I have done a different concept for my ESP guitar. On my german handmade Lefay bass there is not a nut but a zero fret at ITS place. OK. Interesting concept. Ive done the same concept in my ESP strat. The Idea is.....when the neck is very straight the zero fret IS the perfekt hight to all other frets...right?........ive put the nut out, closed the gap und put the zero fret in........and? IT works......the strings are laying lower and the strat rings like a bell......in a second try on a cheaper guitar i had the Idea to close the nut gap instead with a peace of wood than with a Floyd Rose locking saddle behind the new Zero fret......it works also great....before doing that you must remove the string peaks and the the thickness of the Metal plate to come with it under the hight of the zero fret......that IT works awesome........try IT.....😊
OMG, I love it. ! ! I'm a player of 40+ years, and I seldom use measurements in setting up a Guitar 🎸 !! 64th this and 64th that starting guide lines is just that !!! Starting Point !! Nevertheless, if all strings are high at nut, then I take nut off guitar in sanding the bottom down !!
Perfect example. You should not even be able to see the string move, with this method. Just hear the little ping sound. It should be so low that movement, and the Gap, is almost impossible to see.. That ping is what you're looking for. Put a capo on the first fret and move the test down one fret and test it and that's how it should look. I shoot for 001 when dealing with the treble strings. Basically no gap. Slightly more on wound. Maybe 003-005. If you want to measure
A thing that I'm learning, pertaining to nut slot height, is that if they are too high, it is much harder on your fingers to play chords or notes on those 1st few frets, besides the fact, or theory, that you are bending notes out of tune while pressing the string down. I feel like I don't hear much about these things, but they seem important to know... as to "why" you should care if they are correct.
I actually like the nut slots higher because I have a heavy attack. When they are low, the strings are always banging off the first fret when played open to the point where it actually starts to eat into them.
I have a taylor 114ce. and I wanna adjust the nut height myself. Do I do this when I already have set my guitar in a proper relief? or I do make the neck straight, and that's when I start filing?
@@Klien.Niwane you need to have the neck dialed in before you do this action. As a rule I usually get the neck dead straight first then I make these adjustments. So even if I am a hair too close once relief is added into the neck, the slots I cut will be to proper height. By the way, just like any technique in doing a setup, it takes time to build a good hand at it. As simple as this is it's no different than learning to play guitar. Not everybody can sleep pic right from the beginning if you catch my drift.
@@812guitarsoh for sure it does take time! By the way, do you have a recommendation on how to get the neck dead straight? I’ve seen someone just using straight edge rulers, though it states that I have to be cautious since the frets may be uneven. Especially since I haven’t leveled my frets yet
Sounded a bit like Michael J Fox in 'Back to the Future' movie where he plays the cherry red ES335 Gibson doing the Chuck Berry number at the school dance. 'Try to keep up!!'
Great video! I have one question though. What you did looks fine for the thinner strings. But what about the thicker strings? I can't imagine they would make the same sound if the nut height was correct, would they? Great informative video otherwise! 👍🏻
@@amagupt actually they make a very similar sound. The only way I could describe it is it sounds like the high trouble strings on the piano. Those little teeny tiny ones that don't really resonate but they make an interesting clink/clunk sound at the same time. I'll eventually get around to doing more videos and I'll post a follow-up to this process
Love this..! Thanks… but… HELP..!!🙏🏻 So many other videos tell me to make the slots the same depth as the first fret.. Seems to me that the strings will buzz on the fret ,doing it like that..? Even if you consider the relief of the neck ..
You're absolutely correct. The nut slots need to be a hair higher than the first fret. And as logic would dictate, if the slots are the same height of the first it will result in a buzzing issue
I've NEVER seen a video where someone says "cut the nut slots so that they are the same depth as the 1st fret". That makes NO sense whatsoever. OF COURSE the strings will buzz if you do that. I've seen plenty of videos where they demonstrate how to keep piling on layers of masking tape right next to the 1st fret, until the top layer of tape is BARELY ABOVE the first fret. They say you should be able to catch the edge of the tape with a finger nail, when running your fingernail along the top of the first fret. Then, you carefully remove all the layers of tape at the same time, and carefully stick that stack of tape against the nut. That stack of tape is now your gauge for filing the nut slots. I've never tried it myself. I was always told that when the neck is adjusted properly FIRST, and the guitar is tuned to pitch, loosen & move 1 string at a time out of it's nut slot, and carefully file & re-check until all 6 strings OPEN ( not fretted at all ) have 18 thousandths of an inch of clearance between each string directly above the 1st fret.
