All videos from Stewmac are full of very cool and peaceful atmosphere, no stress, I feel the presence of absolute patience, very good feelings. It's safe to say they're the best in art of luthiery.
A pencil split in half lengthwise makes a perfect level line every time, Just cut to slightly above the line then fine tune as needed. Cost 25 cents for a pencil!
That's how I do it, but this would make life a million times easier if I did a whole lot of nut work. As it stands, I rarely have to make a nut (I do all my own work on my stuff, and I work on a lot of my musician friends' stuff, but that usually doesn't entail making nuts). I use Gruvbars and feeler gauges for file stops and do the rest of the cutting/shaping by eyeball. They always come out quite good, but this would be a hell of a time saver if I did a lot of this stuff.
When the slots were cut he was pretty much going at it like it was wood, sundown’s 5:00,it’s 4:55 and snowing, and your only cooktop and source of heat for the night is fed wood.
Do they sell any split because it would be cheaper to just get a pencil and do that trick but if I have to split one and perfectly level it, that might cost me more in tools than to just buy this setup lol
I seriously appreciate any tool that has safe in the name and makes it almost foolproof to do a perfect job. Its empowering to know you wont be constantly starting over and ruining supplies as you learn how to do it.
Listen, I'm just wondering if he's talking from experience or just because it's popular to rip on gibson now? If it's from his personal experience in owning Gibsons then fine, but otherwise there's no valid point.
I recently purchased a 339 flame top loved the guitar but it would not stay in tune and would not intonate I paid almost 3000 dollars for it I could have fixed it but I didn't I took it back and bought a Collings I have always defended Gibson but now there are too many great builders out there
I would use 2 drops of CA glue to attach the nut. CA glues proprieties are that it is very strong in tension but weak in shear, so a slight sideways tap is all that's needed to remove the nut.
Teguvas the advantage of fish glue is that it can be very easily be removed again without damaging anything. That is good for later repairs. Its also easier to clean in case of mistakes.
Really cool that you used a wedge tool to shape the nut against the bench grinder / sandpaper. People I see that do that with fingers always freaks me out!
The best tutorial I've seen so far, many thanks! I really appreciate that StewMac thinks so deeply how to improve the work for luthiers. I would like to add that it's always good to publish "hard facts", as your collegue Erlewine did decades before. With a cheap feeler gauge, you can measure quite easily the distance between string underside and 1st fret. For E2, I use 0,4 mm for an e-guitar and for E4 0,2-0,25 mm. So for me, the string action of your nut would be to high (probably more 0,5-0,6 mm on E2). PRS uses 0,45 mm for E4 (17-18/1000''), 0,48 for H (18-19/1000'') etc. and 0,6 mm for E2 (23-24/1000'') which is ridiculous high for me (well as in most big manufacturers, there are not guitar virtuosos making the decisions). Fender uses 0,25 mm for E4. Erlewine uses mostly 0,5 mm for E2 and 0,25 mm for E4. But that depends also on playing style and guitar/strings. A good way is also to compare the distance first fret > unpressed string and distance 2nd fret > pressed on 1st fret; the distance between first fret > unpressed should be slightly, but not much bigger. And, if you have filed too deep (wich you MUST do at least once if you want find the lowest possible boundary value!), of course you can put a thin hard wood veneer of 0,25 mm under your nut; this is not perfect, but not every one is as fast as you. Also, the angle (that the nut should not be filed "straight" to prevent buzz) could have been mentioned clearer.
I got one of your safe slot clamps. It really is good, well made :) I didn't get the taper thing, I guess it was a fee years ago so I guess you weren't doing them back then.
StewMac has good videos, but sometimes overly complicated for the average Joe, I have never measured anything, I "eyeball" everything, and never had a problem, it's not an exact science or precision brain surgery. Don't over think it! I once had a guitar with fret buzz, I spent weeks trying to figure it out, watching tons of videos and reading everything I could find on fret buzz. Finally I took the guitar in to have it looked at, the guitar tech, sprayed Lemon Oil on the fret board and it went away, that simple! He said it was dry and that 'caused the buzz, simple and yet I would have never thought that would be the problem. Over thinking is your worst enemy!
More than one way to do anything correct. Some people are more efficient if they operate thats congruent to them. Some use feeler guage and otheras do the press the 3rd fret. Liars are people who say they do it by feel. I bet they bought feeler guage and a ruler or a string action card. If my PRS stock nut plays perfect. Id get that measurement and copy it when making a new bone nut. Why do it by feel when you know the measurement thats right for you. My PRS 12th fret action plays great at 1.5mm for eBGD and 1.7mm for AE. But not for my LTD. I hate playing guitars where the low E 12th fret is at 2mm. A guitar that makes your hand fatigue sucks.
looks like it makes everything a lot easier. I didn't understand though (if everyone could explain), why would he change gauges for the lower strings, if he used the shimmer?
