E-E String Spacing at the Nut of a JTV-59

[lectricfrets]

Would a JTV-59 owner please post the E-E string spacing at the nut.  I spent the day searching the net for this spec.  The spacing on my JTV-69 is a bit tight for me (1.39"/35.3mm).  Wondering if a JTV-59 would be better.  I know the nut width is 1-11/16" on the 59, and only 1-5/8" on my 69.  But I don't know if the extra 1/16" width yields more E-E string spacing on the 59.  Thanks in advance.

[specracer986]

I don't have a 59, but my 69 measures 36.5mm. I guess string gauge would affect the measurement. Mine has 9.5/44's on it.

[fairleas]

Just measured my 59 and string centre to centre is 36.5mm

[cruisinon2]

14 hours ago, lectricfrets said:

Would a JTV-59 owner please post the E-E string spacing at the nut.  I spent the day searching the net for this spec.  The spacing on my JTV-69 is a bit tight for me (1.39"/35.3mm).  Wondering if a JTV-59 would be better.  I know the nut width is 1-11/16" on the 59, and only 1-5/8" on my 69.  But I don't know if the extra 1/16" width yields more E-E string spacing on the 59.  Thanks in advance.

 

If you otherwise like the 69, aside from the neck width at the nut (and you're not alone, believe me), invest in any Strat replacement neck with dimensions that suit you better. Most come pre-drilled for Strat mounting bolts, so you will have to dowel and re-drill to accommodate the one offset bolt, but otherwise the dimensions are identical. If you're not comfortable doing that yourself, any tech/luthier with half a skull can do it, and it should be relatively inexpensive. Trust me, it'll become a new instrument, and be a hell of a lot cheaper than shelling or for a 59, even if you pay to have it mounted... I've always had good luck with Warmoth,  but there are other options out there.

[lectricfrets]

Thank you all for replying. 

 

Specracer986, you definitely got wider spacing on your nut.  I am using heavier 11-49 strings for better acoustic simulations, but that wouldn't account for the difference.  I hope you are not having trouble with the strings falling off the edge of the neck.

 

Fairleas, thank you for measuring your 59.  This may be the only place on the web with that information.

 

Cruisinon2, thanks for the good advice.  I agree.  Buying a 59 is just one avenue I am investigating.  I would gain a beautiful guitar for my collection, Variax's appear to hold their value, and I gravitate toward Gibson style guitars over Fender anyway.  I am also looking into Warmoth and MusiKraft necks, or maybe just a $15 TUSK nut and a set of files.  We'll see.

 

I love the JTV-69 except for the feel of the neck.  I use it every week in the church band with an HD-500, and the variety of sounds at the touch of a footswitch is outstanding.  I actually shaved away at a vintage Ibanez Wizard neck heel (shame on me) and used it on the 69 for years.  It was great for picking cleanly through open chords at the nut, and playing riffs.  But the frets have worn out, and I'm afraid my hands are wearing out a bit too.  The extreme thinness of the Wizard neck seems to be tough anymore on those songs where you have to clamp bar chords all the way through. So I reluctantly put the original JTV neck back on for now.

 

The JTV's have been around for almost 10 years now.  Isn't it time for the next generation of Variax?

[cruisinon2]

17 hours ago, lectricfrets said:

The JTV's have been around for almost 10 years now.  Isn't it time for the next generation of Variax?

 

There's been rampant speculation about this for years now...given that there's been no firmware update of any significance for ~5-6 years, at this point. Your guess is as good as anybody else's...

[lectricfrets]

Just to put some specs together for others who are interested, here is what I found out.  By the way, the JTV-59 neck thickness specs came from psarkissian of Line 6.  He gave thicknesses from the design specs, plus actual measurements on his own 59 in this post

(much appreciated).  https://line6.com/support/topic/56987-neck-thickness-of-jtv-59/

 

 

JTV-59 Neck Specs: (mm)

Nut          E-E               1st Fret                12th Fret

43.0        36.5          21.88 (spec)          24.46 (spec)

                                  21.11 (actual)       23.08 (actual)

 

 

 

... and here is what I measured on my JTV-69 OEM neck for comparison:

Nut          E-E               1st Fret                12th Fret

41.1      35.01*               21.0                       25.3

* Specracer986 measured 36.5mm E-E on his JTV-69 (above)

[psarkissian]

Yes, and being made of wood, there will be some tolerances as wood expands and contracts with differences temperature and humidity in different places.

 

Perfect example of how much it can change,...

Stevic McKay of the Aussie band Twelve Foot Ninja, was in town with his prototype Shuriken and brought it to me for some electronic tweaks. The cavity cover

was bowed, the fret edges were very sharp, there was overall shrinkage of the wood. It got back to normal after a few days, once Stevic got back home Down Under.

 

So the specs can differ from location to location. Just so that you're all aware of what can be, when it it comes to dimensions of wood products.