ESB-4 nut and other advice needed...

I have watched a couple of you-tubes on setting up the neck on a bass... And I even installed one of DB's bone nuts on my Frankenjazz bass with reasonably good results. However everything I see is about installation on a F-style nut. Since my ESB-4 has a G-type nut, I wonder if there are any tricks...

Since this bass needs a total setup, in addition to height of the strings above the first fret, I am also wondering... if I should try to adjust the truss rod and get the bridge to a particular height before doing any sanding on the nut.

Any advice will be appreciated!

i imagine you'd set it up as you would any other guitar.. level the fretboard.. adjust height of the nut.. set the action and get rockin

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Originally Posted by PeterSik

i imagine you'd set it up as you would any other guitar.. level the fretboard.. adjust height of the nut.. set the action and get rockin

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Yeah I am thinking that too. Are the measurements the same for string height?

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To remove a G-style nut, it's simply a question of tapping the nut lightly from the fretboard side and from each end until it comes away. If you've put any finish on the neck that covers the nut, then cut around the edges of the nut first with a sharp blade so that it doesn't take any finish with it. Clean any remaining glue off with a flat needle file, then use a light coat of PVA or Titebond to stick the new nut in place. Leave it overnight before any stringing.

When setting up a bass/guitar for the first time, the first thing is to straighten the neck as much as possible with no strings on. You'd normally used a notched straight edge as you want to check the fretboard is straight, not the frets. I've got one for guitar but not for bass. Something like this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BASS-GUITA...-/250885701458

So you need to adjust the truss rod to do this. Clockwise tightens the rod and reduces any concave bow in the neck (and will take the neck flat and then add a convex bow). Anti-clockwise loosens the rod and increases the amount of convex bow (or if it has a convex bow, will take it through flat and then to concave.

Once the neck is as flat as you can get it, then check the frets for height. A long straight edge will give you an overall view and you might spot some particularly high frets. These may seat better if knocked in with a hammer. Ideally one with a brass or plastic head (to avoid denting the fret), otherwise put a hard bit of wood on the fret first.

But this may not show up a slightly high fret, so use a smaller straight edge that can cover three frets at a time (you'll need different lengths as you move up the neck as the frets get closer together). This is called a 'fret rocker'. Start with the bottom (or top) 3 frets. If the 3 frets are level and the edge touches them all, then fine. If the middle one is high, then it will rock from side to side a bit. If it's low, then you'll see a gap.

Move up a fret and repeat the process until you've done the whole neck and you've got a good idea if you've got some definitely proud frets. If not, fine. If you have, then again, a tap with a hammer might cure those frets. If not, then you will really need to level and re-profile the frets.

Once that's done (details in another post), then you can look at putting the strings on and setting up the bass (or guitar as it's the same process).

If the nut is very high, then yes, you might want to work on it a bit first. But otherwise it should always be done in the order of

1) Setting up the neck relief with a very slight concave bow using the truss rod. If the frets are very level, then it can be set almost flat.

2) Setting the bridge height. If the nut is very high, then I'd use a capo at the first fret (or a makeshift equivalent) to hold the strings down there to get an idea of the general action. Don't go simply by generalised heights at the 12th fret as you need to set up your guitar, which can often be a bit less than the factory pre-set heights (which generally give a buzz-free but slightly over-high action), but they are a reasonable place to start. Check that all the strings are playing clearly and that there is no audible fret buzz, especially when plugged in. The harder you pluck the strings, the higher the action will need to be. Keep lowering the bridge a bit at a time until the strings start to buzz on other frets, then raise it a bit.

3) Adjust the nut slot depth and maybe the overall nut height. There's no point doing this until you've set the bridge height for a good action, as if you cat the slots with a high action, then lower the bridge, the string height over the 1st fret will decrease further and you are likely to get buzzing (which means another new nut or living with a high action).

On a bass, this can be done with the end of a round needle file followed by some fine grit paper to smooth the slot once the string height/slot depth is OK. If experienced, you should be able to lower the slot height without any aids, though you can use a feeler gauge between the string and first fret (though I'm not sure what a suitable gap is for a bass). The gap doesn't need to be much - you can get an idea by holding the string down at the 1st fret and seeing or measuring the string gap at the 2nd fret. If there's a lot of nut left above the strings once the slots are deepened, then you can use a small file to file the nut down to a reasonable height (I like mine to be just above the top of the strings but some people like it a bit lower), rounding off the rear edges (headstock side) and the two corners on the fretboard side, then sanding with progressive grits until smooth and polished. I use a set of MicroMesh cloths for this, running up from 1500 to 12000 grit. You can go further and use a cutting compound for a higher shine, but 12000 is fine for me.

