. That 1/16" by itself is so slight it's hard to feel, but when added to other attributes, neck thickness, profile, set up, etc, it's the whole package that makes the difference.

Just my less than humble opinion.

Thanks for the responses. I never considered the neck profile, but it guess the wider nut could also mean wider string spacing along the entire fretboard to the saddle. Guess I'll have to play the different widths.

I can definitely feel the difference between an 1 11/16" (1.625) and a 1 3/4" (1.75) or even going a bit smaller. I can feel the difference between a 1 11/16" (1.625) and up to the 1.725" nut width Gibson uses. For finger style play, if you are an adult male with normal to large size hands 1 11/16" is going to make it difficult to impossible to play certain songs.... The scale length combined with the 1.725" nut combination are why the Gibson round shoulder dreads are so attractive (J-15 you will be mine). Many find it to be the perfect sweet spot. Great for finger style, flat picking and strumming.

1 11/16" does make forming bar chords easier. 1 3/4" makes finger style easier, but if you have hands a lot smaller than mine for you a 1 11/16" may be better for finger style. So it's really a question no one can answer but you. Line up a few models with different nut widths and go audition them at your local music store.

The neck shape is also crucial. My preferred nut width is usually 1 11/16". However, the 1 13/16" width on my Seagull SWS mini jumbo feels comfortable whereas a number of 1 3/4" ones do not.

i'm so used to jumping between the 2, i don't notice a difference.
what i did really notice recently was the neck profile on a Fender Hellcat that i just bought for my nephew. that will take some adjusting to for him..even though it's the one he tried out in a couple of stores and liked better than some lower taylors and martins.
so overall, it shouldn't make much of a difference. try a ton and enjoy the ride ! not sure what i like better, the aquisition or the hunt.

Yes, for me the 1/16" does make a difference. Not just the neck is wider at the nut, but the string spacing at the nut is also 1/16" wider (1-3/4 nut width with 1-1/2" string spacing). Also the neck width, string spacing up the neck is also wider and so is the string spacing at the saddle. Not all guitar makes are like this... I have seen a number of guitars with 1-3/4" nut widths but the string spacing is less the 1-1/2".

As others have stated, nut width and string spacing are only part of the equation. One must also consider neck profile and how that changes as one moves up the neck.

Here is a link to another thread about this same topic:

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...15#post3854715

Many of us consider profile to be more important than width, and the two interact, as already suggested.

Welcome, Nellie, to the forum, and to a subject that we often debate. Your hands will be the final judges, but as you're just learning, you may not be certain what you want or need.

Public opinion has shifted on this in the past decade. In the 50s, Martin had shifted from 1 3/4 to 1 11/16". Gibson narrowed from 1 3/4 to 1.725. So the trend was to narrow distances between strings.

The recent trend is suggesting that 1 3/4 has regained popularity amongst flat pickers and finger pickers. To me, profile is also a major player in choosing the neck that best fits my hand.

My hands are small, yet I adapt to wide boards. But I started playing on a wide fret board with a chunky neck profile, so I got in the habit of adapting.

Do you have friends who play? The best way to figure out what works for you is to test drive others' guitars.

I second ewalling's point.
Even the high-end Taylors with their thick 1-3/4 neck feel clubby and awkward to me comparing to slightly wider 1-13/16 but taper-edged neck on Petros.

Couldn't disagree more. I bought a used Martin 000-28VS with a 1-13/16" neck width at the nut. I had played several 1-7/8" necks and liked them but tried to convince myself 1/16" wouldn't make any difference. It did and I eventually traded the guitar. I can feel the difference and I get a little tired of people on this forum insisting it doesn't matter. For some it most certainly does.

Dave

I thought the same way until I tried a 1 3/4". I now use mainly 1 7/8".
I still don't really understand why +1/16" over six strings makes so much difference, but it does.

Why not play plenty of guitars without even knowing the nut widths. Then you'll know how significant it is.

To me the difference is huge. I have a Taylor 410 with the 1 3/4 and also a 114 which has the smaller nut. The 410 is easier to fret especially down around the lower frets. But then I don't have long, skinny fingers either.