Build #1: DTL-1 (American Ash body)

[craig747400]

I’ve done a good enough job of creating a nut from the plastic blank in the kit. I copied the string heights from my 1980 Ibanez Artist AR100, because this beast of a guitar was Plek’d at Sydney Guitar Setups (can’t get more accurate than that!).

When I started on the plastic nut, I noticed that it’s radius was vintage 7.25”, so I first set the slots to the 12” radius of the fretboard, then set the height by marking the bottom of the nut and carefully rubbing it down on sandpaper that was flat on the benchtop. Worked a treat.

I’ve gotten 3 spare bone nuts from PBG, and straight away measured them. They have a 12” radius for the slots that are already in the nut, so I will do the same process again. If I can’t make a ‘good’ bone nut, then I will take it to a guitar shop, just so I have a working guitar with a bone nut, but I’m optimistic that I can do a better job this time.

[craig747400]

The new bone nut is quite good. It’s not glued in place yet, so it’s a tiny bit out of position in the photo. I followed Dan Erlewine’s advice (both in my book, and on his YouTube channel). In following his advice, I used the fret files to shape the string slots ‘down’ towards the headstock, and V’d them a tiny bit towards the headstock, so as to prevent string binding. This also ensures the strings leave the nut at the face of the nut, not somewhere else within the slot.





Time now to enjoy it more and more. Yep, this thing is quite a heavy beast, and has a very fat neck profile.

When I change the strings next, I will polish the beveled edges of the pickguard (the edges are still rough from the factory … better late than never).

[Simon Barden]

Yes, that overhang on 22 fret necks stops you removing the pickguard, so you need to remove the neck to take it off.

Nice nut work.

[McCreed]

Nice axe!

I've taken a lot tips out of Dan's books and videos. Especially when I first started doing nut work. I see you also follow a similar philosophy with the depth of the string slots. I set my E A & D string tops above the top of the nut like yours, and progressively going deeper from bass to treble side.

[craig747400]

I added this sound comparison to the forum as well.

https://youtu.be/TfZ2XX6yMjo