string nut ----------- this guide includes information on installing a new string nut. this information can also be used to check the string nut you have on now, and correct problems with it. nut files, knives? nut files made specifically for guitar can be expensive, but make the job easier. if you are against using nut files specifically for guitar you may choose to use an x-acto knife with different blades or some other sort of file. just make sure what you're using has a ROUND bottom. this is very important for the wound strings especially. the files i choose to use are a set of 3 double sided files offering 6 different gauges in all, purchased from: http://www.warmoth.com i got the files for $41. it was well worth it to me. *the first thing you need to do is select the appropriate nut for your guitar. this means selecting the width and thickness that is closest to that of your nut slot and the shape that is closest. nut blanks are available in a variety of material, shapes, and sizes. to get the correct size and shape for your guitar consult the manufacturer of your guitar. generally, when buying a new nut you'll see the measurements and often 'made for round' or 'made for flat' bottom nut slot. some nuts also come pre-slotted. this means the string spacing is already done for you but some final filing will more than likely be necessary. i recommend buying at least 2 new nuts in case you mess up one. you'll have the other to fall back on. *before doing any of the below steps it would be a wise idea to first wrap the area around the nut with MASKING tape to protect the guitar from scratches, dents, etc. i recommend keeping the tape in place until you're completely finished with every part of this. it may be necessary and a good idea to put on new tape sometimes during the process to assure better protection. *use masking tape because it doesn't leave behind a sticky residue like other kinds of tape can. removing an old nut: CAREFULLY remove the old nut. there's more than one way to do this, so i will list some ideas here. -see if you can make the nut budge and come out using just the force of your fingers. this is possible sometimes. -carefully place a screwdriver at one side of the nut and tap the end of the screwdriver with a mallet or hammer. be careful that you don't let the screwdriver slip and scratch your guitar. -maybe you will come up with your own method for removing an old nut. just take care to not damage the guitar. the main thing is that you don't damage the nut slot itself. if you scratch or damage the old nut it's not a big deal because you're discarding it anyways. after the old nut has been removed be sure to clean the nut slot. if necessary lightly use some sandpaper to make sure the slot is smooth and doesn't have any left over glue and such in it. installing a new nut: try and place the new nut into the nut slot on your guitar. you want it to fit snuggly into the slot. if it will not go into the slot you will need to do some initial sanding. if you have a belt sander you can use that to sand. just be careful not to sand off too much. don't have a belt sander? me either. here is my procedure for sanding by hand -- take a piece of sandpaper (i used 240 grit) and tape it down to something (table, desk, etc). once you've done this lay the nut down on the sandpaper and rub it back and forth to sand it. check again to see if the nut fits. if it does not repeat sanding until it does. make sure you don't sand too much off. take your time and check and re-check until you get it just right. if the nut also looks too wide for the slot it's okay to go ahead and sand down the sides too at this point. just use the same procedure mentioned above. nut slot spacing -- go ahead and put the nut into the nut slot now. it's okay if it's a little bit loose at this point because this isn't the final installation of the nut. the reason to put the nut in its slot now is to mark spacing. with the nut on, put on the low and high e string of the guitar. place each string so they are not so close to the edge of the fretboard it will cause problems playing. once you've got your e strings where you want them mark the spots you have them in on the nut by measuring, marking with a pen or marker (if pen or marker will show up on the nut material you have). at this point, it's easier for me to take the nut off the guitar to measure for the other 4 slots. in making the measurements i like to work with 16th's of inches. it really doesn't matter what you use though as long as you follow the principles here. with my nut off, i take a ruler and measure the distance between the two e slots i just marked. on my custom guitar i found the distance to be 23 (the distance on your guitar will vary depending on the size of nut and personal preference). once this number is obtained divide it by 5 to get the spacing between the remainder of the slots. my number divided by 5 turned out to be 4.6 it's hard to get an exact 4.6 between each nut slot so i had to just judge as closely as possible. i mark the remaining nut slots by beginning at either the low e or high e slot i've already marked. if i choose the low e for instance, i will measure 4.6 from that mark and then mark my next nut slot. after this it's a good idea to alternate and measure from the high e slot. i measure 4.6 from my high e slot and mark the next slot. i switch back and forth doing this until all of the slots are marked. *once you have the slots marked it's a good idea to put the nut in it's slot on the guitar, and go ahead and put the strings on and tune them up enough to hold the nut in place so you can see how they lay across the marks you've made. remember each string has a different diameter so it's possible that some of the strings may appear closer together than you want them to be after the initial marking using the ruler. if this is the case use your eyes to adjust them to where you want them and change the marks. (this step is optional. you may find the spacing looks fine to you after your initial measurements. it never hurts to check though.) at this point it's okay to go ahead and install the nut the final time onto the guitar IF you don't mind doing the final sanding while the nut is on the guitar by hand. if you choose not to make this the final installation of the nut, the nut still needs to be in it's slot on the guitar at this point to prepare for filing. you can do the final installation after the final sanding. this is a matter of personal preference. find what works best for you. to install the nut onto the guitar the last time use a SMALL drop of elmers glue (the white stuff) or something similar. i do NOT recommend using super glue or krazy glue. it's wiser to use something that doesn't stick quite as much so that the nut will be removed more