Strat Bridges & Necks

[ryanjurek]

I'm about to embark on a strat project, and in my research I've come up with more questions than answers.

I've just discovered that strat bridges do not all have the same string spacing.

Also, necks have different nut widths. 1 11/16" supposedly being a standard width.

1. Does the nut width of a neck (say, a strat neck) determine the width of the entire fretboard?

2. Is there a certain string spacing that goes with a certain nut width?

I want to use a bridge that happens to have a 2 3/16" string spacing and I need to know what neck options I have. (I'm concerned about my E strings sliding off the frets)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edited January 22, 2008 by ryanjurek

[RAI6]

The combination of the bridge and the nut is what determines your neck.

Just to exaggerate, if you wanted a 10" spacing on the bridge, and 1" spacing on the nut, it's completely do-able.

Not necessarily playable...

[Acousticraft]

It is important if you want your strings to be even and parallel to the edges of your finger board to draw the position of the two outer E strings accurately. You will need your preferred nut width and string spacing at the nut, the scale length plus slight compensation for the bridge, plus the string spacing 2-3/16" at the bridge. This way the taper on the fingerboard will end up correct in the final reckoning.

All my guitars vary at the nut width slightly but I tend to prefer the Gibson 1-7/8" wide nuts so my string spacing is a little wider for my big fingers. I find the Strat width OK once you get use to it but I prefer the wider Gibson.