Any success adjusting nut string spacing on Taylor GS Mini?
 

Anyone had success adjusting the nut string spacing on a GS Mini without having the high and low E fall of the side? I can't tell you how many times I've picked up a GS Mini loving the sound and playability but getting caught up in the 1.6875 nut width (and I don't have big hands). I sure wish Taylor would offer a 1 3/4 option or upgrade. Any thoughts or suggestions - please don't tell me get used to it, I've been playing for a long time and 1 3/4 is what I play.
Thanks!

measure nuts to compare
 

String spacing relative to nut width is not consistent among guitars. My GS Mini has a noticeably wider string spacing (at least I noticed it) than an off-the-shelf 1 11/16 nut I bought and used on a kit project. Can't speak for others, but I can measure these two. GS Mini string spacing at the nut is barely less than 1 7/16", the commercial nut is 1 3/8". What's the difference between 1 11/16" and 1 3/4"?

If you want to widen string spacing on a guitar so the strings are near the edge of the F.board, it is perhaps a good option to refret with a very close-to-vertical fret bevel to give more playing surface on the frets. Other than that, a new neck, or a different guitar with wider neck.

I have some clients whose guitars are set up with strings nearly at the edge of the fret playing surface and edge of the f.board. Myself, I'd never like a guitar set up like that, but some guitarists are fine with this. Different strokes for different folks. I like butterscotch, others like chocolate ice cream. Neither is better or worse, just different.

On every Taylor and Rainsong that I have measured, a 1.75" nut width means 1.5" string width overall measured center-to-center on the strings. Since I no longer own any 1-11/16" guitars I have not measured, but it would be something less than 1.5".

I would be very concerned about the e string being to close to the edge of the F board. I actually just had my Taylor 314 nut replaced with the string spacing reduced at the nut so I would stop pulling the e string off the F board.

4 years late but still hoping to add to the knowledge pool.........
I added a nut with wider E to e spacing (37 mm) to my Baby Taylor (which I think has the same nut width as the GS Mini). I liked it a lot better - on anything narrower than 37 mm spacing, I can't actually play an open C major chord without my index finger interfering with either the 1st or 3rd strings.

Goog....please measure. Easy to do, and it will help take the next step.

Sorry, please measure what?
What "next step"?

I'm not certain, but I'm guessing phavriluk is asking for a measurement of
the actual neck width at the nut on the Baby Taylor guitar mentioned.

Measurements are not everything (not at all), but when they're easy to do and replicable, can often be useful.

Unfortunately I don't have my Baby Taylor any more, but Googling the specs makes me think it's the same nut width as the GS mini.

I'm in the process of doing this on a strat style that's got a 1-3/4 nut neck (Musikraft neck). Originally it was spaced with 1/8" clearance of both e and E to edge of neck. My Martin has a shade less than 1/8", maybe 7/64", I'm planning to adjust it also.

Rather than experiment on an expensive nut, I cut a handy piece of 1/8" cherry to size of a strat nut and then laid out for filing in slots. I found 1/32" to edge was not enough clearance by far, and for me 1/16' is close to too much for finger stretch e-E, say on a G chord, however I can play at that dimension without strings falling off the edge of the fretboard.

So I'll cut the actual nut at a shade over 3/32", not quite 5/64" edge clearance. I'll play that a while, and if I find I like it over a long time, do a TUSQ nut for my OM-28.

I found it remarkable how much I can feel the difference between very small changes. My fingers are quite broad and not long, so playing chords on anything smaller than 1-3/4 width is challenging, however 1-13/16 would be too wide..

p.s. I don't much use the 1/64" divided scale for this work, I can interpolate between 1/32" divisions fine and the smaller graduation takes much longer to read/count.