fingerboard & bridge width?

[peter havriluk]

I became curious this evening and took a digital caliper to my built-under-instruction dreadnaught to see what the nut width and bridge string spacing were. The nut (no surprise) was 1 11/16", and the bridge string spacing was (surprise!) 2 1/8". Is that string spacing for the bridge in common use? And what might be the characteristics of the spacing as seen by the player? The scale length, if that has any import, is 25.34".

Any insights/observations will be appreciated.

Thanks, folks.

[Dave Bagwill]

Much ado has been made by boutique builders about the huge advantage, to finger-style players, of the 2 3/8" string spacing.
Phooey. If a player likes it, it's good. I happen to like that spacing, but my students aren't particularly impressed by it.

That being said, flatpickers and strummers mostly are happy with the 2 1/8" - 2 1/4" spacing.

On a dred sized instrument, that 2 1/8" would be about right I would think.

[John Parchem]

Dave beat me but for strumming or flat picking 2 1/8" sounds OK to me, with a custom built guitar to some extent it is a preference. I am a finger picker but I want the extra width closer to the nut not the bridge.

[John Link]

One of the facts that has always caught my attention is that classical players, the ultimate "finger pickers", like such a wide fingerboard.

[ken cierp]

Here you go

http://www.martinguitar.com/featuresmat ... hapes.html

Pin spacing is usually the same as the 12th fret measurement.

[peter havriluk]

Thanks to all. Ken, the Martin link tells many tales. Much information. Much obliged.