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#1
02-15-2019, 10:20 AM
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Anyone else replace a 1-11/16" nut with 1-3/4"?
I hope this won't be considered sacrilegious, but I recently replaced a standard 1-11/16" nut with a 1-3/4" nut on an Epi Masterbuilt AJ-45ME. The nut that came on the guitar looked like bone that had "decayed" somewhat - brown-ish in color, and with what appeared to be very minute hairline cracks all through it. Since I wanted to replace it for cosmetic reasons, I also decided to try an experiment. This is my first guitar with a 1-11/16" nut, and although I really like the guitar and neck itself, I have been having difficulty adjusting to the tighter fretting space. I started on a classical guitar (2"), added a 12-fret slot head (1-7/8"), and have been mostly playing a 000 guitar with a 1-3/4" nut with generous string spacing. But this last 1/16" has been a challenge. Anyway, I am happy to report that it has worked out perfectly for my playing needs. I have a pretty vertical approach with my fretting hand, and don't bend notes, so I haven't had any problems with strings slipping off the fret board. It still amazes me how small the margin of error is between a beautiful ringing string and one that gets muted by an adjacent fat finger. For the record, it is a Graphtech PQ-6234-00 Tusq nut, and it did take some sanding work to make it fit the Epi. Height was perfect, but it was much too thick, and a bit too long.
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#2
02-15-2019, 11:05 AM
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Quote:
 That's great that the wider string spacing is working for you. I love it when little fixes can make a big difference in playing comfort.
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#4
02-15-2019, 12:05 PM
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I've done it and gotten away with it, and also have had it fail. For me the failure is when the low E gets pushed off the fret, or low D when playing in DADGAD. Still better than the narrow string spacing, but it's inconvenient to have to be careful not to push the strings off the fretboard.
__________________
Taylor 512ce 12-fret (cedar/mahogany grand concert) Seagull Artist Studio (spruce/rosewood dreadnought)
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#5
02-15-2019, 12:12 PM
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Yes, well sorta.
Some years ago I acquired a guitar where the previous owner had done just that.. had a 1 3/4 nut made and swapped out the factory 1 11/16. Both nuts were included in the deal. It worked fine. One factor that aided in this swap was that the outer edges of the frets where not beveled much. They were not rounded off as much as some guitars, so the squared shoulder of the fret helped keep the E strings from sliding off. Another factor to consider (for those considering such a move) is the saddle string spacing. If the saddle spacing is putting the strings close to the edge from the other end, the slightly wider nut spacing can exacerbate the issue. It's always intriguing to me that such a small amount of space can be so noticeable. Some of us can be so finicky. Not me mind you, no no, not me, but some of us.
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#6
02-15-2019, 12:34 PM
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I have and strangely both times were with 1950s Epiphones. With other brands though it often brought the strings too close to the edge of the board for comfort.
__________________
"You start off playing guitars to get girls & end up talking with middle-aged men about your fingernails" - Ed Gerhard
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#7
02-15-2019, 01:29 PM
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Quote:
Quote:
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#8
02-15-2019, 01:55 PM
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Not all 1-3/4" nuts have the same string spacing, and Graphtech offers a few different configurations. I chose one that is on the narrower side for 1-3/4" nuts, but wider spacing than the original 1-11/16" nut. Guess you could slot your own custom nut, but I didn't have much luck in the past, so I bought the closest off-the-shelf nut that I could find.
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#9
02-15-2019, 02:05 PM
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Quote:
 But I actually decided not to sand it off. Don't know that it matters, but it would have only left a little nut on the outside edge of the e and E strings. It sticks out 1/32" on either side of the neck, but it looks okay to me.
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| nut epiphone aj45me |
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