The nut is part of the ukulele where the strings start at the top, between the tuners and the fret board. The width of the nut varies slightly by make and model and affects the feel of the instrument. A wider nut gives a bit more space between the strings, while a narrower nut makes the strings a bit closer together.

Nut width is very much a preference thing. Just because you have big fingers doesn’t mean you need an extra wide nut to play the ukulele – anyone can learn to play any standard nut width. I don’t have particularly fat fingers, but I prefer a wider nut. Some players say a narrower nut gives them more speed.

This aspect of a ukulele’s specification is minor enough that most dealers don’t even mention it, making it hard to narrow down models when nut width is an important factor for you in selecting an instrument.

To that end, I’ve scoured the web for this information and included it here. I’ve tried to find at least two confirmations of each of these, but some are harder to find than others. If you own a common ukulele brand not listed here, please measure the width of your nut and post it in a comment. Likewise, drop a comment if you can confirm one of these where I’ve only found one confirmation.

Last updated: 6/24/2015

Make Model/Size Nut Width Confirmations Anuenue 1.375″ / 35mm 1 Big Island Honu Traditional 1.375″ / 35mm 1 Bushman 1.45″ / 37mm 1 Cordoba 30T, 35T 1.5″ / 38mm 1 Fender U’uko Soprano 1.375″ / 35mm 1 Gordon MultiUke 1.375″ / 35mm 2 Gretsch G9100, G9110, G9112, G9120… 1.375″ / 35mm 1 Kala import models 1.375″ / 35mm 3 Kala Elite 1.5″ / 38mm 2 Kamaka HF Series 1.375″ / 35mm 2 Kamaka HF Series Baritone 1.5″ / 38mm 1 Kanilea K Series, Islander 1.5″ / 38mm 2 Ko,oLau 1.375″ / 35mm 2 Ko’olau Soprano, Concert, Tenor 1.375″ / 35mm 1 Ko’olau Baritone 1.5″ / 38mm 1 Koaloha 1.5″ / 38mm 1 Lanikai LBU-C 1.375″ / 35mm 1 Lanikai SMP-C 1.5″ / 38mm 1 Lanikai 21 Concert, Tenor, Baritone 1.46″ / 37mm 1 Lanikai 21 Soprano 1.45″ / 36mm 1 Magic Fluke Flea, Soprano & Concert Fluke 1.4″ / 35mm 2 Magic Fluke Tenor Fluke 1.45″ / 37mm 2 Mainland 1.375″ / 35mm 2 Martin Tenor 1.344 / 34mm 2 Martin Concert, Soprano 1.4 / 36mm 2 Ohana 1.375″ / 35mm 1 Oscar Schmidt OU6W 1.75″ / 44mm 2 Pono MCD, MT 1.375″ / 35mm 2 Romero Creations Grand Tenor 1.5″ / 38mm 1

The table above includes widths in decimal inches and millimeters. Nut width is also commonly measured in fractional inches. Here are the common width equivalents in fractional inches for translation purposes:

1.5″ = 1-1/2″

1.4″ = 1-13/32″

1.375″ = 1-3/8″

1.344″ = 1-11/32”

Photo credit