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Permalink Reply by Glaze on March 12, 2011 at 3:50pm

Wichita Sam

 

I'm planning on making a fretless three string CBG.  I'm planning on having the strings at the same height off of the fretboard as my electric guitars.  I imagine this setup will sound really good for slide work (since there will be no frets to mess up the sound) and the action will not be too high for fingering notes on the fretless fingerboard?  I like the thoughts of 1/2" straight and evenly spaced string spacing all the way from the nut to bridge.  I have watched some of the Red Dog videos, he likes the wider string spacing for slide work.           

Wichita Sam said:

John McNair (Red Dog) likes strings wide for delta bluesy slide work... many pickers like spacing more like conventional six stringers... I'm kinda in the middle... 9mm at the nut and 11mm at the bridge.... I tend to narrow the neck on  three stringers a little  unless it's going to be a slide instrument with high action,  tend 1 1 /2" wide is good enough.  The mentioned spacing works almost perfect on 4 stringers...

 

just some thoughts...

 

the best,

 

Wichita Sam

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Permalink Reply by Sharecropper on March 12, 2011 at 4:21pm

I like strings spaced 1/2" apart..... from nut to bridge the same .......on a 1 1/2" neck. I like using bolts or threaded rod for nuts and bridges on fretless builds. Easy to change string spacing and you can change nut and bridge height just by changing bolts (floating bridge & floating nut)!! 

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Permalink Reply by Glaze on March 12, 2011 at 8:31pm

Sharecropper

 

The tone several people have gotten with the same setup is incredible. 

Sharecropper (Joel) said:

I like strings spaced 1/2" apart..... from nut to bridge the same .......on a 1 1/2" neck. I like using bolts or threaded rod for nuts and bridges on fretless builds. Easy to change string spacing and you can change nut and bridge height just by changing bolts (floating bridge & floating nut)!! 

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on March 31, 2011 at 7:29am

UPDATE - I found a resource online that explains how "they" calculate string spacing, mostly for a 6 string but it would apply here too. I made a spreadsheet calculator that will take the nut width (or saddle width!), the number of strings, the total string gauge, and what margin you wish to use and gives you an equidistant spacing based on these criteria. Not my solution but I am adapting it for use [here].

 

-WY

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Permalink Reply by Jo Jacobsen on April 7, 2016 at 5:56am

What a cool resource that is! I'm planning on making a 5 string guitar and am wondering about the size of the neck, etc. I made a 3 string that's the standard everyone is putting on here - 1.5 inch wide neck about a half inch between strings. I want the strings closer to a "regular" guitar on my 5-string. I love how you can put in a wider neck and number of strings and there it is, with the two edge strings already accounted for very nicely.

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by jeff maurer on April 1, 2011 at 2:34am

i dont set my string spacing to a certain measurement. i go with whats comfortable. just measured and im at about 3/8 or 7/16. ive never had a preferance to string spacing(gibson vs fender) and i have been playing bass in a band for quite awhile now, and i still play my six string so im pretty used to going from one instrument to another with all sorts of different string spacing to get used to. sometimes i find the wider string spacing on my classical to be the most comfortable. id say my cbg's string spacing is a good compromise of standard electric guitar spacing and the spacing on my classical.

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Trappes on April 1, 2011 at 9:12pm

I guess it really depends on what suits the player.

My 6 string resonator has 9mm spacing at the nut, and my CBG 3 string I'm currently building is 10mm at the nut.

At the bridge I don't know yet, but it should be around 12mm which is pretty close to 1/2"

My next project will be a 4 string CBG, and I intend making that 9mm at the nut also.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Hergert on April 7, 2016 at 6:05am

Hey there.  I build 3 string fretless CBGs.

My early CBGs were set at 1/2".  I liked that for a while.  Then I created a guitar with 3/8" spacing and liked it a lot.  I have been playing 6 string guitar for 40 years and like the closer spacing. 

I recently made a guitar using a hockey stick for a neck.  This required 1/4" spacing.  Kind of close but it's a fretless so no big worry.

I really like 3/8" spacing.

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Permalink Reply by Gene Jones on April 7, 2016 at 10:14am

I'm with you Alan, like you I've been picking 6 stringers for around 40 years, I used 1/2" spacing on my first few builds, now I cut the neck down to 1 1/4" and use 3/8" spacing, I really love the feel, I should mention these are 3 stringers with a fretted neck, I don't use a slide much, mostly picking & strumming. 

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