Changing the nut on your electric guitar: everything I know about nuts in just 15 minutes.
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2020
- All this and more covered in my '5 Steps to Guitar Set up Heaven' eBook - available direct from me here:
relovedguita...
This is a very short video prompted by Sophie Glenn's request to look at some of the challenges of replacing the nut on your guitar. There's SO much to talk about with this subject but my bandwidth is still a problem so I did my best to cram as much as possible into 15 minutes (which is as much as I can reasonably upload at a time currently). It was only THIS short because I drew up stuff on the board first :-)
To sum up:
1) Getting your nut right is THE single biggest improvement you can make to your guitar
2) Because 1), don't skimp on it - I recommend you fit a Tusq nut every time
When changing or working on the nut you're aiming for two things: a perfect 1st fret action (0.3mm) and smooth, friction-free nut slots that don't catch or drag on the strings. The correct 1st fret action will make your guitar easy and light to play AND will stop fretted notes near the nut going sharp and messing up your open chords. Smooth, friction-free slots will be HALF of any tuning instability solved. The other HALF is stretching ALL of the slack out of your new strings. Get that and your slots right and your guitar will play and stay in tune - regardless of what tuners you have or any tremolo systems.
Little added technical PS: apologies for the low level sound. My work area in the shed is right next to my neighbour's open doors so I don't like to raise my voice too loud. Meanwhile, I'll do some experiments to see if I can boost the recording levels... (as well as the output levels...) - Навчання та стиль
![Adjusting The Nut | How To Setup Your Electric Guitar [5/10] with Charlie Chandler](/img/n.gif)
This video is pure gold. Thank you for share this knowledge for free to all of us!!
You're very welcome! Watch out for more 'Everything I know about...' videos coming up.
I was just going to say this. Excellent video and great drawings.
0.3mm on low E string seemed too low to buzz for me but when I check action on 2nd fret while fretting the 1st one, I read 0.25mm without buzz so it has to work :)
I'll try filing down on the nut for the bass strings from 0.5 to 0.3mm to fix the intonation issues
Hi Sam. Just finished fitting new nut to my LP style guitar. I decided to go with your first suggestion and reduce the action by sanding down the nut base. I liked the idea of keeping the factory slots. Sacrificing low action for staying in tune. Achieved 0.5mm. Took long time but I'm very happy with the result. Getting the 90 degree corner on the nut was key. So many thanks for your video.
I haven’t filled my nut yet, waiting for the Hosco files to arrive next week. But my takeaway is getting the angle on the nut correct. Sam has a great way of explaining the issues, and gives me confidence that I can do it with good results.
@@jonathanhandsmusic I also bought the Hosco files. I first use them on a new guitar to try and get good first fret action, no pinging when tuning and tuning stability. If I fail then I buy a TUSQ nut and sand down to fit and get low first fret action. I think that the files are great as they don't flex. Just need to remove excess from the top as they create a wide v shaped slot. Without Sam's videos I would never have tackled this and would have been stuck with all of the problems associated with the stock nuts.
Fantastic. Well explained, helpful graphics, nice pace, & a calm, yet authoritative, speaking manner. Subscribed.
Very informative well thought out great vid thanks for taking the time 👍🏻
Hello again Sam. I've just ordered 2 left-handed TUSQ XL POL-5000- LO Nuts from Amazon. in white. in case I mess one up. that's all they had. They didn't have the flat-bottomed ones. I do have a set of those cheap round wire files. I will keep going back to your video for guidance. If that fails I might have a go at shimmin the nut that's already in the guitar. The 2 that I ordered have that little tab on the bottom so only need a little spot of titebond glue. If I cock it up a little tap like you showed should free up. And start all over again. Thank you so much for getting back to me. I hope you and yours have a lovely Christmas.
Amazing video! Great stuff
Thank you your work is priceless god bless for sharing your knowledge
Just received the e-book. Well written and well illustrated. Glad you gave the inspirational Maurice a spot in the book. ;-)
Thanks Clay - yes, I even managed to get him in there wearing Photoshop lipstick :-)
Fantastic! By far the best guide. Thank you!
You're welcome - glad it was helpful!
Your instructions were very helpful. Thanks a lot.
Glad it was useful :)
Great explanation!.. and great diagrams.
