The way that guitars are designed is marvelous. Every minute aspect of the instrument is by design, and every tiny change that is done to a guitar component affects the way the instrument feels to play. Among the most critical components of any guitar is the nut, and the width of the nut directly determines how comfortable the instrument is to play.
The width of a guitar nut is a critical component of how the guitar feels in hand. Most electric guitar nuts widths are 41.275mm (1 5/8”) to 44.45mm (1 3/4″). Most acoustic guitar nut widths are 42.86mm (1 11/16”) to 44.45mm (1 3/4”). Most classical guitar nuts are 48mm (1.89”) to 52mm (2.05”).
The nut that a guitar is equipped with plays a vital role in tuning stability and overall tone, and it keeps the strings where they need to be, but not many guitarists realize that the width of the nut is a critical aspect of this component as well. This is everything guitarists need to know about guitar nut width and some examples of nut width various to put things in better perspective.
Typical Guitar Nut Width
Every component of every guitar is critical to the way that particular instrument sounds and the way it feels to play. It may not seem true, but even the tiniest components of a guitar impact the way the instrument feels and sounds, and the truth is that the tiniest components usually make the biggest differences.
Every aspect of the guitar is important because this instrument is made to such particularly small measurement tolerances, and even the slightest deviation from the design will result in tuning stability issues and reliability issues and can even be detrimental to the feel and tone of the instrument overall.
This is why some guitars feel better than others and why two guitars of the exact same model and brand can feel completely different to play even if they appear to be precisely the same.
Among the most important guitar components that can impact the feel of an instrument is the width of the guitar nut. The nut is a tiny component on every guitar, but this tiny piece is a major factor in the feel, tuning stability, and tone of a guitar, and the width of the nut directly impacts the playability of the instrument as well.
The width of a guitar nut is the size of the nut across the fretboard. The width of the nut is determined by the width of the fretboard at the low end of the neck, and the width of the nut itself determines the spacing of the strings at the open position.
If the width of a guitar nut is not well-thought-out, it can ruin the feel of the instrument. Let’s take a closer look at some of the average guitar nut width sizes for the three main types of guitars.
Electric guitars, acoustic guitars, and classical guitars all have differing standard nut width sizes, which makes understanding the typical nut width sizes important when swapping between different guitars or purchasing a new guitar.
Electric Guitar Nut Width
The electric guitar is a type of instrument that encompasses more variations than any other guitar type. There are far more electric guitar types and styles than there are of any other guitar, which is why electric guitar nut width variation is so surprisingly standard.
Electric guitars have more body shale and style variations than other guitars, but six-string electric guitars all have the most standardized nut width.
Without considering extended-range guitars such as eight-string or nine-string guitars, most six-string guitars have the same nut width, regardless of body style or brand.
The most common range of electric guitar nut width is 41.275mm (1 5/8 inches) to 44.45mm (1 3/4 inches), but the most common nut width of electric guitars, and what is considered to be the standard is a width of 42.86mm (1 11/16 inches).
The widest variations in electric guitar nut width are due to larger neck sizes in differing electric guitar bodies. For example, the Fender Stratocaster typically has a narrower neck than the Gibson Les Paul, and therefore the Strat has a narrower nut width than that of the Les Paul.
Acoustic Guitar Nut Width
Acoustic guitars have the widest variations of nut width of any guitars. The same is true for classical acoustic guitars as well, but let’s focus on the steel-string acoustic for now.
The reason why acoustic guitars have such a variety of nut widths is due to the fact that many of these guitars are hand-made, or they are made to fit into the design specifications of certain sub-styles of acoustic guitars.
There are different body styles of acoustic guitar as there are of all other guitar types, but the acoustic guitar body type also determines the overall size and dimensions o the instrument, unlike the electric guitar.
For example, a parlor acoustic guitar is smaller than a dreadnaught guitar and therefore has a smaller and narrower neck than the dreadnaught does.
