Don't ever glue the nut until you're positive you've got the height right. Because its quite easy to make micro adjustments without removing the strings, just loosening them and tucking them to the side. And then don't use Gorilla glue of all things. Use weak water based craft type glue that allows easy removal in the future. String tension alone keeps the nut in place. And if the nut is sized tightly in the slot you could forget to glue and never notice.
I know this post is a bit ancient for you, but I'm about to do my first nut replacement (in a week or so) on two of my guitars - a Gibson ES-339 and a Fender Tele Deluxe. I'll be getting a Graphtech nut for each, and I have to determine if the nut for my Fender needs to be rounded (another story). My question is, every video I've seen on YTube so far has been suggesting Gorilla Glue, but your suggestion of using a weaker glue makes total sense. Would using a tiny bit of Gorilla Glue be an equivalent of using more of the weaker glue, you think? These are my two best guitars, I'm a beginner at this, and don't want to eff it up or make any future nut replacements impossible/difficult. Thanks!
Use Elmers Wood Glue, three drops in the nut slot. End, Middle, End will do the job. Don't forget to run an exacto blade on each side of the old nut before removal. Don't tap it up, tap it side to side to break the old glue bond.
@@BaconatorJames To be clear - in this video he is actually using Gorilla _Wood_ glue, which is fine. However, original Gorilla Glue is terrible stuff in general because it expands while drying and can make a big mess of things.
@@BaconatorJames NO I have never done this but having built various things I would be tempted to dilute the wood glue even. The last thing you want is to ruin the neck
Skip the first hammer part, it causes unnecessary damage. Instead use the firm edge of a book or something and tap THAT with a hammer. You are welcome :P
When gluing the Nut in, I've always used a small drop of clear Lacquer. You only need enough adhesive to hold the Nut in place during string changes, otherwise the string tension should hold it in place.
Shouldn't you check the nut slot height with a feeler gauge "before" gluing in the nut? In the event you need to lower the height by sanding the bottom of the nut?
Agreed, there is a bit more to the installation process than shown here. Nut String Slot Height is imperative to the guitar's overall playability. Also, I cringed when I saw the glue, a small drop of clear lacquer is all I've ever used.
would have been of interest to hear the difference in sound from Fender to graphtec nut.....i just changed mine in a couple of prs SE's and the result was quite clear and big improvement in sound and tuning stability.....not bad for 12.-$
I did all the knob filing and radius matching for mine. I was wrong the knub is needed for stability and this is why, my guitar nut was flat at the bottom, hence a radiused nut won’t have to much surface area to adhere to the level surface of the neck. After thinking about this, it is silly to radius the mounting surface of the neck, only the fretboard end, top should require a radius.
@@BobJones-bh9qz Agreed, there are minor differences between the Squier and Fender, the nub allows for a single part number to use for most Fender/Squier guitars.
@@hkguitar1984pretty sure fender/squire nuts are the exact same only difference would be quality of the original nut, various neck radius, and even various nut widths/string spacing (not sure if fender is doing various nut widths or not ) which are all differences you can find amongst one fender to another. Sounds like OP had a Gibson/Epiphone style guitar which has a flat nut which is sanded at a 90 degree angle.
Take it easy...If people actually paid attention, he's using Gorilla carpenter's glue! He's not using super glue! And super glue is fine if you just use a couple of dots! Common sense and how to apply it goes along way! And btw the string gap at the first string is not .018! It's more like .002-.007! You need to start from the beginning to do that anyways! Proper neck relief, capos on the 1st and 15th, check the relief at the 7th or 8th, it' .007 btw, then you can start with your nut height! Now capo the third and check the relief at the first and adjust! Give your guitar some love and do it right! 🤘🏻🙏🏻🎸
couple of things to point out , your radius sanding method with paper on the neck profile , going backwards and forwards takes end of nut over the edge of guitar a touch and your radius may not match under ,also gorilla glue , for a start its a sod to get off it sticks like hell , and secondly as it cures it expands , not what you want , if its snug a tiny dab of pva is best
Just because you don't have the ears to hear the difference, it doesn't mean it isn't there. Depending on the nut material it can change the tone a lot, which is just logical, man. Anyway, there are enough people who can hear and appreciate it.