Very interesting and useful video. I just sprung for a set of double edge Hoscos, but I nevertheless find this information to be easily understood and applied to a stock new Fender nut with pilot slots. I have a few guitars that could be improved by a new nut. I will check out the Tusq products. I’ve heard nothing but good things about them.
Brilliant solution, I have the Tusq xl nut on my SG and it works perfectly, now I will try it on an other guitar using your spacer idea, thanks for this.
Let me know how you get on :-)
Absolutely spot on! Really appreciate the information. Have just swapped a poor plastic nut for a Tusq XL on a cheap tele copy. As you say, the tuning stability is much improved. The big surprise however is that the guitar sounds so much better harmonically. Now changing the nut on my Mexican tele to a Tusq (plus fitting brass saddles which to my ears, also improve the sound over the standard steel block saddles)
Just found this and it is just what I need! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience! Everything is very clear. And those are great drawings by the way! Cheers from Argentina! (Already susbscribed to your channel and investigating your other videos...)
Great video, thanks
This is exactly the info I was looking for. My intonatiom seems way off on the lowest frets on my new Epiphone, I figured the plastic nut was the culprit.
Thanks Sam
Reeee-sult!
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Hah, yeah now I just need to find a decent luthier. Next guitar is gonna be a kit, or maybe a cheap Haze guitar (Aussie Aussie Aussie!), so hopefully I'll be looking for decent tools at that point, but for my performer I'll let the professionals take the helm.
And then I'll for sure be going through all your old videos again for all those little hints and tips I've heard but only half paid afternoon to 😁
Big fan of Tusq xl. Think it’s the best for a Les Paul. I like bone as well but it needs to be done well and be a good piece of bone. Overall I find better tuning stability with the Tusq xl because it’s naturally lubed.
I have a 50’s reissue Strat that had the e strings too close to the edge of the fretboard. I ended up buying a Highway One bridge with tighter string spacing. Now I’m trying to figure out if I should create a new nut with a less wide string spacing as well. Is this something I can buy pre cut or will I have to get a blank nut and cut the slots myself? Also, what distance should the remaining 5 strings be from the first fret? In all these videos it only mentions the space for the fat e string. Thanks for any feedback.
Thank you Sam 🎸🤟😎
Hi Sam, really impressive video. I have just sculpted my first bone but, and it took all day!
You’re right about the nut seat preparation, mine was doused in superglue, and the old nut was a shimmed soft plastic one.
Getting the bone nut to seat without rocking was a serious challenge, but I found the best way was the edge of an old bastard file , got all the old glue out so I could reseat the new nut with PVA.
Only need to slot it once I’ve found some decent files, there must be some in the UK, not paying hundreds of pounds for some of Stu Macs. 👍
Many thanks for your comment Mike. Hosco nut files are the best set in my opinion; very robust, will last a long time. Every time I struggle with a rocking nut I wish for some 'bedding' resin, two kinds - one Tusq white and the other Tusq black to 'take up the slack' rather than spend hours trying to get it precisely flat with (often inadequate) tools!
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars cheers Sam. Yeah I looked at the Hosco ones, I may invest in some, but I can’t understand why someone hasn’t created junior hacksaw blades in various widths. Seems the obvious answer.
@@mikesmith8187 The best thing about the Hosco files is that they have a filling surface on the sides as well, meaning they actively cut to width as well as depth which means their slots are slightly ‘V’ shaped which helps avoid the strings binding in the slots.
I've replaced plastics with bones, tusq and brass with excellent results.
I don't know mm so I use feeler guages. 18thou on base strings and 16thou on treble. Seems to work for me. Recommended values I've found are 20&18 thou but I found that to high causing the pressure detuning sharp.
We are in agreement: the recommended 1st fret action settings 'invite' notes playing sharp near the nut and - put simply - are usually about 1/3mm higher than they need to be. The result is that most 'normal' players experience sharp notes when fretting near the nut while the open strings are 'true' resulting in a horrible sounding mess. Sure, the manufacturers are entitled to expect all players to have better technique and be able to learn to play their factory settings... but that's not dealing with reality. Reality is most players will get sharp notes at 1st fret actions of 0.5mm and above. Shipping guitars out with 0.7, 0.8mm 1st fret actions is just cynical because what you're hoping is that your customer base is inexperienced enough to just live with it the way it is; hell, why are you worried - you made the sale and your customer is probably blaming themselves and not you anyway. I don't find that a very smart way to go about it - and I see that you agree.
