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Post subject: Nut width questions.
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:54 am
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I've been looking at this guitar on ebay. In the specs below the video it says it has 1 5/8" bone nut and then down below that it says 42mm nut width. So does this mean the string spacing at the nut is modern but the width of the nut is vintage style or do I have my understanding of this wrong. The newer strats such as Am Standards have 1 5/8" nut width right?? And 42mm is the same as 1 11/16" is this correct? Please look at this and straighten me out on this subject. It's probably a dumb question but I am confused.
http://cgi.ebay.com/1960-White-Fender-N ... 0979118807

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Post subject: Re: Nut width questions.
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:13 am
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I think that is a good question, and I've wondered about it myself. Looking at my calipers, 42 mm is right between 1-5/8" and 1-11/16", so it is actually 1-21/32" which is a little unusual for a fraction, maybe a little to precise for practicality. 41 mm is closer to 1-5/8", but the specs are usually listed as {1-5/8" (42 mm)}. And if you measure the actual guitar width at nut, you'll find many times that it is slightly different than the specs. I usually see more measurements closer to 1-11/16" than 1-5/8". I prefer them a little wider myself, so I can make a D chord on the second and third frets, using the first, second and third strings without muting the high E. :idea:

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Post subject: Re: Nut width questions.
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:21 am
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bshane84 wrote:
I've been looking at this guitar on ebay. In the specs below the video it says it has 1 5/8" bone nut and then down below that it says 42mm nut width. So does this mean the string spacing at the nut is modern but the width of the nut is vintage style or do I have my understanding of this wrong. The newer strats such as Am Standards have 1 5/8" nut width right?? And 42mm is the same as 1 11/16" is this correct? Please look at this and straighten me out on this subject. It's probably a dumb question but I am confused.
http://cgi.ebay.com/1960-White-Fender-N ... 0979118807


Did you mean to say string spacing on the bridge was vintage? If so, it appears so because from the auction pics, the E strings are outside the poles on the pickups instead of centered exactly over them.

AFAIK, 43mm usually means a 1 11/16" nut and that width is almost exclusively USA Strats, 42mm is 1 5/8th" which you can find on some USA Signature Strats as well as MIM Strats.


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Post subject: Re: Nut width questions.
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 9:40 am
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Ok I get it now. I had it backwards. 1 5/8 means 42mm which is usually Vintage or Vintage reissues widths. 43mm or 1 11/16 is usually on the newer strats. I geuss this is right. The nut width on the 57 Reissue I had was exactly 42mm. And the width on the Am Standard is 43mm. I suppose on alot of the vintage strats it probably varies from strat to strat more so than now.

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Post subject: Re: Nut width questions.
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:12 am
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I have owned about 50 strats. Here's what I have found. Older ( 3 or 4 years ) usually had the small neck width at the nut, but it was inconsistent.

To get the nicer 42mm / 1.6535 inch width on a Squire Strat, get the BULLET strat.
The ones made in China. The HSS bullet with tremelo is actually quite a nice guitar. May need to use some light sanding on the edges of the neck to dress the frets, be careful don't overdo it.

The Affinity is quite narrow : 41 mm usually way too small for an adult hand to properly chord in the first position.

The 42mm standard necks usually have a thin profile and a nice feel.
The mex strats have 42mm nut width but are "chunky" necks and generally heavy body.

The current 2011 - 2012 China BULLET strat is also more compatible with the many hundreds of other asian spec instruments. note that the strings are also closer together at the bridge. This is quite a fast and easy playing neck.

The AMERICAN standard has the 43mm width and is almost always larger around the 7th position (B bar chord). A little too chunky for my taste, and the guitars tend to be heavy. Note that vintage and some other special Amer strats have the 42mm but you really have to check the specific guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Nut width questions.
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:39 pm
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markaldr wrote:
I have owned about 50 strats. Here's what I have found. Older ( 3 or 4 years ) usually had the small neck width at the nut, but it was inconsistent.

To get the nicer 42mm / 1.6535 inch width on a Squire Strat, get the BULLET strat.
The ones made in China. The HSS bullet with tremelo is actually quite a nice guitar. May need to use some light sanding on the edges of the neck to dress the frets, be careful don't overdo it.

The Affinity is quite narrow : 41 mm usually way too small for an adult hand to properly chord in the first position.

The 42mm standard necks usually have a thin profile and a nice feel.
The mex strats have 42mm nut width but are "chunky" necks and generally heavy body.

The current 2011 - 2012 China BULLET strat is also more compatible with the many hundreds of other asian spec instruments. note that the strings are also closer together at the bridge. This is quite a fast and easy playing neck.

