Nut size advice for a beginner, should I change?

[100LL]

So are nut width and string spacing and neck shape all about fitting the player (like pant waist, inseam, etc)?

Or is there a performance component to it as well (like a certain style of play works better by these widths)?

[wrbriggs]

Originally Posted by 100LL

So are nut width and string spacing and neck shape all about fitting the player (like pant waist, inseam, etc)?

Or is there a performance component to it as well (like a certain style of play works better by these widths)?

Think of it like a race car driver tuning his vehicle to his preference; before you can even figure out what your preferences are, you need to learn to drive - and you can learn to drive on a 1972 Ford Gremlin, if you need to.

Once you have experience driving, you can slowly figure out what you prefer for suspension, gear ratios, etc. But worrying about that stuff before you know how to apply the gas, the brake and the clutch is kind of pointless.

[tippy5]

The good news is you're learning guitar! It will pay dividends through all the learning. Really happy that you can tell you are not cleanly executing every fingertip properly on the note. I remember harder chords than D when i was starting. F and the dread B come to mind.

There's a way to cup over your fingers so the tips hit perfectly but it takes muscle. That will come with time. If you can't come up and over the fretboard more vertically to cleanly hit the note it could be just finger fitness. Or it could very well be that the extra 1/16" to 1.75" nut width is a better fit.

Some guitars with 1.75" nut widths have the same string spacing as 1.6875" nut widths. You can measure the string spacing exiting the nut slots with calipers or a engineering ruler. A luthier can sometimes spread the string spacing out on a 1.6875" nut width. Installing a new nut or filling in the slots and recutting them on the existing ones.

The D chord for most beginners is one of the easiest chords to learn. I would keep trying. See if you can get all 3 finger joints to bend perfectly for that lax finger that so far in life you haven't played guitar with.

[Pnewsom]

No matter what guitar you have or get, you'll need to develop muscle memory in order to play it well without thinking about the mechanics of each chord. Working with more than one guitar in the early stages of development is not likely to be very helpful in that regard.

Adding the distraction of searching for and learning to play another guitar can only delay your progress. Just take a look around here, there are a lot of folks addicted to chasing 'the perfect guitar', and they don't seem to find it.

You seem to be happy with what you have, why not stick with it and keep working on your repertoire? After all, that's the point of learning to play music, isn't it?

It's no big deal to make the adjustments to a wider string spacing when you have already mastered your technique with chords and scales. There is nothing wrong with 1 11/16 nut width, it is pretty much the standard size. If anything, you will develop finer dexterity.

[jrb715]

I think nut width can be a significant factor when starting out, and I imagine that a 1 3/4" nut width would make playing easier for you--though as someone else wrote, you should probably keep that Taylor for the time when you're playing better and nut width changes aren't really a significant issue anymore.

I sort of had the opposite problem, with fairly small hands I found 1 3/4" nut widths truly awkward. I eventually found that although 1 11/16 nuts were always playable, a 1 23/32 nut was for me the sweet spot.

I have one guitar with a 1 3/4 nut. I bought it knowing that it could or would be a struggle playing it well; but it was a guitar that precisely suited some of what I play, and it sounded sensational. And I struggled with it for well over a year, but I've learned to adapt, and now it's not a problem: though a bit of a shock for the first five minutes when directly coming from one of my other guitars.

[Goodallboy]

To illustrate how unimportant nut width is to me, I’ll offer the following.

After 40+ years of guitar playing, dozens of instruments, I’ve found the “perfect” acoustic guitar for me. It sounds like I’ve always wanted a guitar to sound, no matter the strings, it never changes, it’s always perfect, for me.

However, the nut width is narrower than I would prefer. OMG, what to do? Nothing, I wouldn’t trade it for any guitar I’ve ever played and boy I’ve played some fine ones. I wouldn’t trade the tone for a bit more comfort at the nut.

Before someone says you can have both, maybe you can, we want and require different things. I looked for this guitar for a lifetime, the nut width is so far down the list of my requirements that it fails to register.

This is for the OP who is in the questioning stage. It’s a personal opinion and if yours differs, I respect that as much as I hope you respect mine.