4) Set the intonation up. No point in doing this until the action is all set up as the change in string tension when fretting between a high and low action is significant, and can affect any intonation settings. So it's better to just do it once at the end.

To level the frets:

1) You'll need access to either a fret levelling file or a DIY version where you stick a medium grit sandpaper to a flat and solid straight edge that won't flex. You don't want too coarse a grit at this will leave deep grooves in the frets which will need removing later. You don't want anything too fine or it will take ages. I bought a diamond edged fret levelling file from a luthier suppliers which makes life easy for me, but people have done very well with the sandpaper on a straight edged block route. It needs to be straight as possible as you don't want to add any curvature to the overall fret heights.

You'll also definitely need a fret profiling file. You will need to buy one of these. They normally come in several sizes so measure your fret width and get a file that's the same size or just a bit larger than the fret.

2) Start with a straight fretboard - use the notched edge. If you get to this stage, you need to get or borrow one.

3) I'd use masking tape to protect the fretboard, so apply it now, leaving the frets clear of tape.

4) Mark the top of the frets with a dark marker pen e.g. a Sharpie

5) Start filing/sanding the tops of the frets. The marker pen lines should disappear from the tops of the high frets first, and when all the frets are level, all the marker pen lines should have disappeared. That's the time to stop filing/sanding.

6) The tops of the frets are now flat and rough, so you now need to re-profile them with the profiling file. The kit frets are relatively soft metal, so 10-15 back and forth strokes should restore a round top (though this is with my fret profiling file, again with a fine diamond surface). You can only start on one fret and observe how it goes with your file, a few strokes at a time. Then do the same number of strokes, whilst trying to use a similar pressure, on the other frets. You don't want to do 10 strokes on one and 20 on another, as you will lower the fret height more on the one you did 20 strokes on, and re-introduce the same fret height problems that you started with!

7) The frets are now profiled but still rough. I'd now start with some P400 grit paper (say 320 with a US grit paper) to get rid of all the visible scratches on each fret, before getting my MicroMesh sheets out again and running through the grits from 1500 to 12000. Again, I try and do the same number of strokes on each fret (especially with the P400 paper)- though certainly once you get past 3200 on the Micromesh you are just polishing and not removing any significant amount of metal. Once you get to the micromesh, maybe 8 strokes with the coarser grades and then 4 for the finer grades.

You shouldn't feel any 'scratchiness' when moving a string across a fret. On a guitar I'd use a cut-off from an old top E string to run across the frets. (Hopefully you've got a bit of thin hard wire to hand to use as bass strings are a bit on the thick side for this). If I can feel it pulling at all, there are still scratches that need removing, so it's back to the P400 and start the process again. It will probably take the best part of an hour to do all the frets. (I did this with very hard stainless steel frets and it took me around 30 minutes per fret - never again!).

You can then (if you want), use some metal polish for even smoother, more polished frets.

If you've got a rosewood board, I'd give it a good rub with lemon oil before doing all this. They normally come pretty dry from the factory and I like to keep them 'fed'. The dryer the board, the quicker the oil is soaked up. Once it won't accept any more oil, then stop and wipe the excess off with a dry, lint-free cloth. Keeping the board oiled from time to time helps stop it drying out, the wood shrinking and the possibility of the frets becoming loose as the board shrinks.

Wow, thanks, Simon. I feel like I just got a tutorial. I had a vague idea of all the stuff to do, but not the order or detail. This is a big help!

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No problem at all.

On a real Gibson neck (or good copies of that style), the veneer on the headstock forms butts up to the nut so that the nut sits in a little dip. In this instance, I'd tap more from the edges than on the face of the nut to remove it.

And once you've got it all set up, you may find that things change after a couple of days, as the neck settles down under tension. So then its often a case of alternating between a slight truss rod tweak and a tweak of the bridge height. But once that's done then it should be fine for a long while.

I had already strung it, so I just released the tension. Got some cheap straightedge to notch and a better one for the frets.... Lots still to do... Thanks again Simon.

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