Thanx for the video. I love Tusq Nuts and time after time I will Upgrade all my guitars with them if nessesary. What I don't understand are the height adjustable nuts. I always thought that a nut had to have as much contact to the neck as possible.
I think a nut needs to hold the strings and provide a solid surface for their start point at that end of the guitar. I've got numerous guitars with these adjustable nuts and they play and sound great. A lot of people's ideas seem to come from untested and unproven assumptions - for example, people often assert that the nut (like the neck joint) somehow has to 'transmit' the strings' tone to the er.. pickups (and other such weird claims). There is no 'tone' being mysteriously transmitted or channelled through nut-to-neck and neck heel-to-body joints. What there IS is movements of a ferrous string through a magnetic flux field over the pickups. The issue about nuts, neck joints and bridges comes down to how they do (or don't) affect the string's ability to move once plucked. Loose, soft or mushy materials waste string energy as do poor neck joints. So providing the adjustable nut sits firmly on its posts it plays great - in the same way that you'd never think to question a Tune-O-matic bridge on a Gibson Les Paul because it too only stands on two pretty thin posts?
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanx for your answer.
Hi Sam, I tried to create a plastic shim for my Tele nut and yep once again you were right. Practicality impossible to create the shim between .1to .2mm thick along the nut length. I could make a thinner shim and glue in place but I'm concerned about making it worse.
That's why I glue a relatively thick bone or Tusq shim / extension and work it back from there. The remaining material might be only 1/10th of a mm thick but it's there and firmly fixed.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Now I totally understand. Although after a couple of hours of wasted effort. Still a lesson well learnt. In hindsight I should have realised that it wasn't practicable due to low tolerance.
Great informative video. Thank you. Would the ideal relief at the first fret still be 0.3mm for a bass guitar or would you suggest slightly more due to the thicker strings?
Probably a little more for bass strings but in my experience they will play with 0.3mm. The biggest difference for bass will be in the last fret action and the amount of neck relief
Lovey job. Thank you.
Thank you! Was trying to figure out my new guitar didn't sound in tune at all when fretting in the first 3 frets. I'm at 1.5mm height on my low string... Think we'll need to do some filing!
Glad that was useful. My eBook '5 Steps to guitar set up heaven' shows how I cut perfect nut slots with a £1 jeweller's 'V' file... it's here if you're interested
facebook.com/relovedguitars/posts/pfbid0dVrJMrB1cKR8TxjfApyqWS2chNHeKuedJ5qZKAvqKeysQho26FyGCM1wTNpnNLCGl
Hey Sam, what a thorough video. My only question is what do you use to measure the 0.3mm string gap to the fret please?
Hi - I use a set of auto feeler gauges, 0.3mm metric one
P P Pump up the volume ,,great video, ,,,good for us learners to give links to the special tools,,nut slot file,,,fine chisel etc, Thanks Sam .
Thanks 👍
Nice work Sam! Luckily for the aftermarket machine head industry, almost no one ever believes you (or me) when you tell them it's not their tuners making them go out of tune ;-)
Do you reckon we could charge the Tuner manufacturers a kind of 'protection money'? $$$$$
I was sent here from Cesar's channel... great stuff
Hi BJ - thanks for the 'heads up' as they say! It's an honour to get a mention (mind you I've not heard what he says about me yet lol)
great video! there is a paucity of information out there about squaring up the nut channel/slot. you have any suggestions on how to fix up a slot that has been torn up and glued over and scratched out too many times?
It's really difficult. I have a combination of things I use: a Hosco fret slot file (a little rectangular block 3mm wide with files on either long 'edge'), a very small sharp chisel to re-cut sloppy corner angles... and several craft knife blades to scrape the nut slot surface. Sometimes if it's really messed up I have to chisel across the length of the slot which is a bit harrowing because there's no easy way to guarantee that the chisel is going straight along the nut slot.
Worse comes to worst, I could place the new nut on a shallow bed of resin of some kind (ideally similar colour to the nut). Lightly pressing a nut onto this bed of resin will allow the resin to fill out any irregularities in the slot. Once dry, the hard resin will support the nut well. I would only do that in a situation where the slot is un-saveable by means of chisel / blade and slot file...
Thank you!!
