guitars with wider nuts

seany65

I'm beginning to think about whether the nut on my guitar  (an ibanez as73-a-like) is a little bit too narrow, as the 2nd and 3rd fingertips on each hand are slightly 'fatter'/rounder than the tips of my index fingers and sometimes catch slightly on other strings, especially near the upper frets, and some simple 1st position chords (mainly with 2 or more fretted notes at the 1st fret) are a bit too cramped for comfort.

I know you'll just say "keep practicing, and make sure your fingers are going straight down onto the strings and are not at an angle", but I'm doing that. I first started with a nylon string guitar and so am used to the old 'straight fingers' thing.

So I was wondering if are there are any semi guitars with wider nuts than normal, that also have slightly wider string spacing than normal?

Ideally it would have 'buckers, 2 tone 2 vol pots, upper fret access as good as the one I've got now, also with a 12"-14" radius, for starters. It would take me a fair while to save up though, even for a 2nd hand. I would have to have a go on it for a while first so I couldn't buy 'blind'.

I know some of the new gibsons have wider nuts, but according to the review of the gibson 2015 LPM in Guitarist, the string spacing is normal. What's the point of that?

Sarge

This is a job for........



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electro-wide-neck-acoustic-PCC-Brunswick-conversion-on-Ernie-Ball-nines-/191549113152?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2c99378340

rlw

seany65 said:

I know some of the new gibsons have wider nuts, but according to the review of the gibson 2015 LPM in Guitarist, the string spacing is normal. What's the point of that?

So you have more to grab hold of and so you don't fall off the side.  Trust me on the second one anyway, it works.

rpr

I cant help with your question re;wider nuts, but it would be worth trying out a Hagstrom Viking. I find classical/Spanish guitar necks 'normal' for me and I adapt for other guitars and the Hagstrom did feel less of a transition.

I would say the neck is wide/flat and it has (IIRC) a 16" radius. They dont seem to hold their used value well and can be picked up  for sub £300.   

Sassafras

PRS.

They've got nice wide flat necks. Very easy to play. The SE ones don't cost too much.

Moltisanti

G&L Rampage Jerry Cantrell has an extra wide nut, and they are cheap

seany65

Thanks for the replies.

@Sarge, You may be surprised at this, but I was expecting someone to make that suggestion.
:P

Having said that though, he does say in one listing he adapted a home-build 12 string tele kit to give a wider-than-normal 6 string neck.

On the other hand, all the listings I can find on G**gle of the Ibanez AS7312 say it has a nut-width of 43mm, (the same as the AS73) so would a home build 12 string tele have a wider neck than their 6-string version?

@Moltisanti, I've just had a quick look, and they're all solid, and the rampage only has 1 pickup and no tone pot, so they're out I'm afraid.

@ Sassafras, I've just had a look at their site and I can't see any mention of nut width or string spacing at the nut on any SE guitars, or any of the others, so for now they're out of any 'planning' I may sart to do,, but I could maybe have a go on some if they have any in the shops I go in when (if?) I get the money together.

@rpr, The Hagtroms did look promising, but all their nuts are 43mm, so I thing the strings won't be much wider than those on mine. Your were close with the radius, it is actually 15" on them.

@rlw, You 'fall off'? Is this when bending?

RMJ

Gordon smiths have wide fretboards

rlw

seany65 said:

Thanks for the replies.


@rlw, You 'fall off'? Is this when bending?

Often doing something quite ordinary and I can't bend to save my life.  I think it allows me a slightly more liberal approach to perpendicular fingers.......

Sarge

[quote="seany65;610443"]
@Sarge, You may be surprised at this, but I was expecting someone to make that suggestion.

:P




Sorry, couldn't resist it was just a cheap shot at getting me over the 100 frets mark

Dalefty

They don't have a wider nut, but they do have wider string spacing, though they are basically rebadged made in Indonesia Sigma's, they are acoustic guitars though, Zager guitars, as in the singer song writer Denny Zager who had a one hit wonder with the song 'In The Year 2525' basically they are Sigma's that he has setup to his liking and preferences.

http://www.zagerguitar.com/

A good guitar tech should be able to make a new nut for you and increase the string spacing for you, though doing this will mean the low E and high E strings will be moved closer to the edge of the fretboard.  I would look at getting a new nut made before I considered buying a new guitar, it will be a lot cheaper, not to mention that you can get a good quality bone nut to replace what is most likely a synthetic one you currently have.


DaLefty

seany65

@RMJ, Thanks for the suggestion. They are a little (actually a 'lottle') bit too dear, though.

@rlw, I still don't get how you can 'fall off' the fretboard. I'm untalented and clumsy and even I don't 'fall off' the fret board.

@Sarge, I suppose I could forgive you. What's it worth?

Thanks for the suggestion DaLefty. I'm not really looking for an acoustic at the minute, though. I suppose I could look at the 'new nut' idea. Could the distance between the strings be made wide enough for me to notice, though? 

RMJ

I sold a GS2 in very good nick last year for 400 quid.

steamabacus

I don't think you're going to find an electric guitar that in any way feels like a classical neck. I do really think it's a case of stick with it and it will improve.

