Miss-cut nut slot - What Recourse?

[Ware]

Hello everyone,

I'd like to ask for your advice on how to deal with a nut installation that did not turn out quite as I had hoped. I brought in a Bob Colosi oversized/uncut but partially shaped nut to a local shop to have them install it on my my Yamaha FGX730SC. This was after having a bad experience with a local luthier and ruling him out for the work, and price checking two other places. I carefully explained my playing style, and the tech listened carefully to my input. He charged a very generous $20 for the service, but It didn't quite work out from my perspective.

The 5th/A string nut slot was cut slightly greater than 1/64" displaced from where it should be, too close to the 6th/E and too far from the 4th/D.

The job was completed about 3 weeks ago, but I am just now measuring it. It was visibly 'not quite right', but I have been so busy making my own saddle and determining how to compromise between tone/playability with other adjustments and frankly I was kind of afraid what I would find. They had also cut the 2nd/B string too low (<.008" 1st fret clearance in standard tuning and .010" neck relief) that I was getting open buzz, especially in alternate tunings. They were very nice about doing a patch and recut for no additional charge (I did bring the guy beer though ). There was also a sizeable chip right next to the 6th/E string nut slot, and glue seeped onto the headstock and was not cleaned up. That is to say though these are great guys, have listened to my concerns and answered questions, but I am not particularly satisfied with the work.

Being essentially a beginner (picked back up in October 2014), I am unsure whether 1/64th displacement is enough to worry about/cause additional missed notes. I'm neurotic, frankly, about feel and tone alike. I swear that I can feel a difference between neck relief adjustments of <.001", and I've agonized about individual string height at the saddle to far less than 1/64 of an inch.

So what should I do?

- Just play my guitar and forget about it? Not sure if I could pull this off or not.

- I don't think it is possible to patch and recut the slot 1/64 over, is it? Half the slot would be in the patch, and the other half in solid bone. I'm no engineer but that sounds like a bad idea.

- A new nut installation by either the same shop or another could be upwards of $100, which is insane.

- For that money, I could buy a set of files for 50-75 and a few blanks and try to do this right myself. Not sure how many nuts Ill be cutting over my lifetime and that is still a lot of money for me. I do like DIYing, though. Nobody but myself to blame

I don't want to be a jerk/unreasonable, but I also want things done right. For one point I don't need any help missing notes/not fretting cleanly.


Thanks for any input!

[bnjp]

Yes it is possible to fill and recut a nut slot.

[fazool]

You can get a new pre-slotted Tusq nut for probably $12. You can probably get the same in bone for $15-20.

[bnjp]

For $20, I'd be embarrassed to complain.

You could rebuild the slot with a file and a small piece of bone, or just use bone dust and super glue to fill it. Of course, if you did take it back he could probably do the same thing in a fraction of the time it would take you to gather all the stuff.

[Frank Ford]

Originally Posted by Ware

So what should I do?

- Just play my guitar and forget about it?

Yep, that'e my preference. 1/64" is within the error I often see on vintage instruments of high quality and repute. It's also not a noticeable discrepancy from the standpoint of playability most of the time.

Notice the difference on this venerable old Gibson's original nut:

[Ned Milburn]

If it were me, I'd build a new nut for my client if I screwed up to 1/64th. I aim for a margin of error less than a half of what you stated. But I am persnickety and charge much more than 20 dollars for a nut. You get what you pay for...?!?

[murrmac123]

I'm getting the strangest feeling of deja vu ...

[Ware]

Thank you everyone for the replies! With your input, I'll start with what Mr. Ford said and try to just play it. If it continues to bother me, I'll try to fill and refile it myself, rather than bring it back and have them do more work on a $20 job. I hate feeling like a PIA. I have access to needle files, which I used quite a bit while making my saddle. Thankfully it is a wound string and one of the cylindrical files is small enough. If I completely botch it, I'll go the premade route.

Thanks for your input. If it weren't for that I'd likely have a set of $75 files on the way by oh.... Wednesday.

Curious though, murrmac, what are you talking about?

[John Arnold]

Yes, it can be redone. I like to deepen and square the bottom of the slot, glue in a piece of bone or ivory with CA, and recut it.

[Dominick]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

Yes, it can be redone. I like to deepen and square the bottom of the slot, glue in a piece of bone or ivory with CA, and recut it.

Here is some additional info on what John is speaking of. Worthwhile to read the entire page, but the "implant" technique, as Mr. Hostetter calls it, starts about halfway down the page:
http://www.lutherie.net/nuts.html

[redir]

1/64th on center is not a whole lot but I'm like you in a way, my eye see's imbalance more then the average Joe I'm afraid. If you can see it with the eye then it 'might' be too much but as for playability it's not off by a whole lot. I have a ruler from Stew Mac that I absolutely love for slotting nuts. The distances are measured to take string width into consideration and slots cut into the ruler can accommodate any width nut and make marking real easy.

[John Arnold]

My tolerance for string spacing is about 0.005", which is about a third of 1/64".

[BillDuck]

Are you measuring centerline to centerline, or the distance between strings? With the equal distance between strings method, that string is only about 1/128" off. If they are medium strings. If my math is even close to correct. Plenty of disclaimers here.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by BillDuck

Are you measuring centerline to centerline, or the distance between strings? With the equal distance between strings method, that string is only about 1/128" off. If they are medium strings. If my math is even close to correct. Plenty of disclaimers here.

Murray called it. Deja vu all over again.

[Ware]

Thanks for the additional input, y'all, and for the link. I think its likely I'll turn this into a fun project and try the implant method.

I take it there was a recent thread about string spacing? Hah. In this case the nut was cut center to center and that's how I'm measuring.