You're welcome :-)
No one talks about, What glue to use when gluing in a new nut? I just ordered two 6642-00 & one 6643-00 along with a 3 set of cheap nut files ranging from .24-.061, .032-.081, .053-1.35 as this will be my first nut replacement, I hope it all goes well. I ordered 2 graftech 6642-00 & one 6643-00 to be on the safe side. In the mean time, I found this acrylic nail powder meant for acrylic nails & it fixed it up with the use of super glue! I built up the nut slot with the powder & dropped on a drop or 2 of super glue. It is my temporary fix, it worked for now! What glue should I use to attach a graftech grafite nut?
Your best bet (I believe) is CA glue; suggest two very small dabs on the base i.e. one at each end and a little up the front edge of the nut where it meets the cut end of the fingerboard. You want as little as is required - but this of course depends on whether the string pull is straight through or whether it is some Hair Metal kind of design with massive pull to one side or the other. In the latter case you really have to rely on the strength of the glue to hold the damned nut in place - and that increases the chances of the next poor guy (or you!) tearing up wood next time you come to try to remove it.
Hello Sam. I've got a problem with a left-handed Glarry GTL - Tele I've just bought. I'm not sure which Nut to order the low E is touching the neck plus there's a gap between the Nut and Nut slot of the low E. It looks like they tried to higher the Nut to stop the low E from hitting the neck. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Hi Dave. First thing is that your choice of nuts will be limited being left-handed. Now you're asking the wrong (right) guy about changing a nut... lol meaning my answer is 'it won't be 'drop-in' easy!'. It never is, especially if you want to get the 1st fret action right.
First thing I'd ask is 'what's the radius of the neck'? Hard to find online but it's going to be 12" at least.
So this is your best bet:
graphtech.com/collections/tusq-black-xl-nuts-guitar/products/black-tusq-xl-42mm-flat-bottom-strat-nut
If the radius is bigger than that this will still be playable... (if not ideal). If you have nut files you can fit this and - assuming it starts off by putting the strings TOO high - cut each slot downwards to a chosen 1st fret action.
Or you can carefully sand it from the bottom of the nut; test fit, put the strings in, then take off more if you need. Very easy to over-cut though.
Which is why I default to adjustable Tusq nuts whenever I can :-)
Sounds complicated but the nut is SO important in a guitar's performance and tuning stability that there isn't a simpler way to get it right.
Sam, do you measure the 0,3mm string height at the first fret by pressing down behind the 3rd fret, or without fretting anything at all?
That is an important unanswered question. If it's unfretted that's a combination of nut, bridge and truss rod settings and hence not a good way to work unless your truss rod and bridge is spot on. If it's fretted at the third I think that measurement is a bit high?
@Sam Deeks - Is it possible to reposition a locking nut where the 1st string (high E) is too close to the edge of the fretboard? Or would the string slot need to be widened ever so slightly?
Hi Yep Yep... difficult to know exactly what you mean without seeing it.. If a locking nut is fitted correctly (i.e. balanced) but the high E is still too close to the edge of the neck then you'd be better off finding a replacement one that spaces the strings correctly. Many guitar brands use them and the Chinese make these nuts by the millions so you could experiment relatively cheaply. If on the other hand it's because the whole locking nut is pushed out too far towards the high E you'd be able to see and feel this as the high E end of the nut would stick out proud of the edge of the fingerboard. Sorry I can't be more specific.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Alas. I've tried two nuts so far. It's an Ibanez JS1000 Prestige (Joe Satriani signature model) so you THINK they'd get it right. I've had since the early 90's and have just fought with it.
T
Many thanks Sam your video is greatly appreciated. I had not really considered the 90 degree issue. I am not sure whether my strat slot is flat or radiused. I guess I will find out. Luckily I have ordered TUSQ and I do own a set of files. Do you recommend a slot angle say 20 degrees? Again many thanks for the time and effort you put in. I'll definitely refer to it.
