Is This Nut Spacing Off?

ryevick · #1 06-03-2022, 08:51 PM

I had a nut installed a while back and the man that I took it to is a very respected Georgia luthier. Right after it was installed a situation arose and the guitar went into climate controlled storage for a while. I guess I was distracted with other instruments because I was just about to play it and I noticed the nut spacing looks way out of wack. I'm trying to makes sense of what happened. It's hard to believe this guy would do sloppy work. The D is really off.

Rudy4 · #2 06-03-2022, 09:19 PM

You can print the pdf string spacing guide that I posted in THIS topic.

It will show exactly how far the D string is off center and how much it should be corrected.

The correct solution for you is a new nut. The nut shown was incorrectly cut.

ryevick · #3 06-03-2022, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudy4

You can print the pdf string spacing guide that I posted in THIS topic.

It will show exactly how far the D string is off center and how much it should be corrected.

The correct solution for you is a new nut. The nut shown was incorrectly cut.

I agree. I just hate having to send it to someone AGAIN. I do my own setups, I need to learn how to do nuts myself.

hubcapsc · #4 06-04-2022, 04:55 AM

Maybe you could take it back to the luthier and see what he thinks.

In the end, it matters what you think, but maybe if you show it to
the luthier maybe he'll take a look and say "D'OH! I really hosed
that one..."

Making a nut seems magic to me, but a good tech/luthier can make
and install one in no time...

-Mike

Rudy4 · #5 06-04-2022, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryevick

I agree. I just hate having to send it to someone AGAIN. I do my own setups, I need to learn how to do nuts myself.

If you have a small shop and a few tools that would be a good direction to go. (The MusicNomad diamond files are quite nice.)

Nut blanks are only a couple of bucks and you could make one in less time than it would take to transport your guitar to someone else's shop.

hubcapsc · #6 06-04-2022, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudy4

If you have a small shop and a few tools that would be a good direction to go. (The MusicNomad diamond files are quite nice.)

Nut blanks are only a couple of bucks and you could make one in less time than it would take to transport your guitar to someone else's shop.

My Kopp needed a new nut. When I went to pick the Kopp up the
Luthier was chuckling.. "These guys sometimes sure do use a lot of glue".
I'm glad it was him who got the old one out.

Anywho... there's sometimes more to replacing a nut than making/having one...

-Mike

Rudy4 · #7 06-04-2022, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hubcapsc

My Kopp needed a new nut. When I went to pick the Kopp up the
Luthier was chuckling.. "These guys sometimes sure do use a lot of glue".
I'm glad it was him who got the old one out.

Anywho... there's sometimes more to replacing a nut than making/having one...

-Mike

The OP stated that that he did all his own setups and needed to learn how to make a nut.

Studying the process and proceeding carefully is the only way I know for someone to "learn" how to do any task. There's nothing particularly "magic" about making a nut.

If the victim is one of the listed instruments in the OP's signature there's nothing that I'd consider beyond risking. I wouldn't blame anyone for not wanting to "experiment" on a Kopp, though.

dhalbert · #8 06-05-2022, 09:18 PM

A few years ago I paid a local tech $100 for a new nut and setup, and ended up with something similar: I was wondering if he was drinking while cutting the nut. I could have taken it back, but my trust in him was lost. It was a Seagull, so I bought the OEM pre-slotted nut from Graphtech and a set of nut files, and I got what I wanted.

Gchord · #9 06-05-2022, 10:04 PM

That nut is seriously out of whack. What was the guy thinking?

Robin, Wales · #10 06-06-2022, 03:52 AM

That looks like blade drift to me. Prone to happen if you make the nut high and then cut the slots down and then file the nut top to shape. Those StewMac blades can drift as you deepen the slot. Also, it can be hard to see if you are bang on the line when starting your cut.

This nut was really a bin it and start again (something that I have often had to do!!!). Depending on your sequencing (and how often you make a nut) you could have lost an hour by the point that such a misalignment as in this case becomes visually apparent. But it has just got to go in the bin I'm afraid. The tech really should have started again.

I used to hate doing left hand conversions. There are so many points for error in making any nut and, as I did relatively few left-handers, I really had to concentrate all the way through. I always have 3 nut blanks to hand for any new nut I make. The first I expect I will blow at some point, the second will be perfect and the third is "just in case"!

darkwave · #11 06-06-2022, 05:58 AM

I think you are spot on here. Years ago I made a nut (my first from scratch) for a Strat I was giving to my brother. I sweated getting the proportional spacing just right and after I gave it to him he asked why one string was so far off from the others... Dangit!.

I made the blank too high and by the time I got things down to the right level I had drifted out of alignment. I still have to keep an eye on that.

Rudy4 · #12 06-06-2022, 09:09 AM

When I make a nut the first step after it's fitted for the slot is to mark the fretboard side the thickness of the 6th guage above the top of fret crown level. I sand the top bevel (to match the headstock angle) to this line.

Why anyone would leave excess height that will need to be removed later is a bit beyond my comprehension.

Many guitar builders set the final net height at just over half the string diameter, but I leave mine at slightly less than full string depth for wound strings and a bit more for plain strings.

bnjp · #13 06-06-2022, 01:16 PM

That's definitely off. Needs a new nut. If he's a respected luthier, he ought to own up to that and make it right.

viento · #14 06-06-2022, 02:33 PM

@ Rudy4:

Thanks for sharing the "String Spacing Guide"!

It helped me to easily doing the proper spacing of the saddle slots
on my new built acoustic 6-string guitar.
I cut the print at the point that matches the bridge insert.

Here is a pic:

Rudy4 · #15 06-07-2022, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viento

@ Rudy4:

Thanks for sharing the "String Spacing Guide"!

It helped me to easily doing the proper spacing of the saddle slots
on my new built acoustic 6-string guitar.
I cut the print at the point that matches the bridge insert.

Glad you found it to be of use.

I just fold on the appropriate line for the spacing I want, then hang it up for later use.

I keep these spacing guides made up for various instruments in the shop and find them super-useful. Eventually they get too dirty or ragged to use so I print out a new one.