However ....

I have an Ibanez Artcore AGS-83B which I'm assuming will have a pretty similar neck profile to your AS73. When I was buying that (which was a few years ago) the other main contender was a Hofner Verythin Contemporary. The thing that swung my choice towards the Ibanez was that it had a slightly narrower neck (which, for me, felt more comfortable). The Hofner's neck was only a mm or so wider but it was noticeable. It was a very nice guitar, though, and I thought the pickups were better than those on the Ibanez (which I've subsequently replaced.

seany65

Thanks for the info RMJ.

@steamabacus, I'm not actually after a neck that feels like a classical neck as such, I'm just wondering if there are any semis with slightly wider string spacing than what I've got now. That Hofner you linked to has a nut of 44mm, but it doesn't mention fretboard radius. PMT Manchester does list one for something like £679, but it's a limited edtion of 200, so by the time I can afford one it'll be gone. If I can find one in a shop I may try it,  just to see what it's like.

steamabacus

@seany65

Hmmm? It was a good 7-8 years ago (possibly more?) and the older version with dot fingerboard inlays (rather than the retro 'stripey' inlays they have now) but the one's I tried out were selling for £350 new.

seany65

Thanks, steamabacus.

seany65

Not quite 'on topic' but I chickened out of starting a new thread about Nuts.

I'll soon be getting some new pots, caps and so on and I've decided that I'd like a new nut as well.

I have been thinking of Tusq, unbleached bone and 'graphite compound' nuts.

I'm sure you all know of the Tusq and bone nuts, but here's a 'graphite compund' nut

http://www.axesrus.co.uk/42mm-Graphite-Compound-Nuts-p/42mmgraphite1.htm

to show I'm not getting mixed up with a plain graphite nut.

Anyway, I recently read that unbleached bone 'self lubricates' to a small degree, and that graphite nuts deaden the sound to a small degree.

So I was wondering if anyone can tell me if :

1) Is the 'self-lubration' of the unbleached bone nut noticeable?

2) Does anyone know if graphite-compound nuts deaden the notes at all?

I've also been looking at earvana nuts (again), and while I like the idea of the lower frets being more in tune, I've read that the nuts are a little softer than is ideal, so :

1) Does anyone know if this is true and does it affect tuning stability when bending notes?

I've also been wondering if the earvana nut really is taken out of the eqaution once notes are fretted.

eg. before an earvana is fitted, the lower notes are bent sharp when fretted, (as the nut isn't quite in the right place) and I presume when doing a barre chord the notes being fretted by the barring finger are all a bit sharp, and thus the starting points for the other fretted notes are all a little sharp and therefore the other fretted notes can't be in tune.

And so when an earvana is fitted, the lower notes are not bent sharp, (as the nut is now in the right place), and so I presume when doing a barre chord, the notes being fretted by the barring finger are all now in tune and thus the starting points for the other fretted notes are now all in tune and therefore the other fretted notes are in tune.

Is that right?

I've decided agains the Tusq stuff as I saw a demo on youtube in which a bloke dropped a TusqXL nut, a bone nut and some other nut onto a table and the TuqXL sounded mettallic. Yuck!

ICBM

It should be an easy job to remove the adjustable nut from a 2015 Gibson and fit it with a normal one with wider string spacing. You will probably want to fit standard tuners as well, since the brass nut appears to be a response to tuning problems caused by the robot ones.

I would wait until they get discounted heavily later in the year then get a 2015 SG of some sort... the amount you save should easily cover the work, especially if you sell the tuners and nut.

It's your choice whether to have the headstock refinished as well but it's the ideal time to do it.

WezV

The graphite nuts can have a warmer sound, I wouldn't call it deader.

Bone has always, and continues to be, a pretty good choice for nuts.... As long as its well cut, but that is true of any nut.

What do you want a nut to sound like when dropped on a table? why would a metallic ping be bad? That is kinda what I look for as it tells me its a dense material that will transmit string energy well. I also look for metallic rings when tapping my fretboard wood, not like the airy woodiness I like to hear in body wood

seany65

Thanks for the replies.

@WezV. It's hard to explain, but a metallic ring from something that ain't metal seems odd to me. I also don't like too much treble and while I have an all maple guitar, I  can get along with the fact that it's marginally brighter than the korean sheraton I had years ago due to the fact that it's quite a 'soft' brigthness, but I don't want to add to that brightness by fitting a nut that from what I understand actually does add a little brightness.

How soft are graphite nuts? Do you think it may be an idea for me to get one of those 'graphite compund' nuts, if they are slightly harder and may last longer but also have that slippery thing going on?

@ICBM. I'm often confused by your replies to my posts as I don't know too much about guitars and amps and things, and while the first line of your reply does fit in with the original topic of this thread, I'm a little confused as you seem to think I have a 2015 gibson with a brass nut and you go on to recommend that I get a 2015 SG and then mention reifnishing the headstock. :-S

Has 'someone' got mixed up with the replies to 2 different posts and posted them in the wrong threads?