[SkipII]

I posted earlier in this thread, encouraging you to stay with it a bit longer as your fingers develop a good callous, and practice good technique will go a long way.

The experience I wanted to share goes the other way. I went from a 1 11/16" nut to 1 3/4" I hated it at first. Felt like I was gripping a pipe. Over time, I adjusted and now it feels great.

Point is, get a guitar "tailored" to your hands once your hands know what to do and do it well.

[justonwo]

At this stage of the game, it’s more likely to be a simple matter of practice. It can take quite a long time to learn to cleanly fret certain chords. However, you should be able to try a 1 3/4” guitar at some point and know for sure if it makes a difference. I prefer 1 3/4”, but I can fret cleanly on either.

[MThomson]

At the moment, I wouldn't overthink the nut size. The extra 1/16" is spread across 5 string spaces and while you will eventually be able to tell the difference, I don't think you'll notice it at the moment. The main thing is to stress the angle your finger makes to the string, trying to hit as straight on as possible. One thing to look for is your thumb position. Many beginners grab the neck like a bat with the thumb up over the top. This pulls the fingers down and gives a shallower approach to the strings. If this is happening for you, drop your thumb down the back of the neck and see if this helps you get a better approach angle and cleaner fretting. Another thing to check is that your 3rd finger is getting up to the fret. Because it shares a tendon, it likes to hang about with the middle finger and half the battle with guitar is trying to stop it!

[Rpt50]

I would not worry about it at all. Your Taylor falls well within the normal range. I have been playing guitar for 45+ plus years and I was never even aware of nut width/string spacing differences (outside the obvious, like a classical guitar) until I started reading this forum a few years back. In fact, there have been a couple of threads since I joined discussing string spacing differences on guitars I happen to own, and I actually measured my guitars to verify the difference as I had never noticed it when actually playing them.

To me, a much more noticeable difference is scale length, but again, you Taylor is well within the normal range and a very good choice to learn guitar. You would not believe how bad the "beginner" guitars were back it the 70s when I learned. This is a "golden age" of guitars and the Taylor will be great so just stick with it for now.

[Birchtop]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

Your instinct is correct: Keep at it. Nut width started mattering when Internet forums happened. Don’t get lost down Nut Width Road, or along Tone Wood Way. Just play your guitar!

This!

I have large hands and short sausage fingers (XXL glove/mitt). While I learned on an old Decca 12 string back in the ‘70’s (widest neck/nut ever ), most all my acoustics and electrics have been 1-11/16” nuts through the years.

I recently acquired 2 acoustics that have the 1-3/4” nuts. Funny thing is, it doesn’t really matter one bit to my fretting hand, but when I use my pick, I’m constantly missing, catching, or hitting the strings wrong. I assume the strings are wider apart at the bridge as well.

[100LL]

Thanks guys, very helpful. Really.

Confirmed my gut feeling, which was to just keep practicing. It’s so easy to start over-thinking things when it’s not working smoothly.

I just put the Taylor down after a practice session capped off by playing 3 little birds. All I can say is that it was better than yesterday

[Runepune]

Originally Posted by Birchtop

...but when I use my pick, I’m constantly missing, catching, or hitting the strings wrong. I assume the strings are wider apart at the bridge as well.

Aye. Fretboard, neck, scale or whatever doesn't matter all that much to me either...but that string spacing where the plectrum lives makes all the difference in the world!

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by 100LL

All I can say is that it was better than yesterday

That's what most of us are shooting for.

[MThomson]

Originally Posted by 100LL

Thanks guys, very helpful. Really.

Confirmed my gut feeling, which was to just keep practicing. It’s so easy to start over-thinking things when it’s not working smoothly.

I just put the Taylor down after a practice session capped off by playing 3 little birds. All I can say is that it was better than yesterday

Glad to hear you can feel the improvement. It's never linear so don't best yourself up over days when it's not going well. Are you better then a month ago? And you'll be better next month, and the one after that. As long as you keep practising and working at the difficult parts. But most of all, have fun on the way