The typical range of acoustic guitar nut widths is from 43.66mm (1 23/32 inches) up to 47.63mm (1 7/8 inches). However, these are the upper and lower extremes of the nut width range of acoustic guitars, and the typical range is usually 42.86mm (1 11/16 inches) to 44.45mm (1 3/4 inches).
Acoustic guitar nut width is typically wider than electric guitar nut width, but the lower end of the spectrum is somewhat similar for both guitar types.
Classical Guitar Nut Width
Classical guitars are among the top three common guitar styles, and this label encompasses a wide variety of guitars, as do the other types on this list. However, classical guitars are the most standard size of all guitars, except for smaller sizes meant for children.
The most standard classical guitar nut width is 48mm (1.89 inches) to 52mm (2.05 Inches). Most classical guitar makes have two or three sizes that they use for all of the instruments that they produce, and the most settle on using 50mm (2 inches) as an overall standard size.
However, while classical guitars are the most standard regarding size and nut width, there are more artisanal guitar builders who produce classical guitars than any other varieties.
This means that there are many classical guitars out there that have custom dimensions and components that do not fall into any standard sizing scale, and there are many classical guitars that are made to custom order dimensions that fall outside of standard sizes as well.
Most large producers of classical acoustic guitars settle on the standard sizes, but the small luthier operations produce guitars with unique dimensions with unique nut widths.
Examples of Guitar Nut Width
Now that we know the standard sizes of the nut width of most guitar types, it is important to examine the real-world nut sizes on the most commonly played guitars internationally.
This will make the nut measurements more relatable and will provide guitar players with a reference point for the type of nut widths that they enjoy more than others based on the types of guitars that they prefer.
Let’s begin with electric guitar models and compare their various nut sizes, and work our way through the three standard guitar types in the same way.
The guitar nut widths of standard electric guitars:
| Guitar | Nut Width |
| Ibanez RG | 43mm |
| Ibanez AR | 43mm |
| Ibanez AZ | 42mm |
| Ibanez IC (Iceman) | 48mm |
| Gibson SG Special | 43.053mm |
| Gibson Les Paul Gold Top | 43.05mm |
| Gibson Les Paul Special | 43.05mm |
| Gibson ES-335 | 43.053mm |
| Gibson Firebird | 43.05mm |
| Gibson Flying V | 43.05mm |
| Gibson Explorer | 43.05mm |
| Fender Stratocaster | 42.8mm |
| Fender Telecaster | 42.8mm |
| Fender Acoustasonic | 42.86mm |
| Fender Jaguar | 42mm |
| Fender Jazzmaster | 42.8mm |
| Fender Duo-Sonic | 42mm |
| Fender Mustang | 42mm |
| Fender Player Lead II | 42mm |
| PRS Silver Sky | 41.275mm |
| PRS Custom 24 | 42.86mm |
| PRS Hollowbody | 42.86mm |
| PRS CE 24 | 42.86mm |
| PS S2 Standard 22 | 42.0687mm |
| PRS S2 Custom 24 | 42.86mm |
| PRS SE 245 Standard | 42.86mm |
| PRS SE Mira | 42.86mm |
The guitar nut widths of standard acoustic guitars:
| Guitar | Nut Width |
| Taylor GS Mini | 42.86mm |
| Taylor Big Baby (BBT) | 42.86mm |
| Taylor Baby | 42.86mm |
| Taylor Academy 12e | 42.86mm |
| Taylor Presentation Series | 44.45mm |
| Taylor Koa Series | 44.45mm |
| Taylor 600 Series | 47.62mm |
| Taylor 700 Series | 44.45mm |
| Taylor 800 Series | 44.45mm |
| Taylor 900 Series | 44.45mm |
| Taylor GT Series | 43.66mm |
| Martin D-28 | 44.45mm |
| Martin HD-28 | 44.45mm |
| Martin 000-18 | 44.45mm |
| Martin D-X9E | 44.45mm |
| Martin 0-x1E | 44.45mm |
| Martin 000JR-10 | 44.45mm |
| Martin LX1 Little Martin | 42.86mm |
| Martin OMJM | 42.86mm |
| Gibson J-45 | 43.815mm |
| Gibson SJ-200 | 43.815mm |
| Gibson Hummingbird | 43.815m |
| Gibson G-00 | 43.815mm |
| Guild M25E | 44.5mm |
| Guild F-512 | 48mm |
| Guild D-55E | 43mm |
| Guild M-20 | 44.5mm |
| Guild F-40 | 43mm |
| Yamaha A Series | 43mm |
| Yamaha L Series | 44mm |
| Yamaha CSF Series | 43mm |
| Yamaha FG Series | 43mm |