Im just learning to do all my owe fixes and upgrades after being a Player for 45 yrs. I dont have Gorilla Glue and dont need a whole bottle to change on NUT . Will regular Elmers Glue or a Drop of Dollar Store Super Glue work and if yes which would be the best choice ??
@@kevin_lee_music Thanks for that ! That is exactly what I used 3 drops on the main points of contact and its working great ! So thanks for reaffirming my decision and Phil I will always trust .
@@DeadShred9 no problem! I'm gonna be building a guitar soon so I've been binging luthier videos 😂 it was in a video called like "Sharpen Your Axe?" or something like that where it was him critiquing a girl who worked on her own guitar
@@kevin_lee_music Yeah I think I watched that one he was talking her through a Pickup swap if I remb. right . There are plenty of videos by Qualified Luthiers to guide you through any build you would want to do. I have learned how to do everything except a re-fret by watching these videos . A re-fret requires expensive tools that make it more cost effective to just have a shop do it for ya . But anything else you may wanna do theres a video for it . Wills Easy Guitar is a very good channel hes a gruff guy but he knows his stuff . Between him and Phil theres nothing you shouldnt be able to handle ! Good Luck . I know I have a great sense of pride each time I do something I thought only a trained Luthier could do so theres a confidence building aspect to it as well ...
@@DeadShred9 I just bought a TUSQ nut from GraphTech and was told Elmer's-style WOOD Glue is fine. Don't know that it makes much difference. I guess we'll both know if our nuts come loose. Ouch!
I just replaced the original nut on my Strat with a Graph Tech Tusq nut as well. I didn't glue down the Tusq nut, since it seemed to be pretty tight. How critical is it to glue the nut down? It seems to play ok, except that the strings (new) seem to stretch a little and it isn't staying in tune like it used to. Could this be due to the nut not being glued down? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
I’ve heard that a well fit nut doesn’t necessarily need to be glued in, and if it’s flush on the bottom of the slot, the only way it could move would be side to side, so if you don’t see that happening then not having glue isn’t the problem, maybe the string slots or something if issues persist?
@@BobJones-bh9qz Depends on the guitar. In guitars like fenders they have support from both sides, but on acoustic guitars or like jackson guitars in which the net is at the begining of the fret, and have no wood on the side of the headstock, it's just puts it a tiny bit firmer
If you do that on a MIM neck the nut will just snap in two or you will blow a chunk of your neck out of the opposite side. Those fake bone nuts are extremely brittle!
do you know if the newer MIM strats have a curved or flat nut slot? I have a 2021 MIM and that fake bone nut is cut wrong and needs replaced. kinda working up the courage to do such and would like to know as much information as possible. I would be heart broken if I damage the guitar.
@@lets-allplay I recently purchased a new MIM Player Strat online, roasted maple neck, fat 50’s pups, that had the D string nut slot cut too deep. The thickness of a little piece of paper literally fixed the buzzing was getting. I removed the nut after scoring and tapped a small block of wood on all sides of the nut to break the glue bond successfully. The nut is radiused 9 1/2” top and bottom with a radiused nut slot. You can see the truss rod cavity vaguely in the center, so a straight slot would be too deep.
Even the same model guitars have different specifications, you can't possibly manufactor a specific type of nut for each possibility. In fender guitars for example, there's so many different radiuses and sizes you wouldn't possibly be able to make custom ones and sell at decent prices. Might as well just do it like this, buy the nut and sand it and you're good to go.
Hi bought a so called graphite nut on ebay...when I got it in my opinion it was plastic...I heated it a small bit ..melted like plastic and smelt...I emailed seller stating in my option nut was plasic...when dropped onto granite work top sounded like a plastic nut..This was sellers response below The nuts not solid graphite but a compound with Nylon. Pure graphite would not be suitable. Please let me know if you no longer wish to keep the nuts and we will arrange returns. Apologies again for any issues. Never heard this before do you know if this I case..lt was plain line plastic and two slots and small holes underneath..Not like the one you have .. Thanks
Did you buy a Graphtech Nut or some random brand graphite nut? The response sounds reasonable, there are a few brands out there that make nylon/graphite embedded nuts. They do feel a bit like plastic but a bit softer imo. If you're not happy with it, does sound like they're silling to give you a refund.
