1 3/4 vs 1 11/16 Feel the difference?

[The Bard Rocks]

Some years back I bought a really nice guitar at a show. Didn't think to ask the nut width and sure couldn't tell from playing it. Yet after a couple of years, I noticed I played less cleanly on that guitar. So I got out the ruler: 1 11/16". My others at the time were 1 3/4". So it made a difference for me (fingerpicking is normally what I do), though not a huge amount.

So far, I have been happy with all string spacings and neck geometry. I have played guitars that led my left hand to hurt after a period of playing, so I am not inured to this.

In recent years arthritis has caused my left upper forefinger joint to find a new and strange angle, making it very hard to play cleanly on one guitar (which someone else now owns). the other 1 3/4" ones were better. I could not tell why there was such a difference. My newest has a 1 13/16" nut and that helps, though not quite as much as I'd hoped. I can go between it and my others and not notice a difference, not without paying very close attention.

[mikealpine]

I feel the difference in how clean I play and how easy barre chords are. 1 3/4 works best for me. For electric, 1 5/8 and a 10” radius is most comfortable.

[EZYPIKINS]

If I had my druthers. I'd rather have a 1-11/16 nut on all my guitars.

That said, All my acoustic guitars are 1-3/4. They were very difficult to play, at first.

After my setup. Much easier to play.

I had thought I'd replace the nuts at first, and cut slots a bit narrower. But it didn't take long to decide it to be much easier to adapt to the guitar. Rather than adapt the guitar to me.

Setup is key. Always

[fauxpaul]

I have 3 guitars: 1 11/16 1 3/4 and 1 7/8. I find it easier to move from the smaller to the larger. I can't go from the 1 7/8 to the 1 11/16 as easily. I can move between the 1 3/4 to the others without a problem.

For me, my 1 3/4 is the best. Since it is a bolt on neck, I am in the process of making a new neck with a 1 3/4 nut to replace the 1 7/8.

[JTFoote]

For many years, I was a typical rhythm player, a strummer, used a pick, and played guitars with 1-11/16 nuts. When I first started playing, back in the early '70's, most of the guitars I tried or owned (in my price bracket) had a nut that particular width. It was what I expected, and I never heard any discussion about anything else. It was either a good guitar, or it wasn't.

Fast forward 50 years, plus the arrival of the Internet and various guitar forums, and my preferences and the way I play are completely different. I fingerpick, play much more ergonomically, and pay particular attention to nut widths, neck carves, and string spacings. I like 1-3/4 nuts, 2-1/4 string spacing at the bridge (although I can handle 2-1/8 on my Martin), and fuller C-shaped profiles. Smaller nuts are immediately apparent to me, and it's hard to be accurate and not mute adjacent strings when the string spacing is narrower, most notably at the nut.

I've also had tendonitis issues in the past, and narrower nuts and shallower neck carves tend to exacerbate that. So these days, those two things alone are enough for me to reject a guitar when test-driving something new.

... JT

[musicman1951]

The question the post asks is can you feel the difference. I certainly can. Many players have a preference and a handful don't care.

For many years I played classical guitar, so all steel string nut widths are narrow in comparison.

I had a Martin with a 1 11/16 nut back in the 70's. I've never picked up a guitar I couldn't play, but for some years now I would not consider less than 1 3/4. When an instrument is comfortable the music flows easier.

[Mark Stone]

I’ve never been able to feel a difference, even when I’ve tried. I’m 80% fingerpicking. I can tell on my 2” wide Classical, tho —

[redir]

Originally Posted by RC57

IÂ’ve only been playing for a little over three years now and the first guitar I got was a 1 3/4 dreadnought. I found out that my fingers didnÂ’t particularly like that width so about two years ago I bought an OM with a 1 3/4 nut and felt much better, sort of put the dreadnought to the side. Last week I picked the dreadnought up out of guilt and started playing it and to my surprise I really didnÂ’t feel much difference between the two. Not exactly sure why but good for me..right? So I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

I've read this 5 times now and what I am reading is that you bought a guitar with a 1 3/4in nut and didn't like that width so you bought another one with a 1 3/4in nut but you did like that width.

That's a head scratcher LOL

assuming one of those guitars was as in your title 1 11/16th then yeah it is quite amazing how 1/32nd inch on either side of the fretboard which seems like nothing actually makes quite a difference.

[latentaudio]

I notice there is a difference between different nut widths but I can't actually say I like one width better than another.

But I go back and forth between bass, mandolin and guitar. At first I thought the 1 13/16 on my Eastman Parlor was going to cause a problem, but after an hour or so muscle memory developed and now, it's just "different".

[jaymarsch]

The differences between nut width, scale length and string spacing used to be more noticeable to me. Over the past few years as I have switched back and forth between guitars with 1 11/16” to 1 25/32” nut width as well as scale lengths between 24” to 25.6”, the differences are not really that noticeable and my hands just adapt. There are so many variables that can impact all of these things. I don’t wrap my thumb however so the feeling of that difference doesn’t apply to me.
Best,
Jayne

[RC57]

Hey redir, you’re right. The first one,dreadnought was 1 11/16, the next one was the 1 3/4. Put it in there wrong. I don’t mind the 1 11/16 but do prefer the 1 3/4

[Mr Bill]

For a number of years the only guitar I had was a D-28 with an 1 11/16" nut. I got really used to it. I thought that's what a guitar felt like.

About a year ago a friend was trying to raise money quickly, and offered me a Martin GCPA-5 with a Kustom acoustic amp at a price I just could not pass on, even though I wasn't looking for a guitar. He let it go cheap because it had a dime-sized hole punched in the side, which didn't bother me at all and looked like an easy fix.

He brought it by while three of us were jamming, and I played it about an hour, and found myself really nailing some licks and riffs. I didn't know anything about the the GCPA, but I thought, "Well, it's a Martin. Can't go wrong, and it plays well."

A few days after I bought it, I looked it up online, and noticed it has a 1.75 nut. I thought back to my original impressions of playing it and actually being a few percentage points better at hitting things than I was usually, and I said, "Hmmm. Maybe those guys on AGF are onto something."

I realize nut width is only one factor in playability, but I was really pleased. If I get any more guitars, I'll probably start by looking at 1.75s.

[PinkLine]

I would really like to play 1 3/4" nut guitars, since that's what most are these days, but my left hand just won't adjust. I bought a lovely Martin custom shop 000 last year and tried for a month to adjust, but it let to muscle fatigue and discomfort, so I had to return it. Whether I like it or not, it is 1 11/16" nut guitars only for me.

[slimey]

I have fairly big hands used to think anything under 1.75 was unplayable. Then I took up mandolin and it cured my guitar neck size fussiness. 11/16 now feels spacious. It's all relative.

[Pura Vida]

I can feel the difference, and it shows in my playing. Last month, I just sold an otherwise stellar guitar b/c I constantly fumbled with the more narrow 1-11/16" nut width.