Has anyone tried the 1.650 nut width?
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Ace Flibble
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I mean, it's the standard Fender nut width and one of the more common Squier nuts. Gibson also use it on a few Special/Junior and limited-run models, as well as on a few guitars by their Epiphone and Kramer brands. ESP and Schecter also use it on a few models. It's the most common nut width offered by other parts companies, too.
If anything it's bizarre that Warmoth haven't done it until now.
Go into any guitar store and pick up a standard-series Fender Strat or Tele. There, that's a 1.650" nut for you.
FWIW I happily use 42-43mm nut widths interchangeably and don't really notice any difference except when jumping between an ESP I have, which has the string slots cut unusually far apart (and too close to the edges of the fretboard, frankly) and an older Kramer which has the opposite problem. When moving between those two specific guitars the difference is noticeable. They're oddballs though and even then it doesn't throw me off or change how I play. I've got five other 42mm nut guitars and three other 43mm nuts and I swap between them without the widths and spacing feeling any different at all.
If anything it's bizarre that Warmoth haven't done it until now.
Go into any guitar store and pick up a standard-series Fender Strat or Tele. There, that's a 1.650" nut for you.
FWIW I happily use 42-43mm nut widths interchangeably and don't really notice any difference except when jumping between an ESP I have, which has the string slots cut unusually far apart (and too close to the edges of the fretboard, frankly) and an older Kramer which has the opposite problem. When moving between those two specific guitars the difference is noticeable. They're oddballs though and even then it doesn't throw me off or change how I play. I've got five other 42mm nut guitars and three other 43mm nuts and I swap between them without the widths and spacing feeling any different at all.
Ace Flibble said:
Yep, this. I think most people who order 1 11/16" would be happier with 1.650".
1 5/8" is vintage (and great if you don't have sausage fingers - I highly recommend them).
1 11/16" is more of a Gibson size. If you love the nut width on your Gibby, and want the same feel on your Fender, this is the nut for you. It's strange, to me, that this seems to be the most common Warmoth nut width.
If you want standard Fender, you want 1.650".
One other thing - many people would be amazed how different the back profile feels with different nut widths. To me, standard thin feels fine with 1 11/16", but with 1 5/8" it feels like a twig, and I have smallish hands. A boatneck with 1 11/16" is difficult for me to play, but with 1 5/8" it's amazing. I ordered a Wolfgang neck with a 1 11/16" nut once upon a time, and I was surprised that it felt so substantial. Later I played an original Peavey with a similar neck profile, but a 1 5/8" nut, and the idea behind the neck shape shifted into focus.
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Unwound G said:
Just FYI, Feb through May is our busiest time of year. The shop is crankin' right now!
Strat Avenger
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Keep in mind that a 1.65" neck in maple can shrink over time to 1-5/8".
When you notice that you can feel the fret ends, the wood has shrunk.
When you notice that you can feel the fret ends, the wood has shrunk.
Topdawer
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Just recently got a 1.650 in standard thin and love it. I delayed for years on ordering a Warmoth custom because all they offered was 1-5/8ths or 1-11/16ths. I've owned several Fender MIJ and MIMs with the 42 and thought that neck felt natural. I also had an American Standard with the 43mm neck that I just never bonded with because the neck felt uncomfortable -- but at the time I did not know anything about neck widths so I was just vexed at why it seemed so different in feel. I thought maybe it might be wood quality or some other peculiarity. The new Warmoth 1.650 standard thin is definitely about the perfect width-profile combo for me to my surprise and personal relief, as ordering a $300 neck off the internet sight-unseen seemed to me an awful gamble with money. But it worked out. The width is fine and I notice that it has a definite thinner profile than a stock MIM strat and is almost dreamy. The profile seems almost identical to my Ibanez SA-160, which is a 42mm and a little thicker than a Wizard but not as full as a MIM strat. (Side note: I wish Warmoth would create a "lending closet" where a prospective buyer can "rent" 2-3 necks (with tuners installed) for say 2 weeks to try. This would have gotten me off the couch towards an order much sooner. I'm dying to try a 59 Roundback, but don't want to spend $300+ just to try it. But I'd happily pay $50 plus shipping to try.)
MikeW
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rookosu said:
I'll pile on here. I've got two, maybe three, guys that visit the shop that would definitely give this a try. One in particular is always asking my opinion on different neck shapes, radii, and woods. He'd spend a small fortune testing all the options to see what his favorite would be, just to change his mind again six weeks later and start all over.
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We at Warmoth have talked about this many times....how do you get people past making the blind purchase? It's tough.
The model I often look to is Carvin/Keisel. They are in a similar position...an online company with not retail presence (outside southern CA), trying to sell customizable instruments to people who don't get to play them first. One thing they do to deal with this is attend trade shows. When I'm at NAMM their booth is always literally crawling with people, and I think it's because they are so hungry to try all Keisel's options in person.