Sanding on the neck to get the radius is a waste of time when you then continue to sand it on the flat bench. Also if you want to match the radius of the neck you need to sand it left to right along the profile of the neck, not up and down like you were doing but it's waste of time as the nut slot is cut level, it is not curved like the fingerboard. Just sand it it on a flat surface until it's the correct height and you'll be good. Cheers.
That’s not true, most nut slots follow the curvature of the fingerboard, that’s why GraphTech sells their nuts with different fingerboard radius’ (9.5, 12, etc).
@@risingson74 The different radii of nuts are to allow for wider or thinner necks. There isn't really a viable way to form a radius on a nut slot commercially. I have replaced humdreds of nuts and the slots are always flat. They are cut with a router in factories that turn out hundreds of guitars per day / week. Nobody is going to spend time hand forming a radius in a nut slot, when it's much faster to just sand down the base of the nut to get the correct height. The radius of the strings above the fretboard is acheived by correct string slot depth using appropriate radius guages, not by forming a radius within the nut slot.
Because some guitars have a flat nut slot and require the nub. His nut slot follows the radius of his neck and has a slight curvature therefore the nub isn't needed.
Hey guitar dude local philly guy checking in. I recently purchased a neck that doesn’t have a nut on it. I’m trying to figure out if I need a curved bottom or flat bottom but. How can I know for sure? It’s not a name brand neck so I can’t base it on anything else. Thanks! Go birds
I wouldn't change it unless it was broken. It's a great nut, but I've learned along the way not to touch what is already working. As I said, only if there was absolutely no problem with the original one. In case there was, the change is necessary. Nice work, though.
I agree, but on MIM and squires, it's a great way to upgrade the tone. Pretty dramatic difference IMO, because those stock nuts are pretty lame and while they won't bind much, they've got a mellowing effect on tone. Some may like that, but these tusq nuts or ivory give a lot more twang on the open strings. But yeah if it ain't broke , not always a good idea to try to fix it.
@@LeviBulger I have a MIM and have indeed changed the nut (as well as the string tree). About tone I notice 0 difference, but I would say that the tuning stability is top notch. I rarely hear the guitar out of tune, even using tremolo
Next time take a saw and cut through the center until you can collapse it on itself. Definitely DO NOT I REPEAT, DO NOT! hit your guitar with any kind of hammer ever :(
Don't ever glue the nut until you're positive you've got the height right. Because its quite easy to make micro adjustments without removing the strings, just loosening them and tucking them to the side.
And then don't use Gorilla glue of all things. Use weak water based craft type glue that allows easy removal in the future. String tension alone keeps the nut in place. And if the nut is sized tightly in the slot you could forget to glue and never notice.
I know this post is a bit ancient for you, but I'm about to do my first nut replacement (in a week or so) on two of my guitars - a Gibson ES-339 and a Fender Tele Deluxe. I'll be getting a Graphtech nut for each, and I have to determine if the nut for my Fender needs to be rounded (another story).
My question is, every video I've seen on YTube so far has been suggesting Gorilla Glue, but your suggestion of using a weaker glue makes total sense. Would using a tiny bit of Gorilla Glue be an equivalent of using more of the weaker glue, you think? These are my two best guitars, I'm a beginner at this, and don't want to eff it up or make any future nut replacements impossible/difficult. Thanks!
Use Elmers Wood Glue, three drops in the nut slot. End, Middle, End will do the job. Don't forget to run an exacto blade on each side of the old nut before removal. Don't tap it up, tap it side to side to break the old glue bond.
@@BaconatorJames To be clear - in this video he is actually using Gorilla _Wood_ glue, which is fine. However, original Gorilla Glue is terrible stuff in general because it expands while drying and can make a big mess of things.
@@BaconatorJames NO I have never done this but having built various things I would be tempted to dilute the wood glue even. The last thing you want is to ruin the neck
Wondered if anyone else caught that... 👍
Skip the first hammer part, it causes unnecessary damage. Instead use the firm edge of a book or something and tap THAT with a hammer. You are welcome :P
When gluing the Nut in, I've always used a small drop of clear Lacquer.
You only need enough adhesive to hold the Nut in place during string changes, otherwise the string tension should hold it in place.
Thanks for the video. I wasn't sure about filing the nub off but I can see I will have to, as my squier is just like yours.
