Bone nut upgrade

[SamCoster]

Just unboxed my MBM-1, very excited. I ticked the box for the bone nut upgrade and it looks like i need to swap it out with the plastic one already glued to the neck. This is my first build and I don't want to screw it up. What does everybody else do to swap them out? a little bit of heat?

[Sonic Mountain]

Use a sharp utility knife to carefully score around the edge of the plastic nut. Then use a block of wood and a hammer to give it a couple of gentle taps. It should just pop off. Scoring with the knife should minimise any wood that comes off. If you do chip it a little you can superglue it back on and it will be invisible after finishing. When installing, just a couple of small dots of superglue will do the trick.

[SamCoster]

Use a sharp utility knife to carefully score around the edge of the plastic nut. Then use a block of wood and a hammer to give it a couple of gentle taps. It should just pop off. Scoring with the knife should minimise any wood that comes off. If you do chip it a little you can superglue it back on and it will be invisible after finishing. When installing, just a couple of small dots of superglue will do the trick.

Thank you very much for the advise

[RocknRolf]

Thought it would be appropriate to add to this thread instead of starting a new one:

Kit: TL
Got the nut out, and have a replacement nut that came with the kit.
it is 0.33mm less thick than the plastic nut that came out.

Do I mix up glue with saw dust putting the new nut back in place?

Ps. I first want to see how the action is before putting the nut in place.

[Sonic Mountain]

That's odd, what replacement nut is it? I'd just make sure its up hard against the forward edge of the nut slot. Maybe a small thin shim behind it? I wouldn't fill with glue and sawdust as you so want the option of changing it in the future.

[RocknRolf]

Thanks Sonic,

It is the "Bone nut upgrade" that you can order with the kits from pitbull.
Strings slots and width are bang on, so it would be the correct nut for this neck.

I can definitely shim it, only am thinking about how to detail that side of the nut.

hard against the forward edge of the nut slot

To confirm, away from the fretboard right?

[Simon Barden]

You want the nut right up against the fretboard edge, with the gap on the headstock side of the slot.

But it should be thicker. You really don't want to bodge the nut. Take a photo and email it to Adam and he should send you a replacement. If you've got some digital calipers (wonderful devices), measure the thickness of the original nut (or the slot width) so he can pick one that's thick enough. Over-thick is best, as they are easy to sand down on some 240 grit wet and dry lying on a flat surface. Little and often and keep checking, as a nice tight (but not forced) fit is best.

[RocknRolf]

Thank you Simon,
Will do, and yes I have a digital caliper, love it too.
Will keep you posted on how I go.

Ps. Is it because of resonance that you really want to have a tight fit?

[Simon Barden]

Well, partly vibration transfer, and partly physical stability. With any nut you get a fair bit of forces acting upon it when playing - tuning, string bends and maybe trem operation. Though it's not in a slot, a Gibson style nut is a lot wider, so is a lot more stable compared to gluing a thin Fender-style nut in the same position. So a Fender-style nut needs some support both front and back in order to keep it nice and upright and resist moving under string influence. With a gap at the back of the slot, the forces on the nut will want to pull the top edge forwards, so the bottom of the nut is pivoted backwards. It then won't be too long before the glue holding the nut breaks, and the nut comes lose. A tight slot resists the twisting motion, so your nut stays nice and firm for years.