Actually you can put material back, sort of anyway. Cryo glue and baking soda has bailed me out more times than I care to admit. On a side note wtf was the point of this video?
It is crap. Of all the three new Fender Strats I bought, none was usable. They all detune after one minute of playing. Will never buy a new Fender again. And Gibson either. Same story. You pay for the brand name, not for quality.
Real Fenders are $1000+ and this video isn't titled "Nut filing plastic for your $100 Squier", bud. Most real musicians love their instruments and treasure the time they get to play with them. If you don't have any problems with this video you very surprisingly don't have developed enough ears to hear the major intonation issues that comes with having a terribly made nut. 'The difference between the good guitar player and the great, is tuning" Anyone who actually understands this instrument knows the importance of tuning. +Ralphie Leonard
When you're dealing with someone else's personal guitar and you do a shitty job it really affects that person emotionally sure it's fixable but the result is very upsetting for sure.
Some of you are such divas. My low E is a big string and it didnt fit into the slot well, so I folded some sand paper and filed it down that way. Now my E string fits perfectly inside
totally, i do not know why Fender keep giving us these nut set for 009 to 42, it seems most of us strat players play mostly 10s- to 46 or thicker... if it was already preslotted for 10s, the guys who use 9s would not have problems either (not loose) another Fender enigma is why they wont send their 24 inch guitars with thicker strings
I’m with you I can set up a Tele blind folded ,I never use a nut file ,if a string buzzes crazy glue and baking soda . I even did it on my original 53 ,until someone traded me ridiculous money and a 67 .
Just a suggestion, there are many points that you glossed over. Instead of doing a rush job on this video, why not take the time to show how to do it the right way and expound on those points that you glossed over. I know there are many people out there that would take the time to watch a well done video!
seriously fender ,you let this video represent your brand.For anyone new to guitar repair go and watch some other tutorials on how to correctly do this without damaging your guitar.
Stephen Quail Pretty careless tutorial. Rushed and damaged. Watch John Carruthers' setup videos if you want to see someone who knows what they're doing.
I've used old guitar strings the same gauge as the stings I play as nut files by wrapping with sandpaper. Maybe not ideal, but it will work. I really need to get a set of nut files though.
Old vid, I know. Couldn't resist a comment that goes with your comment. This guy mumbles out the feeler gauge thickness, and then doesn't really even use it. Then he proceeds to mar the wood while whipping around the file in the first 15 seconds of any work. He says maybe 5 times "you should really take your time" while filing away at the poor nut slot like a lumberjack behind on his tree quota. The last time he checks the height he even forgets to push down on the third fret. He is either soooo good than he can do this job at 100 miles an hour, while damaging the guitar with no actual reference, or he doesn't really know anything. I'm taking the comment at the beginning about "I've been at this a long time, other people might do it different" to mean he doesn't do it right at all.
I'm amazed at how much he missed and how he glosses over so many critical points. The guy on the left was trying to guide him toward covering things like string angle, but of course he didn't cover the increasing drop-off or flare on the string post side. Perpendicular to the strings? How about parallel? I don't know why I go to these Fender videos.
It depends on the size of the slots in your nut. I always give a .002" play in each slot compared to the size of strings I'm using. For example, I play .011, .015, .022, .030, .038, .048, and cut it to .013, .017, .024, .032, .040, .050. I can jump up a size if I want, even down. I think most "stock" nuts are cut .011 - .048. And like TheRealCAPerry said, if your string binds, it could be because it's too big for the nut slot it's running through. This could also be because of a crooked cut.
Is it possible to put a new nut on a 42mm width guitar nut...from 35 mm to 36 mm from E string to E string ? Thanks a lot for your answer and help. Regards from France
I just got a new Player Tele and there are some funky spots on the neck. One of the worst is doing those Country bends between 1st and 3rd Fret. I think it needs a new Nut and probably Fret Level. This Video makes me realize I need to take it to a Pro.