SNAP! I was doing three slots with baking soda and super glue tonight. locking tuners, E string SNAP! I'm going to get a new nut lol. But it worked.
"Even a drummer can do it"..... lol :)
Yeah right! Let's see you do drums!#&%$@
Shouldn't you check the nut slot height with a feeler gauge "before" gluing in the nut? In the event you need to lower the height by sanding the bottom of the nut?
In my opinion it'd be best to put the low and high e on, see the height they're at, and loosen them to remove and adjust it if need be
Yes. This is what I do. Check first, adjust before gluing.
Yes. This is what I do. Check first, adjust before gluing.
Agreed, there is a bit more to the installation process than shown here.
Nut String Slot Height is imperative to the guitar's overall playability.
Also, I cringed when I saw the glue, a small drop of clear lacquer is all I've ever used.
Even a drummer could do it!
would have been of interest to hear the difference in sound from Fender to graphtec nut.....i just changed mine in a couple of prs SE's and the result was quite clear and big improvement in sound and tuning stability.....not bad for 12.-$
0:41 @ you should have shown that
I did all the knob filing and radius matching for mine. I was wrong the knub is needed for stability and this is why, my guitar nut was flat at the bottom, hence a radiused nut won’t have to much surface area to adhere to the level surface of the neck. After thinking about this, it is silly to radius the mounting surface of the neck, only the fretboard end, top should require a radius.
It depends on the guitar, some have a flat bottom nut slot and some have a radius that matches the fingerboard
@@BobJones-bh9qz Agreed, there are minor differences between the Squier and Fender, the nub allows for a single part number to use for most Fender/Squier guitars.
@@hkguitar1984pretty sure fender/squire nuts are the exact same only difference would be quality of the original nut, various neck radius, and even various nut widths/string spacing (not sure if fender is doing various nut widths or not ) which are all differences you can find amongst one fender to another.
Sounds like OP had a Gibson/Epiphone style guitar which has a flat nut which is sanded at a 90 degree angle.
Take it easy...If people actually paid attention, he's using Gorilla carpenter's glue! He's not using super glue! And super glue is fine if you just use a couple of dots! Common sense and how to apply it goes along way! And btw the string gap at the first string is not .018! It's more like .002-.007!
You need to start from the beginning to do that anyways! Proper neck relief, capos on the 1st and 15th, check the relief at the 7th or 8th, it' .007 btw, then you can start with your nut height! Now capo the third and check the relief at the first and adjust! Give your guitar some love and do it right! 🤘🏻🙏🏻🎸
couple of things to point out , your radius sanding method with paper on the neck profile , going backwards and forwards takes end of nut over the edge of guitar a touch and your radius may not match under ,also gorilla glue , for a start its a sod to get off it sticks like hell , and secondly as it cures it expands , not what you want , if its snug a tiny dab of pva is best
Good video mate im thinking of placing a black tusq nut on my strat the neck is 7.25 radius
Just the video I was looking for. GO EAGLES!
Go Birds!
Files work in one direction, not like sandpaper. So always push forward and lift up when you pull back.
ua-cam.com/video/xbykic--SKA/v-deo.html Your Welcome.
Some files work in both directions
Wow, like that will really make a difference in how you play or sound.
If you use thicker gauge strings for downtuning, then yes, it would make a difference
Just because you don't have the ears to hear the difference, it doesn't mean it isn't there. Depending on the nut material it can change the tone a lot, which is just logical, man. Anyway, there are enough people who can hear and appreciate it.
It's not even about the sound. It's about the performance and tuning stability. Not everything is about sound.
Im just learning to do all my owe fixes and upgrades after being a Player for 45 yrs. I dont have Gorilla Glue and dont need a whole bottle to change on NUT . Will regular Elmers Glue or a Drop of Dollar Store Super Glue work and if yes which would be the best choice ??
I know Phil McKnight said a couple drops of Elmer's will work, and he's a fairly respected luthier
@@kevin_lee_music Thanks for that ! That is exactly what I used 3 drops on the main points of contact and its working great ! So thanks for reaffirming my decision and Phil I will always trust .
