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Hi Folks,

Been quite awhile since i have posted. I have a quick question that is stumping me. I am building some guitars to vintage Gibson specs and having a difficult time figuring out the 12th or 14th fret width for the fingerboard with a 1 3/4" nut & 2 3/8" bridge string spacing. My first attempt I used 2 3/8" also at the 14th fret, and that just makes the fingerboard a bit too wide in the upper frets. Any ideas for optimal spacing at 12th or 14th fret? Just background, these are 12 fret to the body guitars (modeling after a 1930 Gibson L2).

BTW, I am LOVING the 2 3/8" string spacing at the bridge - I play fingerstyle.

Thanks in advance!

Glenn

Rule of thumb is make the fb as wide as the string spacing at body join…but sounds like you already did close to that but didn’t like it.

But also…if they’re 12 fret guitars does it matter what’s happening beyond the body join much?

I have never trusted the heuristics for fingerboard width. I draw out the strings from nut to bridge on a white piece of cardboard and then draw the fingerboard around that with the margins that I want. I make the fingerboard to match the drawing and save the cardboard for the next time I want that spacing.

Kinda my thoughts as well. I will probably do this.

Glenn

That's how I did it and didn't think about it till I strung the guitar up and noticed a bit too wide . I believe the steeper angle form 1 3/4" to 2 3/8 at bridge makes it a bit wide. My thoughts it has to be less than 2 3/8" at the 12th fret.

Glenn

Sometimes common wisdom just doesn’t work out, but drawing it out will…

I just finished building a series of 00 (3) that were 1 3/4” nut - 2 1/4” at the 12th - 2 3/8” bridge spacing. The actual bridge spacing was 2.36” vs exactly 2 3/8”. It resulted in parallel string paths to the edge of the fretboard. I got feedback that I should have the string path taper inward like Martin. On the current dreds the fretboard is the same and I changed the bridge spacing to 2 5/32 per the standard Martin D28 specs on their website.

FWIW, one of the 00 is my personal daily driver and I like it fine but I’m not doing a lot of bending up the neck so maybe it doesn’t matter to me.


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Same overall process, but I use blank newsprint and go ahead and draw out the whole headstock, neck, and body. I like making sure everything is going to work together before I cut any wood, and I refer back to my drawing throughout the build as a sanity check. Not that many things have stuck with me since my first guitar build 28 years ago, the one where I followed the Cumpiano/Natelson book, but this habit of drawing everything out has.

Original OM's were 2 1/4 at the 12th. That does place the strings close to the edge, but can work if the fret ends are not beveled too much.

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John

Thanks John,

I'll be able to measure Roy's L2 when he is back in November (he lives a mile from me).

Glenn