Nut Slot Depth Question.

[wildbill1962]

Howdy everyone, Looking to pick your brains for some wisdom and advice.

Setting up the action on one of my acoustics, have the saddle lowered, the neck relief set, now I need to lower the action at the nut. Right now its .030 from the top of the fret to the bottom of the strings at the first fret.

What is the proper distance that you like to set the action at the first fret ?

Does .018 at the first and .022 at the 6th, with 2,3,4,5 stepping up slowly sound right ?

I use light gauge strings and mainly just a strummer.

Thanks in advance for your help
Bill

[Tom West]

Bill: When adjusting string height at the nut one can push the string between the second and third fret. The string should just clear the first fret.I find this easier than measuring. Work in small steps when filing. Takes less time than making a new nut.
Tom

[charles Tauber]

For reasons of ease and directness, I neither know nor care what the height of the strings are above the first fret. Instead, I measure the height of the first fret using a straight edge to straddle the first and higher frets and feeler gauges. Knowing that height, I add .008" - if you are "gun shy", start with .012 or .010" - to that and stack the appropriate combination of feeler gauges to achieve that. These are then placed against the nut, on top of the fingerboard, and I file and/or saw the nut slots until the file just contacts the top of the stacked gauges. If one is paying attention, there is no question when the file first contacts the gauges. There is no risk of cutting the slots too deep and the slot depth can be controlled with little or no trial and error, and no need to "work slowly". I learned of this from Dan Erlewine many moons ago and have used it since.

Typically, I'll reduce the stack of feeler gauges by a few thousandths for the higher, thinner strings.

There are many ways to achieve good results. This is just my current preferred approach.

[murrmac123]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

For reasons of ease and directness, I neither know nor care what the height of the strings are above the first fret. Instead, I measure the height of the first fret using a straight edge to straddle the first and higher frets and feeler gauges. Knowing that height, I add .008" - if you are "gun shy", start with .012 or .010" - to that and stack the appropriate combination of feeler gauges to achieve that. These are then placed against the nut, on top of the fingerboard, and I file and/or saw the nut slots until the file just contacts the top of the stacked gauges. If one is paying attention, there is no question when the file first contacts the gauges. There is no risk of cutting the slots too deep and the slot depth can be controlled with little or no trial and error, and no need to "work slowly". I learned of this from Dan Erlewine many moons ago and have used it since.

Typically, I'll reduce the stack of feeler gauges by a few thousandths for the higher, thinner strings.

There are many ways to achieve good results. This is just my current preferred approach.

Don't be so self-effacing Charles.

What you have outlined is the way to do it, and very succinctly explained, if I may say.

Any other approach is faffing around and fuddling IMO.

[Tom West]

No disrepect to Charles,he knows his business.And his method is excellent. But that aside,there must be a lot of us folks faffing around and fuddling.
Tom

[wildbill1962]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

For reasons of ease and directness, I neither know nor care what the height of the strings are above the first fret. Instead, I measure the height of the first fret using a straight edge to straddle the first and higher frets and feeler gauges. Knowing that height, I add .008" - if you are "gun shy", start with .012 or .010" - to that and stack the appropriate combination of feeler gauges to achieve that. These are then placed against the nut, on top of the fingerboard, and I file and/or saw the nut slots until the file just contacts the top of the stacked gauges. If one is paying attention, there is no question when the file first contacts the gauges. There is no risk of cutting the slots too deep and the slot depth can be controlled with little or no trial and error, and no need to "work slowly". I learned of this from Dan Erlewine many moons ago and have used it since.

Typically, I'll reduce the stack of feeler gauges by a few thousandths for the higher, thinner strings.

There are many ways to achieve good results. This is just my current preferred approach.

Thank you very much for the great info.

[wildbill1962]

Originally Posted by Tom West

Bill: When adjusting string height at the nut one can push the string between the second and third fret. The string should just clear the first fret.I find this easier than measuring. Work in small steps when filing. Takes less time than making a new nut.
Tom

Thanks for the info Tom !

[Ben-Had]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

For reasons of ease and directness, I neither know nor care what the height of the strings are above the first fret. Instead, I measure the height of the first fret using a straight edge to straddle the first and higher frets and feeler gauges. Knowing that height, I add .008" - if you are "gun shy", start with .012 or .010" - to that and stack the appropriate combination of feeler gauges to achieve that. These are then placed against the nut, on top of the fingerboard, and I file and/or saw the nut slots until the file just contacts the top of the stacked gauges. If one is paying attention, there is no question when the file first contacts the gauges. There is no risk of cutting the slots too deep and the slot depth can be controlled with little or no trial and error, and no need to "work slowly". I learned of this from Dan Erlewine many moons ago and have used it since.

Typically, I'll reduce the stack of feeler gauges by a few thousandths for the higher, thinner strings.

There are many ways to achieve good results. This is just my current preferred approach.

I've seen this method before but never tried it. If I'm following this correctly it would set the gap between the top of the fret and the bottom of the low e string (or all of them I take it) at .008, is that correct?

[bnjp]

I've done this a few different ways, and honestly...with a little practice they (almost) all work. There's more than one way to skin this cat correctly. Personally the stacking of feeler gauges has proven to be the MOST difficult for me. I like to get the saddle close with a capo at the first fret, then cut the nut leaving it slightly high...measuring the first fret gap, then I tweak the saddle height, and then back to the nut.

This is what works for me. YMMV!

As an aside, ever seen the feeler guage method where they hook a multi-meter to the guages and to the nut file? When they touch and get continuity, the meter lights up and you stop cutting! People come up with all kinds of interesting methods!

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by Ben-Had

If I'm following this correctly it would set the gap between the top of the fret and the bottom of the low e string (or all of them I take it) at .008, is that correct?

no.

As I said,

I neither know nor care what the height of the strings are above the first fret. Instead, I measure the height of the first fret ...