Quote:
Originally Posted by RJVB
But if I may ask, a 1 3/4" nut is exactly 1/16" (1.59mm) wider than a 1 11/16" nut. I can imagine that this difference can be just too much in the opposite direction (= make the difference between touching neighbouring strings or not). But if the former hurts your hand and not the latter, wouldn't that be more the result of the neck profile it is coupled with?
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It's both or either. My main problem is with my thumb on my fretting hand. So, the wideness of the nut effects how far my thumb has to reach, position, or curl in certain chord shapes, and in turn, where the back pressure of the neck is pushing on my thumb. It also changes how much tension you have to apply to give your fingers the support they need to fret cleanly. This all changes too, as you move up the fretboard, depending on the profile.
My fingers actually prefer the spacing of 1-3/4", especially when playing finger style. But my thumb can no longer hang with it.
Profile has the same effect, but is even more drastic. For example, the full profile neck and even the "V" neck put pressure right underneath the first joint of my thumb and sort of work to "pull the joint apart". This is more drastic if the neck is wider. If I reposition my thumb to accommodate (if even possible) it fatigues quicker.
If you don't have a problem with your thumb, you probably wouldn't notice the change from neck to neck. I certainly didn't for most of my years of playing, moving freely from guitar to guitar and always enjoying wider necks. But once the hand structure is compromised, the slightest change has drastic effects.
A further problem (especially when searching for a new guitar) is that you don't always notice it at first with a new neck shape or width. You only notice after it's too late. When I bought the Full Profile '71 Martin I mentioned, I did so because it had such a lush sound. Massive, chimey, harmonics, loud, articulate, vivid, etc. It didn't seem to bother me at first. So I took it home and played the hell out of it. Every time I walked by it in the room or even thought about it, I had to pick it up and play it. On the third day, I had to stop playing all together. I ended up having to rest my hand for a week or two before playing any guitar again. No guitar sound is worth that to me.
For whatever reason the MLO with 1-11/16" lets my thumb rest most neutral. I do wish it was the Full Profile instead. I love the sound of old/vintage Martins.