Nut grooves

Can anyone give me some specs to work with when cutting grooves in a nut. Finished string heights? I don't know what to refer to and any help woul dbe appreciated. Thanks.

Didn't Ron Kirn include that in Fret Leveling Yer Tele 101? I'm writing this from an iPad so it's not so easy for me to check. If the nut is white, it's easier to score a pencil line flush with the tops of the frets from which to measure to the slot bottom.

I have also seen references to capo'ing at the first fret, measuring the string height at the second fret and then filing the slots to approximately match that height again at the first fret without the capo.

Greg

Here is some info on this page.
http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Nuts,_saddles/a-nuts.html

Here is some info on this page.
http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Nuts,_saddles/a-nuts.html

Thanks a lot!! I'll be doing the whole fret levelling thing on another guitar but that got me what I needed and fast. Again many thinks for the speedy reply. I wanted to do that now. working......

http://frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenSetup/NutAction/nutaction.html

http://frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenSetup/NutAction/nutaction.html

Perfect!!! Thanks so much!!

Both links should get you going and take your time!

If you have a guitar with the action you like, take some measurements from it.

I like to measure the fret height using a ruler across two frets and a few feeler gauges stacked between the fretboard and the ruler. Then add maybe .010" to that measurement and make up another stack of gauges to use as a stop for the nut slot file. The idea here is that the final shaping and polishing of those slots is going to bring it down further, and it's better safe than sorry. Target will be where the strings in the nut slots are .005 or .008" higher than the fret height but at the point where final tweaking is being done I use Frank Ford's method. Stewart Macdonald's has some guidance on this in their free info section.

I like to measure the fret height using a ruler across two frets and a few feeler gauges stacked between the fretboard and the ruler. Then add maybe .010" to that measurement and make up another stack of gauges to use as a stop for the nut slot file. The idea here is that the final shaping and polishing of those slots is going to bring it down further, and it's better safe than sorry. Target will be where the strings in the nut slots are .005 or .008" higher than the fret height but at the point where final tweaking is being done I use Frank Ford's method. Stewart Macdonald's has some guidance on this in their free info section.

Nice!! Thanks.

A musical instrument is all about feel, not feeler gauges..

Has anyone else considered just cutting a nut slot until it feels right? Adjusting the action until it plays right?

there are some things that must be done to a guitar that do not require a ruler... In fact, the ruler becomes an impediment... a crutch that encumbers the natural ergonomics that have to be a part of the final tweaking..

Just put down the hardware and wing it, you will have abetter guitar for it..

rk

A musical instrument is all about feel, not feeler gauges..

Has anyone else considered just cutting a nut slot until it feels right? Adjusting the action until it plays right?

there are some things that must be done to a guitar that do not require a ruler... In fact, the ruler becomes an impediment... a crutch that encumbers the natural ergonomics that have to be a part of the final tweaking..

Just put down the hardware and wing it, you will have abetter guitar for it..

rk

That's what I did, but I thought I was just being lazy.

The string should just clear the first fret without buzzing i.e. at the same height (or the tiniest bit more) that the string clears the second fret when held on the first. Try-fit. One too many cuts with the nut file and you need a new nut.

It is a lot lower than supplied on any new guitar.

The intonation over the first 5-7 frets, as well as the action, is controlled by the nut.

From a similar recent thread:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/313856-tele-nut-replacement.html

... where I posted this:

You can use this common method:

1. Clamp a capo (or firmly finger each string in turn) between the 2nd and 3rd frets.

2. Notice the significant clearance between the top of the 1st fret and the bottom of the strings, probably huge if you haven't made any real slots yet!

3. File the slots deeper until the 1st fret clearances approach zero, but leave significant clearance, say the thickness of a credit card.

4. Fine tune each strings' 1st fret clearance: Leave a little more clearance below the low E and A strings (e.g credit card again under E, a bit less under A), and practically zero clearance under the high E and B strings (e.g. E barely touching, B almost touching first fret) with the D and G strings somewhere in between. Think of a gradual lessening of the clearance from low E to high E strings.

If you strum first position chords really hard, err on the side of a bit more clearance than described above. Its better to err on the high side to avoid buzzing.

I like mine lower than some people, even the low E and A strings almost touching the 1st fret (with capo in place!) and the top two strings definitely touching.

Brian

Ron, I respect your skill and contributions here, but not all of us have the experience to do everything by feel. So it's useful to measure things at first, at least to get in the ballpark. The stacked feeler gauges can help make sure I don't destroy a new nut roughing out the nut slots, then I go by eye and feel to dial it in. I don't use feeler gauges to measure relief anymore, but I certainly did for awhile until i could appreciate what I was feeling and seeing.

I think I got it pretty close. That's a bit scary cutting down and down and down and then....nah, I better stop. Then you never stop wondering if you can go any further. LOL. It works great. Thanks a lot guys. All comments were helpful.