Hosco makes three different types of nut files. First : the three double edged nuts files to a set with the colored handles; Second: the longer files with the red tang; and third: the compact, black nut files which require the holder. Which set would you recommend to a non-professional who only works on his own guitars? I've read that the double-edged three files to a set files cut the slots too wide. Is that true or were they probably talking about the cheap amazon/ebay knock-offs? How are the files with the red tangs used? It seems they don't require a holder, but what about the thin files for the high "E", "B" and "G" strings? How do you use those? ?
forgot to mention. do you begin with a pre-cut flat or curved bottom bone nut for say, a fender strat such as the one show here.. can any one tell me? In my case I have an american performer tele - one produced last year. I would like to swap out the nut it came with for a real bone nut. I know it has a 9.5 radius, but I am not sure if I should order a curved or flat bottom bone nut from stew mac.
It’s critical to know both the angle of the file of each slot-and if you haven’t the luxury of a pre-slotted nut-precisely where each slot must be placed.
Just had a new nut installed on my guitar and the slots was cut too deep esp om the G string I'm no experienced Luthier but I noticed on most of my guitars in fairly excellent to new conditions that a nut should have slots evenly cut and the strings would lay on top so as you progressed from years of playing it should slowly be wearing down evenly. When you cut a new nut slots deeply like that it sort of defeats the purpose of installing a new nut on your guitar.
EMC WOODEDxISxHERE You are right; the guy tells you that he already made a permanent mark in the headstock because he was careless. And he did not mask the headstock while filing. How masterful can he be after doing this hundred and hundreds of times and still screwed it up ?
Good techs don't work without taping off and protecting things - I would never take a nut file to a Fender neck without a thin steel protector behind the nut - it's just too easy to do what he did because the peghead is flat to the neck. Secondly- "Fender Custom Shop Master Builders" is a really low standard in luthiery. Fender guitars are bolted/screwed together... big whoop. A 12 y old kid with a screwdriver can "build" a strat or tele - I know that for a fact because I was that kid at one time. There is no comparison in skill required between screwing a pre-finished neck (4 wood screws) on a pre-finished body (what they do at Fender) and actually building a set-neck guitar from scratch..
Thank you, Fender! Just watching Chris Fleming's intuitive approach taught me more than any spec sheet could. I just installed a new bone nut in my Telecaster & this video helped me nail it!
Yeah this looks fairly intimidating for a luthier noob like me, but I guess the worse that can happen is I go too far and just replace the nut right? Is it pretty easy to tap these nuts out and replace them? Thanks.
"The nut slots are already pre-slotted for you" ... yeah like every guitar sold on Earth ! This video just show us what everybody already knew ... Fender sold us guitars which are not well set up.
+John Silva LOL My thoughts exactly John... "Never mind that the slots were cut way too high at the factory because at Fender we've pre-slotted it for you!!" "Just fork over some more money for a set of files and practice getting the right depth on your new guitar! And if you cut the stock nut too low (and you most certainly will), no worries, you can always sell your outrageously expensive files half price on ebay so you can afford to have it replaced professionally. Just be sure to take it to a Fender authorized tech for fast reliable service!" ;)
For the modern down tuners, we use very heavy gauge strings, is it possible you could show us how to do maybe a 6 string with very heavy gauge, and a seven string with 7 string gauge type nuts?
I made my own files wiht different sizes sand papers glued to a thin metal laminate, its not proffesional but it worked perfectly for me. Fender strato classic player 50's, made in mexico, who makes the nut for those guitars? length between 3rd and 4th cord wrong!!! graph tech tusq!!!!!!!! great nut.
It depends. Unless that nut is made for your set of strings, you have to cut new slots. It's a good practice to take material off of the top. The Stew Mac video out there does NOT teach you how to take material off of the bottom. Sandpaper on the fretboard cleans up the radius on the bottom of the nut. It's not designed to lower nut action.
