Played a New D'Angelico Standard EXL-1 Today

[northernbreed]

Interesting feedback - thanks everyone. I went and looked at several close-ups of DA EXL-1 nuts on the web, and sure enough, most (but not all) of them show a nut slot that been cut MUCH deeper into the neck/binding than mine. I did see one other one that kind of looked like mine - where the nut seems to be perched too high, and the neck slot should be cut perhaps 1/16" or more deep - down so that the slot gets into the binding itself. It almost gives one the impression that the step of cutting the neck slot was just omitted or otherwise messed up. And on the nuts that were properly installed, the string slots were also much shallower than mine (where the strings slots are already cut quite deep into the nut, and the string action at the nut is still much too high. Good to know...

[MaxTwang]

is the nut sitting on the truss rod cover? I wouldn't worry about the depths of the string slots, it's what's going on below the nut that's a concern.

[Jabberwocky]

Chinese and Korean makers practise this peculiarity in the area where the headstock "falls away" from the nut:

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Found in legitimate Chinese and Korean made guitars and found in Chibsons. I see it in the aforementioned Korea-made D'Angelico EX-1 too: the plane of the headstock dives "under" the nut and the fretboard; it does not "fall away" after the nut and its slot.

[northernbreed]

No - it wasn't on the truss rod cover. The nut slot just was not cut deep enough.

[John A.]

Interesting feedback - thanks everyone. I went and looked at several close-ups of DA EXL-1 nuts on the web, and sure enough, most (but not all) of them show a nut slot that been cut MUCH deeper into the neck/binding than mine. I did see one other one that kind of looked like mine - where the nut seems to be perched too high, and the neck slot should be cut perhaps 1/16" or more deep - down so that the slot gets into the binding itself. It almost gives one the impression that the step of cutting the neck slot was just omitted or otherwise messed up. And on the nuts that were properly installed, the string slots were also much shallower than mine (where the strings slots are already cut quite deep into the nut, and the string action at the nut is still much too high. Good to know...

That doesn't look at all like the nut on my D'A, which sits on a sort flat shelf cut where the headstock angle breaks from the rest of the neck (as opposed to some guitars that have more of a channel). On yours, I think you're right that they didn't cut a slot/shelf. That's a bummer, because that looks pretty unstable. You're exchanging it, or just sending it back?

John

[northernbreed]

Thanks for the pics! That's what I would have expected the nut to look like as well. I'm exchanging it - and hoping they send me a good one this time. If not, it goes back for refund, and I'll go find one from a dealer who will first inspect it in detail to verify that it's OK. Probably should have done that in the first place.... :-)

Addendum: one thing I forgot to mention on the one I returned - under the floating pickup, there was something going on with either a thin foam pad (between the pickup and the top?) tht looked like it had melted or perhaps that something had leaked out of the pickup onto the top. It was hidden under the pickup unless you looked at it. It sort of looked like some kind of goop or something - couldn't quite tell - but it definitely didn't see OK.

I hope I'm not coming across as being negative about this guitar model in general. On the contrary - the one that came here was otherwise a really nice guitar. I couldn't believe how nice the acoustic tone sounded, and otherwise, the fit and finish was very nice.

[MaxTwang]

it's not unusual to put a felt pad under a floating pickup to raise it and stabilize it, sounds like the floater on the D'A may have been glued in place with caulk or hot glue (maybe to prevent rattles & vibrations against the top). I don't have pickup goop on my EXL-1, but I have put felt pads under the pickup.

That nut is sitting funny for 2 reasons: 1) it is too wide for the slot (a little sanding would fix it), 2) The bottom of the nut is not angled like the base of the slot so it would not seat correctly if it was sanded thinner (angled nut slots do exist as shown in the pic above).

As someone mentioned: Those cuts in the finish are from someone scoring the finish to remove the original nut (necessary before removing the nut or you'll crack the finish), the nut on that guitar has been replaced - poorly.

So, it looks like that guitar has at least 2 'modifications': Pickup goop and a poorly replaced nut.