The AMERICAN standard has the 43mm width and is almost always larger around the 7th position (B bar chord). A little too chunky for my taste, and the guitars tend to be heavy. Note that vintage and some other special Amer strats have the 42mm but you really have to check the specific guitar.


WOW.. !!

You've owned 50 strats and this is your 1st post..??

We really need to have you more involved !!

Cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Nut width questions.
Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:49 pm
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bshane84 wrote:
1 5/8 means 42mm which is usually Vintage or Vintage reissues widths. 43mm or 1 11/16 is usually on the newer strats. I geuss this is right. The nut width on the 57 Reissue I had was exactly 42mm. And the width on the Am Standard is 43mm.

Hi bshane84: I have an American Series Strat which was officially spec'd as having a 43mm nut - which they also gave as 1.6875". As you say, 1.6875 is 1 11/16.

I don't really understand why they bother to specify the measurement in ten thousandths of an inch, because how many of us can visualise what that number means? You certainly can't find it on any ruler I've ever seen. Whereas, most of us have a reasonable idea what either the fractional measurement looks like, or the metric version.

Obviously, the metric numbers given are nearest round number equivalents to the imperial units the guitars were originally built to. There would be little point in telling us a nut was 42.8625 millimetres.

Most especially since guitars aren't really built to that level of precision as far as the timberwork is concerned. In truth, all of these numbers are usually just approximations of what we find on real guitars. My Am Strat's nut is actually 43.15mm, for example.

bshane84 wrote:
I suppose on alot of the vintage strats it probably varies from strat to strat more so than now.

I'm not sure it necessarily follows that these particular measurements are a lot more accurate than in the past. There is still quite a bit of hand-building even on the mass produced instruments of the biggest makers. For instance, when a guitar neck is nearing completion a guy runs a hand-held orbital sander up and down the sides of the neck and depending how hard he presses and how many passes he makes that width measurement will vary a certain amount. Certainly enough to make quoting it in ten thousandths of an inch a little optimistic. Again, when a nut is being seated its ends are given a rounding off with a file to make them run smoothly into the woodwork and one builder's hand will do that a little differently to another.

I suspect the string spread at the nut probably has more influence on low position playability for most of us than the exact nut width. But when did you last see a company specifying string spacing at the nut?

In the end, each guitar is what it is, and that's a very good reason we try them out in the shop before buying.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Nut width questions.
Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 1:30 pm
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I know this is a super old thread, but just in case someone is doing an internet search for nut widths like I have done in the past here is all the info I have on it.
(I was searching "string spacing" because a luthier cut a cramped 34mm string spacing into my 42mm nut so I can't play a G chord)! It looks like it should be 35mm according to Graphtech.

I'm posting primarily to point out that 1 5/8" is not 42mm it is 41.3mm.

Okay, here's everything I've got on nut widths:
Here is what I've figured out about nut widths (If you've just done a search of these forums for nut width info you've hit the jackpot!!!):
41.3 mm= 1.625" = 1 5/8" = G&L bolt-ons, Fenders produced up to the mid 80s, Fender Baja Telecaster, older MIM Strats, Mark Knopfler Strat, numerous Ernie Ball Music Man (Luke etc.), Peavey Wolfgang.
42 mm = 1.650" Current Mexican strats.
42.8 mm= 1.685" Fender American Deluxe Strat (also has a compound radius fretboard 9.5" to 14")
43 mm = 1.690" = 1 11/16= Fender (Mexican) Deluxe Players Strat, Les Paul, PRS, Schecter, Ibanez, smallest size that is found on ALL acoustic guitars (except Luna, Dean (according to their website) and a couple Epiphones)

I play a USA CG Maple Strat Neck with a 42mm nut and compound radius fretboard (9.5” to 12”).

42 mm/1.650" is not available from Warmoth who makes 1 5/8 (41.3mm) and 1 11/16" (43mm), but is available from USA Custom Guitars.

41.3mm/1.625" nut width:
-EBMM Axis, Silhouette, Luke II, and Albert Lee
-Fender Baja Telecaster
-Fender Mark Knopfler Strat
-Peavey Wolfgang, but not sure about the Fender EVH one as well.
Almost every vintage-spec Fender and RI made. It's the only nut width Fender used until the mid-'80's.
All non-custom order G&L's.
All companies once owned by Leo Fender are rooted in 1-5/8" nuts.

1.500 = 1-1/2 = 38.1mm
1.563 = 1-9/16 = 39.7mm
1.625 = 1-5/8 = 41.3mm
1.688 = 1-11/16 = 42.9mm
1.750 = 1-3/4 = 44.5mm


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