I can see how it could easily go wrong, but with the right tools and, as advised, taking your time and carefully filing slowly and gradually then that seems an achievable job for the non-expert. Nuts can be replaced, so not a disaster if you file too much. Am I being unwise?
The guy goofed it up, didn't tape over the headstock to protect it, didn't re-film it to avoid showing his error and Fender has factory machines to cut a nut slot and the nut height 'itself. Why not set the machines to leave a small bit of material to be removed as a 'fine tune' adjustment ?
So does this mean that even a new fender strat has to/should have this done? I have one coming that I ordered and want to have this done if it needs to.
No not neccessairily all the time. This is for when you get a new separate neck from Fender from their accessories department. I got a Fender jazz neck which needs the nut filed but I don't have the tools to do it nor do I have the $$$ to go to a luthier or get my own tools so I use alternative methods. Like old roundwound strings to file it. Not the best method and it is veeeery slow
yes; SamAsh offers a setup to a new or used guitar. Any brand new guitar from a factory (versus Custom Shop sometimes) will need a setup and that includes adjusting the nut slot depth. Learning the '3rd fret test' is good to know and with the right nut slot files, you can do it yourself if you are careful and reasonably coordinated.
philmiller99 You can't put material back. And the height that any particular player likes is personal to that player. So, the guitar is delivered to have enough material to meet 90-95% of players' preference for string height. That means that if *you* are a 50th percentile person, you will want to remove some height on the nut, but 40-45% of players will want less removed than you. If you are one of the 5-10% that likes a greater string height, you'll want to have a new nut made/installed or have the original one shimmed up to where *you* like it. And yeah, they should have had him tape off the neck before pulling out the metal tools. That was sloppy. It's better to nick the tape with the file than the finish or the wood.
How could possibly excuse yourself for not telling the novices to tape off the neck on both sides of the nut before you started. Even a doofus can see you should have done that, and that's what you are for not doing so. Got your reward, didn't you? And you've been doing this for "a really long time"? Tell me about it...
Hi Ginger Jam,. he says that he has already touched the wood on 4.01 So i dont understand your reaction. Its not a big problem for me, but when you make a film like this you have to have to do it right. He must also use tape to pretect the fretboard. And is not the fretboard behind the first fret is the otherside he talks about
i normally just file thr nut so it doesnt bind the strings, then ill take the whole nut off and sand the bottom to the radius of the neck and keep doing that till its perfect.
It won't hurt anything but might not help anything much either. Martin actually suggests using 3-in-1 on their FRETBOARDS . Not kidding. A little graphite dust from a lead pencil will also lube the nut slot - less mess.
Hi Aaron, I wouldn't recommend 3-1 oil on a plastic nut as it can make the plastic swell. I use silicon lubricant, like you would use on a bike chain, just a tiny drop on the end of a toothpick or as Tioga says a dry lubricant is great like graphite dust.
Only if the string binds in the slot. You may think it's gone in the slot at times though, but not have it sitting right in the bottom, so you need to check carefully that's where it is. The only time you'd definitely need to be looking at recutting the slots is if you go up a couple of gauges - the low srtings grow in size much faster than the high ones.
mine buzes to on my yamaha pacifica prob bringing it to guitar shop to get it repaired but i think maybe a short time solution if you are really despred to play maybe put some tape under the string
A decent 2-sided nut file is $10-15. You can't raise $10? Actually - any round or needle file will work in a pinch - I've filed plenty of string slots with little files I bought at the hardware store for a buck or two. Not ideal, and won't last a long time, but so what?
Yeah but if he can't afford a file, he's not going to buy a bottle of thin viscosity super-glue and have it shipped either. Sounds like a 12-yr old's issue to me.
all fender guitars need their nuts cut. they all bind with trem use and go out of tune. file up a size higher than your string gauge to widen the nut slots for whammy use and lubricate.
As a guitar tech there is only one thing i can say about this video.....Ooouuuuchhh... Fender is just crap now days and this guy is just one of the clowns that set up the guitars at the factory...
