Nut width and Spacing at Nut

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Alonte

Posts: 214
Joined: Dec. 2 2008

Nut width and Spacing at Nut

I started measuring my guitar's nut and saddle spacing and I am started to realize what could be the reason why I feel cramped when por arriba.

From the saddle the space between E to E string is 58mm
The width of the Nut is 52mm but the space between E to E at nut is 41mm

Is that too narrow a spacing?

Whats the average measurement from E to E at the nut for a 52mm wide nut?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 8 2010 0:49:00

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

should be 45-47mm

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 8 2010 7:06:37

Alonte

Posts: 214
Joined: Dec. 2 2008

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

Wow thats too narrow. So If I get a new nut? Should i have it 53mm and the spacing be say 46?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 8 2010 9:15:49

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

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.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 8 2010 15:31:27

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

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.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 8 2010 23:52:50

krichards

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

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 8 2010 23:59:27

Alonte

Posts: 214
Joined: Dec. 2 2008

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

Okay I remeasured it.
Total width is 52cm

5mm from 6th string
6mm from 1st string

Yikes no wonder why I always felt cramped. Or more so I notice now that I have been playing more and more.

So have a luthier make me a new nut with a wider string spacing? But how do I decide which is perfect for my hands?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 9 2010 0:00:08

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alonte

So have a luthier make me a new nut with a wider string spacing? But how do I decide which is perfect for my hands?

Your luthier can counsel you on that. The spacing can vary depending on the steepness of the bevel filed into the edge of the fret.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 9 2010 7:22:12

Alonte

Posts: 214
Joined: Dec. 2 2008

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

Thanks John, Kevin and Anders.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 9 2010 9:44:08

KMMI77

Posts: 1821
Joined: Jul. 26 2009

[Deleted]

Post has been moved to the Recycle Bin at May 27 2013 10:11:18

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 13:10:30

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3077
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

Thats interesting. All my nuts are 43mm... Gonna make a new nut, see if there's any difference.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 13:58:25

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

Hmm, my nuts are bigger than your guys I think.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 14:13:32

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3077
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Ricardo)

quote:

Hmm, my nuts are bigger than your guys I think.

Pictures please.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 14:47:05

KMMI77

Posts: 1821
Joined: Jul. 26 2009

[Deleted]

Post has been moved to the Recycle Bin at May 27 2013 10:12:05

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 16:32:23

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

Ricardo has the biggest,
balls of them all !

boom chucka ~ boom chucka

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 16:53:28

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

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.

Silly me.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 17:37:25

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to KMMI77)

quote:

It's amazing how changing the spacing just 1 or 2 mm can really widen the sound of a guitar overall

So widening the nut widens the sound. its not about having big, but wide nuts..

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 21:34:03

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

It's girth not length of the nuts that gets the sound out.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 19 2013 22:31:44

KMMI77

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Joined: Jul. 26 2009

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Post has been moved to the Recycle Bin at May 27 2013 10:10:46

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2013 0:10:27

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3077
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to KMMI77)

Does it really make a difference in sound by itself or is it due to you playing better with more space between strings?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2013 10:09:05

KMMI77

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2013 13:37:35

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3077
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

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.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2013 14:34:15

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

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.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2013 14:45:16

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3077
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

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.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2013 16:31:47

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
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, string space=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).

Ricardo

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2013 17:44:59

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

quote:

gipsy king cordoba nut=50.5 mm, string space=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.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 20 2013 21:36:27

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
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, string space=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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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 21 2013 17:42:43

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3077
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Alonte)

Are there any template measurements for the string spacing?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 21 2013 17:48:37

jshelton5040

Posts: 1500
Joined: Jan. 17 2005

RE: Nut width and Spacing at Nut (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rui Martins

Are there any template measurements for the string spacing?

That's one advantage of using 45mm overall it makes the string spacing exactly 9mm.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 21 2013 18:02:49