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Nut spacing for 4 string

Hi Folks

Whats the ideal spacing for a 4 string CBG? Was looking at my guitars and they would be too close together and I would be left with too much space on the neck if I spaced them that way.

Should the strings go straight down to the bridge or spreading out as they go down that fret board?

Cheers

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on May 29, 2012 at 4:52am

Not sure of the exact measurments i use away from my guitars but here's a photo... and the strings should lie parallel all the way down past the bridge to the anchor pints.

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Permalink Reply by David L. on May 29, 2012 at 6:01am

It is personal choice - I would take a 6 stringer and with 4 of the strings play around with the spacing you are thinking of and see how it feels to the touch (tuning will be out as you'll need to lift them out of the nut slots).

For the nut - if you are using a bolt then you can alter the spacing as often as you want. If you are slotting your own I have found this useful

you just print it off and then run the nut (or saddle) down the spacing guide and mark/fold it when the distance is right for the two outer strings. The 4 lines then give you the location of all 4 strings. It is quicker than using a ruler.

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Permalink Reply by Swamp Dawg Primal Music on May 29, 2012 at 8:43am

I run my 3 strings straight. Space them evenly, I leave about 5mm from each edge.

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Permalink Reply by Habanera Hal on May 29, 2012 at 5:46pm

On most of my 4 stringers, I've been using pre-made ukulele nuts. They have a spacing of 3/8" between strings which works out nicely if you're using a 1 x 2 for the neck. And I run the strings parallel down to the tailpiece, unlike a uke where they spread out to 1/2"