@@DeadShred9 no problem! I'm gonna be building a guitar soon so I've been binging luthier videos 😂 it was in a video called like "Sharpen Your Axe?" or something like that where it was him critiquing a girl who worked on her own guitar
@@kevin_lee_music Yeah I think I watched that one he was talking her through a Pickup swap if I remb. right . There are plenty of videos by Qualified Luthiers to guide you through any build you would want to do. I have learned how to do everything except a re-fret by watching these videos . A re-fret requires expensive tools that make it more cost effective to just have a shop do it for ya . But anything else you may wanna do theres a video for it . Wills Easy Guitar is a very good channel hes a gruff guy but he knows his stuff . Between him and Phil theres nothing you shouldnt be able to handle ! Good Luck . I know I have a great sense of pride each time I do something I thought only a trained Luthier could do so theres a confidence building aspect to it as well ...
@@DeadShred9 I just bought a TUSQ nut from GraphTech and was told Elmer's-style WOOD Glue is fine. Don't know that it makes much difference. I guess we'll both know if our nuts come loose. Ouch!
Did you roll the fret board yourself, or did it come that way?
Is it the same method for a j
Jaguar ?
the nut looks too short in the length?
Do you have to re cut the string slots?
Thank you so much!
File away my friend, file away. Great tutorial!
He actually damaged the guitar with his mallet...
Yes he did and when he sanded the bottom of nut on the neck should of gone up and down not side to side 🤭
@@savedaz no that’s wrong.
A guitar is not supposed to look like a museum piece, beat up the fucking thing!
I DONT GIVE A **** I agree with you. Beat up guitars just look more appealing!
@@idontgivea1769 And don't forget to light it on fire with lighter fluid at least once or twice.
I just replaced the original nut on my Strat with a Graph Tech Tusq nut as well. I didn't glue down the Tusq nut, since it seemed to be pretty tight. How critical is it to glue the nut down? It seems to play ok, except that the strings (new) seem to stretch a little and it isn't staying in tune like it used to. Could this be due to the nut not being glued down? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
I’ve heard that a well fit nut doesn’t necessarily need to be glued in, and if it’s flush on the bottom of the slot, the only way it could move would be side to side, so if you don’t see that happening then not having glue isn’t the problem, maybe the string slots or something if issues persist?
@@BobJones-bh9qz Depends on the guitar. In guitars like fenders they have support from both sides, but on acoustic guitars or like jackson guitars in which the net is at the begining of the fret, and have no wood on the side of the headstock, it's just puts it a tiny bit firmer
If you do that on a MIM neck the nut will just snap in two or you will blow a chunk of your neck out of the opposite side. Those fake bone nuts are extremely brittle!
do you know if the newer MIM strats have a curved or flat nut slot? I have a 2021 MIM and that fake bone nut is cut wrong and needs replaced. kinda working up the courage to do such and would like to know as much information as possible. I would be heart broken if I damage the guitar.
@@lets-allplay I recently purchased a new MIM Player Strat online, roasted maple neck, fat 50’s pups, that had the D string nut slot cut too deep. The thickness of a little piece of paper literally fixed the buzzing was getting. I removed the nut after scoring and tapped a small block of wood on all sides of the nut to break the glue bond successfully. The nut is radiused 9 1/2” top and bottom with a radiused nut slot. You can see the truss rod cavity vaguely in the center, so a straight slot would be too deep.
@@lets-allplay Contact Fender.
Why does this GraphTech nut need to be filed down and then sanded? Doesn't GraphTech make a proper fitting nut to the specific guitar?
Even the same model guitars have different specifications, you can't possibly manufactor a specific type of nut for each possibility. In fender guitars for example, there's so many different radiuses and sizes you wouldn't possibly be able to make custom ones and sell at decent prices. Might as well just do it like this, buy the nut and sand it and you're good to go.
You Rock, thank you for sharing.
Hi bought a so called graphite nut on ebay...when I got it in my opinion it was plastic...I heated it a small bit ..melted like plastic and smelt...I emailed seller stating in my option nut was plasic...when dropped onto granite work top sounded like a plastic nut..This was sellers response below
The nuts not solid graphite but a compound with Nylon.
Pure graphite would not be suitable.
Please let me know if you no longer wish to keep the nuts and we will arrange returns.
Apologies again for any issues.
Never heard this before do you know if this I case..lt was plain line plastic and two slots and small holes underneath..Not like the one you have ..
