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I am a finger style picker. I want to make the neck of my first guitar as narrow as possible for hooking my thumb over. What is the smallest width I can go?

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Infinity goes both ways on the x-axis. So you can make it as small as you desire.

Most finger style players I have built for want wider necks though.

I have a guitar that has a 1 10/16th width at the nut and that seems small but it is comfortable to play rhythm guitar.

Shape of the neck has something to do with hooking the thumb over too. You might consider a C-Shape that is rounding the shoulder into the fretboard.

I am also a fingerstyle picker, and while it is true that you can make whatever you like, the law of diminishing returns kicks in pretty quickly. My all-time favorite nut width is 1 11/16, partly because it leaves me with a really nice feeling taper, and enough space at the bridge end. Interestingly, this is my favorite size for both electric and acoustic nut widths.

Do you have a variety of guitars somewhere close by where you can play several necks of different sizes and experiment?

For fingerstyle I would want at least 1 7/8ths inch at the nut (moderately fat fingers). Much less than that and I have a hard time playing the strings "cleanly". But hooking the thumb is not something I do. Those with better technique may get along with less real estate.

Mostly fingerstyle player here as well. I find 1-11/16” to be narrow. Feels too much like I have some super skinny shredder guitar. But a gazillion guitars are made to that spec (yes, that’s a real number ). Undoubtedly you have played a guitar with a narrow neck. Did it work for you? That’s all that matters.


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Honestly I'v never tried guitars looking for the perfect neck. For me it's always about the tone. Since I'm building one now, I guess I should dial in what I like before building the neck.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

For sure find a place or places where you can try out a number of different necks. Check both the nut width and the neck shape. I built my second acoustic neck too wide because I have big hands and I thought I would be able to fret it better, turned out I needed to keep the nails on my left hand trimmed better and spend some practice time placing my fingers more accurately in certain chord positions. I have big hands and fat fingers and have no problem with a 1 3/4" neck. Of course, everyone will have their own preference.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

It's really easy to overshoot the mark on narrow. It's also tied into scale length. I find that as the scale shortens, the nut needs to get wider.

My most common set is 25", 1 3/4". I've made 1 5/8 for people before, but not without discussing it carefully beforehand.

I would consider 1 7/8 to be a very wide nut, that's 12 string territory...

I did an SG 1.56” wide nut per Angus Young.
I could not play it.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

You could make a test nut for a current guitar, or several, using narrower string spacings to see how narrow you can go and still get your fingers between the strings. Scale length will indeed be a factor, since the shorter scale will have less string tension, causing a wider string travel. YMMV.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

How large are your hands? Can you fret E2 with your thumb on what you currently play, and if so, what is that nut width?

If you have access to a music store, try a range of instruments and note model, fretboard width at nut, and the depth and shape of the neck at the first fret (comfort here seems as much a fretboard width and cross-section issue as depth issue).

It is likely that you'll find a range of nut widths in the Martin line and some variation in the Gibson offerings, and any shop offering vintage instruments will have a selection. We have done a few Gibson wide-waist, round-shoulder jumbo re-necks to bring nut width to 1-3/4" or 1-13/16" for aging players - some of those nuts were very, very narrow, at about 1-9/16"...almost unplayable even with my smaller hands.

Doing a little research prior to committing to a very narrow nut seems wise, as it is much more difficult to add width at the nut on an existing neck than to reduce it.

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For the times they are a changin'

- Bob Dylan

In talking about playability and feel at the nut I would consider the neck thickness and shape there at to be
a very important aspect to that end. In playing a bunch of different guitars from various makers with, let's
say 1 3/4" nuts, they will all feel nothing alike. MHO of course.

The thing that no one has mentioned is that guitars with wider string spacing at the nut frequently have wider spacing at the bridge. I really notice that with my picking fingers - I tend to rest my thumb and first two fingers more or less on the strings and I like the additional spacing.

The other thing about nut width is both fretboard radius and neck depth and shape. All of these things affect the feel, how easy it is to make barre chords and/or thumb fret. You can gain a little by pushing the strings closer to the edge of the f/b but then you risk pulling them off during bends.

I'll just say that I have guitars with nuts ranging from 1-11/16 to 2 inches, f/b radii from 12 inches to flat, and scales from 24 to 27 inches. I play them all equally poorly.

I don't think it has as much to do with the size of the neck and more to do with the amount of curve and smoothness of the transition rolling over the top to the fretboard face.

I've played guitars with chunky wide necks that were very easy to roll your thumb because they fit your hand right and thinner necks with sharper angles where it was uncomfortable. Best thing to do would be is grab a neck and see how your hand fits naturally and how that changes when you go up the fretboard. Make it fit your hand and realize that a good neck doesn't have to be symmetrical.

One thing I do for players who like putting their thumb around for the 6th string.
Normally I set both string centres 3.0mm in from the edge at the the nut and 4.0 - 4.5mm at the 12th fret.
Keeping the same string spacing at the bridge, I just move the 6th string centre over 0.5mm towards the edge, adjusting the string spacing at the nut accordingly.
Do not use 30/35 degrees fret end bevel for this, I always use less, 15-20.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

So you are saying you trim the frets ends at 15-20 degrees then round over? That sounds like a good approach.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Sort of, maybe more ease the ends, try to keep as much real estate as is consistent with feel to the hand/fingers.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.