A recent observation from another sound searcher.

[pefjr]

We have many threads on sound quality of a mandolin , and I have not noticed in any of those threads the factor of string width. Recently I am playing a mandolin with a string width wider than I am used to, in the past. The width at the nut is 1 1/16, the width at the bridge is 1 9/16 - a hair. The fingerboard has plenty of room too. Many other factors are different, but I am wondering if this is another factor to consider and want opinions from builders as they are the sound makers. Does a wider FB and string width give a stronger sound, more volume, deeper tone, or ......? Thanks in advance for your expertise.

[Tavy]

Fretboard and nut width should have no effect at all.

If you're talking about string gauge then for sure heavier strings generally produce a better "thicker" tone.

[pefjr]

Fretboard and nut width should have no effect at all.

If you're talking about string gauge then for sure heavier strings generally produce a better "thicker" tone.

I am talking about total string width from the outside G to the outside E, and also fretboard width(more ebony or rosewood wood).

[Audio Artillery]

Those mandolins with 3" nuts really sound amazing.

[pefjr]

Those mandolins with 3" nuts really sound amazing.

I bet they do, but the nut width, depth, height, weight, color, or sexual orientation is irrelevant to my question.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I think that 'string spacing' is a more accurate term for what you're describing. IMHO,i doubt very much if that single factor would have a significant effect on the sound,when the actual 'sound' is produced by the body of the instrument. In the case of many different instruments,there can be an amazing variation in the 'other things'. If it were possible to build 2 identical instruments,one with a 'standard' string spacing (fingerboard / nut width etc.) & one with a wider spacing,then you might be able to answer the question with a degree of accuracy. My Lebeda has a wider that usual nut /fingerboard (only by about 0.1") & it is louder & more 'woody' than my Weber Fern. But to attribute the tonal/volume difference to the fingerboard,would be to neglect the differences in the woods/construction/age/body size etc. between the 2 instruments. A wider fingerboard/nut/string spacing 'might' have an effect,but how you'd determine 'what the effect is', is a whole new ballgame,
Ivan

[pefjr]

I think that 'string spacing' is a more accurate term for what you're describing. IMHO,i doubt very much if that single factor would have a significant effect on the sound,when the actual 'sound' is produced by the body of the instrument. In the case of many different instruments,there can be an amazing variation in the 'other things'. If it were possible to build 2 identical instruments,one with a 'standard' string spacing (fingerboard / nut width etc.) & one with a wider spacing,then you might be able to answer the question with a degree of accuracy. My Lebeda has a wider that usual nut /fingerboard (only by about 0.1") & it is louder & more 'woody' than my Weber Fern. But to attribute the tonal/volume difference to the fingerboard,would be to neglect the differences in the woods/construction/age/body size etc. between the 2 instruments. A wider fingerboard/nut/string spacing 'might' have an effect,but how you'd determine 'what the effect is', is a whole new ballgame,
Ivan

I know several builders make wide fingerboard models for their special orders clients so they should know more than any of us. I assume the string spacing is widened a bit. Those models should be very similar except for the extra wide FB option. Common guys loosen on those secrets to deep throat.

[Dave Cohen]

If those 'guys' really have any "secrets", why would they just divulge them to you, sight unseen?

I really don't think that you will find any profound sonic differences attributable to differences in neck width at the nut (or throughout, for that matter). May not even be any nuanced differences that can be reliably discerned. I have done numerous necks which were wider at the nut at customers' requests. Haven't ever noticed a specific sonic effect attributable to the neck width. It would be reasonable to ask you what differences you expect, and also why you expect them. Then perhaps I could tell you what is wrong with your reasoning.

I can tell you that some players really like a wider neck, while others prefer the more common widths (ca 1.12" = 28.4 mm). Still other players are indifferent, and hardly notice any difference between an instrument with a wider neck at the nut and one with a narrower neck at the nut.

http://www.Cohenmando.com

[Rodney Riley]

The narrower fret boards sound really muted to me..... Oh, wait, maybe it's my thick fingers touching the other string courses that causes that.... I am under the impression that the sound comes from the sound hole or f slots after the strings make the top plate vibrate.