Honestly I think their mediocrity is to help keep the guitar-tech industry going. And enough consumers are so obtuse they don't notice a problem, or they even think guitar set-ups are a scam. I witnessed a guy turn down 8 set-ups for $70 from Sam Ash when he bought his new $800 strat. Is their set-up any good? I hope so, and the purchaser acted as if he didn't know what a set-up was. Probably just the dude who needs one! So Fender is saving cost by shipping out their guitars just good enough. And dealers should be doing a final minor setup, anyway. That would help sell a lot of guitars
My new squier classic vibe has a nut that is cut terribly. I wonder who are these people who inspect the instruments and say something like"ok this is a sloppy job but someone is gonna buy it and fix it-we don't care" Yes, squiers in general are cheap guitars but 400$ is a significant amount of money for some people...
Stew Mac videos basically do NONE of this,most videos on RUclips just slap a pre slotted nut on.which will leave you with terrible action😂 you have to file each slot down to get the action you want. Also stew Mac and others never mention that you need to check your neck truss rod before doing this because that can effect your action greatly etc.
It's also a "DO-IT-YOURSELF" guitar. Meaning just that,, you need to do it yourself! Why would they have the nut filled and everything set up already? Might as well buy a new guitar if that's what you want.
Anyone can learn how to do this well in no time at all. Just takes a bit of patience and tools. These people aren't magicians. They were mostly musicians who decided to do it themselves. He just showed us how you do it and it was nothing.
@@curtrod what a ret@rded, clown comment. Firstly, my comment is 9 years old. Secondly, clearly I am addressing what they are saying in the video about taking it to a specialist. Therefore your comment is completely irrelevant and makes no sense. You look stup!d.
shouldn't you check the gap at the first fret before you start filing anything so you know what to take off? thanks for posting but you should tape the string post so you don't file mark the guitar.
You don't need tape because you can't touch the fingerboard with the file . If you do you're an idiot. You have filed your nut to zero and through the first fret...
Ginger Jam: Yeah, if you file perfectly parallel with the fingerboard on every single stroke, which is not what you want to do. It's actually behind the nut, on the headstock, where you're more likely to do damage when rounding the proper "ramp" in the slot. The slot needs to be cut deeper on the headstock side than the finger board side, and it's not a straight line filed, but rather gently rounded. The rounding action is where it's pretty easy to accidently file wood with the tip of the file. He actually does it in this video.
Where is the accuracy? Puts feeler gauge in at an angle... "I am going to take my time..." rushes through at the wrong angle and damages the neck. Geez Fender, get a grip!
English is not my mother tongue. I thought Paul was speaking of the "knock" we can hear. Ok he grabbed a bit of lacquer. I would not have call this a ""hit" but I can't speak proper english, i'm french. So apologize gods of lutherie. Why the fuck am I here ?!
My favorite part about this vid is that the shirts they're wearing still have creases at the shoulder, meaning some PR rep told them to change into them 15 minutes before the cameras started rolling lmao
Between that, the bad green screen, and the way he immediately starts cutting into the fretboard wood behind the nut, this video is like a piece of modern art.
This is a demo video 6 minutes long using one of Fender stock instruments it is not your guitar obviously if you paid the guy he would take his time and mask that thing up
You dont necessarily have to be a pro to do this, you just have to own the correct tools, i didnt and kind of butchered the nut.,.. nothing that cant be fixed by someone with a good set of nut files though. Best piece of advice, befriend a luthier lol
For the past 25 years manufacturers have been making nuts with the string slots too close together. They leave too wasted space on the far sides of the 1st and 6th strings. There's plenty of room for spacing the strings further apart, which makes the guitar easier to finger while playing intricate chords. Stay away from pre-cut nuts.
