Members bluesboy Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 I just bought a nut file kit and a nice set of feeler guages off of ebay. My plan is to replace the crappy plastic nuts on my Epi LP's with TUSQ nuts from graphtech. I know how to take the old nut out, because i've done it before. My question is, if i need to, after i put the new nut in, let's suppose that the string height is too high. Ill file down the slot with the proper nut file, but then lets say that the string is then too deep in the slot. what is the best way to lower the top of nut? im assuming sand paper... what grit? Any body who deals with any of these things, feel free to chime in. Thanks!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesboy Posted September 20, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 also, what glue do you recommend using? regular white elmers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/A-NUTS.htmlhttp://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/I-5350.html This might be helpful. Frets.com has some nice pages about setting the nut action as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesboy Posted September 20, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 ok cool, ill check them out. i have dan erlewine's book, ill be using that as a guide as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RaVenCAD Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 Have you ever considered not gluing the nut in? I have a friend that plays some extrememely high dollar flemenco guitars, and none of them have glued in nuts. This lets you change the nut easily, and according to his luthiers, allows for better wood to wood contact. Makes sense, but I've never seen it done on electrics. He also carries shims so he can adjust the nut depending on his tonal desires. Flemenco guys make electric guys look easy to please when it comes to "tone".. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rackzilla2037 Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 or just a dab of super glue to keep it seated. i do this to a lot of my custom stuff. i'm not sure what others would say about it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesboy Posted September 20, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 well... would string tension would be enough to keep it in place? id just be really nervous about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members globalm Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 say that the string is then too deep in the slot. what is the best way to lower the top of nut? Thanks!!!! Sorry if I'm missing something but lowering the top of the nut won't help raise an over-deep nut slot! You need to raise the nut with a shim. If you buy a pre-cut nut you are best to sand the bottom on a flat surface a little at a time and check as you go so you don't over sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesboy Posted September 20, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 Sorry if I'm missing something but lowering the top of the nut won't help raise an over-deep nut slot!You need to raise the nut with a shim.If you buy a pre-cut nut you are best to sand the bottom on a flat surface a little at a time and check as you go so you don't over sand. im saying that suppose stock, the nut is too high. you can either file the bottom, or you can file the top. id rather start at the top so i can do each string individually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members swolter Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 well... would string tension would be enough to keep it in place? id just be really nervous about it. String tension will be plenty to keep it in place. When you change strings, do them one at a time and you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 well... would string tension would be enough to keep it in place? id just be really nervous about it. Mine aren't glued in and it works fine. I didn't notice a tone difference of not having glue there. I just never got around to gluing it in after I leveled the frets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind Riot Posted September 20, 2007 Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 I use a couple drops of super glue to keep the nuts in place. I personally would recommend gluing the nut in place with at least a drop of glue. Particularly on guitars with nuts that don't sit in a slot like a Fender nut does. Even if the strings hold the nut down when they're on, the nut can just fall right off when you're changing strings and if the neck gets bumped the nut can shift off center and cause problems. I can understand wanting to get better tone and all that, but I think the tonal differences between just putting the nut in and putting it in with one drop of glue would be minimal or nonexistent. Once you've filed your nut slots down to the proper height, if the nut is too tall making the slots too deep I just take one of my fret levelers and stick some sandpaper to it with double stick tape and sand the top of the nut lengthwise. You can accomplish the same thing with just a small block of wood and some sandpaper, and you can move the block around to contour the top of the nut to your liking. As far as grit, I'd probably use 220 or 320, and progress to finer grades if they leave scratches you don't want. Just take your time and check your work often, but these grits are fairly fine so it should be easy to control. Once thing to remember: if you sand and shape the nut before gluing it in, remember not to sand the bottom and sides of the nut where it contacts the wood too much, because if it's too smooth it won't make for a good glue bond. You need it to be a little rough in those areas for the glue to grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesboy Posted September 20, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 20, 2007 I use a couple drops of super glue to keep the nuts in place. I personally would recommend gluing the nut in place with at least a drop of glue. Particularly on guitars with nuts that don't sit in a slot like a Fender nut does. Even if the strings hold the nut down when they're on, the nut can just fall right off when you're changing strings and if the neck gets bumped the nut can shift off center and cause problems. I can understand wanting to get better tone and all that, but I think the tonal differences between just putting the nut in and putting it in with one drop of glue would be minimal or nonexistent. Once you've filed your nut slots down to the proper height, if the nut is too tall making the slots too deep I just take one of my fret levelers and stick some sandpaper to it with double stick tape and sand the top of the nut lengthwise. You can accomplish the same thing with just a small block of wood and some sandpaper, and you can move the block around to contour the top of the nut to your liking. As far as grit, I'd probably use 220 or 320, and progress to finer grades if they leave scratches you don't want. Just take your time and check your work often, but these grits are fairly fine so it should be easy to control. Once thing to remember: if you sand and shape the nut before gluing it in, remember not to sand the bottom and sides of the nut where it contacts the wood too much, because if it's too smooth it won't make for a good glue bond. You need it to be a little rough in those areas for the glue to grip. thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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