NGD: Original Southern Jumbo

[zombywoof]

3 hours ago, ruger9 said:

Technically correct, tho IMO if feels like a 1-3/4", not a 1-11/16". It's kind of amazing how sensitive we guitar players can be to these minute differences.

 

1-11/16" = 1.6875 (6 hundredths smaller than 1-3/4")

Gibson Original series 1.72 (3 hundredths smaller than 1-3/4)

1-3/4" = 1.75

...as you can see, it's much closer to 1-3/4", IMO as to be effectively called 1-3/4".

I have guitars with nuts of 1-5/8, 1-11/16, 1.72, 1-3/4.  The latter two are virtually identical, especially when compared to the former two.

Granted I have never been much for math.  Probably the reason that although a few have tried to teach me, I have never been able to get a handle on music theory.

But after playing 60+ years I have found I am far more forgiving when it comes to nut width than I am when it comes to depth of neck and string spacing at the bridge.   I remain flexible enough that it does not take long for muscle memory to kick in when moving from playing a Gibson with a 1 11/16" nut to one sporting a 1 3/4" or 1 7/8" nut. Even my 1961 B45-12 with its 2" nut which I play Big Joe Turner style (doubling up only on the D, G, and high E strings) presents no real challenge.  But I pick up a guitar with a string spacing at the bridge of even 2 1/4" never mind 2 5/16" or 2 3/18", going to one with a spread of 2 1/8" or 2 3/16" seems to result in my right hand spending a lot more time fumbling around than I care to admit to.

Edited June 15 by zombywoof

[ruger9]

Quote

20 hours ago, zombywoof said:

Granted I have never been much for math.  Probably the reason that although a few have tried to teach me, I have never been able to get a handle on music theory.

But after playing 60+ years I have found I am far more forgiving when it comes to nut width than I am when it comes to depth of neck and string spacing at the bridge.   I remain flexible enough that it does not take long for muscle memory to kick in when moving from playing a Gibson with a 1 11/16" nut to one sporting a 1 3/4" or 1 7/8" nut. Even my 1961 B45-12 with its 2" nut which I play Big Joe Turner style (doubling up only on the D, G, and high E strings) presents no real challenge.  But I pick up a guitar with a string spacing at the bridge of even 2 1/4" never mind 2 5/16" or 2 3/18", going to one with a spread of 2 1/8" or 2 3/16" seems to result in my right hand spending a lot more time fumbling around than I care to admit to.

 

 

For me it's a combination of nut width and neck profile, I don't believe either one can be singled out as they are interconnected.  It's not a matter of being able to play a certain neck or not, it's being able to play it the way I play.  For example, I play "thumb-over" as opposed to the "classical" grip.  That makes a huge difference in the kind of neck my hand likes. Also, I have relatively large palms and short fingers when compared to many others player's hands. It all matters.

I can play the SJ fine. But it's neck is not "perfect".  If I were a serious finger style player, like Tommy Emmanuel for example, I would need a different guitar, mostly due to the nut/neck not giving me the "freedom" I need for that style of play. But for strumming and singing, which is 90% of my acoustic playing, or even bluegrass flat picking, it's fine.

[zombywoof]

1 hour ago, ruger9 said:

 

For me it's a combination of nut width and neck profile, I don't believe either one can be singled out as they are interconnected.  It's not a matter of being able to play a certain neck or not, it's being able to play it the way I play.  For example, I play "thumb-over" as opposed to the "classical" grip.  That makes a huge difference in the kind of neck my hand likes. Also, I have relatively large palms and short fingers when compared to many others player's hands. It all matters.

I can play the SJ fine. But it's neck is not "perfect".  If I were a serious finger style player, like Tommy Emmanuel for example, I would need a different guitar, mostly due to the nut/neck not giving me the "freedom" I need for that style of play. But for strumming and singing, which is 90% of my acoustic playing, or even bluegrass flat picking, it's fine.

I have always considered nut width, neck carve (shape and depth) and string spacing at the bridge the main triumvirate when it comes to feel.  And no argument more than once it has come down to a two out of three ain't bad thing.

When it comes to fingerpicking though, as Rev. Gary Davis once observed about Blind Blake that what made him such a stand out was his sporting right hand.  So, for me to even hope of ever achieving that, it goes hand in hand with a more generous string spacing at the bridge.

By the way while Tommy Emmanuel is a gifted player, this is the player who can send me back to school in a heartbeat.  If I could even just get this particular song down to a point I was happy with it, I would feel as if I had really accomplished something. 

 

Edited June 16 by zombywoof

[Silversurfer]

@Dave F - love your guitar rack and the fact that you have all your guitars accessible.