Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Looking for opinions for a beginner guitarist

Seems like a good point by @DrGuitar1. I too, set my strings at a min height to achieve good action on my Taylor 812ce and it does help improve endurance and sound; backing off when necessary to protect against string-buzz.

On another note, fairly recently, someone handed me their Martin D?? model and to my surprise, I found my fingerstyle accuracy was extra sloppy until I “calibrated” myself by several minutes of fingerstyle picking. It was at this time, I became aware (by measuring with a steel rule) that my Taylor 812ce is equipped with a wider nut and a wider bridge. Maybe imperceptibly wider, but noticeable! Are there different “cardinal sizes” of “nuts” or “bridges” ? I’ve been told that the Taylor is specifically designed towards fingerstyle and perhaps the strings are wider for (in part) for fingerstyle playing. At any rate, by merely looking at guitar models, I can’t distinguish the nut/bridge width without researching. Question: Shouldn’t this width also be a consideration for musicians based on hand-size and type of picking style?

I left out the parlor guitars cause most (not all) are actually full scale length instruments (25.5") which makes them full tension. In addition, many parlors have a slightly wider fretboard (1.75" vs 1.6875").

Definitely. The standard nut width for most steel string instruments is 1 11/16". Some steel string guitars have a 1 3/4" nut while nylon string classical guitars generally have a 2" nut width. If you want to find narrow nuts, you’ll see that many electric guitars can be 1 5/8" or even narrower like 1 1/2".

I think you will find that 1 11/16" is the most common size nut width. As far as string spacing at the bridge, that can really be all over the place. Generally, acoustic guitars are somewhere between 2 5/16" and 2 3/32". Most common seems to be 2 3/16".

Less commonly though, but of great importance when looking for “feel” of an instrument, are the profile of the neck, and the radius of the fingerboard. A big, chunky V or U profile can be uncomfortable/clumsy to many folks, And folks most comfortable playing a Stratocaster with a tight radius fingerboard often find the flat radius of a classical to be maddening. Some folks are even sensitive to the shape, height and width of the fret wire. Some like high/thin frets while others love their super jumbo frets so low you can barely feel them.

So many small differences go into each guitar design/build that the total can make a really big difference in the way the instrument feels, sounds and plays for each individual.

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Yeah…Ukes are just kinda mediocre 90% of time they lack dynamic, and tonal range. Theres just not much to work with.

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Appreciate that explanation; Very educational for me. Apparently, my Taylor 812ce is not all that unusual with a 1 1/2" nut and a 2 3/16 Bridge (I measured it after reading your narrative). For all the reasons you list, to me is a strong incentive to practice with the guitar you preformed with and perform with the guitar you practiced on! …not ‘borrrowing’ someone else’s just before going on stage.

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I’m guessing that you are saying the string spacing (from the center of the 6th string to the center of the 1st string) is 1 1/2" at the nut. I was speaking of the entire nut width from nut edge to nut edge being 1 11/16".

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That would be an odd size for an acoustic nut width, but it is easy to measure it a bit off from the “normal” way. Ha!!! Doc beat me to it and posted while I was typing :slight_smile:

Adding to the size sample. I have one guitar (Martin OM18) that has a whopping 2 3/8" bridge spacing. If I flat pick on that one for a while, it takes me some time to get used to narrower spacing again.

Absolutely correct @DrGuitar1. Remeasured overall nut-width at 1 3/4" on a Taylor 812, but 1 1/2" O.C. from 1st to 6th string. I’m totally in love with this guitar and the factory ES2 pickup.

I’m appreciative of your Tech knowledge on guitars. Thanks.

Sounds Great! Ontario just posted that Mandate so i have lots to say :angry:

Just kidding those topics seem to have a bad history

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Move down here to FL brother! :upside_down_face:

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That or Texas.

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Somewhere where i can own a handgun without the authorities breathing down my neck 24/7. And after our last election i may be able to own one at all. Seems it’s maybe time to move down to good ol USA.

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