| Yamaha FX Series | 43mm |
The guitar nut widths of standard classical guitars:
| Guitar | Nut Width |
| Cordoba C1 Matiz | 52mm |
| Cordoba Fusion 5 | 48mm |
| Cordoba Mini II | 52mm |
| Cordoba C5 | 52mm |
| Cordoba C3 M | 52mm |
| Cordoba C7 | 52mm |
| Cordoba Friedreich | 52mm |
| Cordoba Esteso SP | 52mm |
| Cordoba Torres | 51mm |
| Cordoba 55 FCE Negra | 50mm |
| Yamaha GC Series | 52.5mm |
| Yamaha C Series | 52mm |
| Yamaha NTX Series | 48mm |
| Yamaha NCX Series | 52mm |
| Godin Arena | 50.8mm |
| Godin Collection | 50.8mm |
| Godin Concert | 50.8mm |
| Godin Presentation | 50.8mm |
| Godin Etude | 50.8mm |
| Godin Motif | 50.8mm |
Why is Nut Width so Crucial?
With all of this information now available to us, what do we do with it all? Why is it so crucial to understanding the nut width of a guitar? How does the nut width actually affect the guitar player?
Well, the truth is that the width of a guitar nut is among the most critical components of any guitar. If the nut width is not ideal for you, for your preferences, and for your playing style, you will find the guitar to be very uncomfortable to play.
The nut width is an indication of the width of the neck at the open position, it is an indication of how far apart the strings are separated, and it indicates how much the strings will separate as they move toward the bridge.
If the guitar strings are too far apart for your playing style, you will find the guitar very frustrating to play. This means that you want to use a guitar with a nut width in the range of your preference, keeping the strings where you expect them to be, rather than having the strings too close or too far apart from one another.
If the neck of the instrument is too thick for your hands to play comfortably, it can lead to severe muscle and ligament issues from playing. The guitar will also be uncomfortable to the point where you are not able to play as well, as usual, leading to immense frustration.
The nut width of a guitarist is also an indication of how far away the strings will separate from one another where your plucking hand plays. If these strings are too far from one another or too close together, you will find the instrument very difficult to play.
These are the reasons why it is critical for every guitar player to understand the nut width that they prefer, as it will heavily impact their playing, as well as inform them of the guitars that are best suited for their playing style and techniques.
How to Determine the Right Nut Width for You
We now know the importance of nut width for the average guitarist, but what if you do not know the nut width that is most comfortable for you? How do you find out what will best suit your playing style?
Most guitar players develop a playing style based on the guitars that they use when they are learning to play. A good indication of the nut width that best suits you is the guitars that you love to play the most.
There is always one guitar in the collection that feels better in your hands than the others, and this is the guitar that has your preferred nut width. Find out what the nut width of your favorite guitar is by measuring it or by looking it up on the manufacturer’s website, and this is most likely your preferred nut width.
If you want to experiment with alternative nut widths, take a trip to your local guitar store and play some guitars with varying nut widths. This will provide a good indication of what your ideal nut width is based on your own preferences and playing style.
Conclusion
The width of the nut on a guitar is a critical aspect of the instrument, but the ideal nut width for you should be based on your preferences, not on what you may have read online. Take the time to experiment with guitars with varying nut widths, and you will quickly find what suits you best.
The width of guitar nuts varies widely, but there are some industry standards that have been proven to be more comfortable than others. The nut on your guitar is vital, so be sure that you understand it well, and this will help you understand your guitar requirements in the future as well.