Would you replace the nut on a cheap guitar?

[lmacmil]

Update: I am taking the Tak to a local luthier on Friday so he can quote a new nut. He is a Martin repair specialist. I measured the string spacing on my Tak then went to a local store that has many Martins. They were all pretty close to each other and had about 1/16" wider string spacing (these were 1 11/16" nut models) than my Tak so I think if this guy can put Martin string spacing on my Tak it will play easier.

Dropped off the Tak today. He charges $80 for a new bone nut and will use Martin string spacing. I had a $50-75 figure in mind so I left it. He thought the action was a little high but it doesn't bother me and I didn't want to spend any more. I think with the summer humidity, the neck relief has increased somewhat so I may tweak the truss rod when I get it back.

[lmacmil]

Got my Tak back today with a new bone nut and (almost) Martin string spacing. Due to the width of the neck, he was not quite able to duplicate the Martin string spacing. I can definitely tell the difference though so I think it was worth the $80 (which included new strings). He certainly did a nice job.

[Misty44]

Glad it worked out.

And the price seems very reasonable. My local tech charges $80 for a new nut, no strings attached!

I'd be interested to know if you have to change your left hand technique at all since the E strings are now closer to the edge? or perhaps there was enough room left over after he spread them out so you aren't pushing or bending them off the fingerboard?

Regardless, it was obviously an endeavor worth investing in, and that's good. Enjoy!

[lmacmil]

Originally Posted by Misty44

I'd be interested to know if you have to change your left hand technique at all since the E strings are now closer to the edge? or perhaps there was enough room left over after he spread them out so you aren't pushing or bending them off the fingerboard?

I would say 90% of my playing is chords so I don't think I'll have a problem. The strings certainly aren't any closer to the edge of the frets than they are on my Gibson and I've never had a problem with that. When he was explaining the procedure to me, that's one of the things he pointed out that restricted how wide he could space the strings.

9/10 update: after playing the guitar a lot for a couple days, I realize the action at the nut is quite a bit higher than I had with the old nut. Even though I asked him to optimize the action at the nut, he said he would make it just like the old one. Well, he didn't and in fact, my capo isn't even strong enough to clamp firmly at the first fret and I've got a muted low E. I will call him Monday and see what he'll do. At this point, I've traded wider string spacing for a higher action so I'm not too happy.