Yeah I couldn’t agree more. It is the bane of my existence and forces me to try each guitar in person before buying because I'm looking for something just a bit wider than the cramped standard that has taken over everything. I do not even have large hands but I play so much better with a wider string spacing it is not even funny, and I think some others might experience this if they tried it. Whenever I mention string spacing to other guitarists I get blank looks and total apathy as if I am speaking latin to them. So few guitarists understand even a hint of setup so it is hopeless to expect the industry to give us options or at least tell us detailed specs of guitars online (nut width does not count, it's different than string spacing). Only when I have talked with luthiers can I get some understanding or help, but even then it can difficult. Guess I am going to have to learn to do my own setups because a nut replacement gets expensive for a good one.
@@LiamDarden I finally gave up and went to a guitar with 1 7/8" nut width. Best thing I ever did. Incidentally, I read an interview with Leo Kottke once where he said he also always cuts new nuts with wider string spacing for all his guitars and for the same reason.
@@markseymour8365 Well obviously you don't widen them to that extent. Leo Kottke has also been widening the string spacing for decades, and I'm sure we aren't the only ones.
@@wildbillhackett I find the high E is already close enough to the edge on my Strats, for example, that any movement of the slot in that direction would result in this behaviour. Maybe my nuts are atypical (if you'll excuse the expression).
this did nothing for me but scare me into bringing it to a shop, which i'm not doing because i'm trying to learn. professionals begin as amateurs so i hate when people say that stuff because i wouldn't have even looked up this video if i wasn't prepared to do some learning...going elsewhere!!
Looks like Pantera featuring Eric Clapton
🤣nailed it!!
LMFAO
💀💀
"You can hit the finish on the neck, looks like I did that a little bit already".... I wouldn't let you near my guitar then.
xD
Actually you can put material back, sort of anyway.
Cryo glue and baking soda has bailed me out more times than I care to admit.
On a side note wtf was the point of this video?
Always use 3 layers of painters tape above the nut in case you slip and its easily done and there goes your finish
This explains a lot. Thank you for the insight into your attitude on quality craftsmanship, Fender!
It is crap. Of all the three new Fender Strats I bought, none was usable. They all detune after one minute of playing. Will never buy a new Fender again. And Gibson either. Same story. You pay for the brand name, not for quality.
Video ends with a "Not too bad"...is this the standard we are shooting for?
Dude, its filing down a piece of plastic lmao. It isn't surgery on a person
Real Fenders are $1000+ and this video isn't titled "Nut filing plastic for your $100 Squier", bud. Most real musicians love their instruments and treasure the time they get to play with them. If you don't have any problems with this video you very surprisingly don't have developed enough ears to hear the major intonation issues that comes with having a terribly made nut. 'The difference between the good guitar player and the great, is tuning" Anyone who actually understands this instrument knows the importance of tuning.
+Ralphie Leonard
When you're dealing with someone else's personal guitar and you do a shitty job it really affects that person emotionally sure it's fixable but the result is very upsetting for sure.
Some of you are such divas. My low E is a big string and it didnt fit into the slot well, so I folded some sand paper and filed it down that way. Now my E string fits perfectly inside
Yup that will work on Fender plastic nuts - which are junk BTW. Good luck on a bone nut.
+Tioga Fretworks I did it on bone nut, no luck required
xD
totally, i do not know why Fender keep giving us these nut set for 009 to 42, it seems most of us strat players play mostly 10s- to 46 or thicker... if it was already preslotted for 10s, the guys who use 9s would not have problems either (not loose)
another Fender enigma is why they wont send their 24 inch guitars with thicker strings
I’m with you I can set up a Tele blind folded ,I never use a nut file ,if a string buzzes crazy glue and baking soda . I even did it on my original 53 ,until someone traded me ridiculous money and a 67 .
At 3:15, it's not perpendicular to the string, is parallel to the string obviously... that's just idiocy to be honest
Just a suggestion, there are many points that you glossed over. Instead of doing a rush job on this video, why not take the time to show how to do it the right way and expound on those points that you glossed over. I know there are many people out there that would take the time to watch a well done video!
