42mm vs 43mm nut width on Strats

[Subotai]

Hello fellow guitar enthusiast! LOL, just kidding.

Hey man,

I'm new here. Been playing for five months since retirement. Played in junior high back in the 70's, y'know, KISS, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, etc. I can play Horse with No Name, 7 Nation Army, almost have speed on Bad Moon Rising, and working on What Child is This (Acoustic but doesn't count here, I have a Taylor for that). Probably go for some Nirvana next. Know about 25 chords but only working on 6 with a metronome. Recently started working on barre chords. Anyway, close to intermediate beginner.

I have a Squier Strat HSS. The nut width is actually 42.3mm wide. I was considering one of the new Fenders that have a reported 43mm nut width. My fingers bunch up a lot for A Major and I'm thinking a tad more space would be nice, not as tedious, if you catch my drift. My B7 chord is okay, except for bending my wrist a bit much to line up my fingers. Newbie problems. I find guitars with a 43mm width feel better generally than the 42mm width. I'm not sure about leaving Strat for another brand such as PRS, though it's tempting.

What do you think? Do you like the 43mm Strats out there? Thanks for your input!

 

[Can of Beans]

Welcome to the forums.

Go with whatever guitar feels better to you.

But just a note on the open A major chord...
I think that most people find it squeezy. I'll often alternatively play it with the middle, ring and pinky (2, 3 & 4)... or bar two strings with the index and fret the 2nd string with the middle finger... or bar the all of the 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings with the index finger and not play the open E. People with a lot bigger hands than mine seem to work around it well.

 

[Caffiend]

Gotta say, I tend to play the basic A major with a single finger partial barre. On an electric neck it did feel like a lot of fingers in a small space otherwise. I'm not sure when I started doing that but it was a very long time ago. The ability to selectively barre 2,3,4 strings while leaving the possibility of open strings either side is one which is worth learning if you don't already do this as it opens up a lot of options for practical progressions and interspersed chord and single note parts such as you might want as a single guitar covering rhythm and leads.

Welcome to the forum!

After many guitars, my feeling is that they don't really matter except for attributes such as bridge and pickup types, number of strings etc assuming that they're set up to your liking. There are caveats to this; my first guitar was a horrid 60s European model that is insanely fashionable in some quarters now, but it was junk apart from the pickups. My second was the remains of a Gibson SG which had seen a very hard life and was not really worth anything anymore except as a player. It had a very narrow, very slim neck but most importantly worked and had a conventionally shaped carve. I progressed much more rapidly with that. Modern starter instruments are much better than they were in the 70s and 80s when a lot of people on these forums formed their opinions about them. You're unlikely to see much honest difference from the +1mm nut width while learning. Stuff like this really is mostly about people with long muscle memory they don't want to retrain. If you want a new guitar then this isn't the place to talk you out of it (!) but honestly I'd put some money into a good setup of what you have, maybe a better amp and put some serious time in. The most important thing with any guitar is that you like it. If you don't, it's time for another

 

[swiveltung]

Whatever works. My fingers are not fat and play that A chord fine on 41+mm (1.65") If you need more room go for it. First make sure it's not just getting used to playing that chord though. Do you use your pinky on that chord?

 

[JohnnyOdell]

I am mostly playing on 7.25 radius these days so I know "bunched". But I just deal with it.

My motto?

If Hendrix could, I can.

 

[Robins]

Well, 1mm is not that much but it can make the difference being a King or a Queen.
Flat joke.
Stunningly 1mm makes a huge difference on a guitar but it is also important how the nut is set up.
How much to the sides the E and e string is at (how much space between the nut slots).
I like a wide neck but the one (and only) thing I liked about my cursed Telecaster was the narrow nut and rounded neck.

By the way my beloved white Flying V has a 43mm nut. I love it. Standard Les Paul and SG nut and because all the Flying Vs come with an SG fretboard they have the same size.

Life is good,
Robin

 

[Shoegoo]

I use two fingers vs. the one finger barre or three fingers. Whatever is comfortable for you is okay.

 

[Subotai]

Hmmm. Yeah, I don't use my pinky. There is the alternate Major A where I can use my index on the G string, second finger on D, and ring finger on B. Perhaps, I should use that instead of squeezing my fingers together because "that's how you learn A Major".

Also, I can't lift my ring finger in the A Major barre chord off the high E string yet, so it plays muted. That one may take awhile.

 

[Subotai]

Oh, yeah, I did my own setup. Truss rod, Ernie Ball 9-42's, action height, pickup height, intonation at 12th string. Everything well.

I've also added Fender locking tuners, Graph Tech saddles and tree, and a Musically brass bridge. Holds tune well.

I had a Mustang LT25 and traded it in on an LT50. Wanted to learn about pedals, etc. and the options do that for me. But, sometimes think about the new Boss Katana EX Gen 3 coming out. My friend, who used to be in a band, has a katana and says we can share presets, etc. He's thinking about playing on stage again. Tempting.

 

[Killing Floor]

Moving from 42.3mm to 43mm works out to 0.14mm difference in string spacing. That’s 5/1,000 inch.
Just putting it to paper.

 

[dirocyn]

With guitars, 5/1000 of an inch can be a world of difference. You'd sure notice if your strings were 5/1000 thicker or thinner.