If your slot is radiused Tusq makes a curved nut with a central 'foot' you can carefully file off. If it's a flat slot, the same nut can be used - just let it stand on its 'foot' + the two outside edges.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanks Sam, I had seen that feature but my concern was how best to prepare the floor of the nut slot maybe glue residue or uneveness resulting from nut removal. I'll be sure to let you know how things go. Many thanks for helping me
@@glennsophie3235 If you're trying to clean up a radiused slot you can either attempt to clean it up or, if that's not feasible, you can flatten it down to level. To clean up a curved slot, you could start with a craft knife blade to carefully scratch away built up glue... after that you probably have to get inventive. If you have a metal radius gauge you could stick some sandpaper facing outwards from the appropriate side of the gauge (i.e. whatever side matches your neck). I've done that before. Takes a while but effective. If you don't have a 2-3mm thick radius gauge edge to use, you could cut a 2.5-3mm strip of sandpaper and pull it back and forth through the (radiused) slot / over the hill. You'd need to do this a few times but it would work eventually.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Advice greatly appreciated. I was thinking of using the old nut and sticking some fine grit sandpaper to its base. Still I'm hopeful that it will be flat as this would be cheaper for the factory.
Hi Sam, when measuring for your 0.3mm at the first fret, is that measured without pressing the string down at the second or third fret as I have seen on other instructional videos?
Great paced easy to understand session mate,
Hi Gaz, yes - that's measured without pressing the string at any other fret. Just straight from the nut, to 0.3-0.4mm over the first fret. Not saying it's a better or worse way of doing it; it's just how I do it :) In the same way I prefer to measure my playing action at the last fret whereas other people do it at 12th... 17th etc etc. The numbers (and how you get them) are just means to an end which is the kind of low action that my customers are looking for. Even THAT is criticised by many viewers btw - saying that low action is rubbish and only idiots want a low action etc etc. Vive la difference, I say.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars can't please all the punters all the time.............. Then why try! Thanks buddy
Hi Sam. I was fret leveling my Harley Benton Telecaster when I knocked the nut free. So opportunity to try fitting a TUSQ nut! Spotted a problem. Nut slot cut wider than original nut and new one. No doubt this is why it came loose so easily. I'm thinking of adding a plastic shim. Any views?
One solution is to put a shim of plastic front or back to keep the nut still. What I tend to do (if I have to) is to superglue a shim of the same material - usually bone or Tusq for me - to the back of the nut and carefully sand it back to the correct thickness. This keeps the shim + nut as one solid piece, even if the shim part ends up being barely 1 or 2/10ths of a mm by the time you've sanded it fit.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanks for the tip. I will give it careful consideration as I think that it will stretch my skills. The nut is holding so my only issue is perhaps alias of resonance. But as LP style has no second face to the slot maybe not an issue. Also to my ear it sounds good 😊
Think you’ve swayed me on the tusq nuts. I have a load of bone nuts and blanks aced in my eBay watch list and also looking at the Chinese ones from companies like wish, but I might put all that aside for a while and go directly to tusq. Worth a try. I had a look on there website but could find any info on what radius the slots are cut at ? Maybe they have gone for the common 9.5. I also could find what guage strings they are cut for but I assume probably around 10’s. Away to order one now. I have a 12 inch radius but can fine tune it if need be I suppose although would prefer not to touch the slots .
Yes. The reason I've switched almost completely to custom-made adjustable Tusq nuts is precisely to be able to preserve the factory smooth slots AND still get the perfect 1st fret action (by bringing those un-touched slots UP to the desired action rather than filing down).
Sam Deeks I got one . I see what you mean , they are really nice 👍 very slick and feel great. It looks to me like it might be a 9.5 radius that it’s cut too as my high and low e strings are very close to the fret while the other arc up a bit . I have a 12” radius . But at this stage I will live with it , im not going to touch those slots at the moment . Very happy
Flattening the nut seat is probably the hardest part for me in changing new nuts. It's frustrating.
Thanks for the info!
Hi JQ - yes, it's tricky. A flat craft knife blade is a real help; you know it has a straight edge. If you keep working it down into the right angle corners and scraping it straight across the slot bottom you should get pretty close. What's most frustrating is when you get close but put the nut in and find it rocks very slightly from side to side :-D That's where I go back to my craft knife blade and continue scraping...scraping....scraping..
TusQ XL on a 2004 Squier Stratocaster that was never really played, but the old nut from the factory was a horrible nightmare mess. I had Graphtech tell me the model I need but how high should I make it from the first fret since the trussrod probably needs adjustment etc... but I can't do any of that until I have a nut on properly. Seems I am painted into a corner.
I watched the entire video and stumped as I saw 0.8 and I saw 0.3mm for the same fret and the same wire/string. What about the rest of the wires/strings? 0.3 is smaller than 0.8 so how does that even work?
