Query failed: connection to localhost:9312 failed (errno=111, msg=Connection refused). Nut, neck, scale, gauge (important?) - Acoustics Discussions on The Fretboard
UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

Nut, neck, scale, gauge (important?)

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TanninTannin Frets: 4394
Let's do a small survey. Assume that you are ordering a new acoustic guitar, which will be made to your specifications. Please provide your preferred -

Nut width
Neck profile
Scale length
String gauge

And say which of these are important to you - string gauge obviously not so much as you can always change the strings.
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  • bertiebertie Frets: 12145
    edited April 2022
    EDITED
    Nut width       -   43mm 
    Neck profile     -  C or shallow D,  doesnt really matter except NEVER V soft or not
    Scale length    -  not fussed,  like the two "norms" for different reasons
    String gauge    -  12s on 650/647 13s on  630
    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • TanninTannin Frets: 4394
    NUT: 46mm. 
    NECK PROFILE: Don't really care too much, not huge, not really skinny: anything middling is fine.
    SCALE LENGTH: 650mm. (Fender length.)
    String gauge: 12s.

    I'm fussy about nut width and can't tolerate anything under 44mm. Anything up to 50mm is OK. 

    I've always disliked short scales and quite like playing my ultra-long scale baritone (730mm!) but the standard 650mm is ideal. Maybe one day I'll fall in love with a short scale guitar. Or maybe not. 


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  • EvanEvan Frets: 320
    bertie said:
    Nut width       -   43mm (I think) never really taken  much interest
    Neck profile     -  C or shallow D,  doesnt really matter except NEVER V
    Scale length    -  not fussed,  like the two "norms" for different reasons
    String gauge    -  12s on 650/647 13s on  630
    Why no V Bertie? I’ve just bought my first acoustic in years, it’s got a soft V neck (non of my other guitars have) and it took me about 10 minutes to get used to it.
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  • droflufdrofluf Frets: 3144
    Here’s what I’ve asked to be built for me so I hope I like it

    Nut width.    45.5
    Neck profile no preference
    Scale length 630
    String gauge 12 - 52 but that’s for  DADGAD 
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  • CryptidCryptid Frets: 405
    Nut width and neck profile go hand in hand for me (pardon the pun).

    1 7/8 (with wide string spacing at bridge) if for a dedicated finger picking guitar, with a D shape neck carve. 

    1 11/16 is suiting me well for strumming and flat picking, with a nice full C profile neck. 

    Either way, I like my hand to be adequately filled.

    Long scale on everything - I've not bonded with any of the short-scale acoustics I've owned. 

    I like lightly-built and responsive dreads that don't need the tension of 13's and an aggressive touch to really come alive.  
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  • bertiebertie Frets: 12145
    edited April 2022
    Evan said:
    bertie said:
    Nut width       -   43mm (I think) never really taken  much interest
    Neck profile     -  C or shallow D,  doesnt really matter except NEVER V
    Scale length    -  not fussed,  like the two "norms" for different reasons
    String gauge    -  12s on 650/647 13s on  630
    Why no V Bertie? I’ve just bought my first acoustic in years, it’s got a soft V neck (non of my other guitars have) and it took me about 10 minutes to get used to it.
    Ive had one for a while  (Furch OM33) I didnt really notice at first but for me its uncomfortable to play, compared to my others,  and since my elbow op  and onset Dupuytrens becoming more so. Also the size is noticly "bulkier" than anything else I have (including electrics) 

    Im at an age where Im "why should I just "put up" with and get something that is more "comfortable"

    I was thinking of getting the Furch "re-profiled"  but I think I'll just sell it on, I was hankering after an Atkin OM37 - but just seen the nut width is 43,  which, according the the website, is the same as my Tanglwood parlor, which is small and a little too "different" to everything else I have -  I guess what I need to do...............get the calipers out and actually measure it
    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • MellishMellish Frets: 945
     Nut 1 11/16, neck low profile, scale length 24.5" strings 12s. That's where I'm happiest. But if you get the first two wrong for you, you'll know all about it :) 
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  • bertiebertie Frets: 12145
    very confused  -  just  checked the spec of a strat and tele - and its states 43mm  - which is ideal and "feels" the same as my other two acoustics...............and wider than the Tanglewood - which their page states 43mm.............

    Caliper time me thinks  - watch this space

    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • LewyLewy Frets: 3795
     Nut: 1 11/16, Profile: soft V a la Collings, scale: 25.4, strings: medium.

    Over the years I’ve come to realise that none of them are critically Important to me. If I like the sound and look of an instrument I can make it work. I don’t pick up a mandolin or banjo and tell myself it’s unplayable because of the dimensions…. (I tell myself they’re unplayable because I can’t play them…!)
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  • LastMantraLastMantra Frets: 3819
    Apart from string gauge, no, not important to me. 

