Nut width 1.650 vs 1-11/16 but same nut?

[Ernst Johann]

Sorry for asking. Ordered 3 necks (with tusq nuts) and one body.
One neck and the body arrived, everything is fine so far, waiting for tru oil to cure.

But, guess i have an error in thought...
Some of my previous necks have 1.650" (42mm) width and i installed the Graph Tech PT-5000-00 (had to sand a bit on the sides).

My Warmoth neck, which is 1-11/16" (43mm) has exactly the same distance from high to low e.
So, i installed the "wrong" nut on my previous necks, right? :-D Don't have any trouble playing, but now i'm a bit confused.

A wider neck width should increase the distance between the strings, but in my case it makes no difference...

Edit: assuming same bridge rout

 

[stratamania]

The same nut would be fine for both unless you custom cut a nut, even then, the difference would be negligible. Also consider Floyd Rose nuts and R3 for 1 11/16 has a narrow string spacing similar to an R2 for 1 5/8" and the R4 wider string spacing.

 

[Ernst Johann]

So whats the point with the wider neck if string spacing is the same...

Edit: Asking cause i would like to have a little more space. Different bridge? Vintage routing?

 

[Spud]

So whats the point with the wider neck if string spacing is the same...

Edit: Asking cause i would like to have a little more space. Different bridge? Vintage routing?

Cut your slots wider

 

[supertruper1988]

So whats the point with the wider neck if string spacing is the same...

Edit: Asking cause i would like to have a little more space. Different bridge? Vintage routing?

There isnt a thing you just bought pre slotted nuts. You would need to get a different slot setup to use the extra width for string spacing. Conversely, I like the strings a little narrower so that I have more space on the low and high e strings to allow for more of an edge roll.

 

[Shellcaster]

Having had a 15/8 and 1 1116 and the stupid 1.65 I can say 2 things, unless you use your thumb to fret the lower strings allot your bride setup seems to matter more to me... That said I like the 15l8 on strats for reason stated above and I like 1 11/16 on my other guitar. Just play different music on each and they may be a passion and all but they're also a very precision tool to accomplish a goal

 

[teleme01]

I have inquired into buying a 1 11/16" neck because of showcase/sales... and putting a 1.65 nut, I never got a positive response...

 

[Shellcaster]

I have inquired into buying a 1 11/16" neck because of showcase/sales... and putting a 1.65 nut, I never got a positive response...

I'm not the technical guru the senior members of the forum are, but just as to being another guitar player who has tried different nut widths over the years I'm curious as to the thinking behind such a thing? I'm not against it but in practically if you have a nut cut to exact width a 1.65 verses a 15/8's would have less than half a millimeter on each side and if the edges are heavily rolled it could be made to look intentionally fitted. The string spacing width difference you could have is infinitesimal, noticeable barely to all but the most sensitive of players.

Personally, even though I have large hands, particularly a very oddly long thumb I like to put a 15/8's nut on my Strat necks I get from here with the standard thin neck profile. It feels a little small in my hand but since I have them set up more like SRV specs it makes it easier to play the bottom strings with my thumb that way for blues and rock.

My "brown guitar" built out of a Warmoth neck and a solid mahogany block I got from Warmoth back in the 90s has the standard compound radius and the 1 11/16s nut with and is set up for mere mortals like I actually am to play more technical and fast sweeping runs as metal and classical and such. Just as classical acoustics have wide nuts with flat boards compared to steel string acoustics with more rounded boards and more narrow nuts for comfort.

Honestly, I can easily feel the difference between the 2 but the 1.650 on my only stock Mexican Strat... Well I can tell but it's so small that 20 year younger me couldn't if I didn't know.

I know it's not the technical answer you're looking for but when "feel/vibe" is just as important as specs sometimes... Otherwise every strat would be a sunburst, every tele blonde, and fender would if never gone from "U" to "V' to "C" shaped necks and back and forth

Hope this helps in some way... It's one of those things you really have to feel out