Wider neck for a Dano 12 string

Thanks Peegoo. I'll check with them.

I did get a reply from Musikraft stating that they cannot do it right now but after January they may be able to. That probably has to do with their current backlog and perhaps supply issues. I know it will not be inexpensive. The single neck will probably cost as much, or close to as much, as the guitar did in the first place. Mine was a gift so I can afford to put some money into it. I just love the way this thing sounds so I am willing to pay for it. Musikraft did state that they wouldn't be able to make one in the standard 25" scale length. It would have to be either 24-3/4" or 25-1/2". I don't know if changing the scale length would make much difference in the sound but the shorter length may lighten up the feel and be easier to play. I'm all about that. The 25-1/2" scale would give me slightly more room between the frets and that would also be an advantage. I just don't know if I could find a light enough string gauge to make up the difference in the feel without having to buy singles and make my own custom string sets.

Does anyone know where I can get an aluminum nut in a 1-7/8" width? This guitar has aluminum nuts on it and I'm thinking that may be a large contributor to the sound it has so I'd like to retain that if possible.

I had an early , year unknown Dano Bellazouki 12 string that was a wonderful sounding axe. It was stolen at a gig and I've always missed it. Good luck on your quest.

Aluminum nuts are a cost saving measure by certain manufacturers. Aluminum loads up and can ruin nut files or at the very least result in needing to spend a tediously long time trying to clean up a clogged file. For the common guitar tweeter, brass is much better to work with. Order yourself a 1 foot length of 1/8th inch X 3/16th inch thick ultra machinable brass from McMasterCarr.com. Any accomplished luthier should be able to make you a neck if you’re able to provide them with the one you have but it won’t be cheap. There is a bit of wiggle room on most production guitars to place the outer E-strings further apart and increase your string spacing at the nut. Also with 12-string guitars, the distance between the individual string pairs is conservatively wide - the paired strings can actually be closer together. If you’re perky with nut fabrication and can secure economical multiple blanks for trial and error, I think it would be worth the time trying spacing strategies. It doesn’t take much of a change to yield a noticeable difference. If you want to get technical, Harbor Freight sells accurate digital micrometers for around $20. Push the overall E to E string width out by .050” and then narrow the distance between paired strings by 30%. See what the outcome is.

I like the string spacing gauge from StewMac. There are some advanced procedures that you can employ with this tool for spacing strings on 12 sting nuts. I will not space any stringed instrument without this tool. I misplaced it once and after trying to find it for two days ordered another one. I will not slot nuts without one.

In performing a number of nut replacements over the years and recently building a number of electric mandolins and electric octave mandolins, I took some time to play around with string spacing and was surprised to find out that paired strings can actually be be put significantly closer together than you typically found on production instruments. This is going to vary depending on the player’s desire but I’ve never had a customer return with an issue. Getting the raw 1/8” brass stock for a nut eliminates the feeling of waste so if you botch a nut and need to throw it in the trash you dont feel bad. I think the potential result is worth the adventure.

McMasterCarr.com / Raw Materials / Copper, Brass and Bronze / Ultra Machinable 360 Brass Bars / Thickness 1/8” / Use 1/4 or 3/8” depending on your requirement. Its so cheap to get a decent length and have enough of this stuff to make nuts for years. Brass nuts were a craze in the ‘70s. Properly done, they are very good for nuts that do not have large excursion angles to the tuner posts Fenders as compared to Gibson 3X3 headstocks. The Dano headstock isn’t that bad. The Dano electric 12-string is one of, if not the best electric 12-string guitars that have passed over my bench despite it being a rather simple barbaric construction. For a working performer, I’d take a Dano over a Ric any day.