    I don't know what any of mine are. I wouldn't know a v from a d or c, or whatever, shape. Don't know anything about scale. I basically either like it or don't, but seem to be able to play most guitars equally, or at least can get used to it pretty quickly.
    Body size and shape is more important. 

    I have felt some instruments were a bit cramped so probably prefer an average or wider nut. I've fairly large hands and a couple of damaged fingers on my fretting hand that now have wider tips than they would be. 
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  • bertiebertie Frets: 12145
    Lewy said:
     If I like the sound and look of an instrument I can make it work. 
    that was where I was with the Furch,  when I bought it,  it was because of the sound....... I never really noticed the neck.....it was "bigger" but not too uncomfortably so  -    but Im just finding it "less comfortable" to play  -  and the more "other" guitars  you have and more you play them  -  I think it makes it "worse"  with the adjustment.  



    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • SoupmanSoupman Frets: 172
    Nut 45mm; scale around 645mm; neck profile - as long as it's comfortable; strings elixir nano 12s.
    I also have a Flambeau with a 43mm nut, which I thought great back when I bought it many years ago, but now it feels a bit cramped at the nut end. Prob down to styles - I played with a pick back then but now tend to play fingerstyle.
    I also have a Fender 12 string but I reckon the neck is from a logging camp. Defines the term 'handful'.  =)

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  • bertiebertie Frets: 12145
    edited April 2022
    well I'll stand at the wrong end of the pope

    just goes to show how your mind/brain can play tricks...........................  just been up and measured the Furch, Brook, TW73, Tele and Strat

    Brook =  44.5mm with a 37 string spacing

    ALL the others are 43 with a 35.5mm string spacing  -  so the "cramped TW73" is actually the same size  - absolutely bamboozled

    Im off to drink gin
    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • KilgoreKilgore Frets: 8107
    Nut: 1.75"

    Neck: flexible but no baseball bats.

    Scale length: Between 24" to 25" is good.

    Strings: 12s 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 69426
    Nut - 1-11/16" - or even 1-5/8" (although I prefer that for electric rather than acoustic).
    Neck - shallow modern C profile.
    Scale - not critical, although it depends on the body style/size.
    Strings - irrelevant unless the neck is non-adjustable, but I'll usually fit 11s or lower-tension 12s.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • McSwaggertyMcSwaggerty Frets: 650
    Kilgore said:
    Nut: 1.75"

    Neck: flexible but no baseball bats.

    Scale length: Between 24" to 25" is good.

    Strings: 12s 
    Same as me...... Nearly. 
    Got a Waterloo.... Spent a fortune on Strings various gauges and had a mad weekend....really l did.....probably around 12 diggerent makes, varying between 11s and 12s.....
    For me... LMartin Retro 11s won out the park, no question....
    I'm a fingerpicker..... With a wee bit of bottle eck.... 
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  • McSwaggertyMcSwaggerty Frets: 650
    Sorry.... A few typos there.... I'm in the pub....
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  • KilgoreKilgore Frets: 8107
    Kilgore said:
    Nut: 1.75"

    Neck: flexible but no baseball bats.

    Scale length: Between 24" to 25" is good.

    Strings: 12s 
    Same as me...... Nearly. 
    Got a Waterloo.... Spent a fortune on Strings various gauges and had a mad weekend....really l did.....probably around 12 diggerent makes, varying between 11s and 12s.....
    For me... LMartin Retro 11s won out the park, no question....
    I'm a fingerpicker..... With a wee bit of bottle eck.... 
    I do about 90% fingerpicking.

     Short scale 00/parlour/12 frets are the sweet spot for me.

    I've purposely avoided going down the string rabbit hole. I know very little about the various types. Ignorance is bliss. 
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  • artiebearartiebear Frets: 810
    TBH, if the instrument sounds great, I do the adjustments playing wise. Never been fussed about any measurement ( or guitar weight ) in fact some of the beauty of playing guitars of different specs has always been the lovely way that a new composition reveals itself. There is probably an ideal for me, but after playing for nearly 50 years now, it is too late to figure it out.
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11438
    Tannin said:
    NUT: 46mm. 
    NECK PROFILE: Don't really care too much, not huge, not really skinny: anything middling is fine.
    SCALE LENGTH: 650mm. (Fender length.)
    String gauge: 12s.

    I'm fussy about nut width and can't tolerate anything under 44mm. Anything up to 50mm is OK. 

    I've always disliked short scales and quite like playing my ultra-long scale baritone (730mm!) but the standard 650mm is ideal. Maybe one day I'll fall in love with a short scale guitar. Or maybe not. 


    same for me except 11s

    , also have long baritones, a 706mm Avalon and a 736mm Alan Arnold
     http://www.alanarnoldguitars.co.uk/guitar_baritone.htm
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  • SupportactSupportact Frets: 665
    Nut width - my main acoustic is 45mm and this seems about right. If the strings are too close together it causes problems for me.
    Neck profile - don't mind, I feel like I can adapt to most things
    Scale length - same really, depends on the individual instrument. 
    String gauge - prefer 11s for acoustic, 12s sometimes depending on the guitar. 

