Gibson Paddlehead with a Narrow Nut?

[Mike Buesseler]

I bought a 1910 Gibson A from the classified recently, thinking all paddleheads were built with a 1-3/6” nut width. As soon as I opened the case, I could see that this one had a narrow nut. 1-1/8” like a snakehead. Has anyone ever seen one like this before? One of the reasons I buy an old Gibson oval hole is because I prefer a wide nut. Now I’ll have to inquire before I buy.

Btw, I had that mandolin sent directly to my luthier, with instructions to refret, radius the fb, and make any other necessary repairs. Once I discovered the narrow nut, I released it back to the wild. Someone with a preference for a narrow nut width will find a nice one available in the classifieds. I’ll keep looking.

[pops1]

I had a 1918 that had the same 1 1/8" nut. They varied, my 1922 has 1 1/4" nut. I used to like the wide nut, but not so much these days, tho it really doesn't bother me to play it.

[rcc56]

Neck size, shape, and nut width can vary quite a bit on early Gibsons.

[Randi Gormley]

The one-inch nut on my snake is one of the reasons I bought it -- but I don't think that was a standard size even back in 1923; like rcc56 said, the nut width can vary on the early Gibsons. So now you know -- and now you'll ask!