I'm rigging an old (~1970) Yamaha acoustic finger-buster to play
slide. The E-E string spacing on both my acoustic guitars is ~1-3/8".
But on all the nut extenders I can find in stores or online, the E-E
spacing is ~1-5/8". That won't work, as it'd push the E strings
outside the fretboard.
What's the "nominal" or "standard" string spacing on acoustic flat-top
guitars? Any idea how to raise the string action? Any sources for a
nut extender that'd fit?
Thanks a heap.
-Zz
"Zz Yzx" rhymes with "physics"; or " Isaacs" if you prefer.
http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/zzyzx_road.htm
On 11/5/2011 10:38 AM, Zz Yzx wrote:
> I'm rigging an old (~1970) Yamaha acoustic finger-buster to play
> slide. The E-E string spacing on both my acoustic guitars is ~1-3/8".
> But on all the nut extenders I can find in stores or online, the E-E
> spacing is ~1-5/8". That won't work, as it'd push the E strings
> outside the fretboard.
>
> What's the "nominal" or "standard" string spacing on acoustic flat-top
> guitars? Any idea how to raise the string action? Any sources for a
> nut extender that'd fit?
>
> Thanks a heap.
> -Zz
> "Zz Yzx" rhymes with "physics"; or " Isaacs" if you prefer.
> http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/zzyzx_road.htm
The actions on both a hollow body electric and a Dobro I own have been
setup for slide, by *raising the bridge*, not the nut.
Some bridge pieces on acoustics simply are a piece of plastic in a
small routed groove. In that case, you can just remove the plastic and
replace it with a taller one. In the case of my Dobro, the bridge was
a fixed height piece of wood attached to the resonator cone. There, a
piece of matching sized wood (with grooves cut for each string) was
*glued onto the existing bridge* to raise the action.
You can also do a small bit of adjustment to the neck tension via the
nut in the headstock once you have the bridge raised, to even out the
clearance along the length of the neck. Do his gently and in small
increments or you can snap the neck as the weather changes.
On Nov 5, 1:11=A0pm, Tim Daneliuk <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 11/5/2011 10:38 AM, Zz Yzx wrote:
>
> > I'm rigging an old (~1970) Yamaha acoustic finger-buster to play
> > slide. =A0The E-E string spacing on both my acoustic guitars is ~1-3/8"=
.
> > But on all the nut extenders I can find in stores or online, the E-E
> > spacing is ~1-5/8". =A0That won't work, as it'd push the E strings
> > outside the fretboard.
>
> > What's the "nominal" or "standard" string spacing on acoustic flat-top
> > guitars? =A0Any idea how to raise the string action? =A0Any sources for=
a
> > nut extender that'd fit?
>
> > Thanks a heap.
> > -Zz
> > "Zz Yzx" rhymes with "physics"; or " Isaacs" if you prefer.
> >http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/zzyzx_road.htm
>
> The actions on both a hollow body electric and a Dobro I own have been
> setup for slide, by *raising the bridge*, not the nut.
>
> Some bridge pieces on acoustics simply are a piece of plastic in a
> small routed groove. In that case, you can just remove the plastic and
> replace it with a taller one.
AKA saddle. If you're going to the trouble of replacing it,
upgrade to bone or brass. Corian works well if you have a
scrap.
You can also raise the action by installing a rod piezo
under the saddle. Two birds with one stone.
> In the case of my Dobro, the bridge was
> a fixed height piece of wood attached to the resonator cone. There, a
> piece of matching sized wood (with grooves cut for each string) was
> *glued onto the existing bridge* to raise the action.
Biscuit bridge. Probably that slip was ebony, same as
on every banjo I've ever played.
> You can also do a small bit of adjustment to the neck tension via the
> nut in the headstock once you have the bridge raised, to even out the
> clearance along the length of the neck. Do his gently and in small
> increments or you can snap the neck as the weather changes.
Did you increase the string gauge? Heavier ones better
resist bending under slide pressure, and have similar effect
to raising the action. They'll also increase neck bow, not
a problem with a slide guitar so long as the neck doesn't
break.
In article <[email protected]>,
Zz Yzx <[email protected]> wrote:
> What's the "nominal" or "standard" string spacing on acoustic flat-top
> guitars?
Not sure there is one. My Hofner "Country and Western Jumbo" is 1-1/2" at the
nut
--
Stuart Winsor
Only plain text for emails
http://www.asciiribbon.org
In article <[email protected]>,
Zz Yzx <[email protected]> wrote:
> 'zat across the widest strings or across the nut end to end?
> Thanks for your reply.
Across the strings, i.e. from the centre line of the the 1st string to the
centre line of the sixth on the nut
--
Stuart Winsor
Only plain text for emails
http://www.asciiribbon.org
On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:08:17 -0500, Tim Daneliuk
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On 11/5/2011 4:19 PM, Father Haskell wrote:
>
>> Did you increase the string gauge? Heavier ones better
>> resist bending under slide pressure, and have similar effect
>> to raising the action. They'll also increase neck bow, not
>> a problem with a slide guitar so long as the neck doesn't
>> break.
>>
>>
>
>I don't recall anymore - perhaps a bit. I normally play(ed ... it's
>been some years) 0.010 factory sets on electrics and 0.012 sets on acoustics.
>Then I started buying individual phosphor bronze strings in bulk for
>the acoustics I cannot recall the gauges anymore. ISTR that 1st
>string ended up being an 0.013 on the Dobro.
Tim, please be so kind as to measure the distance between your outer
strings at the nut, the fret-string bottom distance at the nut, and
fret-string bottom at the 12th fret.