    I think maybe I wouldn't have something made to my own specifications though, given the choice. I'd rather have someone who knows more than me make something the way they want and then decide if it suits me. 
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  • bertiebertie Frets: 12145
    artiebear said:
     There is probably an ideal for me, but after playing for nearly 50 years now, it is too late to figure it out.
    same,  but you dont figure it,  it just "feels right"  or not !!  I think my first post proves it completely =)


    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • StuckfastStuckfast Frets: 2124
    artiebear said:
    TBH, if the instrument sounds great, I do the adjustments playing wise. Never been fussed about any measurement ( or guitar weight )
    Me too. Never understood why people are so fussy about this sort of stuff. I honestly care more about what colour it is.
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  • TanninTannin Frets: 4394
    Stuckfast said:
    artiebear said:
    TBH, if the instrument sounds great, I do the adjustments playing wise. Never been fussed about any measurement ( or guitar weight )
    Me too. Never understood why people are so fussy about this sort of stuff. 
     I can't speak for others @Stuckfast but here are my reasons:

    Nut width. I have moderately large hands and play fingerstyle. It is very difficult for me to play cleanly on a too-narrow neck. Even a simple open A chord becomes awkward. I learned to play on a classical guitar (50mm nut), and have spent most of  the last 50 years playing 12-strings (also a 50mm nut). (Also bass, which is much wider per-string than a 6.) I play 6-string now, but these squeezy little nuts are a pain in the arse. 

    Scale length: I dislike the loose, floppy feel of short strings tuned to standard pitch. I don't care for it under the left hand, and really dislike it under the right hand. I like to hit the strings quite hard and a long scale helps. Also, long scale instruments develop better tone, all else being equal. But I can play short-scale if needed and might get something short one day, who knows? 

    Neck profile I'm not too fussed about. 
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  • As Martin 000-12 fret but short scale 24.9, 1and 3/4 Modified V neck 
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  • McSwaggertyMcSwaggerty Frets: 650
    Kilgore said:
    Kilgore said:
    Nut: 1.75"

    Neck: flexible but no baseball bats.

    Scale length: Between 24" to 25" is good.

    Strings: 12s 
    Same as me...... Nearly. 
    Got a Waterloo.... Spent a fortune on Strings various gauges and had a mad weekend....really l did.....probably around 12 diggerent makes, varying between 11s and 12s.....
    For me... LMartin Retro 11s won out the park, no question....
    I'm a fingerpicker..... With a wee bit of bottle eck.... 
    I do about 90% fingerpicking.

     Short scale 00/parlour/12 frets are the sweet spot for me.

    I've purposely avoided going down the string rabbit hole. I know very little about the various types. Ignorance is bliss. 
    I was happy with D'addarios or Newtone strings for years, but this Waterloo Guitar is the best Guitar I have ever had so wanted to get best i could out of it. It was costly and time consuming exercise, but I am glad i did it. And all the other strings I tried will be fine for my other acoustics for the next year or so.
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  • bertiebertie Frets: 12145

    but this Waterloo Guitar is the best Guitar I 
    so are they the Avalon (Lowden) of the Collings world ?  Id never heard of them before, I see they're connected
    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • LewyLewy Frets: 3795
    bertie said:

    but this Waterloo Guitar is the best Guitar I 
    so are they the Avalon (Lowden) of the Collings world ?  Id never heard of them before, I see they're connected
    They are made by Collings but with a different design and manufacturing ethos so Bill wanted to give them a different brand name.
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  • bertiebertie Frets: 12145
    gotcha 
    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • KilgoreKilgore Frets: 8107
    Kilgore said:
    Kilgore said:
    Nut: 1.75"

    Neck: flexible but no baseball bats.

    Scale length: Between 24" to 25" is good.

    Strings: 12s 
    Same as me...... Nearly. 
    Got a Waterloo.... Spent a fortune on Strings various gauges and had a mad weekend....really l did.....probably around 12 diggerent makes, varying between 11s and 12s.....
    For me... LMartin Retro 11s won out the park, no question....
    I'm a fingerpicker..... With a wee bit of bottle eck.... 
    I do about 90% fingerpicking.

     Short scale 00/parlour/12 frets are the sweet spot for me.

    I've purposely avoided going down the string rabbit hole. I know very little about the various types. Ignorance is bliss. 
    I was happy with D'addarios or Newtone strings for years, but this Waterloo Guitar is the best Guitar I have ever had so wanted to get best i could out of it. It was costly and time consuming exercise, but I am glad i did it. And all the other strings I tried will be fine for my other acoustics for the next year or so.
    A 12 fret Waterloo is near the top of my GAS list.

    I read on the AGF that Collings have temporarily ceased or drastically curtailed Waterloo production due to Covid backlogs on the Collings lines. I don't know if there's any truth to it. 
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