Budget finger picker

spev11 · January 2023

I’m currently teaching myself fingerpicking, mostly using various online resources ( JustinGuitar etc). Now I have a nice Taylor Big Baby (an early USA made one not that I think it matters). I’d like a half tidy acoustic to keep in work and was wondering (after reading some of the threads here) if I should go wider on the nut to give my fat fingers some space for picking?

I’ve seen a couple of tidy looking guitars from Ibanez, Alvarez ( I think) and Harley Benton for under £300 that have 48mm nuts, ideally I’d spend less but there’s not much about. I’d love to go into a local shop but they have nothing wide to try ( and they are admittedly a small shop).
Any advice on pitfalls etc?

bertie · January 2023

have you actually tried a 48mm nut ? do you find 44/43 a problem ? 48 is a big move from that, even a mm can make quite a difference

just because some people think it may be "better", doesnt mean it will automatically be right for you.

Mellish · January 2023

I bought a Re-imagined HD-28. Great guitar, and I was aware (in the store) that it wasn't quite right but I bought it anyway.

1.75" nut width and soft V neck profile. I could gig with it and did but nut width AND chunky neck made it uncomfortable to play (for me) and my hopes of adapting proved to be a mistake.

So, as @bertie there says, you're considering a jump that may not suit and it's best you try a few if you can rather than buying online. Sure, you could return it but it's a lot of faffing about.

Soupman · January 2023

@spev11 48mm seems a big jump from 43/44mm as @bertie says.
I have one guitar 43mm nut and another with 45mm nut.
The 45mm is just more comfortable to fingerpick due to that little extra space. My fingers feel a little cramped down the cowboy chord end with 43mm.
I'd have assumed (rightly or wrongly) that 48mm was aimed at classical but I don't know.
But it's all down to your personal taste & what works for you. You can easily adjust you fingers from 43 to 45 without having to think about it.
Enjoy!

thomasross20 · January 2023

1.75" is perfect.
GS mini nut too narrow for me.
Lowden ever so slightly wide.
Small measures defo make big differences.
Find what you like

spev11 · January 2023

the big baby is 43mm and im struggle to get my fat fingers in there to pick cleanly so I just figured a wider gap was the way forward. (I struggled with a strat i had with a 42mm nut and found 43mm better-,might have been all my head though).
Its a keep at work guitar to facilitate practice only hence the as low as possible price requirement. I may have to give PMT in Cardiff a shout and see if they have any 45 and 48mm width I can try first.
Failing that I'll plunge for the Harley Benton unless something comes up cheap and used so I doesn't cripple my finances

bertie · January 2023

spev11 said:

the big baby is 43mm and im struggle to get my fat fingers in there to pick cleanly so I just figured a wider gap was the way forward. (I struggled with a strat i had with a 42mm nut and found 43mm better-,might have been all my head though).

based on what you've said you may find 45 is right, or even 44, and if it were me, Id try that as they're much easier to find and you wont "waste" time trying to find a 48 !! - as that 1mm really can make a difference IF (and that is key) the spacing is increased to match it (some makes just add a bit of additional width either side of the E's !!)

Mellish · January 2023

What did for me wasn't the nut width, it was the combination of nut width and neck profile

I fought, tried to get used to it, but I couldn't do it.

drofluf · January 2023

How long have you been teaching yourself for? It took me a while to become more accurate with my fingers, on both hands, and is still a work in progress. But 48mm is very wide, I'd definitely try before you commit to buying, because in my experience there's more to it than just the nut width, as @Mellish says neck profile also comes into play.

Also is it your picking hand that you're having problems with or the fretting hand?

spev11 · January 2023

I got quite into it about a year ago but drifted out in favour of Electric. Things have changed in work so I find I have more time to squeeze more practice in so I've started up again over the last 4 or 5 weeks. The Taylor plays similar to my electrics (same nut similar radius) so thats staying at home and so far has been ok. I'm finding my fat picking hand is more an issue than my fretting.
Its mostly because I fancy keeping an acoustic in work so thought it experiment a little with the string gap to see if it maybe helps. Sometimes I find I have to spend a couple of weeks with something before I can say its a benefit or not. So while I'd like to try one in a shop It may not help much at all. And given the paucity of options for me to try locally i'm kind of stuck with making a decision based on information gathered (so far i've not done too badly this way)

Mellish · January 2023

@spev11 ; give it a go mate, try wider nuts but don't get hung up on it.

I know a guy with hands like shovels, but he can play a banjo with a much narrower nut.

spev11 · January 2023

I will, its an excuse to drag the other half to Cardiff or Bristol to try some out I think

Pjon · January 2023

Hey Spev, it’s Jon here from the Pigs! How are you? (Not stalking you honestly!

Pjon · January 2023

Weird, I couldn’t put a whole message in my last post!

Sorry, Spev, can’t help with the nut width because my guitars are all 43mm, but there’s a cheap 12 string on FB marketplace locally, which I’d imagine would have a 48mm nut. (And is being sold by someone in Clyne Riders! Not me!)

spev11 · January 2023

Hi Pjon, I’m good ( I think) I’ll go have a look at that now, wonder if I could just string it as a 6?

drofluf · January 2023

spev11 said:

Hi Pjon, I’m good ( I think) I’ll go have a look at that now, wonder if I could just string it as a 6?

