Tusq nut on an Epiphone?

robgilmo

I had to sand it thinner to get it to fit the slot correctly, but the height is how it came out of the packet! Strings are resting pretty much on the first fret.  Surely this cant be right?

Funkfingers

Would I be correct to think that you "thinned" the nut material by abrading the face nearest the fingerboard? 

robgilmo

Yes, it was ever so slightly too thick, fretboard/tuning peg orientation, I took some off the fretboard side, a little rubbing on some 1200 grit paper thinned it out, the height is how it came out of the package.

Funkfingers

Any material removed from the fingerboard side of a nut cuts into the pre-cut strings slots.

If the slots are tapered towards the machineheads on a tilted back headstock, the floor of the slot that remains after "thinning" will be lower than before the material was removed. Not by much but by enough to rob you of the few thousandths of an inch that you require for the strings to clear the first fret.

Your options are:

1. partially refill the nut slots with Tusq dust and superglue and recut them.
2. buy another nut and "thin" it down to the required width on the face away from the fingerboard.

Don't throw away the nut in your photograph. It can probably be persuaded to fit another guitar.

robgilmo

I dont think thats what has happened here, the slots do taper but taking 0.1 - 0.25 mm shouldn't drop the strings by 1mm or more, surely that would be one steep taper if it did, the Tusq nuts are supposed to be made larger so I would expect at least 0.5 to 1mm above the first fret before making it shorter. Ive done a few Fenders now and they were always quite large and needed a fair bit of sanding. I have tuned it back up and will check the neck relief when it settles but I dont think the neck was too flat, but to be fair it would need to be convex to sit on the frets like that.

robgilmo

So I had another play with it, Tusq nut came off, old one back on, shimmed it with a bit of folded paper which brought the strings up to where they should be, I am now able to lower the action to where I like it (I couldn't before because the old nut was worn) and tweaked the truss rod a little. 
 It plays pretty nicely, strings are more slinky due to the less abrupt break angle behind the bridge, action is quite low and no buzzing anywhere on the neck so its pretty much set up now to just how I like it.

I think it might have to go and get a proper nut cut for it by a tech, the idea of having the old one sat up on an unglued paper shim doesnt fill me with confidence.

mbe

Looks like somebody sanded down the shelf on the neck to lower the old nut.

robgilmo

When I was in there it didn't look sanded, it was quite rough in there. The accuracy does look to be routed, very straight. I had to cut through the finish as well to get the old one off. It would be interesting to see another Korean 56 GT top compare, My guess is someone went slightly too deep with the nut files although they dont look too bad has someone flattened out the string angle over the nut?

 

robgilmo

Im wondering if it was just set up like that, when I got it the neck relief was huge and the action high to account for the low nut, this made the strings quite firm because of the high break angle over the bridge, but the slots, if they have been cut, look to be filed fairly decently, or they might just be worn , its an old guitar (2001) but its in really good condition and doesnt look to be used much.

SteveRobinson

 I've found that the nut shelf is deeper these days and the Tusq nut which used to be perfect for Epiphone guitars is no longer tall enough.

robgilmo

Is that on new Epiphones?

SteveRobinson

Yes I don't know when the changeover occurred

robgilmo

From memory it was quite late, 2014 or something.

mbe

I measured my 2013 Epi LP Standard made in Qingdao China. The nut shelf is 2mm below the binding. On my 2014 Epi '56 Standard from the same factory, the nut shelf is 1mm below the binding. Both measurements on the treble side. 

robgilmo

Graphtech reckon there is less than 1mm difference between the two Epiphones. Im going to shim up the old nut until I can get it to a tech to carve a new one. Any thing in particular I should use as a shim or does plain old paper do the trick? Old bank card maybe?

mbe

I raised the nut on a guitar for slide by using thinnish black plastic from a CD jewel case insert. I reckon a bank card should work for you temporarily.

NPP

mbe said:

I raised the nut on a guitar for slide by using thinnish black plastic from a CD jewel case insert. I reckon a bank card should work for you temporarily.

I also used a strip cut from an old bank card to shim the nut on my Strat as a temporary measure 2 years ago. It's still there ...

Fez

I used a bit of business card when I refretted a strat last year to bring the nut in line with the new frets.

mbe

Why not shim the Tusq nut?

robgilmo

mbe said:

Why not shim the Tusq nut?

It looks hideous! I bought the aged one and it just looks so out of place. I cant hear a tonal difference between the two anyway so decided to fit the old one back on there.