I have a nut problem

[AllanAllen]

My telecaster nuts not right. The strings are all sharp from frets 1 to at least 5 and there's a gap at fret 1 when I press on the third fret.

Is there a middle ground between the tip cleaners that don't appear to work well and the $100 stew mac files?

[sgosnell]

Sweetwater sells nut files, and I like them. Available in almost any diameter you want. About $16 each. Not cheap, but they work well. You can find cheaper files on ebay. I have some, but I don't use them since I got the ones from Sweetwater.

[kris]

My telecaster nuts not right. The strings are all sharp from frets 1 to at least 5 and there's a gap at fret 1 when I press on the third fret.

Is there a middle ground between the tip cleaners that don't appear to work well and the $100 stew mac files?

fingerboard adjustment..?

[Filmosound 621]

You can file the nut slots deeper with some fine grid emery paper ( aka 400 )

you can fold that and achieve a different thickness of tool for the different sizes of slots needed.

takes some little patience, not to dig into the fretboard, not to take of too much at a time ...

but is so rewarding of course.


did it to my Kalamazoo KG-21 yesterday, it seems the guitar ran around with no real set-up for the last 8 decades.

not anymore, plays all gentle and smooth now.

[garybaldy]

I made this from feeler gauges.

[deacon Mark]

I made this from feeler gauges.

How did you make the edge do tell us great!

[garybaldy]

How did you make the edge do tell us great!

It was pretty laborious but worth it.
With the very thin gauges I clamped several together in a vice. The thicker ones were done in pairs (I think) or individually.
I used either a Junior hacksaw or a small triangular file. It was trial and error. Some of the sides needed the burrs slight filing smoother to maintain the correct width. Managed to cut my finger when checking some!!!
You can use any individual gauge or any combination to achieve any slot width.
Its great for a dabbler like me!

[Filmosound 621]

^^ that is one great idea !

in the end .. 6 - 8 gauges will do ... no need to file them all.

little triangle file seems the way to go.

well done.

[sgosnell]

I have a set of gauges that I fixed like that. I used a Dremel with a cutoff wheel, and just carefully went a little into the gauges, held in a vise, all the gauges together. I think it's important not to cut too deeply, so you don't take too much of the slot off too quickly. I did them all, because one never knows what widths will be needed, and it's as easy to do all of them as it is to do just a few. With a file it's harder, but the Dremel makes it easy and fast.

[garybaldy]

^^ that is one great idea !

in the end .. 6 - 8 gauges will do ... no need to file them all.

little triangle file seems the way to go.

well done.

Had to file them all - OCD!

[AllanAllen]

My hangup is that basically for the cost of one file I could pay someone to do it. Tinkering will bring me no joy so this is purely a financial decision. Will I need to recut seven nuts in my life. I have been playing for 25 years already and I've never had to do it.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Will I need to recut seven nuts in my life. I have been playing for 25 years already and I've never had to do it.

If you never change your string gauge and the guitar was properly set up for what you use, the original nut will probably last you a lifetime. But if you've gone up more than 5 thou, you almost certainly should have opened the nut slot(s). Slot depth is as critical as width for some changes - stiffer strings like Chromes do not vibrate as widely as Stringjoy RWs on round cores with the same nominal diameter. So for Chromes, you can deepen the slot to lower the action a tiny bit at the nut without buzz. But low tension strings might have to be a few thou further above the first fret to avoid buzz. Going down 3 or 4 thou also justifies a new nut on many guitars - strings that are loose in their nut slots are a common cause of "ghost" tones, rattles, buzzing, and generally odd timbre. String trees that apply significant downforce above the nut reduce some of the problems of a slot that's too wide, and I suspect (but havne't measured to prove) that many new guitars with string trees come with slots that are a bit wider than the OEM gauge calls for. But if the slot is too tight, they increase tuning problems and the likelihood of cracking the nut.