If I understand your question, it's because the wound - and progressively heavier gauge - strings vibrate a greater distance in an oscillating pattern compared to plain/lighter gauge ones. This is called 'amplitude' and is due to the greater mass/weight of the string giving it more momentum. Anywho, that amplitude causing those strings to vibrate a greater distance means they'll contact the frets and so needcto be a scosh higher than the plain ones. Same reason for the 12th fret action and even more do since the strings amplitude is greatest in the center where tension from the contact points (saddle and nut) is lowest and the strings are free to vibrate the most. Hope that makes sense.
Very helpful video. I saw one person, and this made sense to me, that took the old nut and sized it up against the new nut blank and used it to mark the length across the fret board, the depth of the nut, and the string locations, then went ahead to mark the depth of the string slots. Is this a good alternative?
There are these things called piercing saws, they go down to a couple thou thin, good for roughing out the thinner slots, filing for material removal takes 5ever.
From a Guitar World article about Les Paul setup: “At the 1st fret, we’ll look to have 1/64th of an inch between the top of the fret and the bottom of the high E string. And then on the low E string, we look for 2/64th of an inch between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string. The other strings are graduated between those dimensions”.
@@RideAcrossTheRiverhe’s not talking action. He’s talking space between fret one and the string while you are pressing on the 3rd fret. 1/64 is .016 of an inch…even if he was talking about action, that’s low, it’s definitely not high.
Lost me at about 2:26 when you started discussing the tapered shim. When marking with the tapered shim, do you lay it on top of the initial feeler gauge and make a line. Also is the marking done using the tapered shim the final height of a string slot or does the grind portion of the video indicate you are grinding down to this "tapered" line.
Yeah, it's weird how they skipped over that. You don't need feeler gauges, but you'll need a caliper to measure to find a point on the tapered shim that's equal to the height you need for the bass side of the nut. Then, you mark that point on the shim and place that in the safe slot nut guard and check out where the treble side of the nut ends up on the shim, and then measure that. If the measurement you get is no more than 0.005" lower than the height you needed for the treble side, then you're good. But if the shim is lower than 0.005" on the treble side, then you need to measure the height you originally needed for the treble side on the shim, and then move the shim so that height ends up correctly on the treble side and go with whatever height it gives you on the bass side, which will end up being a little higher than what you needed. The point is that it's better to go higher on the nut height and file it down, because once you go too far, you'll need to start over with a new nut. The marking done using the tapered shim is the height of the nut BEFORE you file for the string slot (fret height + action height + half of the string height).
@@philipalvarez8833 how are you comparing the tapered shim to the height needed for the high e when your line on the nut is based on only one string thickness?
@@billpholde4816 Actually, I just edited my last reply to clarify that the shim is ONLY used to create the overall nut height and has nothing to do with the slotting. As far as action height in inches or millimeters go, I guess it depends on your preference, playing style, fret height, etc.
I used it and and cut the high E too deep somehow. I almost always cut one string's nut slot too deep and have to do the super glue and baking soda trick, which works fine! There has to be a batter way. I'm thinking the best way is to somehow slide the file a mm or so above the frets. I guess you could wrap a mm of tape around 3/4ths of a nut file and slide it on the first few frets so the the bottom of the nut slot would be a mm above the first fret.
Great video, very helpful. Could you tell me the normal height of frets and is 42mm the normal nut length (low to high 'E') on a strat type guitar. I have got a used beat up Made In China guitar intending to kind of fix it up. New nut, strings and maybe new frets etc.The frets and nut look too low. Any info would be very helpful. Thanks
Good video, do you use the shim for signing off the slotheight differents between the low and high e. And how you use them because its tapered and longer than the nut. If you put the shim to the left the height decreases.I hope you understand what i mean?
this is great. wanna know how i made my precut but slots deeper? with 800 and 120 sandpaper, zero gauges used and one waaay oversized triangual file, and i bet if anyone who knows anything about cutting nuts, would get permament brain damage. i should make a video on how not to cut a nut this is awesome video
What is the additional height that is added for each string? The video _does_ say to add 0.066 for the low E and A, but I didn't see any mention for the other strings.
Surely you can't be advising a flat nut slot? The slot should fall away so the string contacts at the front of the nut for proper intonation.. Ive also seen classical guitars buzz when the string rocks back and forth between the front and back edge of a flat slot on that wide nut.