Well it doesn't take a genius to know that if the string buzzes as you play it open that the nut slot would be too low. You can either fill it with Cyno glue or pop the whole nut off and add a small veneer underneath to get it up into the air. But regardless at that point you'll have to recut all the nut slots to make final adjustments. But be aware, this is only after you've made sure that the neck is correctly adjusted. It could be the case that the neck is backbone which will automatically make those strings fall right on top of the first fret. It's a very common mistake that guitar technicians make all the time.
Yes l would have thought so too, but the reasoning behind the video on cutting the nut slot lower is very sound, on acoustics though it Sometimes isn't the best, electrics almost always, just my thoughts though 😊😊😊
hi i wondering if the nut is responsible of make the e and b strings sounds higher than other strings when pluged in amp i got an acoustic tenson installed fishman pre amp plusbpiezo under saddle
If those strings sound louder when played open, then the slots may be a hair too low. But if the strings are louder in general as you play through the board, then that would be a matter of adjusting your pickups. By the way there's also a difference between single coil and humbucker pickups. If you look at vintage Fender strat pickups you'll notice the B and E pole pieces are lower than the other strings.
I remember on very early electric guitars that many had a very loud B string. Now days, the pickup seems to be compensated for the extra volume. I think also it is an inherent problem associated with the B string length and diameter, but thankfully, we don't seem to suffer from that problem now.
I'm really curious: in order to achieve that "plinky piano sound" when tapping a string that has the correct nut slot/height, surely there will be a certain clearance when checked with a feeler gauge, and if so, what does that string height work out to when the string is open ( no fretting of the string ) using a feeler gauge between each string and the 1st fret? Because I've always been told that all 6 strings are at or near their ultimate playing height (pertaining to the nut slots being cut ) when the clearance between each OPEN string directly above the 1st fret is 18 thousandths of an inch. This is assuming of course, that the neck relief has already been adjusted properly first. I hope you respond. ?????
Sure you could use a feeler gauge. But most people don't know how to use one. More like so now at days because no one needs tO "gap" their spark plugs anymore. Anyways, the math is simple. The correct height of the string over the first fret is about half the gauge of the string.
@@812guitars People who "don't know how to use a feeler gauge" are simply too lazy. I can teach an 8 yr old how to use a feeler gauge. I get all 6 of my strings set at 18 thousandths ( open & tuned to pitch with the neck relief already set properly ) directly over the 1st fret. After watching this video, I decided to check all 4 of my acoustic guitars for that "ping" that can be heard in this video......and sure enough, all 6 strings on all 4 of my acoustics have that "ping".
why do they sell guitars with way to high nuts? lol crazy. your methods looks easy to go to far. and with the strings there you will need to move it out of the way. this mean detuning and then retuning to do your check up. wow will take for ever.
you know I understand what you're saying and maybe if you have a lot of experience that's groovy, what if you don't and then you cut the nut too deep because you were too put off by the idea of measuring it like Dan Erlewine a foremost expert does?, just sayin, no need to mess it up with guessing when you don't have to, of course you've heard the old carpenter's phrase 'measure twice and cut once'
![Six Hundred Strike [EPIC: The Musical] Full Animatic](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zov6NXIAuow/mqdefault.jpg)
I like this method. My neighbor used to work at a guitar repair shop in Nashville. He showed me this same trick.
I have done a different concept for my ESP guitar. On my german handmade Lefay bass there is not a nut but a zero fret at ITS place. OK. Interesting concept. Ive done the same concept in my ESP strat. The Idea is.....when the neck is very straight the zero fret IS the perfekt hight to all other frets...right?........ive put the nut out, closed the gap und put the zero fret in........and? IT works......the strings are laying lower and the strat rings like a bell......in a second try on a cheaper guitar i had the Idea to close the nut gap instead with a peace of wood than with a Floyd Rose locking saddle behind the new Zero fret......it works also great....before doing that you must remove the string peaks and the the thickness of the Metal plate to come with it under the hight of the zero fret......that IT works awesome........try IT.....😊
Awesome experience-based advice! Cheers! 😊
Thanks for posting this video. This is the method I use too. Works like a charm. Much faster and simpler than using feeler gauges.