Most guitars made in this century (and many made before 2000) came out of the factory with string sets from 9-42 to 11-48. For example, the American Pro Tele comes with 9-42s. Many of us use sets in the 13-53 range or "light top - heavy bottom" like Stringjoy's 10-52 and 12-52 sets. There's simply no way to get the most from a guitar without properly cutting the nut. You can't even "try" a different gauge or type of string if it's not well fitted to the nut - whether it's too tight ot too loose, a mismatched nut slot can alter tone, intonation, and responsiveness.

So you may never have touched a nut, but it's quite possible that you should have.

[AllanAllen]

So you may never have touched a nut, but it's quite possible that you should have.

This is probably true. But if it plays in tune and the action is acceptable is there really a problem?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

This is probably true. But if it plays in tune and the action is acceptable is there really a problem?

That depends entirely on you. If acceptable means that you’re happy playing it the way it is and wouldn’t care if it were any better (eg sounds better, feels better, stays in tune longer, tunes easier, etc), there’s no problem for you. But once you’ve felt or heard the difference a really good setup makes, it’s hard to settle for less.

Even one string that’s loose in the nut can make a string sound just a bit honky or nasal, and can add buzzing and inharmonic resonances that make some chords sound a tiny bit “off”. Dropping the action even 2 thou at the first fret can make a barred F significantly easier to hit cleanly and sustain, especially with extensions that need a stretched finger or two. Properly progressive action (ie gradually higher from E1 to E6) across all strings improves playability, helps your articulation and volume balance from string to string.

To me, acceptable means nothing less than as good as it can be. The only reason I’ve ever played a gig with a guitar that had even tiny problems is that it wasn’t under my control, eg I’ve used a few borrowed instruments when I was away from home and offered a gig with friends or contacts who knew me through mutual friends. And I wouldn’t play one that didn’t sound right.

For most of his life, Buddy Rich would never sit in with another band and wouldn’t let anyone but an equal sit in with his. He correctly said that no one can tell which player sounds off - the audience just knows something’s not quite right. They don’t know who or why - they only hear a band that’s not right, and they blame every member. Your instrument is part of your sound, and if it could sound better so could you.

[AllanAllen]

Well, I'll take this one in to get a proper setup. Then I'll have a reference point moving forward.

[sgosnell]

If you can get a professional setup for $16, more power to you. That's about 15 minutes of labor for a competent tech. But you do have a point, regardless of the price. You don't have any experience at doing the work, and it's extremely easy to screw the nut up. You're probably better off to pay someone to do it right, whatever it costs. I will say that if you've been playing for 25 years and never had a nut worked on, you've been playing poorly adjusted guitars. Getting one set up right can be an eye opening experience.

[AllanAllen]

Took the guitar to my local shop. The neck was bowed, action came down at the bridge and the set the intonation. It’s all in tune and he didn’t touch the nut. So I’m glad I didn’t buy files I didn’t need to ruin my nut.

[garybaldy]

Took the guitar to my local shop. The neck was bowed, action came down at the bridge and the set the intonation. It’s all in tune and he didn’t touch the nut. So I’m glad I didn’t buy files I didn’t need to ruin my nut.

You said that action was acceptable, How could it have been with a neck bow that needed sorting? Glad you got it sorted though.

[JCat]

The 100 $ investment in a set of decent nut files is the best and safest investment for anyone that actually use guitars for making music. These files means more for your tone than any alternative cost for pedals, cables, tubes, speakers etc, that people buy without much reflection. Nut files are used also for bridge slots, so it's often a quick return on a 100 $ investment.

Making your own tools is fun (I do that myself sometimes) but for string slots I wouldn't use anything but proper jeweler's files.

Another alternative is to pay a tech, but in the long run you probably like to be able to do basic maintenance yourself.

[AllanAllen]

You said that action was acceptable, How could it have been with a neck bow that needed sorting? Glad you got it sorted though.

I guess what was acceptable to me was causing issues? I’ve never been concerned with tinkering.

I will say, it’s nice to have the action lowered. It’s even nicer to have that first fret G# in tune.

[Woody Sound]

Tadalafil.

[ronjazz]

If you're a guitarist, you automatically have a nut problem.