I just bought a set of "resophonic" strings that go from 0.016 to
0.056.
I'm SO confused...... (but thankful for your replies).
-Zz
On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:38:58 -0700, Zz Yzx <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I'm rigging an old (~1970) Yamaha acoustic finger-buster to play
>slide. The E-E string spacing on both my acoustic guitars is ~1-3/8".
>But on all the nut extenders I can find in stores or online, the E-E
>spacing is ~1-5/8". That won't work, as it'd push the E strings
>outside the fretboard.
>
>What's the "nominal" or "standard" string spacing on acoustic flat-top
>guitars? Any idea how to raise the string action? Any sources for a
>nut extender that'd fit?
>
>Thanks a heap.
>-Zz
>"Zz Yzx" rhymes with "physics"; or " Isaacs" if you prefer.
>http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/zzyzx_road.htm
I measured two of my guitars and they are both 1-3/8 at the nut. Both
have radiused necks. I believe a non-radiused neck has wider string
spacing.
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:37:21 +0000 (GMT), Stuart
<[email protected]> wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>,
> Zz Yzx <[email protected]> wrote:
>> What's the "nominal" or "standard" string spacing on acoustic flat-top
>> guitars?
>
>Not sure there is one. My Hofner "Country and Western Jumbo" is 1-1/2" at the
>nut
'zat across the widest strings or across the nut end to end?
Thanks for your reply.
-Zz
On 11/5/2011 4:19 PM, Father Haskell wrote:
> Did you increase the string gauge? Heavier ones better
> resist bending under slide pressure, and have similar effect
> to raising the action. They'll also increase neck bow, not
> a problem with a slide guitar so long as the neck doesn't
> break.
>
>
I don't recall anymore - perhaps a bit. I normally play(ed ... it's
been some years) 0.010 factory sets on electrics and 0.012 sets on acoustics.
Then I started buying individual phosphor bronze strings in bulk for
the acoustics I cannot recall the gauges anymore. ISTR that 1st
string ended up being an 0.013 on the Dobro.
On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:11:59 -0500, Tim Daneliuk
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On 11/5/2011 10:38 AM, Zz Yzx wrote:
>> I'm rigging an old (~1970) Yamaha acoustic finger-buster to play
>> slide. The E-E string spacing on both my acoustic guitars is ~1-3/8".
>> But on all the nut extenders I can find in stores or online, the E-E
>> spacing is ~1-5/8". That won't work, as it'd push the E strings
>> outside the fretboard.
>>
>> What's the "nominal" or "standard" string spacing on acoustic flat-top
>> guitars? Any idea how to raise the string action? Any sources for a
>> nut extender that'd fit?
>>
>> Thanks a heap.
>> -Zz
>> "Zz Yzx" rhymes with "physics"; or " Isaacs" if you prefer.
>> http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/zzyzx_road.htm
>
>The actions on both a hollow body electric and a Dobro I own have been
>setup for slide, by *raising the bridge*, not the nut.
>
>Some bridge pieces on acoustics simply are a piece of plastic in a
>small routed groove. In that case, you can just remove the plastic and
>replace it with a taller one. In the case of my Dobro, the bridge was
>a fixed height piece of wood attached to the resonator cone. There, a
>piece of matching sized wood (with grooves cut for each string) was
>*glued onto the existing bridge* to raise the action.
>
>You can also do a small bit of adjustment to the neck tension via the
>nut in the headstock once you have the bridge raised, to even out the
>clearance along the length of the neck. Do his gently and in small
>increments or you can snap the neck as the weather changes.
>
I've already got 4 mm string clearance at the 12th fret (hence the
term "finger-buster"). Everything I've read on various forums
describe nut extenders rather than saddle extenders. Pluswhich, there
are lot's of nut extenders available (just too wide for my guitars
necks), but I've seen no commercial saddle extenders.
I'll string with phospor-bronze 0.016- 0.056 strings, but tune down to
open D (DADF#AD), so I need the string clearance at the low end
(toward the nut), as that is where I clank the frets.
-Zz
On 11/5/2011 7:27 PM, Zz Yzx wrote:
> On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:08:17 -0500, Tim Daneliuk
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On 11/5/2011 4:19 PM, Father Haskell wrote:
>>
>>> Did you increase the string gauge? Heavier ones better
>>> resist bending under slide pressure, and have similar effect
>>> to raising the action. They'll also increase neck bow, not
>>> a problem with a slide guitar so long as the neck doesn't
>>> break.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I don't recall anymore - perhaps a bit. I normally play(ed ... it's
>> been some years) 0.010 factory sets on electrics and 0.012 sets on acoustics.
>> Then I started buying individual phosphor bronze strings in bulk for
>> the acoustics I cannot recall the gauges anymore. ISTR that 1st
>> string ended up being an 0.013 on the Dobro.
>
> Tim, please be so kind as to measure the distance between your outer
> strings at the nut,
1 5/8"
> the fret-string bottom distance at the nut, and
3/32"
> fret-string bottom at the 12th fret.
5/32"
>
> I just bought a set of "resophonic" strings that go from 0.016 to
> 0.056.
>
> I'm SO confused...... (but thankful for your replies).
>
> -Zz
Keep in mind that you do not press down with the slide very hard.
You merely, um ... slide it directly above the desired fret. So
long as you have sufficiently stiff strings, you don't need as much
clearance as you might think. Well ... you need enough clearance
to make sure that the plucked/picked/strummed string does not strike
the fret or fretboard, but using a slide doesn't change this. With your
0.016 string set you'd have to set the action up higher, than say,
with an 0.010 set whether or not you used a slide, to avoid string
buzz.