String spacing at the nut on Tokai guitars

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I recently bought an ES-120 and love it to bits, it sounds wonderful, looks wonderful and feels almost wonderful. Almost? Every now and then I feel a little cramped stringwise and decided to measure the string spacing at the nut. I was quite surprised to see that it was a fair bit smaller from the outside of the 1st string to the outside of the 6th string. My Ibanez 2457 measures well over 2 mm wider as does my Epiphone Dot, Greco Les Paul and DeArmond archtop.

(for those preferring imperial measurements, my ES-120 measures 1 inch and 11/32 across the strings, the Ibanez measures 1 inch 15/32 across).

Is this a common trait in Tokai guitars, having a nut that's got quite thin string spacing? It's not a major flaw as I intended sending it in for a bone nut installation along with a couple of other guitars, it just makes the fingerboard feel more cramped than it should.

I'm a bit too scared to get into cutting my own nuts as yet. Is it really a lot easier than I think it isn't? :)

Andy
 
My 1975 Gibson ES 335 measures 1 and 10/32" at the nut and my 1969 Gibson ES 175 meaures 1 and 11/32" at the nut. That's where they got the measurment from I guess. I find them them too narrow, especially the 335.
Hope this helps.
 
Now that's interesting, thanks for that guitarted. The Ibanez 2457 I own is a very slim taper neck, it was built in 1976 so it's got the ight neck for the era but, going by your 335 measurements, wider string spacing. I'm pretty sure it's the original nut on the Ibanez. Now it seems odd that the ES-120 takes the old Gibson neck specs (nice chunky neck, best I've used) and dumps a tight spaced nut onto it.

Have you ever considered getting new nuts cut or is it a case of not wanting to alter fine vintage instruments?

Andy.
 
Andy,

The necks on both of mine are really slim. The fingerboard (not counting the binding) is only at 1 1/2" at the nut. Assuming you need 1/16" from the edge of the fingerboard to the strings that doesn't much of anything left for recutting the nut. It does seems weird that they would have a narrow string spacing on a chunky neck. I have small hands so its not much of an issue for
me. I can't imaging a guy with big hands even being able to play my ES 335 and 175. I like a string spacing of 1 14/32"+ at the nut. That's what my Love Rock and Firebrid are. So your Ibanez sounds like it would be perfect.

Cheers, Ted
 
The fingerboard measurements on my ES-120 are the same as your necks Ted, 1 1/2" at the nut ecluding the binding. The Ibanez is wider at 1 10/16" excluding the binding. It seems mad to me to have a chunky neck ES-120 with such a comparatively thin fingerboard whilst the ultra-slim Ibanez as the slimprofile neck and a wider fingerboard at the nut.

I usually get bone nuts cut on my guitars so I'll have to ask my repairman to get it as wide as possible, it might only add on a millimetre but that will help. Thanks for the measurements Ted :)

Andy.
 

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