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I have 5 guitars, and aside from variances in other ergonomic areas, they're all over the map in terms of nut width and scale length:
My T-type and Thinline Semi-Hollow both have 1 11/16" nuts and 25.5" scales.
My Archtop has a 1.75" nut and a 25" scale.
My Acoustic has a 1 11/16" nut and a 24.9" scale.
My Travel Guitar has a 1.75" nut and a 24.5" scale.
I'm comfortable with all of them, and don't find it all that big a deal to switch between one and another. But my clear favorite for nut width/scale length is 1.75"/25".
What about you?
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08-24-2012 11:00 AM
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1 11/16" or 1.75" nut widths, with 25.5" scale length. The older I get, the more space I need to roam. - Except I just can't feel at home on a classical neck's 2" nut width.
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>>> my clear favorite for nut width/scale length is 1.75"/25".
That is my favorite too, but any scale from 24 1/2" to 25 1/2" is all the same to me.
I prefer the 1.75" nut, but 1 11/16" is fine too, yet 1 10/16" is a big problem.
I just hit the real estate limit at anything below 1 11/16".
>>> I just can't feel at home on a classical neck's 2" nut width.
I have a partially built nylon string with a classical overall design that I'll finish some winter, but I'll make the nut just a bit over 1.75" - just enough to keep good separation between the fatter nylon strings.
Chris
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Almost all of my arch tops are 1-11/16 . . . 25-1/2 . . . which is my preference. I had a wonderful Heritage Super Eagle with a 1-13/16 nut width and a full D neck profile that I tried desperately to adapt to . . but just couldn't. The original owner ordered it specifically for finger style and had some pretty big hands. It was a real beauty custom ordered with Lollar noiseless P90s. I also currently have a Golden Eagle with a 1-3/4" nut width and the fattest fullest D neck profile I've ever heal. I'm having a bit of trouble warming up to that one as well. But, it's not quite as bad as the 1-13/16 SE. Also . . everything else about the guitar is just so great I'd have a real hard time parting with it.
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My favorite nut width is easily 1 13/16 and I really don;t like going under 1 11/16.
As for scale length I've owned everything from 22.5 to 27 and they all have their purpose. I currently have both 25.5 and 27 and I;m about to add a 24 3/4. They all work for what I use them for.
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I'm with you, Jim. However, I prefer a 1 3/4 or 1 11/16 nut with, but play a larger 1 13/16 without any problems.
Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Have a Gurian that is 1 5/8". It is too narrow.
I'm used to 1 11/16" from playing Martin's and others. I'm fine with that.
I prefer 1.69" (43 mm) or 1 23/32" (odd that you can feel that slight a difference)
I have one guitar with 1.75" and it feels too wide even though I have pretty big hands.
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I typically go for a 1 3/4" nut, although one of my guitars is a bit smaller, and it's very comfortable. I once had a (used) Timtone guitar (unfortunately not made anymore -- wonderful guitar!) made for a big guy who played fingerstyle, and the nut was 1 15/16". At first it felt nice, but after playing it and performing with it for a while, I noticed some left hand fatigue, which was not good; I ended up selling it.
I play a fanned-fret guitar with 25-27" scale; my other standard guitar has 25.5" and it feels good, as have my 25" scale guitars. I guess I don't notice the differences a whole lot.
Of course, the other factor here is fretboard radius, which I think makes a difference (feel-wise, not necessarily tone-wise).
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Mark,
Could you post a pic of your fanned fret guitar?
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Sure. Originally Posted by Klatu
This is my Novax semi-hollowbody model:
and here's the new Novax "Slimline Jazz" hollowbody model, which Ralph (Novak) sent me to demo -- it was fantastic!
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I actually prefer the look of yours. The Novak body shape complements the fanned fret concept really well. I like that it's a new design rather than a new take on an old one.
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Right on, thanks. And Ralph is a great guy to work with -- extremely knowledgeable about wood choices, sound, etc. Originally Posted by Klatu
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Presuming steel strings, not nylon
1 3/4 " to 1 13/16ths nut
24.9-25.4 " scale.
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It doesn't really mean that much to me as long as it's not into extremes. My last 4 guitars are custom made, and because I had the option, they are all made with 25½" scale 1.75" fretboard width and 12" fretboard radius. But I also feel at home with my Strat which has narrower fingerboard and lesser radius.