Doesn’t really work, you’ll either have all the strings offset to the bottom of the fretboard or the B & E gaps being weird. Probably easy to get used to but will make it harder when you pick up a “normally” spaced guitar.

bertie · January 2023

spev11 said:

or Bristol to try some out I think

go to Intersound at Dursley (about 10 miles north of Brizzle) and better than most shops in Brizzle (personally Id say ANY shop in Brizzle for acoustics) great stock and better people and pop round the corner to The Old Spot for lunch............ a wee bit foody these days, but great gnosh

spev11 · January 2023

I’ll look em up, wonder if they let dogs in, mine goes everywhere with me, including replacing me as avatar images

guitarjack66 · January 2023

I have a Sigma which is 44.5mm so maybe have a look at some of their higher end models? Its a nice width to strum and fingerpick.

DavidR · January 2023

Might be worth having a lesson or two on left hand positioning as well as all excellent advice already given.

Posture and the way you hold the neck and position and use your thumb can make a big difference. People concentrate on the right hand but there will be moderately big differences in the left hand too going from electric to acoustic.

Then make sure the action on your Taylor is good for you. It probably will be but action on an acoustic makes a big difference to playability. I have four acoustics I play regularly. The action on all of them has been looked at, either by me or a luthier friend, but there are still some pieces that play better on one instrument rather than another, especially up the dusty end. That's the fascinating nature of acoustics!

Then you really do need to go into your nearest big store and try some out. When you come across your favourite, it will just click, then see/ask what characteristics that particular instrument has and go from there. Most stores love to help, especially if you tell them the problem.

Have fun and good hunting.

bertie · January 2023

spev11 said:

I’ll look em up, wonder if they let dogs in, mine goes everywhere with me, including replacing me as avatar images

they have a "shop dog" (Intersound not the pub

) so I guess it depends on the "socialness" of yours, but a good idea to contact them - they're on Facebook as well as their website

I bought my Furch from them a few years back

malcolmkindness · January 2023

I have been fingerpicking for nearly 60 years and my favourite nut width is 48mm, but ideally you need to increase the spacing at the saddle as well, I like 60mm at the saddle. If you can find something with wider spacing that is within your budget, I think you will be happy with it.

bertie · January 2023

malcolmkindness said:

I have been fingerpicking for nearly 60 years and my favourite nut width is 48mm,

wow, I couldnt cope with that - 44 is plenty wide enough for me, 43 is ideal - tho Im only a beginner with 45 years

spev11 · January 2023

Im going to persevere with the Taylor for now until I can get myself to Intersound in Bristol (mines very sociable but i'll contact em first) and try some out if they are in budget( dont want to waste their time) unless a screaming bargain comes my way of anything 44/45/48 ish, a good enough bargain is always worth a go. Thank you all for your advice, its why I come here, everyone is always heplful

bertie · January 2023

spev11 said:

Im going to persevere with the Taylor for now until I can get myself to Intersound in Bristol (mines very sociable but i'll contact em first) and try some out if they are in budget( dont want to waste their time) unless a screaming bargain comes my way of anything 44/45/48 ish, a good enough bargain is always worth a go. Thank you all for your advice, its why I come here, everyone is always heplful

well If Ive shifted the lurgy by then, I may pop up and visit, I wont be bringing Wilf tho !! he'd take 1/2 the stock out

malcolmkindness · January 2023

bertie said:

malcolmkindness said:

I have been fingerpicking for nearly 60 years and my favourite nut width is 48mm,

wow, I couldnt cope with that - 44 is plenty wide enough for me, 43 is ideal - tho Im only a beginner with 45 years

Well, we are all different, perhaps you have very slim fingers? However, it is interesting that none of my guitar playing friends ever remark that one of my guitars is hard to play. I also prefer a chunky, thick neck as it is much less likely to cause hand cramps when using barre chords.

bertie · January 2023

malcolmkindness said:
Well, we are all different,

of course, I have medium hands I guess and slim probably shortish fingers. (hand is longer than my longest finger) I dont like "shredder" slim necks - a nice Fender C and a 43 nut is ideal, acoustic or electric. My Brook is a slim 44 and a tad and that feels wide to me - and my TW parlor a micron under 43, and does feel narrower than my 43s - odd how just 1mm can feel so different

Im beginning to really struggle with the soft V of the Furch, its quite chunky too, which is a shame as I love its tone

Choivert · January 2023

spev11 said:

the big baby is 43mm and im struggle to get my fat fingers in there to pick cleanly so I just figured a wider gap was the way forward. (I struggled with a strat i had with a 42mm nut and found 43mm better-,might have been all my head though).
Its a keep at work guitar to facilitate practice only hence the as low as possible price requirement. I may have to give PMT in Cardiff a shout and see if they have any 45 and 48mm width I can try first.
Failing that I'll plunge for the Harley Benton unless something comes up cheap and used so I doesn't cripple my finances

Are you looking for more space at the bridge or at the nut end of your guitar? If you'd like more space for your picking hand you may want to take a look at the string spacing measurement. Not all guitars with the same nut width have the same string spacing at the bridge.

bertie · January 2023

Choivert said:

spev11 said:

the big baby is 43mm and im struggle to get my fat fingers in there to pick cleanly s

Are you looking for more space at the bridge or at the nut end of your guitar?

that's a good point @Choivert ; - @spev11 ; mentioned only nut measurements but did say (which I think we've all pretty much overlooked) "pick cleanly" not "fret cleanly"

spev11 · January 2023

yeah more space for the ppicking hand really, i'd sort of assumed that wider nut would mean wider spacing all over but yeah I should check bridge spacing also. Oddly since posting this and concentrating on playing the Taylor my picking has improved, still think a smidge more room would help but I'm not gonna rush.

Choivert · January 2023

Where abouts are you based Spec? Perhaps a fellow member has a suitable guitar you can try? If in the northwest I have a resonator with a wide string spacing and also a classical with a very (almost 50mm) nut.

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