replacement nut question

Paul7926

This must be my week for dumb questions.  I've scattered them all over the forum like some sort of strange Easter egg hunt so here is my one for the Making & Modding section......

I have an old Squier that I've rescued from a charity shop.  Now I've done a few minor things to get it back up and working, all good so far.  During all this tomfoolery the glue holding the nut has given up.  The nut now freely moves in it's grove.  It does get held in place when there are strings on it under tension but I figure that this is probably not how all this is really supposed to work.

The obvious solution is to just glue it back in place but I've read so many comments that suggest putting in a better nut has improved a guitar I was wondering about replacing it. I mean it's the original cheap plastic one and it's already basically removed itself so perhaps it's worth a try.

Then I do a bit of research and find that nut slotting files are not the cheapest tools in the world and I'm simply not going to buy any because I'll never get enough use out of them to make it worthwhile.  

Is it possible to buy a pre-slotted nut and get the correct string height by sanding the bottom to reduce the height or do you need the files to do the job properly?

Thanks

munckee

Yes I suspect is the answer. I couldn’t get it to play well and ended up paying someone to do it properly. 

MLten80

Easiest way is that^ in my experience 
 
Get a pre slotted tusq one or similar & remove material from bottom until it's perfect
 The pre cut slots are usually spot on

Way quicker & less fuss than nut files
 (I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ruined a few top nuts in their learning/experience lol )

Paul7926

munckee said:

Yes I suspect is the answer. I couldn’t get it to play well and ended up paying someone to do it properly. 

Well if it all goes horribly wrong I've always got the original to put back in.  The whole guitar has only cost me £30 to buy and get working again so investing in someone to do a 'proper' set up and new nut isn't going to happen. 

thermionic

Are you sure a replacement nut would be better than the original? If it was a better material (bone for instance) and had the slots cut by somebody who knows what they’re doing, then maybe. If it’s just a plastic pre-slotted replacement, maybe not.

I had rhe same problem with a Squier (it had been strung wrongly and the strings had pulled it to the side because they were on the wrong side of the posts). I used a tiny drop of superglue and slid it back.

ICBM

You will never get a pre-cut nut *perfect* without using nut files, but you may be able to get it good enough that the difference doesn't really matter.

Andyjr1515

Is it possible to buy a pre-slotted nut and get the correct string height by sanding the bottom to reduce the height or do you need the files to do the job properly?

Thanks

As above.  You can get pretty close - and for many of us that is close enough - simply by sanding carefully the bottom to make sure the top E and the bottom E are at reasonable heights.  As long as the nut of the same radius as the fretboard, the other 4 strings are then also going to be OK.
Yes - some players want it more accurate than that and, if so, finishing off for each string to the optimum height with nut files does make a tangible difference but it is not essential. 

Just make sure, though, that the bottom of the nut when you are sanding is kept at right angles to the front and back faces - an angle here will mean the nut doesn't sit soundly against the bottom of the slot and that can affect the quality of the sound.

And yes - a teeny drop of superglue or similar will stop it moving sideways or falling out when you are changing strings.

Mark1960

The nut and bridge are the two things that are in constant contact with your strings, and therefore affect the tone and playability of your guitar. In your circumstances I would take it to a local luthario, and get him to check out your nut and file / replace if necessary. It will only cor £20 / £30 quid, but it is money well spent if you don't have the tools / skill to do it yourself. I bought a guitar kit, and having a new properly fitting nut made a massive difference.

thermionic

Is a luthario a guitar tech who is successful with the ladies?

Mark1960

thermionic said:

Is a luthario a guitar tech who is successful with the ladies?

Yes Obviously

alexh

I thought the two were mutually exclusive. Mark1960 said:

thermionic said:

Is a luthario a guitar tech who is successful with the ladies?

Yes Obviously

Rocker

If the OP is planning on replacing the nut, consider fitting an Earvana shelf nut.  I understand that @FelineGuitars sell them and can advise on their fitting etc.