Going from 11/16” to 1 3/4” nut - hard to adjust?

[JackB1]

Has anyone went from a 11/16 nut to a 3/4 one and was it a struggle to get used to it at first. I have been playing a 11/16 for several months now and am very used to it. I tried a 3/4 guitar tonite and it felt a bit awkward. I think I could get used to it but was wondering if I should stick to what I’m used to? Is it easy to make that switch? I have what I would call average size hands and fingers. I wear a size Large men’s glove, so it’s not like I have short or small fingers. I also don’t do much fingerpicking at the moment but would like to develop that skill.

[AcousticDreams]

I just did that...changed after 40 years of playing 1 &11/16 to 1 & 3/4...It took me about 20 minutes and then it seemed as if it was made for my hands & playing style.
So what is exactly the difference? Well, partially I would assume it depends upon your hand size. If you had extra small hands..then maybe the 1 11/16 might be better. If you have normal to large hands..then there are some advantages to that 1 & 3/4. You will find it easier to fingerpick. Quick heavy strumming changes might be a tad easier on the 1 & 11/16
But here is the thing...I now own a guitar with 11/16 and 3/4 and I are not having problems switching back and forth. the 3/4 is just a tad better for fingering...if you have normal size hands like me...

[Shortfinger]

I often play both widths same day.

[KarenB]

It also depends on the shape of the neck.

[Erithon]

Originally Posted by Antaren

It also depends on the shape of the neck.

Yes, the shape of the neck and also the spacing of the strings. For example, it is perfectly normal to find a 1-3/4" nut with narrower string spacing.

I can play both and while it's not difficult to adjust, a wider nut is simply a better fit for my fingers and style of play. Everything is easier and cleaner. If you are still finding it a bit of a struggle, I'd say your hand probably doesn't prefer that width combined with that profile on that neck.

[archerscreek]

I used to prefer the 1 11/16” width until I caved in and tried the 1 3/4” width. My fretting hand immediately benefited from it.

I've got 1 11/16", 1.72", 1.75" and 1.8" nut widths on my guitars, and when I switch between them, the adjustment period is about a minute and a half. I struggle with different scale lengths to a far greater degree.

[flaggerphil]

I don't have a problem with it at all.

[simpl man]

I think it's just a matter of what you used to for the most part.

I've had both at the same time and did not have any problem going back & forth between them. Although, I did come to prefer the 1-3/4".

Now, hand me someone else's guitar that I don't play regularly, & it almost always feels awkward at first, no matter what the specs may be. Play it enough, and you adapt.

[Mbroady]

I found it a bit tricky when I recently picked up a fantastic guitar with a 1 3/4 nut, coming from a history of 1 11/16 guitars. I had put the guitar up for sale but decided to keep it. It just sounds to good.

However there is the options, which was suggested to me by one of our fellow AGF members to have a 1 3/4 nut made with a 1 11/16 spacing. This would leave a slight gap on each end of the fret board but I don’t see that being an issue (I’m not a thumb over player).
I will take it in to my local tech guy some time in the next couple of weeks to have the new nut made. It’s an inexpensive option and easy to reverse if I don’t like it.

[Placida]

On my two 1-3/4 nut guitars I sometimes find that I deaden the treble E string when playing an E chord, but I've gotten past that, most of the time .... however I've never had that problem on my 1-11/16 nut guitars.

I do agree that it's the shape of the neck more than anything that causes problems like this.

[N+1]

There's a mystery behind this issue that I still haven't solved. Let me explain.

For years I played a Martin DM, and felt extremely comfortable with its 1 11/16"nut. Then I acquired an HD28V - same nut width, different neck profile, but still comfy. That was followed by a Taylor 210 DLX - also 1 11/16. There was no doubt that evyrthing felt best at 1 11/16. I was a 1 11/16 nut man.

But I hankered after a Taylor 810. Loved the sound of it, and I could have it at a really good price. The problem? 1 3/4" nut. I bought it on the basis that I'd get used to it. I never did. I still have it, but every time I play it I start out feeling that my fretting hand is trying to wrap around a great fat tree trunk. It wasn't a mistake, exactly, to buy it. But I know I will never love that guitar.

Next acquisition was a Taylor 214 QLM DLX - back to the 1 11/16" nut, you see. So far, so logical, so predictable.

And now, the mystery: I had an unparalleled chance to buy an almost unplayed Taylor 2011 914ce at a drop-dead price. It felt like "my" guitar from the very beginning. I didn't even bother to measure the nut - it just felt perfect. Presumably, I vaguely thought, Taylor had made some 914s back in 2011 with a 1 11/16 nut? I bought it. I adore it. It's my favourite guitar. It feels and sounds perfect. One day I measured the nut. It's 1 3/4".

It's a standard Taylor neck. It ought to feel as clunky and uncomfortable as my 810. But it feels perfect. I don't know what to deduce from this. It seems that I am a 1 11/16" nut player, except when I am not.

[GGSanders]

If you've only been playing for several months everything should still be feeling awkward. Placing your fingers for each new chord you try to learn feels awkward, so it's not surprising that a 1 3/4 in. neck feels different from one that is 1 11/16 inches.

As you read this forum, and come across threads such as this, you will find that there are those with many years years playing experience who simply cannot feel comfortable with anything other than a guitar with a specfic size nut, or neck shape. And, there are those who have multiple instruments of all different sizes/dimensions, who adapt with relative ease when they switch from one to another. Sometimes the size of an individual's hands/fingers is a factor, sometimes not.

My three guitars have nut widths if 1 11/16, 1 13/16, and 1 7/8 inches, and different shaped necks. If I play with all three regularly I notice a difference, but it's not a problem. The same holds true with my mandolin, an entirely different beast with a skinny neck and 1 1/8 in. nut. However, it's a different story if I neglect the mandolin for several months. Then it feels terribly awkward and cramped and it might take 30 minutes or more to feel natural.

Years ago nobody seemed to get hung up on an instrument's dimensions. If it sounded good, felt good and played well that was all that mattered. I had a Harmony Opus V dreadnaught 40+ years ago that had, as best I can recall, a skinny, thin neck. I have fairly large hands with skinny fingers. I was just learning to play back then and remember my left hand cramping up something awfull before I could get through a song completely. At first. But then, over time, that cramping went away.

I just attributed it to the fact that I was new to guitar back then, and that it would take time and work for my hand had to become stronger and more flexible.

If you've only been at it for a couple months, relax and enjoy the learning process. Stick with what you've got for a while, especially if you've been able to get used to it. There is plenty of time to experiment later on, and there is no miracle cure to becoming proficient other than dedication and hard work.

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Has anyone went from a 11/16 nut to a 3/4 one and was it a struggle to get used to it at first. I have been playing a 11/16 for several months now and am very used to it. I tried a 3/4 guitar tonite and it felt a bit awkward. I think I could get used to it but was wondering if I should stick to what I’m used to? Is it easy to make that switch? I have what I would call average size hands and fingers. I wear a size Large men’s glove, so it’s not like I have short or small fingers. I also don’t do much fingerpicking at the moment but would like to develop that skill.

Then you should like it better than the 1 11/16".

[JayBee1404]

No problem for me. My usual gigging guitars are Martin HD-28V (1-11/16") for songs in standard tuning and Drop-D, and either my Martin D-18 or Lowden O-25 (both 1-3/4") for songs in DADGAD. I use both guitars in the same sets, and switch from one to the other with no difficulty whatsoever.

The neck profile is more likely to have an effect on the player that nut-width, IMHO.

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.