Thanks
Did you buy a Graphtech Nut or some random brand graphite nut? The response sounds reasonable, there are a few brands out there that make nylon/graphite embedded nuts. They do feel a bit like plastic but a bit softer imo. If you're not happy with it, does sound like they're silling to give you a refund.
I’m thinking of getting one of these for a strat, you didn’t file any of the slots , the nut height was fine , did you just get lucky ?
Yeah either lucky or loves high action, those nuts he used come really shallow slots.
E. A. G. L. E. S. Eagles!
Sanding on the neck to get the radius is a waste of time when you then continue to sand it on the flat bench. Also if you want to match the radius of the neck you need to sand it left to right along the profile of the neck, not up and down like you were doing but it's waste of time as the nut slot is cut level, it is not curved like the fingerboard. Just sand it it on a flat surface until it's the correct height and you'll be good. Cheers.
That’s not true, most nut slots follow the curvature of the fingerboard, that’s why GraphTech sells their nuts with different fingerboard radius’ (9.5, 12, etc).
@@risingson74 The different radii of nuts are to allow for wider or thinner necks. There isn't really a viable way to form a radius on a nut slot commercially. I have replaced humdreds of nuts and the slots are always flat. They are cut with a router in factories that turn out hundreds of guitars per day / week. Nobody is going to spend time hand forming a radius in a nut slot, when it's much faster to just sand down the base of the nut to get the correct height. The radius of the strings above the fretboard is acheived by correct string slot depth using appropriate radius guages, not by forming a radius within the nut slot.
If the nub is to be filed off, why is it there in the first place?
Because some guitars have a flat nut slot and require the nub. His nut slot follows the radius of his neck and has a slight curvature therefore the nub isn't needed.
what if it's not 18 thousands @ the 1st fret?
Hey guitar dude local philly guy checking in. I recently purchased a neck that doesn’t have a nut on it. I’m trying to figure out if I need a curved bottom or flat bottom but. How can I know for sure? It’s not a name brand neck so I can’t base it on anything else. Thanks! Go birds
I'd put a toothpick in the slot and see it rocks back and forth. If it doesn't then it a flat bottom slot. Go Birds!!!
Idk what size of nut i need. I have american Pro strat
Today I'm going to replace the nut 18 dollars and no difference just a hype .
It’s a big difference when you have a bad nut, a well cut nut out of a good material will help tuning stability a ton and sustain/tone a bit too
What is the product number please?
I just got one for my strat. How's it working out for you? I'm putting mine on Friday
It's working great. Everything returns to pitch and the open chords sound nice and full
GuitarDude awesome! Thanks
Heath Chauncey let me know if it was difficult. Would like to do this to my strat.
Wow thats 9 min 10 sec of my life ill never get back...😩
I smoke gorilla glue 🔥
Could we hear if there is a sound difference?
what is that nub on the graphtech for?? very annoying
In case of flat slot.
Thanks for all the close ups of the hairy back of your hand
I wouldn't change it unless it was broken. It's a great nut, but I've learned along the way not to touch what is already working. As I said, only if there was absolutely no problem with the original one. In case there was, the change is necessary. Nice work, though.
I agree, but on MIM and squires, it's a great way to upgrade the tone. Pretty dramatic difference IMO, because those stock nuts are pretty lame and while they won't bind much, they've got a mellowing effect on tone. Some may like that, but these tusq nuts or ivory give a lot more twang on the open strings. But yeah if it ain't broke , not always a good idea to try to fix it.
@@LeviBulger I have a MIM and have indeed changed the nut (as well as the string tree). About tone I notice 0 difference, but I would say that the tuning stability is top notch. I rarely hear the guitar out of tune, even using tremolo
@@pedrosilvaproductions
Right little to no difference and only on open strings.
Next time take a saw and cut through the center until you can collapse it on itself. Definitely DO NOT I REPEAT, DO NOT! hit your guitar with any kind of hammer ever :(
It's his guitar ' he can do it what he wants
I REPEAT ' IT'S HIS GUITAR AND HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Never use gorilla glue. This is a big mistake
Yikes!!! NOT gorilla glue!!!
It's the wood glue, not the original gorilla glue that expands.
Lol come on it's not rocket science .