String spacing

The distance between adjacent strings, measured at the nut, at the bridge, or across the whole set.

String spacing decides how much room each finger has and how easily the pick passes between strings. It is set by the nut slots at one end and by the saddle notches or bridge saddles at the other, and the two do not have to match: a guitar with wide spacing at the nut and narrow spacing at the bridge feels very different from one that is even. Uneven spacing, where one gap is visibly wider than the others, usually means a badly cut nut.

Example: A guitar whose strings look crowded towards the treble side of the bridge has uneven string spacing at the saddles.

String spacing

See also