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Author
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Topic: Another string spacing post :eek:
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jeffstro
unregistered
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posted 06 February 2002 08:43 PM
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> Here's an angle on string spacing that I don't think we've covered (unless I missed it in a previous post :0). Wouldn't it be best to have the same
string spacing at the nut and the bridge? It's interesting that there are just as many different string spacings on steel guitars, as there are tunings (& scale lengths for that matter, but that's another can of worms). 
>
> One of my guitars has a 5/16th of
an inch string spacing all across the neck. The others have a slight variance in
16ths or 32nds on either end. I would assume that most guitars have a wider spacing down at the bridge to give more picking room for the right hand (like the Sierra LapTop, which is 7/16 at the bridge, but narrows to 5/16 at the nut.
>
> After reading various posts, 3/8 (or 6/16) of an inch seems to be the consensus for
the "ideal" non-pedal string spacing. Slants, including the split-string technique, seem to be more mathematically correct in relation to the bar and the frets. My T-8 (Remington) is 6/16 at the bridge, but a little narrower at the nut (5/16). Is there an advantage for the closer string spacing on the lower frets?  ? My S-10 is 5/16 across, but I'm having Herb send me a bridge with 6/16 spacing, to match the spacing on my T-8 (5/16 is a little too snug for my fingers). And while I'm at it, I'm thinking about having all 4 of the 5/16 nuts changed out to 6/16 to get uniform string spacing across the neck.
>
> The nuts and bridges are about 20 bucks a piece, so before I actually
change, I'd like to get some advice and opinions from my fellow
non-peddlers! Does anyone see any advantage/disadvantage to keeping 5/16
at the nut and 6/16 at the bridge, as opposed to changing to 6/16 on both
ends to make it uniform?
>
> Thanks for any replies, and for reading my long post!
>
Jeff
>
>
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Jim Smith
Member From: Plano, TX, USA
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posted 06 February 2002 09:13 PM
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One thing to watch out for is the taper of the fretboard itself. If you change the taper of the strings (which changing the nut spacing will do), the border of the fretboard won't follow the strings and you'll find yourself missing or overshooting the outside string.I speak from the experience of a costly re-die job on our first Dekley fretboards. Those of you that own or have seen the first Dekleys now know why the border was so wide toward the bridge.  ------------------
Jim Smith jimsmith94@charter.net
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden Ext. E9/U-13 8&8=-
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Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Austin, Texas
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posted 07 February 2002 01:26 AM
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Deleted this original post on the grounds that I got my ruler out and Bob has a great point Below. It does measure out to be less slant with a wider nut than a norrower nut at the lower frets. The difficulty I have is with a longer scale steel is tuff down there with either nut length; and is the difficulty I had when playing a steel with a wider nut..."It was a Long scale"...But with a shorter scale length I have no trouble with lower fret slants....and 24" is the longest I would go with that...and with a wider nut....I believe it would make it even easier. I'm gunna do so more measuring and looks like I may go with slighty wider nut for the new D-10 SS HAWAIIAN....but no longer than a 24" scale though...and I think I might be on to something......Thanks for pointing that out Bob and "NO" your not Dense...."your very bright and insightful pal.------------------
Ricky Davis 
My Homepage
Rebel™ and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com
[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 08 February 2002 at 08:49 PM.] [This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 08 February 2002 at 08:53 PM.]
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Aaron Schiff
Member From: Cedaredge, CO, USA
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posted 07 February 2002 09:48 PM
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Interesting comments. I put a wider nut on my guitar, but the 1st and 6th strings centers are just at the edge of the neck. I haven't had a problem, but I could imagine that a much wider nut would create big problems. I agree with Ricky about slants. Wide spacing at the nut or a long scale would make slants pretty difficult. |
chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 07 February 2002 11:55 PM
profile edit
Joaquin Murphey insisted on 3/8" spacing at the nut and the bridge. |
Bob Stone
Member From: Gainesville, FL, USA
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posted 08 February 2002 06:44 AM
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Maybe I'm dense or missing something here. It seems to me that wider spacing at the nut facilitates cleaner slants on the lower frets because the bar is at a less severe angle with wider spacing. My experience is that a severe bar angle makes for bad tone.Try this experiment using a straight edge. Make a "slant" fret 2, string 3; fret 3, string 2; and fret 4, string one. If you get strings 1 and 3 in tune, string 2 probably looks a little flat. Now do that same slant on strings 5, 3 and 1 to simulate an exaggerated wider string spacing and see if string 3 doesn't look like it would be more in tune. My Bakelite Ric 6 and Fender Stringmaster 2X8 both have 22.5" scale. The Ric has wider string spacing (3/8" at the nut) and to me is easier to get clean, in-tune slants on the lower frets than the Fender (5/16" at the nut) Am I missing something? If so, please lead me out of the darkness. |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Austin, Texas
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posted 08 February 2002 08:54 PM
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I changed my reply above after reading Bob's reply.
Ricky |
Bob Stone
Member From: Gainesville, FL, USA
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posted 09 February 2002 09:43 AM
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Thanks Ricky. Let me know how it goes. I have considered getting wider nuts made for my Stringmaster, but just never got around to it. |
Sage
Member From: Boulder, Colorado
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posted 09 February 2002 12:01 PM
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I appreciate everyone's comments. I think that tapers come from the Spanish guitar origins of the instrument. I don't know why they persist to this day. The logic that Bob mentioned, and the preferences of J. M. both influenced me to specify my nut spacing at 3/8, the same as the bridge. Ricky, your advocacy of 3/8 bridge spacing helped to give me confidence in my decision to set it there. Thanks to all.
T. Sage Harmos
Harmos Steel Guitars |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Austin, Texas
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posted 09 February 2002 06:57 PM
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Cool Bob and Sage....As I'm sitting here in a hotel in DC....I've been thinkin. I mean I actually love the 3/8" spacing at the bridge(hand side)and will never ever change that....but just don't know if I want the exact at the nut side....makes great since....but just might freak me out too much changing between instruments as much as I do....I mean I still play pedal steel and Dobro and my Fender steels....so maybe we might just come down a 32nd of an inch.....so the look of a taper will still be somewhat there....but still the advantage that a more spaced nut would provide......ha.....it's all so confusing ain't it???.....ah.....ha....I mean I have to play these things and the less I have to adjust my technique and the way each instrument feels and looks...."the Better".
Ricky |
John Kavanagh
Member From: Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada
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posted 10 February 2002 11:11 AM
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It makes a little sense on a Spanish guitar to have the spacing wider at the bridge, if you're playing mostly strummed chords and single-line stuff. On a classical guitar they're almost parallel and I think it's easier for counterpoint and fingerpicking.My acoustic conversion has parallel, fairly wide spacing, and it seems better than the spacing on my electric, which is a little narrower at the nut. I think Sage must be right about it being a survival from the days of adapted Spanish guitars - parallel strings make more sense for playing with a bar. [This message was edited by John Kavanagh on 10 February 2002 at 11:12 AM.] |
chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 10 February 2002 02:42 PM
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quote:
I mean I have to play these things and the less I have to adjust my technique and the way each instrument feels and looks...."the Better".
I was playing Joaquin's guitar and it takes some getting used to. One other advantage, it makes the individual strings easier to see, then again, that may not be a problem for you guys yet. |
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