You're not painted into a corner. I recommend setting your relief first. Of the 3 primary 'variables' in your playing action (relief, 1st fret action, last fret action) the relief has most effect in the middle of the neck, very little effect on the far ends i.e. the nut end. You can set your preferred neck relief with the old nut on... since you measure the relief by capo'ing the first fret and holding down the low E on the last fret and check the clearance between the fret in the middle of that span and the the string... Adjust until you've got something like 0.15 - 0.2mm.
Then set your last fret action. My preference is 1.5mm low E last fret and a gradient across to 1.2mm high E last fret.
Then change your nut and if you need to, file the slots to end up with a 1st fret action of 0.4mm (for example) for each string. You might prefer 0.4mm on the bass strings across to 0.2mm on the treble strings.... that's up to you; either will work and both will be clear of the range that causes notes to go sharp when fretted near the nut.
If you use an adjustable nut (in my case home-made using a Tusq nut as a starting point) you won't have to cut down into the slots to get your ideal 1st fret action, you can just 'dial it up' to where you need it, keeping the pristine factory-made slots intact.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars I LOVE that adjustable one as it is ingenious and all nuts should be like that. As far as mine goes I can stick the original nut back in, but it is broken and was never done right.
It seems like the adjustable nut would effect tone since it’s risen off of the base of the nut slot. I’m guessing not though since you seem to like them. Anyone know of a good set of nut files for cheap? Thanks for the video.
You're guessing right :-) Not only can't I hear a difference but I also don't know of any convincing argument why there would be one. The least expensive decent set of nut files is probably the Hosco set of 3 x 2 sided files. These days if I file nut slots I use 90% dirt-cheap Chinese diamond-coated 'V' file and 10% Hiroshima nut file to finish off the bottom of the slot shape. That's a winning combination for me - and believe it or not, the 'V' file on it's own works great. You can either leave the 'V' shaped slot (a bit ugly) or file down all the excess material above where the strings sit after which it looks very neat.
What distance should the remaining 5 strings be from the first fret? Thanks
I make all of them 0.3-0.4mm
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars thank you! I appreciate it. Great video!
I have a stupidly designed guitar with 41mm nut. Kept on muting strings. Can I just replace the nut with 43mm and hope it will work well without throwing away the neck or the whole guitar?
It's not clear from what you've put what the total width of your guitar neck is at the nut slot... but assuming it is the 43mm that you've mentioned then yes, you can find a replacement that's 43mm. The more important issue is to start with the e-to-e slot measurement that the original nut has (or that suits YOU and the guitar you have in front of you). When you know the ideal e-to-e spacing then you look for a nut equal to (or slightly greater than) 43mm width. You can always sand it slightly. Fitting nuts and getting them right is only ever a 'drop-in' affair in about 2-5% of cases; the other 95% of the time you must expect to do SOME fine-tuning to get them to fit width-wise, front-to-back depth wise, depthwise in the slot (to give the correct 1st fret action) and / or to file the slots to create a low 1st fret action that follows the neck radius at that point.
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars Thanks Sam. The neck width at nut is indeed 41mm, just like the nut. I found a 43mm or even 42mm guitars much easier to play than this guitar. What nut slightly greater than 41mm would work? Is 42mm a safer bet or can I go 43mm?
@@watchmania46 I see what you're getting at now. You want wider spacing but you're stuck with a 41mm width neck/nut slot.
If you tell me what kind of guitar it is I'll tell you the widest spacing Tusq nut I can find in their catalogue.
• Strat style with slot
• Gibson-style with nut shelf (no slot)
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars thank you! It's a Pacifica 212V. Looking at videos I think it has no slot. So there is specific Tusq with same width but wider spacing? means low E and high E lays more outside?
@@watchmania46 So you could try e-to-e of 35.5 with width of 44 (meaning you'd need to sand in 1.5mm from each end - possibly just about do-able) .
www.amazon.co.uk/Graph-Tech-PQ-6000-00-Jumbo-Pre-Slotted/dp/B0016J1VJS
Maybe slightly better would be PQ-1720-00 with a 35.9 e-to-e and only 43mm with, meaning only 1mm needs to come off each end....
northwestguitars.co.uk/products/graphtech-pq-1720-00-slotted-tusq-nut-for-godin-guild-fender-style-acoustic
In both cases swap 'PQ' for 'PT' for black Tusq; the 6000 has a left-handed version, the 1720 does not.