Has he added an extra shim when he starts filing the slots until he hears that drag sound? If not, the bottom of the slots will be the same heights as the top of the frets.....
So when filing the slots the e an b are the original height of the fret? Then how much more done it go up for the g an d? and then how much more from the g an d to the a an e?
With all your measurements, why couldn’t the nut be properly filed to depth off and away from the neck so that the right angle can be done without chance of damage to the headstock?….
Yea he doesn’t explain this at all, did you ever figure it out? There’s another stewmac video using this tool that explains a little better but it’s on a mandolin
@@conversemusic4387 they seem to have a angled feeler gauge for this purpose (as shown on the mandolin video), but They also have a sheet with measurements on their website. I believe the high E and B string should have .10 or .11 space, then a little more on the G and D and more on A and E. I honestly I ball it and it works fine. You could also buy the Digital nut slotting gauge. That is much easier then putting feeler gauges and stuff.
I think the powder and glue solution applies when he is fixing a single overcut slot. Shimming underneath would lift the entire nut, and wouldn't that defeat the sound transmission qualities of good bone nut?
You should use different feeler guage thicknesses from one string to the next to compensate for the different gauges of strings. Typically, we recommend filing the string slots to a depth that's half of the string's gauge for wound strings, and to a depth equal to the string's gauge for unwound strings (you can then fine tune each slot's depth to your string action preference). Using different feeler gauges is the best way of adjusting to accommodate for the various depths of these slots.
We do not currently have plans in the works to sell a set of feeler gauges or a tapered shim for bass. However, I will gladly forward your product suggestion to our Research & Development team for their consideration.
Anybody got thoughts on the outside E string marks? This kinda gets glossed over (in this video and elsewhere), but is a massively important part of the process. I do it mostly be eye, but just wondering what others do.
I find a guitar multiple guitars and measure them. Or multiple guitar of the same and measure I mean just use the measurements that came stock. If you like it stock. Just copy it. Sometimes people buy the wrong guitar for their body structure and they want to mod the guitar so its comfortable. I just wouldnt buy the guitar in the first place.
Personally, I hate seeing the outer string slots cut far off the edge, causing a tighter string spacing. I’ve always liked a wider neck, so... When I cut a new nut I will do what I can to widen spacing. Looking at how the frets taper at the ends, I eyeball the strings straight edge to be sure to clear any taper, so as the string is on level fret surface. You also want to leave something to prevent fall off. Do this to the two outer strings. From there I space out the remaining inner strings. I tend to favor ‘proportional’ vs ‘center’ spacing. I’m pleasantly surprised How much additional spacing I achieve in the first position. My fingers are longer, as I’m a tall drink of water. Good luck!
Found out the method at www.stewmac.com/HowTo/Online_Resources/Learn_About_Guitar_Nut_and_Saddle_Setup_and_Repair/Safe_Slot_Nut_Guard_Instructions.html Cheers!
Almost foolproof solution for people making nuts sporadically. It takes a few to get good. The biggest problem is just to start...just do it. Mess up a few bucks for the bone blanks...that's how you get better. Too much respect for something simple doesn't help.
Yeah should never second guess what we like. If you want to make bone nuts, go for it. It makes you happy. Others will say thats to much work or cost to much and rather pay $50 than spend $1000 to learn and think you wasted time and money. Those people suck. You live once. Do what interest you and makes you happy .
You mention drawing three lines: One to match the height of the first fret, One for the height above the fret (no distance given), One for 1/2 of the string diameter. You then mention you save these measurements for later and then never mention it again??? Next, how do you use the flexible shim. Do you align the shim with the high E String. Does this new pencil give the top of the nut? Then you change feeler gauges as you file the nut. What are these gauges?? This is a very frustrating video watch!!
common pattern: replacing common sense with a gadget. for the price, you can get a lot of nuts to practice on. or one and a spare made by a luthier worth his title. .. or a 3D printer
Re make this video with some one that will explain step by step better. This guy rushes things. He even missed the pencil line at the beginning of the video. They edit this out..
What do you mean @ 0:36 "Ive got my 12th fret action right WHERE I WANTED", @1:47 "Then you add the string height you want over the first fret"?The method is very reliable. Since you did not show the calculation numbers ( how and why) for the slot, this video is just a show, not an educational.
At first look seems great... then after watching this video this is one tool I will not get... Very complicated and involved to where a 1/2 round pencil has always been good for the rough and a string height gauge for the fine tuning. Swing and a miss IMO.
Here's what I don't understand -- why make the nut a singular glued in piece? Why not make it ADJUSTABLE!? Gibson designed one and their customers don't even want it. I'm literally speechless. I wish someone else would take their design and license it for a strat style nut.
