Is The Nut Size the same as The Neck Width ?

[JuanCarlosVejar]

Guys I need some to shed some light on this :

 

I need the neck widths of the following models :

 

J 45

 

Hummingbird

 

SJ 200

[BigKahune]

.

The nut size is the neck width at the nut. Of coure you know the neck get wider toward toward the soundhole.

 

You can check the nut width specs on the Gibson website.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

.

The nut size is the neck width at the nut. Of coure you know the neck get wider toward toward the soundhole.

 

You can check the nut width specs on the Gibson website.

 

yes I did know the neck gets wider as we go up , but I would like to know the width of the neck at it's widest point (12 fret)

[j45nick]

yes I did know the neck gets wider as we go up , but I would like to know the width of the neck at it's widest point (12 fret)

Well, of course the widest point of the board/neck is not at the 12th fret, but we'll ignore that. In plan view, most of the Gibson necks I have measured have a fairly consistent taper, so that a neck that is 1 9/16" wide at the nut is just about 1/8" narrower at the 12th fret than a board/neck that is 1 11/16" at the nut. I've only taken these measurement with a steel rule, not properly with digital calipers.

 

As an example, my '59 ES 335 is 1 11/16" at the nut, and 2 1/8" at the 12th fret. I have a J-45 that is 1 9/16" at the nut, and 2" at the 12th fret. Both guitars have the same nominal scale length of 24 3/4". My other Gibsons are in the shop right now, but I've measured those in the past, and found the same thing.

 

This would imply that the board width at the 12th fret is 1.26-1.28 times the width at the nut. I'd be curious to see if this ratio holds for other Gibsons. It holds for the ones I have, both acoustic and electric.

 

In a way, what matters more is the string spacing and left-hand position when it comes to certain styles of playing, rather than the actual board width.