Beyond that 35.9mm of the 1720 you can't really go without going too far in the overall width, with the result that if you tried to sand it back to 41, you'd cut into the 'e' slots (or at least leave no support there).
Hope that helps!
I replaced the nut on an inexpensive Epiphone Les Paul Junior with a real bone nut and I was shocked at the improvement in tone.
Do you have to file all the slots to 0.3. Total beginner here. 😊
I do - until the first fret action (height of string over the first fret) is 0.3mm. That’s a personal preference and an action I have found works very well, but it could be 0.2 or 0.4 and still work well.
adjustable nut? Brilliant!
It's what I do on everything these days. The LP nuts I make a custom base from hard resin; the Strat / Tele nuts I file the grub screws flat and they stand in slight depressions in the rosewood / maple. It works... part of me would prefer a hard(er) base for those but they compress a fraction and seem to settle. You *could have a hard brass / copper / bone 'floor plate' but you would have to cut the existing slot down and that's a modification too far in my book.
Very cool
@@PooNinja I have one of Sam's adjustable nuts on my Strat - it's so easy to ge the action perfect now.
You should post a link to your ebook so people can get it.
It's here
facebook.com/relovedguitars/photos/a.1434485003475282/1831237983799980/?type=3&theater
- thanks for the prompt!
Can new nut change the Sound in electric guitar
My opinion is 'not significantly' - assuming that the nut we're talking about is correctly fitted, has backward sloping, well-cut and friction-free slots. If it has those things, then plastic will work fine. But Tusq has built-in Teflon (PTFE) which makes it naturally lubricated. This contributes to tuning stability which is why I prefer it over bone, brass or plastic.
By the way I am trying to solve 2 problems. My Gibson The Paul I had filed down to my preferred 1st fret action but after a few months this had drastically reduced. I don't know why. Now just playable. My MIM strat came with very low action and is sticking when using the trem. Tried using fine grit sanding to smooth slots but still there. Can't use file as action low.
I don't know if this is the *best* solution, but I have increased nut height by using superglue to glue the base of the nut onto a business card (the slightly thicker paper/cardboard kind) and then used a box cutter/exacto knife/razor blade to cut around the nut, and finally carefully sanded off the excess paper and glue to make it smooth.
After 2 rounds with strips of business card with superglue the nut height was ok, and to my ears doing so did not have a negative impact on the sound. I got the idea from a UA-cam video if I recall correctly.
I assume you've already tried to add graphite/pencil shavings to the nut slots of your Mexi Strat? If not, give that a go. Also, if it has string trees, since they are a further contact point for the string, they could also be rough and cause snagging. Can try sanding the contact points a bit, or if you have the budget, buy Graphtech Tusq string trees, since they are permanently lubricated.
Finally, if your string gauge on the Mexi Strat is very different from what the nut was cut for (typically factory guitars come with 9 gauge strings and you can usually change up or down one number without issues, but if you put in 12 or 13 gauge strings, that might not work so well), that might also be something to look into.
Sam! Picked up a Dean Edge 1 bass for $80 USD mint condition! I am shaking the chicken bones over it now and I see it has a black plastic nut cut by a 3 yr old. Now, I dunno about Bass's but I would assume they were the same as guitar...if I were not your naturally suspicious student. So, I ask you sir; are they the same with respect to first fret clearance? Already checked the truss rod, and i'm down on the deck with saddle adjustment at the bridge and the strings are still way to high. Something's gotta give. And Sam, why don't you do more Bass videos, lol?
Hi, you did not solve the problem of filing the slot in this video. You can use double sided tape and stick sand paper on the bottom side of your nut, that works quite well (although it's better to have someting longer than the nut), especially because many nuts have not a precise 90 degree angle. If you do this often for same sizes, you can buy a Tusq blank sleeve no. 4025 or 4125 and file them down to the correct depth and glue the sandpaper under it with double sided tape after leveling of the bottom on a straigt surface (attention, a glass plate is not alway really straight but in many case the most straight object nearby you).