Haven’t you left an awful lot of material on that nut which comes in contact with the string? Shouldn’t the string slots be filed at more of an angle so less of the string comes in contact with the nut material??
Keep in mind if you have an extreme plateau/slope that nut will wear much quicker. You certainly want some slope though, but not where there is too little contact. This helps diminish premature wear.
@@YesuAiNimen you push down the string right after the 2nd fret, which we call fretting at the 3rd fret. the distance between the string and the 1st fret is zero if the nut slot depth is level to the frets. that's theoretically what you aim for. nut slot depth = height frets. if you go just a hair below that your string will buzz. that's why you leave a small gap between string and 1st fret. thickness of a cigarette paper is enough. again: press string behind 2nd fret, eyeball gap at 1st fret. stop filing when the string is very close to the fret.
Why would you judge someones life. He doesnt need to be like the pros. He needs to be himself and maybe he might do something similar what another pro does. That 3rd press is for the lazy. A PRS can get like .017" first fret action over all strings with no open string buzz while an LTD might will buzz and need .022" We all know that. And doing the 3rd fret push and tap he first fret could give you buzz EVEN if theirs space on the first fret. Ill never do the 3rd fret way.
All videos from Stewmac are full of very cool and peaceful atmosphere, no stress, I feel the presence of absolute patience, very good feelings. It's safe to say they're the best in art of luthiery.
And extremely helpful! I started working as an assistant in a luthier workshop and this videos have helped so much!
Absolutely!
Rado P I think that exact thought every time i watch one and think " Man id love to work there.."
A pencil split in half lengthwise makes a perfect level line every time, Just cut to slightly above the line then fine tune as needed. Cost 25 cents for a pencil!
This is true, and believe Dan has a note someplace about that exact trick.
I was going to say the same thing. StewMac sells a lot of stuff you don't really need, not to mention how overpriced it is.
That's how I do it, but this would make life a million times easier if I did a whole lot of nut work. As it stands, I rarely have to make a nut (I do all my own work on my stuff, and I work on a lot of my musician friends' stuff, but that usually doesn't entail making nuts). I use Gruvbars and feeler gauges for file stops and do the rest of the cutting/shaping by eyeball. They always come out quite good, but this would be a hell of a time saver if I did a lot of this stuff.
When the slots were cut he was pretty much going at it like it was wood, sundown’s 5:00,it’s 4:55 and snowing, and your only cooktop and source of heat for the night is fed wood.
Do they sell any split because it would be cheaper to just get a pencil and do that trick but if I have to split one and perfectly level it, that might cost me more in tools than to just buy this setup lol
I seriously appreciate any tool that has safe in the name and makes it almost foolproof to do a perfect job. Its empowering to know you wont be constantly starting over and ruining supplies as you learn how to do it.
Gibson should watch this
Then how would they justify the purcha$$$e of their Mighty PLEK machine?
All of my Gibson's have perfectly slotted nuts. Why do you think they don't do a good job of it?
Reuben Ginsburg lol
Listen, I'm just wondering if he's talking from experience or just because it's popular to rip on gibson now? If it's from his personal experience in owning Gibsons then fine, but otherwise there's no valid point.
I recently purchased a 339 flame top loved the guitar but it would not stay in tune and would not intonate I paid almost 3000 dollars for it I could have fixed it but I didn't I took it back and bought a Collings I have always defended Gibson but now there are too many great builders out there
I would use 2 drops of CA glue to attach the nut. CA glues proprieties are that it is very strong in tension but weak in shear, so a slight sideways tap is all that's needed to remove the nut.
Teguvas the advantage of fish glue is that it can be very easily be removed again without damaging anything. That is good for later repairs. Its also easier to clean in case of mistakes.
I never use any glue - the nut cannot move anywhere with 6 strings under tension holding it in place.
Not true, if you bend hard it will slide.
Ask me how I know...
Really cool that you used a wedge tool to shape the nut against the bench grinder / sandpaper. People I see that do that with fingers always freaks me out!