Likewise, I am not that sentitive to neck shapes. Most of my guitars has medium necks. One (an old Gretsch New Yorker) has a really fat neck and I have no problems with that. My first good guitar, which I still have and have had for 39 years, is a 1961 Gibson 175 with that very slim neck (slim from front to back, the width is normal 1 11/16") they made that year. It feels a bit skinny as compared to my other guitars, but I don't feel it impossible or even difficult to play - it's just different, and I can adapt quickly. I have had people try the Gretsch and they have said that it was impossible to play with such a fat neck. My answer has always been that it's a matter of adaptation. After all, lots of people with both big and small hands play double bass which has much fatter necks.
We must rule the instruments, not be ruled by them - and with a bit of woodshedding and adaptation it is possible. That way I have also been accustomed to a higher action with the benefit of a cleaner tone and greater dynamic range - plus I can play almost every guitar handed to me (well, maybe except Freddie Greens Gretsch Eldorado, which is now with Greens son, but then, I will never get that particular opportunity anyway).Last edited by oldane; 08-25-2012 at 06:24 AM.
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For me the 25.5 scale length is perfect , i play well enough on 24.5 too but find that extra space comes into play beyond 9th fret and i find it easier or rather more natural to play the " fender scale length"
nut width does not worry me unless extremely narrow but i play flamenco too so a wide nylon guitar nut is no worry , i've yet to reject buying a guitar because of nut width ,
to me , who sits and plays my criteria is scale length and then that the guitars design suits me sitting with it as i like to be comfortable playing and the neck should be at my desired angle when sitting with it ,
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But my clear favorite for nut width/scale length is 1.75"/25".
What about you?
The best for me also!
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Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and just dipping my feet into electric archtop jazz, although I've spent a lifetime playing Brazilian music on acoustic nylon (classical) guitar. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
I got excited when Jim Soloway mentioned the possibility of a 1 13/16 nut. Is there such a thing on an electric archtop? I understood it was impossible because of the pole spacing in the pickups. Is anybody making (ideally) a cutaway electric archtop with a 13/16 nut? Thanks! I love reading what people have to say.
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Hi Dan -- welcome to the site!
Well, Jim Soloway is a master, so search around here for examples of his work.
Nothing is "impossible" in the world of custom guitars, and sure, there are many high-quality people who can make your dream guitar (and pickup makers who can make your dream pickups!). As you continue searching other posts here, you'll find endless discussions on specs, luthiers, philosophy, "tone," etc etc.
Do some (re)searching here, check out some luthiers' web sites, and when you have some more ideas, go ahead and start a new post here clarifying any ideas/questions/etc you may still have.
The search is half the fun! Enjoy!
Marc
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I don't know if any archtop builders are doing it but there are few ways to deal with the pole piece issue. The easiest is to use F-spaced pickups. That works perfectly in the neck position and adequately in the bridge position. The other alternative is blade pickups which negate the string spacing issue entirely. The third is to use pickups like the TV Jones Filtertrons in a humbucker mount. These use extra large screws which also negate the spacing issue. Originally Posted by Dan Waters
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25.5" and 1 3/4" for me. Curious about a 1 13/16 nut.
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What are some examples of an F-spaced pickups?
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Here is a picture of a Heritage Super Eagle I used to own. I sold it because it had a 1-13/16" nut width. It's currently up for sale again on ebay. This photo is taken from that ebay add. It's quite a unique and a very special arch top. Lollar P90 pups with a master bolume switch and the hugh neck make it somewhat unique. Much in the ebay post is inaccurate . . but, the explaination of its greatness is spot on. If it had an 1-11/16" nut width, it would have been my go to the grave with guitar. Originally Posted by Dan Waters
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F spaced pickups are humbuckers that have string spacing to match a Floyd Rose bridge (which is wider than the standard Gibson spacing). Both Dimarzio and Duncan offer F spaced versions of most if not all of their pickups. Lollar offers some and I'm sure some of the other larger boutique makers do as well. They're commonly used on Fender type guitars and most shredders that have a humbucker. There's no tonal difference. They just have a slightly wider pole spacing. I would guess that we've built about 30 or 40 guitars with the 1 13/16" spacing and we've used F spaced pickups on most of them. We also use them on most of our humbucker equipped guitars with our standard 1 11/16" spacing and I've used one in the neck position of my new Tele partscaster. Originally Posted by edh
Last edited by Jim Soloway; 08-28-2012 at 11:58 PM.
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Thank you! All this is immensely helpful information. It's easy to get misled into settling for something that's "not quite what I wanted," and then regretting it later. These few key nuggets of guidance will keep me on track.
Wonderful group, by the way!
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I have no clear preference, tried everything from 23.5 to 27.0 inch scales and have been happy with any of them. To narrow of a nut is a bummer though. I actually prefer it to be a tad wider than 1-11/16 but that standard is also ok.
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