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shoer
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Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:49 am

Hello out there, I have big fingers, and often smother some notes. My guitar is a Yamaha 350 with a 1 3/4 nut width. It is old, and still sounds good, but not worth dumping $ into. I'd rather look for another guitar for finger picking. Iv'e looked in some shops around here, and there is not much to find, besides the classical 2 inch nut width. I'd like to try maybe 1 13/16, or just more spread. Any ideas? Thanks, Shoer


wrsomers
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Fri Jan 22, 2016 12:49 pm

shoer wrote:
Hello out there, I have big fingers, and often smother some notes. My guitar is a Yamaha 350 with a 1 3/4 nut width. It is old, and still sounds good, but not worth dumping $ into. I'd rather look for another guitar for finger picking. Iv'e looked in some shops around here, and there is not much to find, besides the classical 2 inch nut width. I'd like to try maybe 1 13/16, or just more spread. Any ideas? Thanks, Shoer
Shoer,

The Collings 002 has a 1 13/16" nut. They are pricey -$3,000, but Collings is a great brand.
The Larivee LSV-11 also has that nut width. It is pricey as well. It seems guitars with "finger picking" nut widths cost more.
Hope this helps.

Bill

https://reverb.com/item/1596587-colling ... oClmHw_wcB


wiley
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Fri Jan 22, 2016 1:37 pm

1 - buy a used 12 string and take 6 of the strings off, most 12 strings have a 2" nut width.

2 - Most major manufacturers have websites which include 'specs' - look around - this is "Seagull's" spec link = http://seagullguitars.com/specs.html
Scroll down and you can find the specifics for each of their line. Left side (Excursion Model) are the low level, the 'cheapest' and the further you go right, the higher the cost. I've owned two Seagulls, a S6 original and still have (my back porch 'beater') an S6-CW-Folk.

3 - NO, you can not take a 'nylon' string and replace the strings with steel - they are not built to withstand the tension! You can however, get to like or maybe even love the sound and feel of a nylon! - Most are either flat (meaning the fret board is flat as to where a steel string has a radius) or 'hybrid'.


thereshopeyet
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Fri Jan 22, 2016 2:58 pm

Bill Wrote:
It seems guitars with "finger picking" nut widths cost more
So Bill does that mean narrow / slim necked Taylors aren't really for fingerpicking ?

I like my Seagull S6 Original . (my price range :dry: :ohmy: ) .
I think it's considered a sort of beginner guitar.

The Taylor 114ce I found too narrow for me, but that may be more to do with lackability !

I like my Sigma SDMC-12E

Dermot

:)


fjeanmur
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Fri Jan 22, 2016 3:22 pm

I have to echo what Dermot said. I love my Seagull S6 Original. I wouldn't consider it a "beginner " guitar, just a very good, reasonably priced one. I've had it for three years and expect to have it for many more. It suits me just fine for fingerpicking.

Jean


wiley
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Sun Jan 24, 2016 12:02 am

I thought a bit about this.....

Question - are you measuring the width of the neck/fretboard at the nut OR the string spread from E (big string) to e (little string).

The Avian I am playing in my post "The Wrench" has a 1-3/4 inch width of the neck AT the nut. So, in respect to that, the width at the 12th fret is 2-1/8 inches. Most necks do this, get wider further down the neck. Of course, due to physics and string theory et.al the frets get closer! One of the first things when learning the bass is to play further up the neck as the frets are even bigger,

So, here's an ideal - before buying anything, tune down perhaps a half or even three half steps, Capo up to the correct tuning and see if that helps. Hell, don't even need to tune down to try this, just see if playing a fret or two or three down capoed and see how that works.

Now another thought - depends on how much $$ ya wanna throw around. Try a 'baritone' guitar. They are 'longer scale' and usually tuned half way between a 'normal' six string and a bass. So, a normal tuning for a Baritone is 2-1/2 tones (5 semitones) or B, instead of E (then tuned in 4ths, etc) the 'scale' length is usually around 28" (this is measured from the nut to the saddle) as to a 'normal' 6 string is around 25-1/2 inches. This means that when you capo at the fifth fret, the distance between frets will be about the same as they would be on a E tuned. And as such, (I have no ideal how much or anyway to measure this) the neck width would also increase as the width is, normally, 1-3/4 at the nut, and 2-1/8 at the 12th fret. (something like .156 of an inch wider - 1.9 inches or so)

Try here: http://avianguitars.ca/configurator/#!F


shoer
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Mon Jan 25, 2016 9:27 am

Thank you all for your in put. I will continue to learn about this before buying my next guitar. I am now trying many different guitars and appreciate the help. I know I'm not the smartest person, so I must go slow so as to avoid buyers remorse.
Careful scrutiny,( glasses and magnifying glass) has revealed that the neck is 1 3/4" at the nut, and 2" at the 12th fret.
But the nut is 1 11/16", with a string spread of 1 9/16" at the nut, and 1 10/16" at the 12th fret. There is a little bit of neck sticking out past the nut that you can see and feel. I think a 1 3/4 nut might help, but this guitar (that I bought new in 1979) has less neck taper than
many other guitars. It is a Yamaha fg350w. To my surprise, this lack of taper or narrow neck thing is pretty big. A wider neck at the
sound hole, provides more string spread and playability. I've been so hung up on the nut width. I like to play wrap around f and g chords, with the thumb on top to free up a finger or two. If I get a wider neck at the nut,... that might be another problem.
So I got to get out there and find out. Thanks again Bill, Dermot, Jean, and Wiley. I am paying attention and taking notes. Shoer


shoer
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Sun Jan 31, 2016 8:33 am

update, well I tried a wider nut with more spread. When ordering, I was unaware of the need to match radius. The neck is probably a 16" radius, and the nut I bought is for a 10" radius. So, of course it had problems with string height. So I put the old nut back on, rather than bury the D and G strings into the nut. Doing all this made the neck lay back. So, I attempt to ad relief by adjusting the truss rod. Before all this, I was spoiled with perfect action. Now, it's only playable with a capo. I will take it to a shop to see if it can be made playable. I hate to throw it away after 37 years. I have a very cheap nylon stringer that I can use for a spell, but my time table just got moved up.


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