I love this!!!
this 2 min video is the best video on nut heights on youtube
OMG, I love it. ! ! I'm a player of 40+ years, and I seldom use measurements in setting up a Guitar 🎸 !! 64th this and 64th that starting guide lines is just that !!! Starting Point !! Nevertheless, if all strings are high at nut, then I take nut off guitar in sanding the bottom down !!
Great video. Thanks! I wish you could make full video on all strings.
@@rptek3166 eventually I will. But I just haven't because I'm so crazy busy lately. My shop is constantly full of guitars in for repair.
Dude!! Way cool technique. I am so grateful!!
Thanks VERY much!!
Quite useful!!
Short and effective explanation! Tnx
Perfect example. You should not even be able to see the string move, with this method. Just hear the little ping sound. It should be so low that movement, and the Gap, is almost impossible to see.. That ping is what you're looking for. Put a capo on the first fret and move the test down one fret and test it and that's how it should look. I shoot for 001 when dealing with the treble strings. Basically no gap. Slightly more on wound. Maybe 003-005. If you want to measure
A thing that I'm learning, pertaining to nut slot height, is that if they are too high, it is much harder on your fingers to play chords or notes on those 1st few frets, besides the fact, or theory, that you are bending notes out of tune while pressing the string down. I feel like I don't hear much about these things, but they seem important to know... as to "why" you should care if they are correct.
I actually like the nut slots higher because I have a heavy attack. When they are low, the strings are always banging off the first fret when played open to the point where it actually starts to eat into them.
'If they are too high, it is much harder on your fingers to play chords or notes". DUU-UUH..you're a GENIUS 😅.
Great tip man thanks for sharing that 👍
Thanks for this
Nice.
I have a taylor 114ce. and I wanna adjust the nut height myself. Do I do this when I already have set my guitar in a proper relief? or I do make the neck straight, and that's when I start filing?
@@Klien.Niwane you need to have the neck dialed in before you do this action. As a rule I usually get the neck dead straight first then I make these adjustments. So even if I am a hair too close once relief is added into the neck, the slots I cut will be to proper height.
By the way, just like any technique in doing a setup, it takes time to build a good hand at it. As simple as this is it's no different than learning to play guitar. Not everybody can sleep pic right from the beginning if you catch my drift.
@@812guitarsoh for sure it does take time! By the way, do you have a recommendation on how to get the neck dead straight? I’ve seen someone just using straight edge rulers, though it states that I have to be cautious since the frets may be uneven. Especially since I haven’t leveled my frets yet
Sounded a bit like Michael J Fox in 'Back to the Future' movie where he plays the cherry red ES335 Gibson doing the Chuck Berry number at the school dance. 'Try to keep up!!'
Vrry cool. Thanks
Great video!
I have one question though.
What you did looks fine for the thinner strings. But what about the thicker strings? I can't imagine they would make the same sound if the nut height was correct, would they?
Great informative video otherwise! 👍🏻
@@amagupt actually they make a very similar sound. The only way I could describe it is it sounds like the high trouble strings on the piano. Those little teeny tiny ones that don't really resonate but they make an interesting clink/clunk sound at the same time. I'll eventually get around to doing more videos and I'll post a follow-up to this process
Love this..! Thanks…
but… HELP..!!🙏🏻
So many other videos tell me to make the slots the same depth as the first fret..
Seems to me that the strings will buzz on the fret ,doing it like that..?
Even if you consider the relief of the neck ..
You're absolutely correct. The nut slots need to be a hair higher than the first fret. And as logic would dictate, if the slots are the same height of the first it will result in a buzzing issue
@@812guitars Thank you VERY much.! I waited.. and I’m happy that I did.!
I've NEVER seen a video where someone says "cut the nut slots so that they are the same depth as the 1st fret". That makes NO sense whatsoever. OF COURSE the strings will buzz if you do that. I've seen plenty of videos where they demonstrate how to keep piling on layers of masking tape right next to the 1st fret, until the top layer of tape is BARELY ABOVE the first fret. They say you should be able to catch the edge of the tape with a finger nail, when running your fingernail along the top of the first fret. Then, you carefully remove all the layers of tape at the same time, and carefully stick that stack of tape against the nut. That stack of tape is now your gauge for filing the nut slots. I've never tried it myself. I was always told that when the neck is adjusted properly FIRST, and the guitar is tuned to pitch, loosen & move 1 string at a time out of it's nut slot, and carefully file & re-check until all 6 strings OPEN ( not fretted at all ) have 18 thousandths of an inch of clearance between each string directly above the 1st fret.