The best tutorial I've seen so far, many thanks! I really appreciate that StewMac thinks so deeply how to improve the work for luthiers. I would like to add that it's always good to publish "hard facts", as your collegue Erlewine did decades before. With a cheap feeler gauge, you can measure quite easily the distance between string underside and 1st fret. For E2, I use 0,4 mm for an e-guitar and for E4 0,2-0,25 mm. So for me, the string action of your nut would be to high (probably more 0,5-0,6 mm on E2). PRS uses 0,45 mm for E4 (17-18/1000''), 0,48 for H (18-19/1000'') etc. and 0,6 mm for E2 (23-24/1000'') which is ridiculous high for me (well as in most big manufacturers, there are not guitar virtuosos making the decisions). Fender uses 0,25 mm for E4. Erlewine uses mostly 0,5 mm for E2 and 0,25 mm for E4. But that depends also on playing style and guitar/strings. A good way is also to compare the distance first fret > unpressed string and distance 2nd fret > pressed on 1st fret; the distance between first fret > unpressed should be slightly, but not much bigger. And, if you have filed too deep (wich you MUST do at least once if you want find the lowest possible boundary value!), of course you can put a thin hard wood veneer of 0,25 mm under your nut; this is not perfect, but not every one is as fast as you. Also, the angle (that the nut should not be filed "straight" to prevent buzz) could have been mentioned clearer.
Interesting video and explanation of the steps involved. Well done as always.
I'd love to have these folk correct a new guitar from the factory 'setup'. The manufacturers sure are getting lax these days.
Awesome work
Working with the Great Magician Dan, everyone from you who work there and guests also, is kind of magician. Great solution!
Great demo! I'm here to try and get tips for fitting a new nut in an oud.
Cool, i just learned a few things. Thx!
Fantastic video. Thanks.
Great video! Thanks for sharing.
Serviço de alta qualidade parabéns.
Best nut set up post ever. Thanks
I got one of your safe slot clamps. It really is good, well made :)
I didn't get the taper thing, I guess it was a fee years ago so I guess you weren't doing them back then.
StewMac has good videos, but sometimes overly complicated for the average Joe, I have never measured anything, I "eyeball" everything, and never had a problem, it's not an exact science or precision brain surgery. Don't over think it! I once had a guitar with fret buzz, I spent weeks trying to figure it out, watching tons of videos and reading everything I could find on fret buzz. Finally I took the guitar in to have it looked at, the guitar tech, sprayed Lemon Oil on the fret board and it went away, that simple! He said it was dry and that 'caused the buzz, simple and yet I would have never thought that would be the problem. Over thinking is your worst enemy!
Extremely helpful, thank you
I just use a lumber pencil split in half. Works perfectly fine every time.
That's the way to do it, it's really not that hard.
More than one way to do anything correct. Some people are more efficient if they operate thats congruent to them. Some use feeler guage and otheras do the press the 3rd fret. Liars are people who say they do it by feel. I bet they bought feeler guage and a ruler or a string action card.
If my PRS stock nut plays perfect. Id get that measurement and copy it when making a new bone nut. Why do it by feel when you know the measurement thats right for you. My PRS 12th fret action plays great at 1.5mm for eBGD and 1.7mm for AE. But not for my LTD. I hate playing guitars where the low E 12th fret is at 2mm.
A guitar that makes your hand fatigue sucks.
looks like it makes everything a lot easier.
I didn't understand though (if everyone could explain), why would he change gauges for the lower strings, if he used the shimmer?
If I understand your question, it's because the wound - and progressively heavier gauge - strings vibrate a greater distance in an oscillating pattern compared to plain/lighter gauge ones. This is called 'amplitude' and is due to the greater mass/weight of the string giving it more momentum. Anywho, that amplitude causing those strings to vibrate a greater distance means they'll contact the frets and so needcto be a scosh higher than the plain ones. Same reason for the 12th fret action and even more do since the strings amplitude is greatest in the center where tension from the contact points (saddle and nut) is lowest and the strings are free to vibrate the most. Hope that makes sense.
That looks great.
Very helpful video. I saw one person, and this made sense to me, that took the old nut and sized it up against the new nut blank and used it to mark the length across the fret board, the depth of the nut, and the string locations, then went ahead to mark the depth of the string slots. Is this a good alternative?
There are these things called piercing saws, they go down to a couple thou thin, good for roughing out the thinner slots, filing for material removal takes 5ever.
Excellent video presentation... Those Catholic school nuns told me that fractions would come in handy someday :)
Those nuns would rap us pretty hard with a ruler!
From a Guitar World article about Les Paul setup: “At the 1st fret, we’ll look to have 1/64th of an inch between the top of the fret and the bottom of the high E string. And then on the low E string, we look for 2/64th of an inch between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string. The other strings are graduated between those dimensions”.
That is HIGH action.
@@RideAcrossTheRiverhe’s not talking action. He’s talking space between fret one and the string while you are pressing on the 3rd fret. 1/64 is .016 of an inch…even if he was talking about action, that’s low, it’s definitely not high.
@@paroblynn How tall is the fret?
Very nice! Thank you.
