Raising an acoustic guitar nut?

[kirtley2013]

My vintage yamaha FG-330's action is really getting too high, i spend part of the day trying to lower the action, i have made sure the neck is straight and i have shaved the saddle down as far as i can because if i do it any lower it buzzes on the 1st fret, although the 12th fret action is still quite high.

I need to raise the nut slightly to enable me to shave the saddle to the appropriate height, what is the best way to remove the nut without taking he fretboard and finish with it??

[HHP]

Have you considered the possibility that you may need a neck reset?

[kirtley2013]

Originally Posted by HHP

Have you considered the possibility that you may need a neck reset?

no, its not that severe, the neck is straight, it just had a high saddle

[runamuck]

The neck being straight doesn't mean you don't need a neck reset.
So far, everything you've described indicates that you do.

Take it to someone who knows these things.

Jim McCarthy

[kirtley2013]

i might just leave it for the minute!, i have the action down to about 3mm, which is ok!, it is signed by tommy emmanuel so i dont want to risk damaging it too much!

[Viking]

Yeah, it sounds like it needs a reset. If you raise the action at the nut to be able to lower the action further at the saddle, it will be unplayable in the lower fret positions.

[printer2]

Oh. And the first thing I thought when I saw the title was molding a young mind.

[Ned Milburn]

Gentlemen,

I think it is premature to cry out "neck reset" at this point.

The OP never mentioned anything about the saddle having too little protrusion from the top of the saddle. In fact, the OP states that the saddle is too high, but he didn't want to lower it more because of a first fret buzz. This does not at all suggest neck reset. On the converse, it suggests (as the OP stated) that there may be a nut issue. There could also be an issue with fret alignment, which often causes fret buzzes. Since I have not seen the guitar, I cannot even eliminate the possibility that the neck is over-straightened. But unless the OP tells us the saddle only protrudes 1mm or so above the bridge, then suggesting a neck reset is premature.

Long and short - more information is required to assess the buzz.

[arie]

Originally Posted by kirtley2013

My vintage yamaha FG-330's action is really getting too high, i spend part of the day trying to lower the action, i have made sure the neck is straight and i have shaved the saddle down as far as i can because if i do it any lower it buzzes on the 1st fret, although the 12th fret action is still quite high.

I need to raise the nut slightly to enable me to shave the saddle to the appropriate height, what is the best way to remove the nut without taking he fretboard and finish with it??

so when you say "it is getting too high" does this mean that it was not previously "high"? that something has changed with the guitar?

if there is finish surrounding the nut the best way to avoid chipping it away it to take a scalpel, xacto, etc... and run (score) it around the portions of the nut that are next to the finish. this will break the finish bonded to the nut any allow you to gently tap it out, away, etc.. i'm not familiar of the geometry of the nut on a FG330 -whether it's in a shallow slot, or just resting on the headstock. but i think you get the idea.

[redir]

To answer your question. If a nut is finished in place then you will want to use a brand new X-ACTO knife blade and score a line in the finish around all the points of contact. Then take a block of wood approximately the width of the nut and place the flush edge on the face of the nut where it contacts the fretboard and give the block a tap with a hammer. Then see if it's wiggled loose, if not tap it again. If it comes loose try to wiggle it out and maybe even tap it from the other direction till it's free. Then shim up the nut with some thin veneers.

[Tom West]

Alex: The correct depth for nut slots is that they should be at fret height. I generally fret between the second and third fret and then make sure the string is just clearing the first fret. If your guitar passes this test I think your problem lies somewhere else. Good luck in solving the problem.
Tom

[JLS]

Originally Posted by kirtley2013

My vintage yamaha FG-330's action is really getting too high, i spend part of the day trying to lower the action, i have made sure the neck is straight and i have shaved the saddle down as far as i can because if i do it any lower it buzzes on the 1st fret, although the 12th fret action is still quite high.

I need to raise the nut slightly to enable me to shave the saddle to the appropriate height, what is the best way to remove the nut without taking he fretboard and finish with it??

If your guitar's action is, "getting too high", the nut has nothing to do with it; the nut doesn't move.

What you describe is the classic, "Yamaha in need of a neck reset", scenario. "Neck straightness", is not a factor; neck angle, is.

[kirtley2013]

Originally Posted by JLS

If your guitar's action is, "getting too high", the nut has nothing to do with it; the nut doesn't move.

What you describe is the classic, "Yamaha in need of a neck reset", scenario. "Neck straightness", is not a factor; neck angle, is.

i mean that it is (probably) higher since new in 1977, if it does need a neck reset then it wont be getting one done unfortunately!, i cant afford it!, and although this guitar means alot to me, it is not worth alot of money!, im saving for a better guitar that will last me for life (a gibson J-200) but i wont be able to afford that for 3-5 years , the action now is 3mm or i can snugly fit a £2 coin under the 12th fret, it will do for now, it is my only 6 string, i need to dedicate all of my money to a gibson J-200, that is THE guitar i want to own so i dont want to put alot of money into a neck reset for a guitar that i am using as a stand in untill i can afford my dream guitar!

[guitar344]

I recently sanded my saddle. It could be related to the fret. I would inspect the frets before any adjustment. Your fret height could be high. The saddle should effect mostly the higher frets.

[bnjp]

If the nut was cut low while the saddle was high, then it makes sense that your first fret is buzzing. You CAN raise a nut, but it's more common to just make a new one. You could take it off and shim it from the bottom somehow, or you could fill the slots and recut them.