I had a guitar with a 41.6mm nut, sold it because I found it crowded. I have several guitars with a 42mm nut and I've gotten used to that. Even though my #1 is a classical with a 2" nut.

 

[Will Lefeurve]

As @Robins said a little earlier, 1mm is a hell of a lot, and your brain will sense a different width as quick as lightening.

I'm a guy with big hands, and the wider nut.. the better for me. Electric single note playing you can get away with a lot. Try it with an acoustic finger-style and you wont get away with it, those strings you're 'just touching' will be muted or buzz.

As for that open A chord.. I barre it with my index finger.. and if I want an A7 I just pop my ring finger on the third fret of the high E..

My advice if you find the fretboard cramped and you're a serious player, look for a wider board, and that goes for any guitar.. frets too..

 

[tinkertoy]

I finger my a chord like a d chord but upside down. Ring finger on the b, pointer on the g, and middle on the d string. This opens up the position.
I can't play that chord the standard way at all.

Regarding 42/43 mm spacing:
Divided between 6 strings, it's not that much difference overall. Is a sixth of a mm going to really matter?
The nut width has more bearing on the neck profile near the nut more than anything.

Me personally, I can't play on 1 5/8, as it's too tight, and the neck is to small at the nut.

1 11/16" is fine for me, but I got a couple of guitars with 1.65" (42mm) nits and have really liked them. I ordered my latest warmoth neck that way.

 

[Subotai]

Hmmm, that reminds me. I tried an Epiphone Les Paul at guitar center and when I used a strap, my open chord hand was actually farther away from my body than with the Squier. The Epiphone's scale was less, but it was set farther out on the body. In effect, making you reach farther. Almost negates the wider nut.

 

[Ringthane]

I don't really have a preference for either. To me, what makes more of a difference is the neck thickness. I have a 1996 NC6 Tradition Strat with a 43mm nut width and also a thicker neck front to back. The combination of both is just a little too uncomfortable for my hand. Then I have three SE Strats - although the necks are still thick front to back, the nut width is only 42mm, so it's much more comfortable. And I've played 43mm necks that are thin and they're fine. It's the combination of both.

Which is a long way of saying the best thing to do would be to try a couple and see what you like best. If it feels wrong you'll know. It's like a pair of shoes that are just a little too loose or too tight - you can wear them, but you'll never be comfortable and you'll end up getting rid of the shoes for something that fits you best.

 

[Killing Floor]

With guitars, 5/1000 of an inch can be a world of difference. You'd sure notice if your strings were 5/1000 thicker or thinner.

I had a guitar with a 41.6mm nut, sold it because I found it crowded. I have several guitars with a 42mm nut and I've gotten used to that. Even though my #1 is a classical with a 2" nut.

You would notice the difference in tension playing a .009 to a .010. But you would not likely notice the thickness with your fingers if you were simply trying to feel the gauge.

 

[Caffiend]

I don't use my pinky.

There's a major goal, right there. I don't know why but it's really common to neglect the pinky.

It's never too early to start using your pinky as you really really want good strength and mobility in it. I neglected mine and it's really annoying that my vibrato on it is so poor.

 

[stratocarlster]

I learned on a nylon string guitar with 51mm nut width - luxury!

I can certainly tell the difference between 42mm and a 43mm but does the wider nut make chording easier? I guess logic says if you're making an A with 3 fingers (like a noob haha) then the 43mm nut will give you an appreciable bit of extra clearance either side. Maybe the difference between the A string buzzing or not. But you need to learn how to squeeze those fingers together anyway (the trick is to angle them and use the real estate available )so I would say stick with the Squier and you'll get good at it soon enough.

 

[Swamp_Thang]

My Big Apple Strat has a 43mm nut and I can notice a difference with my other guitars that are 42mm.

 

[Bburlison]

Hello fellow guitar enthusiast! LOL, just kidding.

Hey man,

I'm new here. Been playing for five months since retirement. Played in junior high back in the 70's, y'know, KISS, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, etc. I can play Horse with No Name, 7 Nation Army, almost have speed on Bad Moon Rising, and working on What Child is This (Acoustic but doesn't count here, I have a Taylor for that). Probably go for some Nirvana next. Know about 25 chords but only working on 6 with a metronome. Recently started working on barre chords. Anyway, close to intermediate beginner.

I have a Squier Strat HSS. The nut width is actually 42.3mm wide. I was considering one of the new Fenders that have a reported 43mm nut width. My fingers bunch up a lot for A Major and I'm thinking a tad more space would be nice, not as tedious, if you catch my drift. My B7 chord is okay, except for bending my wrist a bit much to line up my fingers. Newbie problems. I find guitars with a 43mm width feel better generally than the 42mm width. I'm not sure about leaving Strat for another brand such as PRS, though it's tempting.

What do you think? Do you like the 43mm Strats out there? Thanks for your input!

I have osteoarthritis bad in my left thumb and hand — 1mm is actually quite noticeable. I can’t tell you how many strats I’ve had to let go because I just couldn’t make them work. For what it’s worth, after playing nearly every neck profile fender makes the American Pro ii neck, maple, is the most comfortable neck I’ve ever owned. I currently have two I play daily and can easily lose myself for hours in them with no pain or recourse…enjoy…