[Rroyd]

String spacing and neck width can greatly affect tone, as described by Rodney in the last post. Perhaps his comment was in jest, but the likelihood of ham-handed folks being able to sound better on an instrument with a neck better suited to their hand size can certainly affect how they sound to the listener. In regard to the instrument itself, one would go with comments of Dr. Cohen.

[bertdolin]

I've wondered about the string spacing on the same size nut. I've seen strings closely paired and some paired wide apart.
Wouldn't that have some noticable affect on the sound?
Thanks

[Tavy]

I've wondered about the string spacing on the same size nut. I've seen strings closely paired and some paired wide apart.
Wouldn't that have some noticable affect on the sound?
Thanks

Nope. Not unless they're so close together that they actually interfere with each other.

[pefjr]

It would be reasonable to ask you what differences you expect, and also why you expect them. Then perhaps I could tell you what is wrong with your reasoning.

I had not even thought of the question until recently I picked up a wider one and it was a noticeably stronger volume. So, just curious. Thanks

[TijnBerends]

I very much doubt that there's any effect on the sound of the instrument itself. However, as mentioned, it does affect the playability of the instrument - I myself prefer the courses to be spaced quite far apart (coming from a guitar, and having banana fingers). But I don't really see a physical reason for any change in the tonal quality of the instrument.

[pefjr]

Just to add some seasoning to this brew, Classical Guitarists have known for years that a wide neck and fingerboard contributed to a better tone.

[hank]

I'm not buying it. Maybe it is just a Coincident that the neck or string spacing is wider on the better sounding mandolin or guitar. Legend has it that more mass on the peg head increases sustain, and that the nodes of the vibrating strings can be shifted longitudinally by neck stiffness and the ratio of peg head mass to body mass. One could assume from this train of thought that the location of these nodes could slightly improve or degrade how the strings drive the sound plates. This all sounds plausible to my ignorance especially during happy hour. In contrast to this kind of campfire speculation Is the scientific testing that Mr. Cohen has done. If he says it's effect is negligible that enough to convince me.

[SGraham]

Classical Guitarists have known for years that a wide neck and fingerboard contributed to a better tone.

I've always been under the impression that the wider string spacing on a classical guitar was to give the player room for articulating all those rest strokes, etc. It's room to work. I've also got a Huss and Dalton OM (steel string) with the wider string spacing. It was made that way for fingerstyle playing.

I guess I'm one classical guitarist who wasn't in on your secret.

[Tavy]

Just to add some seasoning to this brew, Classical Guitarists have known for years that a wide neck and fingerboard contributed to a better tone.

Sorry, don't buy it - everything I've seen and heard about string spacings is that they're down to playing style and personal preference - wider necks are easier for fingerpicking, also easier to play cleanly without accidentally muting a string (or hitting the wrong string - my favorite vice), narrower necks make for faster "shredding" and chord changes but require more precision for clean playing.

[Audio Artillery]

Pefjr, you're wrong. It's a widely known secret that a wider fingerboard produces a quieter sound with more purple overtones.

[pefjr]

Over the last 40 yrs. I bought and sold many Classical Guitars. What they all wanted was the thick and wide neck and they said the Aria, Yamaha, Alvarez, were the favorites because they were made with that in mind. A few Dauphin have a tone(thick wide neck) that is unmatched. Maybe they meant the width provided space and clear notes. The old Gibson A models have a wider fretboard, ??? OK, no one is buying any of this, so.......bury this theory beneath the willow tree.

[Bill Snyder]

"The old Gibson A models have a wider fretboard, ???"

They have thicker necks but I don't think they have wider boards. Either way I guess that would be more mass.
I think the different tone from the OLD a-style mandolins comes from the oval hole and the difference in the tops and neck attachment and bracing.

[Brutus1999]

Taking into account that there are a hundred factors that can all affect sound, including the ears of the listener, playing style certainly is among the most important. When I play my 1917 round hole Gibson, with a bigger neck, I grip harder and dig in harder with my fretting hand; I'm also more accurate because the strings ARE further apart. The sound is louder, clearer than when I play with a smaller, especially narrower neck instrument because I grip it differently. I probably play more slowly on the wider, deeper neck instrument as well.

Of course I realize that a hundred OTHER things are also affecting the tone but how you grip the neck and fret is a factor. I guess really skilled players can adapt and get more or less the same grip on many different mandos but it's probably not that easy for many of us to do.