Does the method apply to all the strings?
@@antlou123 yes sir! You can also use this method on Bass
What do you do when it frets out at the first fret? Lol!
Well it doesn't take a genius to know that if the string buzzes as you play it open that the nut slot would be too low. You can either fill it with Cyno glue or pop the whole nut off and add a small veneer underneath to get it up into the air. But regardless at that point you'll have to recut all the nut slots to make final adjustments. But be aware, this is only after you've made sure that the neck is correctly adjusted. It could be the case that the neck is backbone which will automatically make those strings fall right on top of the first fret. It's a very common mistake that guitar technicians make all the time.
That looks a little too low imo.
Yes l would have thought so too, but the reasoning behind the video on cutting the nut slot lower is very sound, on acoustics though it Sometimes isn't the best, electrics almost always, just my thoughts though 😊😊😊
nope. should be just a *hair* over fret height
hi i wondering if the nut is responsible of make the e and b strings sounds higher than other strings when pluged in amp i got an acoustic tenson installed fishman pre amp plusbpiezo under saddle
If those strings sound louder when played open, then the slots may be a hair too low. But if the strings are louder in general as you play through the board, then that would be a matter of adjusting your pickups. By the way there's also a difference between single coil and humbucker pickups. If you look at vintage Fender strat pickups you'll notice the B and E pole pieces are lower than the other strings.
I remember on very early electric guitars that many had a very loud B string. Now days, the pickup seems to be compensated for the extra volume. I think also it is an inherent problem associated with the B string length and diameter, but thankfully, we don't seem to suffer from that problem now.
Does the low e string sound like the high e string on the 2nd fret?
3rd fret. He says "2nd fret," but he said it wrong. It's 3rd fret.
Very cool...never knew this. Thanks!
Does it work for electric guitar also?
That technique works on all forms of guitar and Bass. Even fretless.
I'm really curious: in order to achieve that "plinky piano sound" when tapping a string that has the correct nut slot/height, surely there will be a certain clearance when checked with a feeler gauge, and if so, what does that string height work out to when the string is open ( no fretting of the string ) using a feeler gauge between each string and the 1st fret? Because I've always been told that all 6 strings are at or near their ultimate playing height (pertaining to the nut slots being cut ) when the clearance between each OPEN string directly above the 1st fret is 18 thousandths of an inch. This is assuming of course, that the neck relief has already been adjusted properly first. I hope you respond. ?????
Sure you could use a feeler gauge. But most people don't know how to use one. More like so now at days because no one needs tO "gap" their spark plugs anymore. Anyways, the math is simple. The correct height of the string over the first fret is about half the gauge of the string.
@@812guitars People who "don't know how to use a feeler gauge" are simply too lazy. I can teach an 8 yr old how to use a feeler gauge. I get all 6 of my strings set at 18 thousandths ( open & tuned to pitch with the neck relief already set properly ) directly over the 1st fret. After watching this video, I decided to check all 4 of my acoustic guitars for that "ping" that can be heard in this video......and sure enough, all 6 strings on all 4 of my acoustics have that "ping".
My way is the only way
why do they sell guitars with way to high nuts? lol crazy. your methods looks easy to go to far. and with the strings there you will need to move it out of the way. this mean detuning and then retuning to do your check up. wow will take for ever.
Acoustic and Electric same…..I guess ;)
Yes sir. And the same for bass
you know I understand what you're saying and maybe if you have a lot of experience that's groovy, what if you don't and then you cut the nut too deep because you were too put off by the idea of measuring it like Dan Erlewine a foremost expert does?, just sayin, no need to mess it up with guessing when you don't have to, of course you've heard the old carpenter's phrase 'measure twice and cut once'
How much action is their on 1st fret ?
What made you think the owner would want the nut slot to look like that?
That's a work in progress. Like looking a a patient going thru surgery. The nut is filed to final shape, sanded smooth, then buffed.
That😂 slot is a hack
"Try to keep up" and "feeler gauges, all that is a waste of time." Dude you no need some humility.
Good video, but the wording "try to keep up" will be off-putting to some. Not me, personally, but many will feel patronized by it.