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hi everyone...well i started making a custom guitar about 2 months ago..and finally its near completion..the only main obstacle is making a nut...i got supposed "nut material" (strips of plastic) from a local guitar shop that claimed these would do the trick. but i have no idea where to begin filing them...i mean how high should the nut be...how deep should the string grooves be...any reference points i need to use or any hard and fast rules about making nuts....also how do i know how far apart the grooves for each string should be...???
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Re: Questions about making a nut...
My advice is to get Dan Erlewine's books Guitar Player, Guitar Repair and or Dan's DVD's. He covers it all. You can get them from www.stewmac.com. Some of his books are available through major bookstores, like Amazon, Barnes Noble, etc. The nut in my opinion is the most difficult component to make on a guitar and get it right, and even the best can "blow a nut". Make sure you have plenty of nut material, because you will need it. Believe me! And even Dan say's this! You also will need feeler gauges, a good set of nut files. An assortment of wet/dry sandpaper. a good small ruler, or StewMac's nut to tool to make string spacing a no guessing game, and a "nut vice" makes it a whole lot easier. There is a lo to nut making. I hope I didn't discourage you but it is tedious work making a nut.Tone is like Art: Your opinion is valid. Listen, learn, have fun, draw your own conclusions. -
Re: Questions about making a nut...
I agree. I have Dan's book, and it is priceless. I handmade anut, for a buddy's guitar not too long ago, and it came out, great, thanks to that book. It was my first time, and I got it right, right out of the gate, so maybe I got lucky, but it didn't seem all that tough. You just gotta take your time, and really check your work. Good luck.I'm not Ron!
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Re: Questions about making a nut...
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hi everyone...well i started making a custom guitar about 2 months ago..and finally its near completion..the only main obstacle is making a nut...i got supposed "nut material" (strips of plastic) from a local guitar shop that claimed these would do the trick. but i have no idea where to begin filing them...i mean how high should the nut be...how deep should the string grooves be...any reference points i need to use or any hard and fast rules about making nuts....also how do i know how far apart the grooves for each string should be...???
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what kind of slot is it for? fender style or gibson style? a fender style is 3/16 x 1/8 and a gibson style is 5/16 x 3/16. if you don't have a string spacing ruler (you can get em at stewmac and they're awesome), you can line the nut up with another nut that's already slotted and copy the spacing (if that makes sense). be sure to mark your slots with a pencil. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
here's how i was taught how to do it. i've done a few, and yeah, they can be a pita.
i don't use a vise to cut the slots; i glue the nut on the neck and go from there. if you do that, be sure to mask off the headstock with a few layers of masking tape; you'll be glad you did when you bump the headstock with your file stroke. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
make sure you've got nut files; i've got the 3 file set and personally i hate it b/c they're a little too generic for string gauge.
i do it with the guitar strung up; that way, once i get close to the correct slot depth, i can put the string in the slot and measure the string height. i try to keep the string height around 1/2 a mm. of course, the bass strings will need to be a little higher, but once you get around that depth, you're in the neighborhood. remember if you go too deep, you can drop a bit of super glue mixed with the dust created by the filing into the slot and have another shot at it.
while you're filing your slots, be sure to add a downward angle so the strings leave the nut on a slope. you'll also want to make sure your slots are nice and straight; take your time!
anyway, that's a basic primer. by all means pick up erlewine's book. i think they also have a tutorial on the stewmac site, and here's a decent one as well:
http://www.frettech.com/frets/index.html
scroll down the page; it starts with a refret and goes to the nut shaping.
hope that helps.
sullyComment
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Re: Questions about making a nut...
..and don't use plastic. Plastic is shite. Use bone or graphtec.Comment
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Re: Questions about making a nut...
Thanks Sully! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I've been working on 3 guitars at the same time and I wanted to get one done today. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]Tone is like Art: Your opinion is valid. Listen, learn, have fun, draw your own conclusions.Comment
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Re: Questions about making a nut...
thanks, finn! that's a pretty cool link.Comment
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