1.75" nut?

Obviously you found some useful information by resurrecting this post. I see it's your first one, so I'll say welcome and congrats on your new (to you) Guild. Glad you could find what you were looking for!! :encouragement:

algionfriddo said:

I wrote to Hans asking if he new of a Westerly made Guild Jumbo 6 ever came with a 1.75". If anybody would know, he would. Here was his response...

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As far as a six string models with a 1-3/4" nut is concerned, there were not a whole lot of models that Guild did in earlier years with that nut size, other than some D-40s and D-50s before 1965, which are very hard to find and a couple of small bodied models that were called the A-25 and the A-50 during the mid-'90s. Those last ones were OK as fingerstyle guitars, but as far as strumming is concerned, they might not deliver what you would expect from a Guild.

The only way to get something close to that neck size is to look for a JF-55 from the first half of the '90s.
The necks on those tend to be a tad wider than the average Guild, sometimes very close or actually 1-3/4" wide.

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I started contacting sellers on numerous sites but everyone came back with 1 11/16" but no 1.75". Finally I received word from a seller in Brooklyn w/ pics of a 1996 JF-55. He assured me it was 1.75 by way of e-mail. I called to double check and sure enough it was just what I was looking for. I've never bought a guitar without playing it first but is was a special case. It arrived Monday 2/1/2016. Sounds great. The guitar is 20 years old and not in perfect condition... but I can work with what is there.

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I would add that all three of my DV-7Xs have nut widths within a whisker of 1-3/4"... and a few other DV-7X owners (but NOT all) have reported their DVs also have 1-3/4" necks. The DV-7Xs were made in '93-95. Wonder if the same guy who shaped the neck on your JF-55 was also responsible for the wider necks on these DVs?

GardMan said:

I would add that all three of my DV-7Xs have nut widths within a whisker of 1-3/4"... and a few other DV-7X owners (but NOT all) have reported their DVs also have 1-3/4" necks. The DV-7Xs were made in '93-95. Wonder if the same guy who shaped the neck on your JF-55 was also responsible for the wider necks on these DVs?

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Just out of curiosity, what is the overall center to center pin spacing at the bridge? I think all of my older Guilds with a 1 11/16" nuts and had an overall center to center pin spacing of 2 1/8" at the bridge. Just wondering if the slight wider nuts came with a slightly wider overall center to center pin spacing at the bridge too.

Tommy

Wow...old revived post, but it brings up a good question....how do you measure the nut? The overall width or at the outsides of the strings?

tommym said:

Just out of curiosity, what is the overall center to center pin spacing at the bridge? I think all of my older Guilds with a 1 11/16" nuts and had an overall center to center pin spacing of 2 1/8" at the bridge. Just wondering if the slight wider nuts came with a slightly wider overall center to center pin spacing at the bridge too.
Tommy

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String spacing at the bridge on all my DV-7Xs is 2-1/8" (within measuring error).

The Retro Rocker said:

Wow...old revived post, but it brings up a good question....how do you measure the nut? The overall width or at the outsides of the strings?

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Not the string spacing... that is a separate measurement that also affects playability (I measure string spacing center to center at the nut).

For nut width, either measure the width of the nut itself, or probably a more reliable method (since the nut might by slightly over or undersize) is to measure the fret board width DIRECTLY in front of the nut.

Thanks Dave, that's kinda what I thought.
On my '92 JF-30 I get 1.72" and that seems to be in between 1 11/16 and 1 3/4.
My string spacing at the saddle from center of low e pin to center of high e pin is 2 1/8".

The Retro Rocker said:

My string spacing at the saddle from center of low e pin to center of high e pin is 2/18".

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Would that be 2 1/8? eaceful:

Curious Joe

OOOPS...yes it would! I went back and fixed it! Thanks.

GardMan,

Just a fyi...I checked the necks on my two DV-72 tonight.