Hi - you're right I didn't cover that in so much detail but I did show the problem of chiselling the nut slot / shelf and showed the HOSCO nut slot filing block... Preparing the slot or shelf (we're NOT talking the string slots btw, that's a whole other issue that I also touched on) is critical and the closer to 90 degrees you can get it, the better. Matching the nut base / angle to the slot base / angle is a matter of 'touchy-feely' basically because it's rarely 'machine-precise'.
My strat has painted headstock with lacquer and I’m losing my mind it’s essentially a layer of epoxy!!! Help
What are you needing to do with / to it?
@@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars replace the nut, I scored it to death last night, was more like a knife fight. I kept tapping it with a board and hammer. I finally got tired and hit it really hard and it jumped off. I was lucky it did not break and I found out why there was no damage. The last hit was from neck to fretboard direction, meaning it would be very difficult to break that side of the guitar. You might pass that along or try it yourself.
Great video
About to replace a nut on a strat
Have to get some jewelry files
Won't pay 120 euros for nut files
👍👍👍👍
What about brass nuts?
I love how they look… I’m just not a fan of how they work in terms of friction and the difficulty of getting slots right. I prefer to replace with Tusq fixed or Tusq adjustable unless the customer insists on keeping the original brass one. But I’ve never bought and installed a brass nut for a customer so that must either mean very few people ever asked for one or that I’ve been very persuasive in favour of Tusq.
Everything you know about nuts? I posed that question to my ex. She was quite the hoar. Intentional misspelling due to Adtubes censors.
Keep checking them. Optimal performance depends on spotting problems early....
well,unfortunately tusq kinda suck real real bad...because a. im lefthanded...b. they dont make a lefthanded nut that willl fit all 3 of my 7 string guitars...tusq 7 string nuts are very limited in choice...id love iot if i could just get a tusqw but... ive got one right here next to me that was a pure WASTE OF MONEY.i need a dang 7 string nut that is 1 and 6/7ths...they just dont seem to make this size...anyone and everyone dont have my option that bis needed...any help would be great because all 3 of my guitars play like shit and i cant stand it anymore.tusq suck tho for givinbg the short end of the stick to us leftys...pisses me off kind of really...why cant they make leftys of every nut they sell...lazy is th oonly reason i can thimnk...or theyd do it...maybe its jealousy over th scientific fact that leftys can multitask better than rightys...and history has shown that lefty musicians usually are a bit better than the righty counterparts...on the regular...thank you and take care...any ideas besides making my own...cuz im about to get all the dang tools to do it proper and going to town.i gotta do it or my shit wont 3ever get fixed. idont have a thousand bucks to get my shit refretted and plek,d.i want all 9 of my guitars plek,d...
You're right; leftys are left out. GraphTech are just as bad as most businesses; i.e. they only make a small number of left-handed nuts compared to the right-handed range. But at least they DO make SOME.
My only advice is: buy the rectangular Tusq blank blocks (black and white) and get good at making your own. The bottom line is that Tusq (Teflon-impregnated) is a 'no brainer' because it contributes so much to stable tuning.. so I will use it even where I have to make my own nut for a left-handed customer, as I've done many times before now. Truth is you don't need expensive nut files either. My eBook shows how to cut perfectly usable nut slots using a £1 'V' shaped diamond-coated jeweller's file.
facebook.com/relovedguitars/photos/a.1434485003475282/2887544238169344/
Sounds like a “you” problem
That's a good idea, but it can't rock at all in there
Tusq is a polymer. Then I'm baffled by science. The Les Paul's got a 'zero fret' Tusq nut, but I don't get on with the cumbersome weight and awkward 'feeling' over a Fender. Yeah Blume, Sam's taught me how to make cheap into worthwhile, and I was an out of the box, carry on, despite, 70's stupid kid.
I didn't use to like Tusq (mainly because it doesn't cut very well when attacked with expensive Japanese nut files) but now I do like it - because my adjustable nuts mean I no longer have to cut down into the slots.
Don't skim, buy a zero glide
If I knew where to buy one I might! But in fact, the only one worth having is the titanium one and that price would be prohibitive. So in the real world, using the GraphTech nut insert and a 3D printed base is a superb alternative. I'll bet you haven't used one in this way... so you don't have direct experience from which to judge.
Can you invest in a new microphone.Struggling to hear what your saying.
Yes. Apologies - noise levels were an issue in that location. Since last year I've been in a different workshop with a head-mounted mic and can shout as much as I like :)