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Post subject: What is the widest string spacing available on a strat?
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:36 am
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First post here....

I intend to purchase a american strat or artist grade strat but would like to know which model has the widest string spacing both at the nut and bridge. I mostly finger pick and am used to acoustic string spacing (some habits are hard to kick). I am less concerned about pick-up choices since that is an easy upgrade compared to neck size / bridge width.

So, which model has the widest nut?
Which model has the widest bridge?

thanks in advance for your response!


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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:15 am
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Location: Peckham: where the snow leopards roam
Nuts and string spacing don't vary all that much on Strats, because the width of the neck at the heel is fixed by the dimensions of the neck pocket, which - in theory - should always be the same. This in turn controls the rest of the angles and dimensions to a large degree.

You will find that most Strats come with a nut width of 42 to 43 mm. Click the "specs" button on the products pages of this site to find out.

The Mark Knopfler sig Strat we've been discussing recently claims a 41.3 nut, which is on the small side. Contrawise, I just measured my 2005 American Series (now re-named the Am Std) and the nut, officially 43 mm, is actually 43.25 on the calipers. That's giving a string spacing of 36 mm. I'm not saying it's the biggest out there, but that's towards the large end of the range.

In any case, quoted nut sizes should be taken with a pinch of salt: it all depends who was on the sanding machine in the factory that day.

Similarly, bridge spacing doesn't vary much outside a limited range. My 2005 is probably pretty average at 52.41 mm from center to center of the E strings. Some bridges allow for adjustment of spacing: on scratch-built instruments I very much like the Wilkinson VS100 bridge (available from Gotoh) and there is a bit of wiggle-room with that. But of course it is limited by the outside edges of the neck. The VS100 and 400 are straight swaps for two-point Fender bridges, if you wanted to go that way. I'm sure I wouldn't bother, though.

Your best bet is to find a Strat, such as the Am Deluxe, that boasts a 43 mm nut, and if that is still a bit cramped you can get a blank nut and cut it with a little more air between the strings (or have a tech do it for you, obviously). You could also widen the saddles a little, perhaps with a replacement bridge chosen for the purpose. Though all of that ain't going to win you much more than an extra millimetre or so along most of the neck before you start seriously falling off the edge of the 'board.

I'd be more inclined just to get used to the feel of a Fender neck instead, if I were you...

Good luck - C


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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:06 pm
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Hi again, Woodsyowl

Something about this question lodged in the back of my mind, and I found myself looking around for Strat-type guitars with wider fingerboards. And the answer is, there ain't much out there. I came across Blade's California series "superstrat" guitars in a magazine article. Apparently some, but not all, of that series carry a bridge with a 54 mm string spacing. Though it is kind of hard to tell from their website. And anyway, you'd get the same thing putting that VS100 bridge I mentioned onto a Fender.

The only other idea I came up with: have you considered Brian May's signature Red Special guitar? Replicas of it have been made by several manufacturers over the years under license, but now Mr May has taken things in hand and set up a little company of his own to produce it. At the risk of mentioning this on Fender's website, have a look here:

www.brianmayguitars.co.uk

(Brian is small and Fender is huge: I hope they can take mention of a competitor manfully.)

That Red Special is a very unique guitar, with a blizzard of unusual switching options, a vibrato bridge, single coil pickups, a zero nut - and a monstrously wide, classical sized fingerboard. 45 mm at the nut, 57 mm at the 24th fret!!!

:!:

If that ain't spacious enough for you then I don't know what is!

But I'd stick with a Strat (OK, Fender?).

Let us know how you get on - C


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