Lol yeah they acted like they were running out of time. Hello, yall can edit it down to perfect running time
seriously fender ,you let this video represent your brand.For anyone new to guitar repair go and watch some other tutorials on how to correctly do this without damaging your guitar.
Absolutely correct!!!
Stephen Quail Pretty careless tutorial. Rushed and damaged. Watch John Carruthers' setup videos if you want to see someone who knows what they're doing.
this work in here is clumsy, doesnt show from the top of the job etc. I am surprised
First rule of filing anywhere on the neck : TAPE IT OFF! He didn't and what did we hear? He damaged the end of the fretboard. Ugh.
or this is representative of today's craftsmanship, I've had Americam Fenders with horrid slots, either rough or spaced improperly
I've used old guitar strings the same gauge as the stings I play as nut files by wrapping with sandpaper. Maybe not ideal, but it will work. I really need to get a set of nut files though.
I wouldn't let him near my guitars.
Old vid, I know. Couldn't resist a comment that goes with your comment. This guy mumbles out the feeler gauge thickness, and then doesn't really even use it. Then he proceeds to mar the wood while whipping around the file in the first 15 seconds of any work. He says maybe 5 times "you should really take your time" while filing away at the poor nut slot like a lumberjack behind on his tree quota. The last time he checks the height he even forgets to push down on the third fret. He is either soooo good than he can do this job at 100 miles an hour, while damaging the guitar with no actual reference, or he doesn't really know anything.
I'm taking the comment at the beginning about "I've been at this a long time, other people might do it different" to mean he doesn't do it right at all.
Baaaaah ha ha!
I'm amazed at how much he missed and how he glosses over so many critical points. The guy on the left was trying to guide him toward covering things like string angle, but of course he didn't cover the increasing drop-off or flare on the string post side. Perpendicular to the strings? How about parallel? I don't know why I go to these Fender videos.
Was that six years ago? Oh shit.
@@TheWGLOVER 10 now
It depends on the size of the slots in your nut. I always give a .002" play in each slot compared to the size of strings I'm using. For example, I play .011, .015, .022, .030, .038, .048, and cut it to .013, .017, .024, .032, .040, .050. I can jump up a size if I want, even down.
I think most "stock" nuts are cut .011 - .048. And like TheRealCAPerry said, if your string binds, it could be because it's too big for the nut slot it's running through. This could also be because of a crooked cut.
For mounting the tremclaw, you can also use a right-angle screwdriver.
Great video. What was the thickness of your gage on the first fret?
Is it possible to put a new nut on a 42mm width guitar nut...from 35 mm to 36 mm from E string to E string ? Thanks a lot for your answer and help. Regards from France
I just got a new Player Tele and there are some funky spots on the neck. One of the worst is doing those Country bends between 1st and 3rd Fret. I think it needs a new Nut and probably Fret Level. This Video makes me realize I need to take it to a Pro.
Pokes the gauge under A string at an angle. That'll be real accurate. Or "not too bad."
I saw that and looked to see if anyone commented about it lol
Hosco makes three different types of nut files. First : the three double edged nuts files to a set with the colored handles; Second: the longer files with the red tang; and third: the compact, black nut files which require the holder. Which set would you recommend to a non-professional who only works on his own guitars? I've read that the double-edged three files to a set files cut the slots too wide. Is that true or were they probably talking about the cheap amazon/ebay knock-offs? How are the files with the red tangs used? It seems they don't require a holder, but what about the thin files for the high "E", "B" and "G" strings? How do you use those? ?
Using a feeler gauge what should the clearances be between the fret and strings?
forgot to mention. do you begin with a pre-cut flat or curved bottom bone nut for say, a fender strat such as the one show here.. can any one tell me?
In my case I have an american performer tele - one produced last year. I would like to swap out the nut it came with for a real bone nut. I know it has a 9.5 radius, but I am not sure if I should order a curved or flat bottom bone nut from stew mac.
It’s critical to know both the angle of the file of each slot-and if you haven’t the luxury of a pre-slotted nut-precisely where each slot must be placed.
