Members recordingtrack1 Posted October 10, 2012 Members Share Posted October 10, 2012 A couple of the nut slots are beginning to wear too deep on my Yairi. I just put new strings on it and they rattle over the first couple of frets. No changes were made during restringing. I could give a little bit of neck relief with the truss rod, but too much relief sacrifices tone. Additionally, I never believed that was the way to increase action anyway. I could shim the saddle but that too does not seem the way to go, since it was just fine before I changed the strings I'm thinking about layering in a couple of thin layers of superglue to build up the slot. I know Dan Erlywine does this sometimes by mixing superglue with bone dust to make a "bone paste", for the lack of a better term. I don't want to do that and I don't want to change the nut. Anybody got an opinion on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hudman Posted October 10, 2012 Members Share Posted October 10, 2012 Super glue and baking powder. Drop of glue, sprinkle a bit of powder on it - repeat until the slot is built up enough to re-cut it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Opa John Posted October 10, 2012 Members Share Posted October 10, 2012 Well, let's see.......you don't want to do a "bone paste" fix and you don't want to replace the nut. Yeah....I got an opinion. Slap a capo on that sucker at the 3rd fret and start wearing tighter shorts so you can hit those higher notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted October 10, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 10, 2012 Good one Opie! Thanks, I'll try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Opa John Posted October 10, 2012 Members Share Posted October 10, 2012 Originally Posted by recordingtrack1 Good one Opie! Thanks, I'll try that. Hell yeah....give it a shot. It works for Neil Young! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted October 11, 2012 Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 Before you do anything, think about this. If you fret a string, the nut no longer plays a part in string height. If the nut slot is too deep, only the open string will rattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted October 11, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 Right. It is rattling on the D string and the G string. When I fret over the first the rattling stops on the D but not on the G it takes a second fret to stop. It was not doing this when I took the strings off. Replaced with same gauge of Elixir nanoweb mediums. This is the guitar that I had the first 5 frets replaced on about a year ago. I have changed the strings twice (that I can remember) since then. this is a 1985 Yairi that is worn down pretty badly. I think the nut has finally grooved out on those two strings in particular. The frets are a bit higher than the old frets, you can even feel it when you rub the neck without strings on the guitar. Dressing the frets a little might straighten it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 10ae1203 Posted October 11, 2012 Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 shim the nut slot with a bit of aluminum foil? I think I read that on frets.com, maybe, as an emergency fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted October 11, 2012 Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 The guy who replaced those frets should have leveled them relative to the older frets. Sounds like maybe he didn't do a perfect job. If the nut slot height is correct, you should be able to fret a string between the second and third frets, and see a tiny gap between that string and the first fret. That's not the perfect way of setting nut slot height, but it should get you in the ballpark. If you need to fill the slot, what you suggested is the way to go. Super glue paste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted October 11, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 $10 a fret. I knew it wasn't going to be perfect. Up to now it hasn't been a problem. That's why I think it is a little more related to the nut and now i'm thinking a combination of both. It wasn't rattling a bit when I took off the old strings. It's weird. I've looked the frets over carefully and I cannot find one lifting. The humidity in my house is dead square on 50% and has been very stable. I have heard of necks developing a little back bow in the wintertime, but obviously that ain't a problem right now. I just put a straight edge on it and the new frets are a mm-ish higher than the originals, but they were that way yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted October 11, 2012 Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 Originally Posted by recordingtrack1 Right. It is rattling on the D string and the G string. When I fret over the first the rattling stops on the D but not on the G it takes a second fret to stop. . . . Then it's not the nut. Fretting a string takes the nut out of the picture. My guess is that changing humidity has produced a change in your guitar's relief. Did you perhaps take all the strings off at once when you changed them? Check the setup and make any necessary changes. If that's not it, report back. We'll get to the bottom of this yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted October 11, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 Originally Posted by 10ae1203 shim the nut slot with a bit of aluminum foil? I think I read that on frets.com, maybe, as an emergency fix. That actually worked. Obviously I don't want to leave it that way, but it stopped the rattling. I can't tell an obvious difference in tone. I'm gonna call my buddy today that did the job on it and see what he thinks. He's actually very good at what he does.and in defense of his original work, he told me he didn't do a lot of fret leveling when he did the first job but for 50 bucks, I didn't mind. The guitar played pretty easily and sounded good.We'll see what he says . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mschafft Posted October 11, 2012 Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 If the nut can be removed without damage, you could shim it. I would personnally set up the truss rod, check for high frets and eventually change the nut if it still rattles. It's a top quality guitar, it deserves a nicely cut nut I suppose. My 2 cts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted October 11, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 11, 2012 Originally Posted by mschafft If the nut can be removed without damage, you could shim it.I would personnally set up the truss rod, check for high frets and eventually change the nut if it still rattles. It's a top quality guitar, it deserves a nicely cut nut I suppose. My 2 cts... Thanks, it does deserve a nicely cut nut. BTW, Your 2 cts worth is certainly welcome and appreciated.My friend came over this afternoon and picked up the guitar. He played it a little and looked it over. He's a real good guy. He stated that it is probably a combination of age and wear but mainly the fact that he should have worked the frets over better last time. He said he would level the frets out to match. The nut is definitely worn as well, being a 27 year old guitar. He recommended that I change it out. In the mean time, he is going to do the superglue paste thing we discussed earlier if the fret work doesn't totally correct the problem and I can look at a new nut later.I'm really excited about this, I remember when he did the work on it before. Yes, the action was a little bluegrassy, but when he finished with the guitar it played well and sounded good. Mainly, it was LOUD. He commented on that very fact. I'm hoping that I won't lose the volume. This thing is truly a cannon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldTwelver Posted October 13, 2012 Members Share Posted October 13, 2012 Well, since I too was having a problem with a nut buzzing, I figured I'd give the aluminum foil thing a try..... Took a few different designs before I got it to stay in place all day, but I'm nothing, if not persistent.Turns out it was a waste of time, as I discovered the problem was simply a fly in my pants pocket. Any tips on a quick remedy for a metallic abrasion on the inner thigh?Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted October 13, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 13, 2012 Just got my Yairi back. Frets look great. Guitar sounds just fine. Superglue in the nut slots for D and G strings as a temporary fix. We're gonna cut a boner for it. No rattles anywhere.Best part.......no charge! Life is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.