+1 for removing and sanding the base of the nut. I always did that before getting nut files. But take it easy - don't ask how I know! And you also have a spare!
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+1 for removing and sanding the base of the nut. I always did that before getting nut files. But take it easy - don't ask how I know! And you also have a spare!
So how high above the fretboard should the nut be?Quote:
Originally Posted by Trevor Davies
... and how do you remove it?
Fret height can vary, so you don't take the measurement from the fretboard to the string, but rather between the first fret and the string. Fender recommends .020 inches (.5mm). John Carruthers (in vid 3 of 4) recommends .018 (.457mm). Stew Mac says it can be between .020 and .024" (.6mm). I usually try to get it to less than .020 but not lower than .018. I know people who try to get it even lower at the high E, but I don't.
If you are sanding the bottom of the nut (and that seems like a good thing to at least try!) make sure you check the E strings on both sides of the neck as you are getting close. It's easy to put more pressure on one side of the nut than the other, and you want it to be about even. If it is a little higher on one side than the other the high side should be the bass side.
One thing that is important is to do the fret leveling and setup *in order.* Do the fret leveling/crowning first, because all the other steps assume the neck is good. Also for all setup steps the strings have to be on.
Most people recommend the "TRAIN" order for the setup:
T=Tune (always do setup with the guitar in tune)
R=Relief (set the truss rod so that so that neck relief is correct--this is the slight bow of the neck)
A=Action (set the action/height of the strings at the bridge)
I=Intonation (set the length of the strings at the bridge)*
N=Nut (set the height of the string at the nut. <==This is the last step in setup.
*You can actually do the nut before the intonation if you like (which is how Carruthers does it). It doesn't actually matter which you do first on the last two steps. I think most people do TRAIN because it's a better acronym and easier to remember than TRANI ;-)
The Fender style nuts are sometimes tricky to remove! It depends on how much glue has been used to hold it down. You need to use a craft knife to cut into the join around the edges of the nut. It can then (usually) be hammered out with a screwdriver (like in the video) or use pliers to lever/lift it out. Cleaning up the slot is OK if you have a file that fits well. I have also used a jewelers' screwdriver as a chisel to remove old material.Quote:
Originally Posted by EsquireEsque
NOTE: I have destroyed a number of nuts while getting them! And have damaged the fretboard! So, take care!
This video is quite good around the 2 min mark:
https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/trade-secrets/easy-stratocaster-mod-how-to-replace-the-nut-on-your-guitar/.
This page is quite good also:
https://guitarflipper.com/remove-guitar-nut/.
I see.
So I'd need to:
1. take the strings off and adjust the neck so it's dead flat. this would be easier if the neck was taken off.
2. level the frets (tap down if need be and then "sand" to the same height - then crown and "polish") - this would be easier without the nut on though........
3. Then (re-attach the neck and place the nut back in) tune while the neck is flat
4. adjust the truss rod to a slight forward bow
5. re-tune and check the "action"
6. Adjust the nut (TRANI actually makes more sense to me)
7. adjust the action at the bridge (raise or lower the saddles)
8. check the intonation
The video and the "blog" were good, complimenting each other. I'd seen the blog before but it's always better to "see things being done".
I've been pondering on the nut height for a while - taking and checking all measurements I can think of.... I've found the difference in nut height between the one in what i've built and the one in the Jet 350 is not that the nuts are different heights - but the slot in the fretboard is deeper in the Jet 350... meaning the top of the nut is lower than in the neck I've bought from Pitbull....
Now I'm wondering if it makes more sense to remove the nut and then file out the fretboard slot a millimetre deeper.
I've also been aware of the potential damage to the fretboard..... so while I want to "save" this project, I do realise that things might go wrong... and in reality every build is practice to learn for the nest one....
That all sounds like a good plan!
Re "file the nut or file the slot"? Probably depends on your skills and your tools! They both achieve the same goal of lower nut action.
Sounds about right to me. Just a couple of thoughts... I agree that it's easier to do the fret leveling with the neck and nut off, but it's not that much easier. I think either way is fine. Same with the nut. You can leave it in place. You don't need to move the sanding beam aggressively to do the leveling so the distance between the 1st fret and the nut is enough "travel." The one thing to be careful of is not to whack the nut hard with the end of the sanding beam.
I have occasionally made my own nut from a blank, but with hand tools the shaping can take a LONG time...so now I usually buy a bone nut blank that is pre-shaped. I have noticed that sometimes they are quite "short," and for my Tele build I had to shim the nut for it to be tall enough. For that reason, I'd probably sand the bottom of the nut, if necessary, rather than making the nut slot deeper, so that it's not too deep for a replacement nut if/when you need to add one.
I have also destroyed a nuts taking them out. I think all the ones I have ruined were plastic. I think that sometimes at the factory they use CA glue which ends up being tightly bonded to the wood and harder than the plastic. Good to remember that you don't need a much glue, and you don't really need anything stronger than normal wood glue when you put it back in.
Well - what a difference.....
I took the nut out today and filed the back of it down about 1.5mm (nerve wracking!).
it kept on wearing away on one end more than the other and on a slant as well - so I had to check it every couple of strokes.....
It is now "playable" acoustically (it's not wired up).
The frets are a worry - a "tap" on them failed to get them to "go in" if they were raised - I seem to have a few frets that refuse to be tapped back into the fretboard (I can still get a piece of paper to slide underneath the ends)..... I'm wondering if they've been glued in place.
The nut is only held in place by the strings - When I level the frets I don't want to hit the nut and cause any damage.
It's plastic and took a few knocks to get it out. I noticed that the slot was not flat at the bottom (I think it was not completed properly). I didn't have a tool suitable for deepening the slot without also taking away from the sides - so that's why I filed the nut.
Didn't have enough time to make a levelling beam, unfortunately. That'd be the cheapest option - but I still might get a radiusing block and level with that.
Still a little fretbuzz - but I also checked the intonation when I put the strings back on - and it's very nearly right... I was quite shocked. Just got to figure out how to set it properly on a three-barrel bridge (which I've decided I do not like - I much prefer the "modern" 6 saddle bridge).
I think I've learned enough to "go the TRANI" and set it up properly at some stage.
I glued another body blank together today as well .......
Here's a vid that might be relevant to your situation. I thought I had this going on with a 40 year old Acoustic. It turned out to be something else on that guitar, but this might be helpful to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWLa...c5uKo&index=71
Oops! That *might* be useful, but was not the vid I meant to send...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eupR7KilNAI
This is the one I meant to send.