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Old 02-04-2017, 08:25 PM
dannyg1 dannyg1 is offline
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Default New nut not 90° at fretboard

Just got a new but made for my Guild but I'm having weird intonation troubles that I was sure was trouble with saddle placement and carve. Looking closely now , I'm suspicious that the new but I had made isn't sitting at a perfect 90° where it meets the fretboard, it seems to overhang slightly. It is hard to tell by sight because the nut slot sits at a weird angle, at least visually.

What kind of mini straightedge is the proper tool for verifying this?

The!
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Old 02-04-2017, 10:26 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Post a photo, we will tell you.

A nut overhanging the side edges of the fretboard, is just a representation of average workmanship / attention to detail, it does not however, affect the intonation.

Intonation is affected by the relationship of the nut to the ned of the fretboard and the substructure it sits on.

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Last edited by mirwa; 02-05-2017 at 03:20 AM.
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Old 02-05-2017, 02:14 AM
dannyg1 dannyg1 is offline
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Old 02-05-2017, 06:24 AM
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I don't see anything there that would cause intonation issues. They would more likely come from the nut not being parallel to the frets.
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Last edited by M19; 02-05-2017 at 08:48 AM.
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Old 02-05-2017, 06:35 AM
Sperry Sperry is offline
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I had intonation issues from a Guild/Madeira bridge saddle installed backwards, so I guess anything is possible. If the string contact point is further back in the slot, overhang may be moot.
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Old 02-05-2017, 08:10 AM
Hot Vibrato Hot Vibrato is offline
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The nut looks okay from here, but if the slots aren't deep enough, that can cause open chords to play out of tune. It also causes the action to feel somewhat stiff.

A good rule of thumb: if the intonation is off at the upper frets, then the bridge is to blame. If intonation is off near the nut, then the nut or the frets (or both) is to blame.
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Old 02-05-2017, 10:25 AM
dekutree64 dekutree64 is offline
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The slots may need to be deepened. Looking at the shadows under the G and B strings, they appear to be significantly higher than the E, which looks ok. Try holding the strings down between the 2nd and 3rd frets and checking the gap at the 1st. Ideally it should be very small. http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musi...nutaction.html

I think I see what you mean with it being tilted slightly forward, but it's not enough to make a noticeable difference. And if it did it would probably be an improvement
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Old 02-05-2017, 12:33 PM
Bowie Bowie is offline
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Use an accurate tuner and write down the tuning for the first few notes of every string. Then, you'll get an idea if the nut is coming into play or not. You can just measure the open compared to the first but I do the first few so I'm not fooled by flaws in the frets.
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Old 02-05-2017, 01:46 PM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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I don't see how any judgement can be made from this photo.
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Old 02-05-2017, 02:40 PM
dannyg1 dannyg1 is offline
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The nut needs to sit at a 90° angle as it buts against the fretboard. The nut slot, shown in the photo, is cut at what seems to me, an angle which has left it leaning forward slightly (follow the zig zag line), so that it sits tilted towards the frets. Or at least that's what I think might be.
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Old 02-05-2017, 05:49 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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It is hard to assess the fit of the nut to slot, with the shadow that's falling over that area in your photo.

Steve
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Old 02-05-2017, 06:35 PM
Bowie Bowie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dannyg1 View Post
The nut needs to sit at a 90° angle as it buts against the fretboard. The nut slot, shown in the photo, is cut at what seems to me, an angle which has left it leaning forward slightly (follow the zig zag line), so that it sits tilted towards the frets. Or at least that's what I think might be.
So, have you checked it with a tuner? That will tell you a whole lot more than we can.
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Old 02-05-2017, 09:39 PM
dannyg1 dannyg1 is offline
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Yeah Bowie I have. It's not playing in a way that's acceptable and that's why I've posted to begin with. Afaict, it's playing sharp by the nut and flat by the 12flth. I'm going to make a perfectly square sanding block and square up the nut myself and see if that helps. I'm also considering buying some luthiers tools from stew Mac, 1st the intonator and then the saddlematic, to confirm. Seems like a lot of money to spend on something a good luthier might be able to sight spot though.
Quick plea for an actual luthier to comment please?
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Old 02-05-2017, 09:53 PM
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I think I understand your question now....

The amount of overhang which could be changing the length of the scale seems so miniscule, from the photo, that I don't think it will cause you intonation problems.
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Old 02-05-2017, 09:57 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dannyg1 View Post
Quick plea for an actual luthier to comment please?
Well, I know I did.

Steve
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