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RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)
The nut should be the width of the fingerboard with 3-4 mm space to the 1st string and 2-3mm spacing to the sixth string hence 45-47mm c to c. Just my opinion you understand.
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)
I build with a spacing of around 43mm on a 52mm nut.
2mm space from the 6th string to the edge of the fingerboard and 3mm on the first string I find to be extremely uncomfortable. I need some wood above and below the strings. And so far no client has told me I was wrong. But as John says, its a personal thing.
Posts: 597
Joined: Jan. 14 2007
From: York, England
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)
52 mm is pretty standard You need about 3/4mm clearance on the treble E and 2/3mm clearance on the bass E, so I agree with John on the measurements If your guitar has that then its normal and nothing to worry about.
If you feel cramped (maybe you have big hands?) the perhaps you get a wider fingerboard on your next guitar?
But we all have different problems in playing the guitar and most of them are solved by practice and hard work
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)
I've arrived at making the the finger board width 53-mm and making the string to string measurement 45-mm. This way I can have some leeway about how I want to set up the treble edge. I aim for 4mm from the edge of the board because I like more room there. I don't notice a difference between 52-mm and 53-mm the key is to make the profile of the neck behind the nut and through the first few frets feel comfortable.
Some guitarists do have what I call 'Princes and the Pea Syndrome', they think every nuance is critical, those are usually the ones who are just being neurotic about set up because they won't let go of preconceived ideas about their nuts.
Then there are the Goldilocks players and everything is too wide or too narrow. This is why I came to 53-mm and a mm of slop to move the strings around and the 45 mm spacing. So basically after being a luthier who experimented by being Innovative! with a capital 'I' , I arrived at what everyone else had already been doing.
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to KMMI77)
I can imagine some difference in playability and maybe thats the thing thats changing your sound.
I have thin fingers so it doesnt bother me if Iam playing mandolin, guitars or bass but it can surely make a difference for those who have thicker fingertips.
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)
yes, I agree. I believe that you sound better with a wider nut, but I dont think the guitar sounds any different. Nutwidth and stringspacing can be very personal. Some are picky with that while others only care about the feel of the guitar. and if they like the feel and accept the sound, they adjust to the rest.
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)
Off topic:
Humidity seems to make a real difference in sound. Its always been around 70-80% since I bought the guitar 2 months ago and now that it dropped to 40% the guitar sounds and feels better.
Posts: 15412
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
ORIGINAL: estebanana
Ricardo has the biggest, balls of them all !
boom chucka ~ boom chucka
spacing is pretty good too.
Seriously: gipsy king cordoba nut=50.5 mm, stringspace=41.5 mm (yes it is skinny and sucks) Hermanos Sanchis lopez nut=52mm space 42.5 mm (not so hot either) Hauser II nut=52mm, spacing 45mm exact. (nice feel) Conde nut= 53 mm spacing 45.5 mm. (perfect feel).
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)
quote:
gipsy king cordoba nut=50.5 mm, stringspace=41.5 mm (yes it is skinny and sucks) Hermanos Sanchis lopez nut=52mm space 42.5 mm (not so hot either) Hauser II nut=52mm, spacing 45mm exact. (nice feel) Conde nut= 53 mm spacing 45.5 mm. (perfect feel).
Make a new nut with wider spacing for the Hermanos Sanchiz lopez. And thats it.
Posts: 15412
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Anders Eliasson
quote:
gipsy king cordoba nut=50.5 mm, stringspace=41.5 mm (yes it is skinny and sucks) Hermanos Sanchis lopez nut=52mm space 42.5 mm (not so hot either) Hauser II nut=52mm, spacing 45mm exact. (nice feel) Conde nut= 53 mm spacing 45.5 mm. (perfect feel).
Make a new nut with wider spacing for the Hermanos Sanchiz lopez. And thats it.
I am actually not complaining. I did that for a student and it really helped as it was his only guitar. I like that each guitar feels a bit different down there. The spacing is no biggie for me. I find it amusing that this small detail seems to be making the difference between high grade and lower grade guitars, it's silly. ALL guitars should be wider spaced, its like some little secrete to make a concert guitar feel like you are paying for something more.
I admit on ALL my guitars I slide the nut slightly toward the basses as I tend to yank the first string off the fingerboard when doing fast runs up the first string. I almost never push the bass E off the neck.
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