Lost me at about 2:26 when you started discussing the tapered shim. When marking with the tapered shim, do you lay it on top of the initial feeler gauge and make a line. Also is the marking done using the tapered shim the final height of a string slot or does the grind portion of the video indicate you are grinding down to this "tapered" line.
Yeah, it's weird how they skipped over that. You don't need feeler gauges, but you'll need a caliper to measure to find a point on the tapered shim that's equal to the height you need for the bass side of the nut. Then, you mark that point on the shim and place that in the safe slot nut guard and check out where the treble side of the nut ends up on the shim, and then measure that. If the measurement you get is no more than 0.005" lower than the height you needed for the treble side, then you're good. But if the shim is lower than 0.005" on the treble side, then you need to measure the height you originally needed for the treble side on the shim, and then move the shim so that height ends up correctly on the treble side and go with whatever height it gives you on the bass side, which will end up being a little higher than what you needed. The point is that it's better to go higher on the nut height and file it down, because once you go too far, you'll need to start over with a new nut.
The marking done using the tapered shim is the height of the nut BEFORE you file for the string slot (fret height + action height + half of the string height).
@@philipalvarez8833 how are you comparing the tapered shim to the height needed for the high e when your line on the nut is based on only one string thickness?
@@philipalvarez8833 Good explanation but what does action height equal in Inches or MM?
@@billpholde4816 Actually, I just edited my last reply to clarify that the shim is ONLY used to create the overall nut height and has nothing to do with the slotting. As far as action height in inches or millimeters go, I guess it depends on your preference, playing style, fret height, etc.
But I believe Fender recommends 0.02" for the low E and 0.018" for the high E. Gibson recommends 0.03" for the low E and 0.015" for the high E.
I used it and and cut the high E too deep somehow. I almost always cut one string's nut slot too deep and have to do the super glue and baking soda trick, which works fine! There has to be a batter way. I'm thinking the best way is to somehow slide the file a mm or so above the frets. I guess you could wrap a mm of tape around 3/4ths of a nut file and slide it on the first few frets so the the bottom of the nut slot would be a mm above the first fret.
Helped me do a couple
Great video, very helpful. Could you tell me the normal height of frets and is 42mm the normal nut length (low to high 'E') on a strat type guitar.
I have got a used beat up Made In China guitar intending to kind of fix it up. New nut, strings and maybe new frets etc.The frets and nut look too low.
Any info would be very helpful. Thanks
that's a lotta nut
Yup, just like I do it. But, I do a bit more cursing, swearing, throwing busted pieces, and 100 hrs later! ...LOL... :)
🤓
that was perfect job. but i prefered to using graptech tusq preslot nut. much easier and cheaper
Wow! Just 👌 👏
Ahhh, the smell of ground bone in the morning. Nice work Elliot.
So many cool toys 🙂
So how much is the actual "shim height" in thousands?
Great video 📹 👍
Nice work, Yes a guitar nut is tough to do.
Maybe not tough, but just requires a detail oriented mind, and a steady hand.
Good video, do you use the shim for signing off the slotheight differents between the low and high e. And how you use them because its tapered and longer than the nut. If you put the shim to the left the height decreases.I hope you understand what i mean?
I never thought of using my nut vise like that.
Nice
Hmmm that base side looks really close to the edge. I wish they would have should a better picture of the finished job.
waaaaay on the edge! Prob broke off already (1 year ago that is)
What determines the string spacing? Marking the saddles dead center?
Good afternoon. PLEASE tell me how to bend short cut frets (bought on eBay) Thanks in advance
this is great.
wanna know how i made my precut but slots deeper? with 800 and 120 sandpaper, zero gauges used and one waaay oversized triangual file, and i bet if anyone who knows anything about cutting nuts, would get permament brain damage. i should make a video on how not to cut a nut
this is awesome video
Maybe it's just the camera angle, but that nut action seems pretty high !
He said "nut action" LMAO!
@@graydation Agreed, low strings looked pretty high !
at 1:49 how much height do you add to fret height to prevent buzzing? please , thank you
I've filed too deep even using the safe slot. So now I start with medium action. Learn on cheap plastic nuts.
What is the additional height that is added for each string? The video _does_ say to add 0.066 for the low E and A, but I didn't see any mention for the other strings.
Surely you can't be advising a flat nut slot? The slot should fall away so the string contacts at the front of the nut for proper intonation.. Ive also seen classical guitars buzz when the string rocks back and forth between the front and back edge of a flat slot on that wide nut.
Where in the video does he say it should be flat? I see him filing the slots at an angle.
I wanna do this but it looks complicated
I need a tool to get my heighth right.