Warmoth is taking a step in that direction in 2020, locally. We plan to show at the Tacoma Guitar Festival. We'll see how that goes, but at least it's a small step in getting our product into people's hand before the purchase.
As far as the lending closet...I think it's a great idea. There is often a pretty big chasm between a great idea and making it a workable reality. Take the new pickguard swatch sampler, for example. The idea: let people order 2" swatches of pickguard material, so they can see it before they order. Sounds easy. The reality was that it took months to figure out where that extra material was going to come from, introduce it into production, implement it on the website, produce shipping labels, ship a bunch to ourselves, evaluate whether the cost would justify the return, etc, etc, etc. A lending closet would be like that, times a million.
I'm not saying a I don't want to try. It is a great idea. I'm just saying it's not going to happen tomorrow. But....I'll definitely bat the idea around with the execs at our next meeting.
The model I often look to is Carvin/Keisel. They are in a similar position...an online company with not retail presence (outside southern CA), trying to sell customizable instruments to people who don't get to play them first. One thing they do to deal with this is attend trade shows. When I'm at NAMM their booth is always literally crawling with people, and I think it's because they are so hungry to try all Keisel's options in person.
Warmoth is taking a step in that direction in 2020, locally. We plan to show at the Tacoma Guitar Festival. We'll see how that goes, but at least it's a small step in getting our product into people's hand before the purchase.
As far as the lending closet...I think it's a great idea. There is often a pretty big chasm between a great idea and making it a workable reality. Take the new pickguard swatch sampler, for example. The idea: let people order 2" swatches of pickguard material, so they can see it before they order. Sounds easy. The reality was that it took months to figure out where that extra material was going to come from, introduce it into production, implement it on the website, produce shipping labels, ship a bunch to ourselves, evaluate whether the cost would justify the return, etc, etc, etc. A lending closet would be like that, times a million.
I'm not saying a I don't want to try. It is a great idea. I'm just saying it's not going to happen tomorrow. But....I'll definitely bat the idea around with the execs at our next meeting.
BroccoliRob
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Yo it's just like Puff Father said 20 years ago: "its all about the logistics", and "logisticalizing int easy" (just ask J Zee's father Big Daddy Kanye)
Shoe internet mercantiles have certainly figured out this sort of thing, so guitar parts shan't be far from this level of innovation
Shoe internet mercantiles have certainly figured out this sort of thing, so guitar parts shan't be far from this level of innovation
Cagey
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The shoe people have done a remarkable job of indoctrinating people on their value and "necessarily" high selling point as a result, while the product itself is produced by prepubescent political prisoners in China out of dead animal skins and textiles for next to nothing. So, even if buyers return the product in less-than-pristine condition, they can literally just dispose of the product with very little loss. The same isn't true of guitar bodies/necks made in the USA by wage-hungry Americans with credit cards, cars, and mortgages.
BroccoliRob
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Shoe shaming is an ugly color on you, Brohemian Rhapsbrody. Who spit in your ranch?
Cagey
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BroccoliRob said:
No shaming. I'm just saying, look at what a pair of Nikes or Raeboks cost you, and think of what they're made of, who makes 'em, and where they come from. Between those companies and self-storage units, I'm torn as to which business I should have gone into when I was younger :laughing7:
MikeW
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The Aaron said:
T89Rex said:
Just off the top of my head...
1. Buy into the Closet for something reasonable, say $50.
2. Contract that says "you break it, you buy it".
3. Weekly rental fee of $30 ($300 neck rented for 12 weeks = $25/week + a smidge of profit)
4. exceed 12 weeks, get the option of keeping the neck, for a measly processing fee, of course.
Some of my assumptions are going into this:
1. I just did a very quick top-of-my head estimate on what the average neck runs for cost. YMMV.
2. The necks in the Closet would consist of the standard Maple/Maple, Maple/Rosewood, etc, with maybe one or two of the more common exotics.
3. The Closet necks would be, in general, more about sampling neck profiles, nut widths, fret sizes, scale lengths, and radii than about wood selection.
4. Threaded inserts and machine screws would probably be a necessity.
Even if you just went with the Standard Thin, 25.5", 1 11/16th, SS6150 for all the exotics, I know a couple guys that would buy in for some tests.
Topdawer
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Exactly. The necks would be 25.5, common 6150 fret, and plain maple gloss — whatever is cheapest for Warmoth. The point is to feel the width/neck profile, not for a “keep it if you like it trial”. There’d need to be a damage clause (you break it you buy it), and a $200 deposit refundable upon satisfactory return. Renter pays the “rent” fee plus shipping. Yes, this could get expensive for a renter — but better to get something you know for sure you’ll be happy with rather than spinning the roulette wheel and hoping. I view it almost like a sack of baseball bats at practice — several types to choose from and you try until you find the one that suits you best. The necks aren’t meant to be pristine. Rather just representatives for size/shape.
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