How much does nut width matter?

[EOengineer]

Nope, it was my Old Man Strat-

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That was actually a catalyst for getting the idea to check out an LP, the ad I got the Strat from said something about it being large or uncomfortable for those who prefer a skinnier neck, I assumed I was going to shave it down until I played it and I REALLY fell in love with it. Once I was sold on that I started getting the itch to check out some LPs as most of my previous LP experiences involved thicker necks, aside from one early 90’s Studio that had the tiniest neck I’ve ever seen on an LP (ebony board, too, that was a killer guitar).

The Orville has some meat but nothing compared to that beast above. The Edwards is a little thicker so I’m assuming the Orville is the 60’s slim taper? I’m not familiar enough with Gibson neck shapes.

Without getting all EJ-neurotic, I was playing that Strat last night and had a passing thought on how much “tone” was the result of the neck. It could just as easily be the way it fits in my hand that provides support for my finger tips making better contact with the strings, I dunno, I definitely can’t clarify it, but there does feel like there’s something ‘more’ with that neck, I just can pinpoint what. I’m buying everything I need to re-fret it as those tiny vintage frets are pretty well beat to shit now.

Yup that’s a monster neck. The edges of that fretboard look REAL comfortable too.

 

[Chocol8]

That looks like the sumo wrestler of Strat necks! I could make two or three necks out of that tree!

 

[Los-D]

This is a charvel I loved. BUT I modified the neck shape by shaving off some of the shoulders. Before that, I'd get some real pain. Eventually sold it, because wasn't playing guitar at the time.

And I have a Zack Myers. Love the neck shape.

@DrewJD82, we need that fire emoji ASAP

 

[Los-D]

I was always a 43mm guy but loving my Ibanez AZ with 42mm and heftier neck. When I tried doing jazz chords on it, it was just eye opening how much easier it was (due to the neck size, not the nut width). Now I am really gravitating towards bigger necks.

 

[DrewJD82]

Yup that’s a monster neck. The edges of that fretboard look REAL comfortable too.

Yeah, I know it’s an AllParts neck and they do some relic’ing but I’m assuming the original owner did the rolling of the edges, you can also see where he filed the fret ends and took some finish off the neck. That thing had 8’s on it when it showed up and the action was so low I could fret notes from blowing at the strings from a few feet away, not at all what I’d expect with a neck choice that large.

I’m not overly stoked with it aesthetically, largely due to the improper era logo on the headstock that’s sealed under nitro, so the whole neck is going to get stripped and refinished when I refret it.

 

[Jim Soloway]

It matters but if the bridge width remains constant then changing the width at the nut has a diminishing effect the further up the fingerboard you go. When we were building guitars, we had something that we called "finger style spacing". I have it on my #1 guitar. The width is 1 13/16". Our standard width was 1 11/16". I always thought that what really made this special was that we also made the bridge spacing 1/8" wider so the extra width ran all the way from the nut to the bridge. Not everyone could handle the extra width but for those who could, it's a really comfortable setup to play. It almost feels like the electric version of playing a classical.

 

[dean701]

nut width matters to me but depth and shoulder girth are also importantly related. I prefer slimmer nut widths but if the neck isn't an oak tree, I can get by. A combination of wide and deep is a show stopper for me. ..and if the back of the neck is painted, that paint is coming off.

 

[jco5055]

It matters but if the bridge width remains constant then changing the width at the nut has a diminishing effect the further up the fingerboard you go. When we were building guitars, we had something that we called "finger style spacing". I have it on my #1 guitar. The width is 1 13/16". Our standard width was 1 11/16". I always thought that what really made this special was that we also made the bridge spacing 1/8" wider so the extra width ran all the way from the nut to the bridge. Not everyone could handle the extra width but for those who could, it's a really comfortable setup to play. It almost feels like the electric version of playing a classical.

ah interesting about the bridge width, I usually play floyds so that all just stays the same no matter what.

 

[dean701]

ah interesting about the bridge width, I usually play floyds so that all just stays the same no matter what.

that's a loaded answer, Floyd and their licensed partners can have different string spacings at the bridge.

floyd original is 10.8mm
floyd hot rod is 10.7mm
floyd relic is 10.7mm.
floyd pro is 10.67 mm
some other licensed models use 10.5 up to 10.9

not a big difference but it's there.

don't even get me started on saddle heights, they also differ between series.

 

[jco5055]

that's a loaded answer, Floyd and their licensed partners can have different string spacings at the bridge.

floyd original is 10.8mm
floyd hot rod is 10.7mm
floyd relic is 10.7mm.
floyd pro is 10.67 mm
some other licensed models use 10.5 up to 10.9

not a big difference but it's there.

don't even get me started on saddle heights, they also differ between series.

Ah yeah I was just thinking of a 10.8mm setup