Has he added an extra shim when he starts filing the slots until he hears that drag sound? If not, the bottom of the slots will be the same heights as the top of the frets.....
Yes, obviously that stack of gauges includes the fret height as well as the preferred action
So when filing the slots the e an b are the original height of the fret? Then how much more done it go up for the g an d? and then how much more from the g an d to the a an e?
Don’t file down to the height of the top of the fret. You need to add the string height on top of that
Very good!
It's terrible that here in brazil foreign products just don't arrive or take so long.
yea man, unless you're some sort of rich kid of a federal agent
rafasounds2010 true... 😢
With all your measurements, why couldn’t the nut be properly filed to depth off and away from the neck so that the right angle can be done without chance of damage to the headstock?….
"StewMac should've named this "The Guitar Jock".
Almost looks like the nut breaks at 3:34
Must've just lifted up
Ha wouldn’t be surprised. Bone is a terrible, overrated material. Inconsistent crap. TUSQ XL all day every day
How do I know which feeler gauges I need for each string like he's doing on 3:35 ?
Yea he doesn’t explain this at all, did you ever figure it out? There’s another stewmac video using this tool that explains a little better but it’s on a mandolin
@@conversemusic4387 they seem to have a angled feeler gauge for this purpose (as shown on the mandolin video), but They also have a sheet with measurements on their website. I believe the high E and B string should have .10 or .11 space, then a little more on the G and D and more on A and E. I honestly I ball it and it works fine. You could also buy the Digital nut slotting gauge. That is much easier then putting feeler gauges and stuff.
Yes this is a crucial step which isn’t explained. Does anyone have any advice on this step or a video to refer to?
Maysure
He mentioned fish glue.. anyone know where to get this? I normally use elmers wood glue
Ask a DIY fish.
I do this with feeler gauges already and you can recover a slot if you accidently go to deep. A little bone dust and CA glue.
Joe Carpenter better to build up the nut on its under side using super glue and paper
I think the powder and glue solution applies when he is fixing a single overcut slot.
Shimming underneath would lift the entire nut, and wouldn't that defeat the sound transmission qualities of good bone nut?
I just spent 20 + hrs on one I need file. That thing killed me.
Why different feeler gauges for G and A?
You should use different feeler guage thicknesses from one string to the next to compensate for the different gauges of strings. Typically, we recommend filing the string slots to a depth that's half of the string's gauge for wound strings, and to a depth equal to the string's gauge for unwound strings (you can then fine tune each slot's depth to your string action preference). Using different feeler gauges is the best way of adjusting to accommodate for the various depths of these slots.
for me this is the 2nd tough maintenance after the fret leveling. I dont have enough tools so I can't learn it 😅
are there any plans to release tapered feeler gauge set for bass?
We do not currently have plans in the works to sell a set of feeler gauges or a tapered shim for bass. However, I will gladly forward your product suggestion to our Research & Development team for their consideration.
Tank You Tank You Tank You
Anybody got thoughts on the outside E string marks? This kinda gets glossed over (in this video and elsewhere), but is a massively important part of the process. I do it mostly be eye, but just wondering what others do.
I find a guitar multiple guitars and measure them. Or multiple guitar of the same and measure
I mean just use the measurements that came stock. If you like it stock. Just copy it.
Sometimes people buy the wrong guitar for their body structure and they want to mod the guitar so its comfortable. I just wouldnt buy the guitar in the first place.
Personally, I hate seeing the outer string slots cut far off the edge, causing a tighter string spacing. I’ve always liked a wider neck, so... When I cut a new nut I will do what I can to widen spacing. Looking at how the frets taper at the ends, I eyeball the strings straight edge to be sure to clear any taper, so as the string is on level fret surface. You also want to leave something to prevent fall off. Do this to the two outer strings. From there I space out the remaining inner strings. I tend to favor ‘proportional’ vs ‘center’ spacing. I’m pleasantly surprised How much additional spacing I achieve in the first position. My fingers are longer, as I’m a tall drink of water. Good luck!
Found out the method at www.stewmac.com/HowTo/Online_Resources/Learn_About_Guitar_Nut_and_Saddle_Setup_and_Repair/Safe_Slot_Nut_Guard_Instructions.html
Cheers!
Nuts are so important, no matter how you rub them !!
And this is why GOD invented Luthiers!
Leo Fender didn’t have all that tools back then and his Stratocasters sounds fantastic.
Almost foolproof solution for people making nuts sporadically.
It takes a few to get good. The biggest problem is just to start...just do it.
Mess up a few bucks for the bone blanks...that's how you get better.
Too much respect for something simple doesn't help.
