Nut widths

[SusanV]

It was just mentioned on another thread that the Gibson B-25 is a really nice guitar, but the nut width is soooo small.

 

My B-25 nut widths are 1 and 9/16ths". I was 11 or 12 when I got my first one and it was perfect. I'm a little older now, and I still love them, even though I usually play my dreadnought these days.

 

I wish I could get an HD-28 with a Gibson B-25 neck

 

Susan

[kwakatak]

Yeah, most folks seem to prefer 1.75" wide nuts, especially if they fingerpick. Most Martin-style dreads I've seen have had 1 and 11/16" wide nuts which supposedly is better for strummers & flatpickers. This is what my Takamine has and I've managed to make the jump from strumming/flatpicking to fingerstyle with no too much difficulty. It just goes to show that your miles may vary.

BTW - 1 & 9/16" seems to be very slim. Is that standard for that model? Even my electrics have had wider nuts at 1.65".

[Hudman]

I'll be honest, I never paid attention to nut width until recently. Neck profile and fretboard radius are more critical to me. I owned a Seagull S6 with a 1.8" nut for 8 years. I never thought it felt too wide. I do find it much easier to fret chords near the nut with a wider nut (now that I pay attention to nut width).

[Stophe88]

my old teacher put a tele neck on his les paul. oddly enough it played amazing
he's pretty much my hero

i'd say if you're feeling adventurous give it a try w/ an acoustic, maybe send it in to a luthier. idk what effect that would have or if it would even work

[SusanV]

Originally posted by kwakatak BTW - 1 & 9/16" seems to be very slim. Is that standard for that model? Even my electrics have had wider nuts at 1.65".

 

 

 

Yes, I remember reading about it once, and the neck was at it's smallest for a couple of years, then was made larger ( but still was very slim). My 2 are i think, from the period when the nuts were the most narrow.

 

I have long skinny fingers, so it's not a problem for me. I put a pickup in one of mine and gigged with it for a few years. The little thing sounds like a grand piano through my setup. People were always amazed how it sounded next to the dreadnoughts on stage... and lead players loved to get hold of it, LOL.

 

Susan