6-a-side headstocks with inline tuners and nut width

jaymenon

If you fit Kluson type vintage tuners to a strat to telecaster, the bodies of the tuners 'abut' against each other on the rear of the headstock right...?

If then you increase nut width (conventionally 1-5.8" or 41mm) to 1-11/16 or 1-3/4" the string separation at the nut widens.

Logically therefore the distance between the tuner holes will also need to increase (if you want the strings to describe straight / parallel lines across the nut).

Given that the holes for the tuner posts are at a large angle from the 'long axis' of the nut, do vintage tuners then no longer abut each other? Does a gap begin to develop between the tuner bodies on the back of the headstock?

Apologies for the rough diagram - but just to illustrate my point.

https://i.imgur.com/yZDuxOx.jpg

SteveRobinson

Or change the angle of the top edge of the headstock wrt the nut??

drofluf

Mathematically you’re correct but I think that the change in dimensions is so small as to make no difference. On a back of the envelope calculation increasing the nut width by 3mm would increase the total tuner spacing by at most 6mm or roughly 2mm per tuner. 

ICBM

I’ve never seen it altered for any string spacing. You just accept a very slight sideways angle on some strings. Fender used to offer four different nut widths, all with the same head shape and tuner spacing. (Although I’m not sure they ever made any D widths.)

Kittyfrisk

ICBM said:

I’ve never seen it altered for any string spacing. You just accept a very slight sideways angle on some strings. Fender used to offer four different nut widths, all with the same head shape and tuner spacing. (Although I’m not sure they ever made any D widths.)

They sold the rights on that width to MD Phillips.

jaymenon

SteveRobinson said:

Or change the angle of the top edge of the headstock wrt the nut??

I take it you mean the edge that runs parallel to the tuners (on the left side of my diagram). That’s a great idea.

Yes Steve, increasing that angle slightly will allow widening of the string spacing while keeping the same inter-tuner distance.

I wonder if manufacturers actually do it though?