Yeah should never second guess what we like. If you want to make bone nuts, go for it. It makes you happy. Others will say thats to much work or cost to much and rather pay $50 than spend $1000 to learn and think you wasted time and money. Those people suck. You live once. Do what interest you and makes you happy .
I just CAD this stuff and 3D print it these days. Ain't nobody got time for this.
How do you 3D print bone?
@@kingoimkenya You grind up the bones! 🤘
Do you do the same for bass nuts ?
Nut on the guitar......lol
You mention drawing three lines: One to match the height of the first fret, One for the height above the fret (no distance given), One for 1/2 of the string diameter. You then mention you save these measurements for later and then never mention it again??? Next, how do you use the flexible shim. Do you align the shim with the high E String. Does this new pencil give the top of the nut? Then you change feeler gauges as you file the nut. What are these gauges?? This is a very frustrating video watch!!
Ditto !
Why even draw that first line? For your own reference... but why? I didn't see anything it was used for.
It's a very fiddly procedure.
common pattern: replacing common sense with a gadget. for the price, you can get a lot of nuts to practice on. or one and a spare made by a luthier worth his title.
.. or a 3D printer
Re make this video with some one that will explain step by step better. This guy rushes things. He even missed the pencil line at the beginning of the video. They edit this out..
What do you mean @ 0:36 "Ive got my 12th fret action right WHERE I WANTED", @1:47 "Then you add the string height you want over the first fret"?The method is very reliable. Since you did not show the calculation numbers ( how and why) for the slot, this video is just a show, not an educational.
After I learn to fly a 747, I'll give this a try. 😨
Yeah, so, I ain't gonna be doing this myself.
didn't back-cut the slots
At first look seems great... then after watching this video this is one tool I will not get... Very complicated and involved to where a 1/2 round pencil has always been good for the rough and a string height gauge for the fine tuning. Swing and a miss IMO.
I'd use that as a shield for the fingerboard tho
One set of feeler gauges + 1 pencil sanded in half = $5
Here's what I don't understand -- why make the nut a singular glued in piece? Why not make it ADJUSTABLE!? Gibson designed one and their customers don't even want it. I'm literally speechless. I wish someone else would take their design and license it for a strat style nut.
just stay speechless duuuude
Haven’t you left an awful lot of material on that nut which comes in contact with the string? Shouldn’t the string slots be filed at more of an angle so less of the string comes in contact with the nut material??
No, Fender nuts are skinny as it is without having less of the string contacting the nut.
Keep in mind if you have an extreme plateau/slope that nut will wear much quicker. You certainly want some slope though, but not where there is too little contact. This helps diminish premature wear.
Wow its not so easy....
Yea that won't fly for production work....way too time consuming.
All that effort because people have something against the look of a zeroth fret
is it also a different sound, not just look?
chris4072511 I'd Love to have a zero fret on my guitar
chris4072511 I love my zero fret on my german 69s jazzer!
i play a lot of open strings so anyone want to comment on the sound please?
acmullane Playing an open note with a zero fret has a more consistent tone relative to fretting a note somewhere on the fingerboard.
Too many steps, too complicated, too costly when you can do it all a lot simpler and easier by eye and the '3rd fret test'. Pros do it that way.
Would you explain the "3rd fret test" for us please? Thanks in advance!
@@YesuAiNimen you push down the string right after the 2nd fret, which we call fretting at the 3rd fret. the distance between the string and the 1st fret is zero if the nut slot depth is level to the frets. that's theoretically what you aim for. nut slot depth = height frets.
if you go just a hair below that your string will buzz. that's why you leave a small gap between string and 1st fret. thickness of a cigarette paper is enough.
again: press string behind 2nd fret, eyeball gap at 1st fret. stop filing when the string is very close to the fret.
Why would you judge someones life. He doesnt need to be like the pros. He needs to be himself and maybe he might do something similar what another pro does. That 3rd press is for the lazy. A PRS can get like .017" first fret action over all strings with no open string buzz while an LTD might will buzz and need .022" We all know that. And doing the 3rd fret push and tap he first fret could give you buzz EVEN if theirs space on the first fret. Ill never do the 3rd fret way.
No; I am not a luthier and you can ask a setup guy what it is...
This is satire right? Nice eyesight and jumbled up string heights lol….
I wouldn't trust a luthier who needs this to make a proper nut. And use a divider for groove spacing!
What do you mean by using a ‘divider’? Please clarify.
Hes too rough.
I heard stumac sucks?
Is filling is sloppy !
Yeah I'm just nipping out to buy a belt sander to replace a guitar nut .......seriously !!