1993 LK000043 has a 1.685" neck width at the nut.
1994 AD720017 has a 1.720" neck width at the nut.

I thought both my '84 D64 and my '98 Bluesbird were 1.75", but according to the specs in the Guild catalogs I have, they are both 1 11/16". Since I was using primitive measuring tools, I'm going with the official specs...

walrus

tommym said:

Just out of curiosity, what is the overall center to center pin spacing at the bridge? I think all of my older Guilds with a 1 11/16" nuts and had an overall center to center pin spacing of 2 1/8" at the bridge. Just wondering if the slight wider nuts came with a slightly wider overall center to center pin spacing at the bridge too.

Tommy

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The width of my JF55 at the bridge is 2 7/32 (center to center pin spacing).
I've been playing a 1 of a kind 6 string Breedlove (my nephew worked there for years) and it is 1.75" @ the nut and 2 9/32" at the bridge (center to center pin spacing). I prefer the Breedlove dimensions. I can tell the difference when flat picking on the JF-55 but not so much just finger picking. If I use a thumb pick it is just a tad more constrictive compared to the Breedlove but very minor.
I measured the nut just right next to the nut on the fret board (1.75").

Finally got it done!
Had to save up the funds and find the right luthier… but my Westerly built 1996 JF-55 (6 string) was just redone to take advantage of the 1 3/4" nut width. (Kudos to Hans Moust for putting me on the search for the 1 ¾” nut rarity find.) I had Drew Jones (Drews Guitars in West Seattle) look over the job. He felt it could be done without getting the strings too close to the edge & it turned out perfect. I had a some very minor issues he dealt with as well, but the string spacing was the major job. He started by finding some gabon Ebony bridge pins & glued them in as fill for the old pin holes. He sanded it all down and re-drilled wider pin spacing in the saddle. I could not see that any work had been done, it was a perfect match. What fantastic attention to detail. Drew added in a recut bone nut and a new recut bone saddle. He also put in new individually fitted bone pins. The saddle is noticeably higher after the change and the neck was adjusted to the perfect action. I was surprised, but the sound improved noticeably as well. What a terrific job by Drew (and he’s a very nice guy as well). His knowledge and up-front-honesty throughout the change were greatly appreciated.

http://www.drewsguitarshop.com/

Before I started the process, I bought a caliper and measured both before and after the changes.
The nut width on the JF-55 is 1 97/128". That would make it a full 1 3/4" inch nut. The width at the 12th fret is 2 3/32".
The string spacing prior to the changes were...
1 60/128" @ nut (outside E to e)
1 104/128" @ 12th fret (outside E to e)
2 21/128" @ saddle, high outside e at 90 degrees over to E.

After the string spacing changes...
1 71/128" @ nut (outside E to e)
1 122/128" @ 12th fret (outside E to e)
2 35/128" @ saddle, high outside e at 90 degrees over to E.

So, the string width increased at the nut by 11/128". That seems really minor but the that change is very noticeable to the fingers. It is so much easier to play and is actually just a minor tick wider than my 2008 Martin D28 Marquis @ 1 69/128", although I can't feel any difference between the 2. The Martin is wider up the neck and sits at 1 45/128" at the saddle (90 degrees straight across).

I also had Drew put in a K&K Mini pickup w/sound wheel in. He finished it out with Elixir 12 nano’s and wow… just a totally different feel to the guitar, all to the better. I could not be more pleased.

Again, thanks to Hans Moust for putting me on the search for a Westerly made Jumbo with a 1 ¾” nut width. And great job by Drew Jones!

The 1996 JF55 NT joins my 1979 Guild F212XL NT & my 2008 Martin D28 Marquis NT to make for the only guitars I will need in my lifetime. I’ll be passing these on to my guitar playing kids someday.

I've never used the nut as my source of measurement. I've always measured the width of the neck at the nut.

keith7940236 said:

I've never used the nut as my source of measurement. I've always measured the width of the neck at the nut.

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That's how I measure as well. Just as the neck meets the nut.