The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 12-23-2019, 07:19 AM
Guitarplayer_PR Guitarplayer_PR is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Puerto Rico
Posts: 2,235
Default Between fretboard radius and nutwidth. . .

. . . which one is more important to you in terms of playability and feel?
__________________
-2017 Gibson J-45 Standard
-2019 Gibson J-15
-2019 Gibson Les Paul Junior
-2020 Gibson Les Paul Special
-2019 Gibson Les Paul Studio
-2021 Fender Aerodyne Special Telecaster
-2022 Fender Telecaster 50s (Vintera)
-1994 Fender Telecaster Deluxe 70 (Vintera)
-Sire V5 5-string
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-23-2019, 07:39 AM
JERZEY JERZEY is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 744
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR View Post
. . . which one is more important to you in terms of playability and feel?
Nut width and string spacing are first for me. Radius is 3rd after the neck profile. I spend a fair amount of time on flat classical fret boards so I can go either way on radius.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-23-2019, 07:48 AM
Monsoon1 Monsoon1 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: N.E. Ohio
Posts: 1,810
Default

nut width is the most important to me.
I prefer a small radius, but if the width is wide enough I can get by.
__________________
Something something, beer is good, and people are crazy.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-23-2019, 07:59 AM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Exeter, UK
Posts: 7,674
Default

Radius and nut width aren't important to me. A comfortable neck profile is my #1 priority.
__________________
Faith Mars FRMG
Faith Neptune FKN
Epiphone Masterbilt Texan
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-23-2019, 08:32 AM
Howard Emerson Howard Emerson is offline
AGF Sponsor
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Huntington Station, New York
Posts: 7,604
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR View Post
. . . which one is more important to you in terms of playability and feel?
If any 'spec' were not as important as any other 'spec', it wouldn't be on my spec list.

If it's on a guitar being made for me, EVERY spec holds separate, but equal importance.

Sorry that I can't answer your question as posed.

Regards,
Howard Emerson
__________________
My New Website!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-23-2019, 08:43 AM
jaymarsch jaymarsch is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: North of the Golden Gate, South of the Redwoods, East of the Pacific and West of the Sierras
Posts: 10,569
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Emerson View Post
If any 'spec' were not as important as any other 'spec', it wouldn't be on my spec list.

If it's on a guitar being made for me, EVERY spec holds separate, but equal importance.

Sorry that I can't answer your question as posed.

Regards,
Howard Emerson
This is my experience as well. When I have had instruments made for me (two now) I have worked with the luthier to discuss all the specs and how shifting one or another impacts the whole. This approach has resulted in two outstanding instruments that fit my needs for tone and feel very well. So, I can't say that one spec carries more weight than another.

Best,
Jayne
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-23-2019, 08:45 AM
Goodallboy Goodallboy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: East TN
Posts: 6,847
Default

Neither is as important as the tone of the instrument.
__________________
McCollum Grand Auditorum Euro Spruce/Brazilian
PRS Hollowbody Spruce
PRS SC58
Giffin Vikta
Gibson Custom Shop ES 335 '59 Historic RI
‘91 Les Paul Standard
‘52 AVRI Tele - Richie Baxt build
Fender American Deluxe Tele
Fender Fat Strat
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-23-2019, 08:59 AM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 5,960
Default

Nut width determines how cleanly I can play and individual note; radius determines how easily I can play barre chords. Since I don't want to compromise on either of those things, both specs are equally important.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodallboy View Post
Neither is as important as the tone of the instrument.
Doesn't the ability to play cleanly effect tone?
__________________
Jim
2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi
2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood
2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar
2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce
2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce
1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce

along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos.

YouTube
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-23-2019, 12:52 PM
Guitarplayer_PR Guitarplayer_PR is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Puerto Rico
Posts: 2,235
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodallboy View Post
Neither is as important as the tone of the instrument.

But a big part of the tone comes from the way we play and how easy (or hard) it's for us. We may play an instrument which can sound great with others and bad with us (or viceversa) and one of the reasons is how we feel the instrument.
__________________
-2017 Gibson J-45 Standard
-2019 Gibson J-15
-2019 Gibson Les Paul Junior
-2020 Gibson Les Paul Special
-2019 Gibson Les Paul Studio
-2021 Fender Aerodyne Special Telecaster
-2022 Fender Telecaster 50s (Vintera)
-1994 Fender Telecaster Deluxe 70 (Vintera)
-Sire V5 5-string
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 12-23-2019, 01:08 PM
Joe Beamish Joe Beamish is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boerne, TX
Posts: 1,702
Default

Neck radius and shape is more important to me than nut width. (It took me three guitars to figure this out.)
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 12-23-2019, 09:04 PM
Dogma Dogma is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 994
Default

[QUOTE=jim1960;6246599]Nut width determines how cleanly I can play and individual note; radius determines how easily I can play barre chords. Since I don't want to compromise on either of those things, both specs are equally important.

Tell me about radius and barre chords. Flatter board = easier or more difficult to barre? I'm new to this level of technicality! And barre chords!

Thanks!
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 12-24-2019, 01:37 AM
AZLiberty AZLiberty is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Arizona
Posts: 7,908
Default

Probably radius.

I can go back and forth between a 6-string and a 12-string pretty easy, and don't tend to notice a 1/16 of an inch or so.

Anything tighter than 15" radius I find pretty difficult to play though.
__________________
Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01
Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking
Breedlove American Series C20/SR
Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA
Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212

https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 12-24-2019, 03:35 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Isle of Albion
Posts: 22,067
Default

1. Nut Width. On a flat-top in which I'd play my normal style - 1 & 13/16" but 1 & 7/8" fine. 1& 3/4" on archtops

2. String spacing - 2 & 3/8" is ideal, 2 & 5/16" on short scale, 2 & 1/4" on archtops.

3. Profile, soft "mod-V" or C profile.

4. Camber - not particular.

It took me a long time to find a fretboard geometry that really suited me.
__________________
Silly Moustache,
Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer.
I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom!
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 12-24-2019, 03:40 AM
RalphH RalphH is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Canterbury, UK
Posts: 1,285
Default

I think I'm fairly insensitive to either, given I can't feel the difference between my 16", 1 & 11/16 gs mini and my 12" 1.75 hummingbird.

I notice scale length the most out of all the neck measurements. I really dont like 25.5. After a lifetime of playing les pauls it feel like playing a bass to me, though I'm sure I'd get used to it quickly enough if I had to
__________________
Gibson Customshop Hummingbird (Review)

Last edited by RalphH; 12-24-2019 at 06:01 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 12-24-2019, 04:53 AM
JKA JKA is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Northumberland, UK
Posts: 463
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodallboy View Post
Neither is as important as the tone of the instrument.
I agree. Nothing else matters as it doesn't take but a few moments to adapt to neck profile, nut width, string spacing and all the other things used as an excuse to change guitars.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > General Acoustic Guitar Discussion

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=