easily when/if needed. actually, on my custom guitar i found i didn't have to use any glue at all. the nut fit into the slot tightly and didn't move around after i finished my initial sanding. also, the pressure of the strings will hold the nut in place. use your judgement to see what is best for your guitar. the small drop of glue will be applied to the bottom of the nut, then the nut is placed into the slot. give the glue adequate time to dry before moving on to the next step. filing -- with all of the above steps complete, you're ready to begin filing the nut slots. first, you need to find out the diameter of the strings you are using. example: a low e string on an electric guitar is often a .46 you should be able to find the diameters listed on your string packaging or on the website of the string manufacturer. important: the nut slots should be slightly wider than the diameter of the string. if the slot is too narrow, pinching and unstable tuning can occur. if you're using gauged nut files pick the one closest to the diameter of the specific string slot you're filing for. it's okay if it's a little larger. you can get good results without it being exact. it just needs to be close. if you're using some other file or knife then you will just have to judge by feel and sight for the appropriate width to cut. once you have selected the appropriate width to file with go ahead and make a very shallow notch on each slot with the appropriate file. you can also just use your smallest file to make this intitial slot. it's a matter of personal preference. the initial slots just need to be big enough to temporarily hold the strings without them moving. now, put the strings on the guitar and tune the guitar up. the strings should be resting in their individual slots. now, you're ready to slot for depth and angle. this procedure requires A LOT of patience. a few strokes of the file can make good go to bad in a hurry. take your time and it'll be WELL worth it in the end. here are the rules i follow for slotting: angle -- notice the angle of the strings as they go over the nut towards the tuners. the angle of your nut slot should follow this angle as closely as possible. the nut slot should slope back towards the headstock. (the lowest part of the nut slot will be nearest the headstock). this rule is a must. there really isn't any room for personal preference here. either you follow this closely or have problems. it doesn't have to be PERFECT but it needs to be as close as you can get it. *if the slot doesn't have enough angle you can get an annoying pinging sound when playing the string open. *if the slot has too much angle the front of the slot will wear down sooner because it's supporting most of the pressure from the string. once again, follow the angle of the strings with your filing. depth -- there are different methods to get the depth of your nut slots correct. remember that the fretboard curves and the strings are different sizes so each slot does not necessarily have the exact same depth. *the goal is to make your nut slots around the same height as the first fret on your guitar. there are technical ways to do this, such as using feeler gauges. but i prefer to do it by a less technical method i picked up from someone else that works well for me. here is how i do it -- *first make sure the guitar is in tune. you will be moving the strings out of the slots and then back into the slots during the filing so it's important to recheck tuning VERY frequently. starting with the low e string i gently pull the string up and move it aside. i then file down the slot following the angle of the string to a place that looks fairly close. i make sure that i KNOW i'm not going too deep. once i hit this first stopping point i check to see how close i am to the height i want by doing the following: 1) i put the string back into it's slot and make sure it is in tune (it's a good idea to check the other strings occasionally too because tension on the neck effects the setup) 2) i pluck the string harder than i will ever pluck it during my playing. **the goal is to file the slot down until i begin to hear some buzzing of the string against the first fret when plucking the string a little harder than i ever plan on playing it. 3) if i hear no buzzing of the string against the first fret after completing step 2 i repeat step 1 again. WARNING: as you get closer to the correct slot depth be very careful not to file the slot too deep. if you file the slot too deep the string when played open will buzz against the first fret during normal playing. once again patience is ESSENTIAL to get this right. it's not that difficult, it just requires time and effort. follow the above steps until you get the low e string slotted correctly. after this, you can repeat the same process for the other 5 string slots. also, pay attention to how the strings look at the nut. take notice of strings that seem a lot higher than the others, or a lot lower than the others. do keep in mind though the fretboard generally has a curve to it and the strings are different sizes. *the strings should follow the curve of the fretboard in height. congrats! now you're done with the slotting unless you feel the need to fine tune it a little more after playing the guitar some. final sanding -- once you have completed slotting the nut you are ready to do any final sanding (if necessary--this depends on the nut you're using). the goal here is to sand down the top of the nut so that the strings don't look like they are buried so deeply into it. how much you want to take off of the top is a personal preference. however, some people will tell you that taking more off will add to the sustain of the guitar. *be VERY careful to not take so much off the top that your strings can pop out of their slots. i like to take a little less off the top than a lot of people do, but once again, that is personal preference. if you're doing this with the nut off of the guitar, use the procedure described earlier for sanding the nut. get the nut sanded down to where you want it. if you're doing it with the nut on the guitar go ahead and sand the top of the nut down to the level you want it. *make sure you still have masking tape in place to protect the guitar. it's also nice to sand the top, side edges of the nut so that there is a little bit of a curve there. this is purely for cosmetic purposes and not necessary though. *once you've finished your final sandind/shaping of the nut make sure that the nut and all of the nut slots especially are CLEAN. if you chose to do the final sanding with the nut off go ahead and put the nut back on using the method described earlier for the final installation of the nut. that's it. enjoy playing your guitar with the nice new nut you installed and slotted yourself!!