Used to 1 11/16" neck-any tips for getting used to my new 1 3/4' guitar?

[JackB1]

I would say give the 1 3/4" nut guitar time to get acclimated. I think about 2 weeks should be good. If it still feels awkward, go back to a 11/16" nut and if that feels right, that's the size you should use.

I have a hard time deciding which I prefer myself. I strum about 75% and finger pick about 25% and the 11/16" is better for chords where you wrap the thumb, but the 3/4 is better for certain chords, like the open A. The 11/16 feels a tad "tight" but I think I play faster on it. I keep going back and forth and still can't decide which I like better

BTW, what is considered "Large" for hands? I wear a L size glove. MY hand measures 8" from bottom of palm crease to tip of middle finger. I feel like my hands are average size. Am I wrong?

[51 Relic]

I love the 1 3/4” neck on my Martin with a modified V but my other guitars have other sizes . I would say just play and play and muscle memory will take over . As I fingerpick 100% I really prefer the larger size

[RagtopGT]

The consensus here and on other forums, seems to be that the wider nut is well suited for finger picking. Although not a picker, that makes a lot of sense ergonomically.

But for those of us who are almost exclusively strummers, we don't have too many other choices. While I own an 1-3/4" OM, dreads are easier for me with the more narrow nut, even when both have the same neck profile. That tiny little bit of smaller spacing makes for fewer clams and somewhat more accurate barre chords, at least for me.

I'm partial to Martins, and unless I can find a NOS standard model with pre-2018 specs, I'm relegated to the used market.

[terrypl]

Seems that there are mainly two answers to your question:

1) Keep playing and you'll adjust to the difference in neck width after a while.

2) You'll discover that one width or the other feels "right" and you'll gravitate toward a guitar with that neck width.

For me, the second one was the case. After growing up on guitars with 1-11/16-inch necks, I owned several guitars with 1-3/4-inch necks, and tried valiantly to get used to them. But I never got comfortable with them, never felt that I could play as smoothly or cleanly or easily with them, so I ended up selling them, realizing that for ME, the 1-11/16-inch neck just felt "right."

You'll figure it out one way or the other!

[Golffishny]

I think if you start with more deliberate fingering for slow and medium pace songs you will become more aware of the feel and placement of your fretting hand. As with anything new, start slowly and work your way up to speed. I find even flatpicking to be more comfortable on 1 3/4 now. It certainly wasn't at first. Have fun.

[littlewing1208]

Originally Posted by 51 Relic

I love the 1 3/4” neck on my Martin with a modified V but my other guitars have other sizes . I would say just play and play and muscle memory will take over . As I fingerpick 100% I really prefer the larger size

If your guitar has a mod V neck and is not a CS, then it surely has a 2 5/16 or 2 3/8 saddle spacing. *This* is why you like it for fingerstyle, not the nut width. Pick up a 2018 with a 1 3/4” nut and the 2 5/32 saddle spacing and I’m sure you’ll hate it for fingerpicking .

[jpmist]

Originally Posted by Bill Dobbs

The only thing I can add to the good advice given, you could get a new nut made with the same string spacing of the guitar you have with 1 11/16" nut. That is, if the spacing is different. String spacing is a function of the neck width and the distance of the E strings from the edge of the fretboard.

Ditto this.

The OP could simply invest in a new nut made from the spacing of his beloved 1 11/16" nut guitar. With the caveat that the treble E string should be the same distance to the edge of the nut, putting the extra 1/16" real estate past the low E to the neck edge.

Unless you use your thumb a lot for G chords, your left hand isn't going to notice any difference since the reach your fingers make for all chords will be exactly the same as on the narrower neck.

I've actually tried this on a 1 13/16" neck down to a 1 3/4" nut spacing and it worked great.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Boy, I can honestly not tell the difference, perhaps because I have large hands. That being said, I'm all about 1.75" for any fingerstyle playing. In fact I'm playing more and more nylon/classical these days and I LOVE the width of that neck (two inches?)

scott memmer

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by NotALuth

Wow, didn’t realise how few people played past the first position! All my guitar necks seem to get wider as they get towards the dusty end

This is a specious argument, not that I haven't seen it previously. Think about it: if a neck starts wider at the first fret, it would stand to reason that it will be all the more wide as one approaches the 12th fret.

What NotALuth seems not to be hearing, unless this is yet another of his attempts at humor, is that the issue for many of us is muscle memory. Over a period of decades, the hand anticipates where the strings will be at any given fret. Change the size of the nut, and you change string locations all the way down the fretboard.

The insinuation that those of us who who prefer a 1 11/16" nut don't play past the first position is, at best, disingenuous.

[Charmed Life Picks]

In the middle of this food fight, perhaps a little humor would help.

We all know the classic saying, "Three chords and the truth."

Recently, heard another one: "There's no money above the third fret."

Love that one even more. Peace, folks,

scott memmer

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Recently, heard another one: "There's no money above the third fret."

Thank you for that, Scott. I believe the statement originated as "There's no money about the fifth fret." I understand it was made by a bass player.

[docwatsonfan]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

I agree with the many replies...that you just need to give it some time. I switch back and forth between two guitars..one 11/16 and one 3/4...with no problem. Just takes a little time for you to get use to it. Sometimes it is just the different shape of the neck that fools the senses.
However....if for some reason after time it does not work out...I believe you can simply have a new nut installed with 11/16th or 23/64 spacing. I have heard that a 1/32 Adjustment is possible.

you can fill the nut slots with bone dust and superglue, and refile new ones to duplicate the spacing on a typical 1 11/16 nut guitar,
and....

file small slots in the saddle to change the spacing

I just did this with a guitar that had 2 1/4 spacing at the saddle,
I'm used to 2 1/8, or Eastmans 2 5/32

it worked out exceptionally well.....

if the neck isn't overly chunky or has an uncomfortable shape (ie: for me , the D18GE ) you can make the 1 3/4 very small hands playable, but don't tell anyone

[N+1]

There are a lot of points of view here, but I'm not sure we're all talking about the same thing. For some folks it really is about string spacing, but I think in some cases (eg mine) we're using nut width as a rough indicator of neck width, and the comfort of the whole hand rather than finger spacing.

It's not an infallible guide by any means: going by feel alone, I'd swear my Taylor 914ce has a 1 11/16" nut. It doesn't, but because the neck profile is subtly different, it feels as comfortable as 1 11/16". But generally speaking, and accepting there will be exceptions, I know I'm much more likely to feel comfortable with 1 11/16" than 1 3/4".

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by mglik

Thanks for all the advise.
My fingering is adapting ok.
Bit harder is making sure I get high E when strumming.

Amazing how 1/16" makes such a difference.

mike

Hi mglik

Strumming has to do with the saddle width, not the nut width.

If the strings are further apart at the saddle/bridge, then your width over or beyond the sound hole will be wider. I have played 1¾" necks and 1¹¹/₁₆" necks with nearly identical string width over the sound hole because of the spacing at the saddle.

Time will help you adjust. As many here have pointed out, we humans are highly adaptable creatures.

[Joe Beamish]

I’ve been in same boat.

Give the 1 3/4” neck some time. Stick to that guitar for awhile, a couple months at least, if you can. Explore it.

I have found that each nut width (1 11/16” and 1 3/4”) has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on what type of music I’m playing.

Neither width is a deal breaker, or deal maker, in itself, for me. Other factors of the guitar are more important.