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Anyone have a spreadsheet that calculates string spacing at the saddle for a given nut width and string gauges?

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Why would you need one .. the two arent specifically related IMO. I will make any nut width with pretty much any saddle width .. you just have to make the FB work with the numbers you choose. I see no reason as to why you have to go wider at the saddle if the nut is say 1-7/8.

So a player has chunky fingers and likes to hear all the notes in a strummed Am chord - that doesnt mean the saddle needs to be a 1/8 wider too. Just my 2 cents.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I don't have a formula for spacing but I do use the string spacing ruler from SteMac. It works very well for both the nut and saddle spacing. Works with any spacing and compensates for string thickness. Since it gives you the center of each string it matters little what gauge is used.

Guess I miss read the question ,

I just use the Martin quasi standard of adding 7/16" to the nut string spacing to get the saddle spacing.

But I still love the SteMac ruler

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Well, maybe someone can give me a an idea of what the string spacing at the saddle should be for nylon strings using a nut width of 1 7/8" I was going to go with 2 1/4 to 2 3/8.

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

On my classicials I add 9/32" to the string spacing at the nut for the saddle string spacing.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Ricardo,
My default nut is 52.5mm wide, with a spacing of 42.5 mm center to center (8.5mm between each)
I divide the 10mm of clearance a bit asymmetrically: 4.5mm for the low E and 5.5mm for the high E.
Saddle spacing: I like 57.5mm, 11.5 between each center.

You want to make your nut only 47.6mm wide? Are you very very sure?

Joe,

9/32 is a bit over 7mm, add 42 typical nut spacing, you are using 49mm saddle spacing? That sounds very crowded for nylon?

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Build log

Ricardo,

I built a nylon-string with a 1 7/8 nut width as well. I used a string spacing at the nut of 1 5/8 and spring spacing at the saddle of 2 5/16. I used a 20" radius for the fretboard. I built the guitar for myself and I like how it plays very much. I'm mostly a steel string player and never liked typical classical necks very much (no radius, spring spacing too wide at the nut). So I changed the spring spacing at the nut to be more comfortable for me and used a pretty wide string spacing at the saddle so I can get my fingers in.

Note that this was the first guitar I ever built... I pretty much went with my guts when I "designed" the neck. So there may be better solutions... and people who can give better advice

Christian

I think the goal is to make it feel like a steel string. It just leaves no room for technique.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Check this out http://www.guitarrasjaen.com/English%20Version/EquispacingCalculator.htm

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

I too am a steel string player and I don't want to have to learn how to play over again - hence the 1 7/8" nut width. Also (horrors!) it will be 24.9" scale and 16" radius. I built a steel string with 1 3/4" nut and 24.9" scale and for my small hands it works just great - my Taylor 414ce doesn't get much play time now. I want the feel of a steel string, but sound of a nylon guitar.

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

A useful tool is the original Fretfind http://www.fretfind.ekips.org/original_ ... etfind.php

You can input string spacing at nut and saddle, fretboard ovehang (distance from outer string centre to edge of board) and scale length and it will give you fingerboard widths and lengths etc.

Jeff thanks for the link, unfortunately it gives you the fret spacing. What I need is width of fretboard at 12 fret or string spacing at saddle for a given nut width.

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Hi Ricardo,
That calculator will give you fretboard widths, it is the last column on the results table.
You have to make the choice of string spacing at nut and saddle.
If you use a nut width of say 1.75" and 1/8"(.125") set in for the outer strings then this is 1.5" string spacing at the nut (input .125 as "fretboard overhang)

No calculator will tell you the string spacing at the saddle, this is a matter of personal preference.

Most steel string builders are using 2.125" to 2.25" spacing at the saddle. Classical spacing is a bit more.
With your 1 7/8 nut and nylon strings I would go for the wider 2 3/8" you suggested earlier

Fingerboard width at the twelth fret?

It is the average of the sting spacing at the nut and saddle, plus the amount of overhang you want for the 1st & 6th strings at the 12th fret m(somewhere around 3/16")

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Jeff, thanks for the info and instructions on how to use the spreadsheet.

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA