Nut width on my G&L tele asat tribute

[rgoudy1975]

So last year I bought a used G&L tele asat tribute from good ol' CraigsList. I really like the way it sounds but the strings feel so much further apart than on my MIM Fender tele. I'm wondering if I can change this. My concern is how a narrower nut width will jive with the G&L neck. I have to assume the neck is a little wider but those in the know please correct me.

I've modded a few pedals and amps but I haven't done much mechanically to my instruments. However, I'm not afraid to take apart my guitars that I don't play too often. Can someone point me in the right direction here?

Thanks!
Roy

[Stan House]

Generally, the width of a Fender neck is 1.650" except for the narrower 1 5/8" which is 1.625" width. You need to first measure the nut width of the G&L. I have never measured one but it is probably around 1.680" or 1.690" which is very wide. This small amount makes a big difference in the feel. Most string spacing is .275" to 280". That's the distance from the center of one string to the center of the next string. If you do replace the nut, I would find one without the slots cut and do it yourself. In doing so though, do not cement the nut in place until you play on it to determine if the string spacing is correct. If the neck is wider, you can cut the slots further from the edge of the neck towards the center more but not much. Take an overall reading of the width of the neck at the nut and divide that by 6. That will give you approximate figure of what you have between each string and also half of that figure is the distance from the first and last strings to the edge of the neck. As a starting point, the string spacing shouldn't be any wider that .275" and then adjust that difference equally on both outside strings to the edge of the neck. If you don't understand what I have described here, I would take it to a good luthier and let him determine what can be done.

Hope this helps a little bit.

Sincerely, Stan House from Copperas Cove, Texas.

[Jack Wells]

Can't speak about a Tribute, but I just compared an American ASAT Classic to a MIM Standard neck and found the nut width of the ASAT to be less than the Fender......... 1.630 compared to 1.688. If you make your own nut, you could make the string spread anything you want ....... within reason.

[mellecaster]

I would agree w/ Jack...most any USA G & L I've worked on had a Narrow Nut...smaller than most Fenders.