Jazz guitar with wider string spacing

[Saxophone Tall]

Hi,

I recently received my new 7 string archtop and the string spacing is too narrow. I was thinking of converting it to a 6 string. How did it work out for you?

This is from about 3 years ago... it worked out great, and I have since acquired a Halo solid body that has similar string spacing that came that way as a 6 string. They no longer make them with 50 mm nuts, now 48 mm. Mine was used, hard to find. Halo can make one for you though.

To convert the archtop, you'll need a luthier than knows what they are doing, because there are no templates for 6 string nuts this wide and they have to measure by hand.

On the bridge, my luthier had to fill in the existing grooves and cut new ones, as there were no replacement bridges available.

The middle space / hole on the saddle goes unused and the other strings (except the top and bottom E) are on a slight angle - again, no problem with this.

The pickup was not an issue, works fine.

Final dimensions are for archtop (Eastman Jazz Elite) are nut 52 mm, RH play area 60 mm). Fits my giant hands perfectly!

Hope this helps - good luck!

[RJVB]

I need to be able to push my fingers easily between the strings on the right hand

This just jumped at me ... why? Even if you play with flesh you don't push your fingers between the strings but use just a corner. The problem with big hands and long fingers is that you end up coming at the strings with so much of an angle that you still risk to mute the higher string, unless you adopt a very high palm position, or maybe one more like lute players use.

Final dimensions are for archtop (Eastman Jazz Elite) are nut 52 mm, RH play area 60 mm). Fits my giant hands perfectly!

Classical guitars can be very jazzy too!

FWIW ... look at what kind of instruments Paganini played (narrow string spacing is much more of a problem for the fretting hand with nylon/gut strings than with steel strings!)

[Saxophone Tall]

Actually, I play that way (my fingers like to go deeper), and given the width of my palm (4 inches), anything less than 59 mm at RH just feels too small. Kind of like me trying to play piccolo - impossible (and silly looking, every see a 6'6" guy play one of those, LOL?) I just got an alto flute, BTW, much bigger than regular flute, which is too small for me as well. Horribly cramped and uncomfortable for regular flute, but the alto fits pretty well.

Violin would also be too small. I play electric cello, though, fits decently enough.

[RJVB]

I'm only 6'2" but my hands are barely less wide (measured at the base of my fingers). I played violin semi-professionally at my adult size, and now play a six-string resonator with maybe 5.5cm spread at the saddle and a 1.75" nut in addition to a neo-classical with a regular saddle and 50mm nut. That resonator is a challenge but it is what it is - and it helps me play cleaner on the other instrument.

My fingers also liked to go deeper but I've taught myself not to as it's counterproductive. It takes time, and one can get stuck when the string bites just a bit too deep into the softer flesh beyond the fingertips. Plus, as 2 successive teachers pointed out, strings are plucked side-ways, not vertically, and going too deep all the time means you can't alternate as easily between rest and free strokes.

[Saxophone Tall]

I would seriously doubt your hands are anywhere near as big as mine. I can easily palm a regulation, air filled properly NBA basketball. I can reach from C to A on piano. My height and wingspan are identical to NBA great Dennis Rodman (that's about all we have in common, LOL, I met him and measured!)

I have to adapt even my saxophones (main instrument) with corks.

That said, what feels comfortable to me may not to you. I remember watching Phil Woods (se Showboat album cover) from 2 feet away and his hands didn't move1 That was early on in my playing career, early 1970s, and I thought that was how one does it. For Phil, the best, yes. But later at the same place I saw seriously great Blakey alum alto player Bobby Watson, and his fingers .. flew all over the place. I actually played with him and some other Messengers many years later, his fingers still flew, he still sounded great. I don't know how Phil never got carpel tunnel.

Anyway, my giant archtop and solid body feel great to me, which is all that matters.

Right now, I'm concentrating on getting some high notes on trumpet. Fingers are not the issue there; it's all sound issues, and it's a total b!tch!

Mike Stern plays from his elbow since he was to glue his pick due to a horrible accident (wig glue, he told me so). You can't tell the difference before / after. Whatever works!

[BillB]

I got a used Yunzhi/Hotman acoustic that someone had commissioned via TeamYolanda. The nut is over two inches wide.

[bohemian46]

How anyone can play a guitar with less than 1 13/16ths nut width is baffling unl3ess you have needle fingers.
After playing since 1961, 1 3/4 is the absolute minimum on other than a a classical or flamenco guitar.
I do not have large hands or fingers.

[Saxophone Tall]

That looks very nice; I considered Hotman as well, but then the Eastman Jazz Elite popped up as a seven string. I called up the seller and we had it converted to a wide neck six string.

[Saxophone Tall]

Exactly, so imagine if you did! The width has apparently shrunk over the decades, not sure why. I saw an original Les Paul (some famous player's...) in a glass box at Guitar Center Hollywood. I then compared it to a modern one from the floor ... huge difference in width...