Just had a new nut installed on my guitar and the slots was cut too deep esp om the G string I'm no experienced Luthier but I noticed on most of my guitars in fairly excellent to new conditions that a nut should have slots evenly cut and the strings would lay on top so as you progressed from years of playing it should slowly be wearing down evenly. When you cut a new nut slots deeply like that it sort of defeats the purpose of installing a new nut on your guitar.
Do not listen to this dude , he has already damaged the guitar ,
I think you're wrong because he knows what he does he is after al a custom shop masterbuilder
EMC WOODEDxISxHERE You are right; the guy tells you that he already made a permanent mark in the headstock because he was careless. And he did not mask the headstock while filing. How masterful can he be after doing this hundred and hundreds of times and still screwed it up ?
Good techs don't work without taping off and protecting things - I would never take a nut file to a Fender neck without a thin steel protector behind the nut - it's just too easy to do what he did because the peghead is flat to the neck. Secondly- "Fender Custom Shop Master Builders" is a really low standard in luthiery. Fender guitars are bolted/screwed together... big whoop. A 12 y old kid with a screwdriver can "build" a strat or tele - I know that for a fact because I was that kid at one time. There is no comparison in skill required between screwing a pre-finished neck (4 wood screws) on a pre-finished body (what they do at Fender) and actually building a set-neck guitar from scratch..
Jan Dim Wit* COrrected your name since your parents were too illiterate to get it right!
@@HBSuccess you built a tele as a kid? Hey can you build me one now?
Thank you, Fender! Just watching Chris Fleming's intuitive approach taught me more than any spec sheet could. I just installed a new bone nut in my Telecaster & this video helped me nail it!
Sure did. My guitar plays great
@@Alongfortheride693 lol
That would be my question too
You shouldn't have to install a new nut in the first place ...
@@artemisg.8057 you don't know what you are talking about
That type of guy is the reason i got GENERALISED ANXIETY.
Yeah this looks fairly intimidating for a luthier noob like me, but I guess the worse that can happen is I go too far and just replace the nut right? Is it pretty easy to tap these nuts out and replace them? Thanks.
Yes, it's relatively easy. Just watch the stewmac vids
Fairly adjusted and pretty adjusted is what I shoot for.
What if I just used my debit card as a feeler gauge when setting the action on the truss rod on my guitar and bass?
Ryan well that all depends. is it a visa or an american express 😂😂 jk
Quality control at any level will never catch every mistake. It's not like every guitar they let off the line will have a flaw.
"The nut slots are already pre-slotted for you" ... yeah like every guitar sold on Earth ! This video just show us what everybody already knew ... Fender sold us guitars which are not well set up.
+John Silva LOL My thoughts exactly John... "Never mind that the slots were cut way too high at the factory because at Fender we've pre-slotted it for you!!"
"Just fork over some more money for a set of files and practice getting the right depth on your new guitar! And if you cut the stock nut too low (and you most certainly will), no worries, you can always sell your outrageously expensive files half price on ebay so you can afford to have it replaced professionally. Just be sure to take it to a Fender authorized tech for fast reliable service!" ;)
I filed my classical guitar nut amateurly without much research and now it drops out of tune before I'm done tuning. What do I do now :(
For the modern down tuners, we use very heavy gauge strings, is it possible you could show us how to do maybe a 6 string with very heavy gauge, and a seven string with 7 string gauge type nuts?
i think you need a different sized file, altho this comment is 6 years old so imma assume you already got an answer lol
the correct string height is actually 0.020. Thanks for messing this one up
Do you mean at the first fret without pressing any fret?
You put a capo on the third fret and then you should have .010” between the top of the first fret and the bottom of the string.
Don't file guitar nuts while you're coming down from a coke binge, kids...
I made my own files wiht different sizes sand papers glued to a thin metal laminate, its not proffesional but it worked perfectly for me. Fender strato classic player 50's, made in mexico, who makes the nut for those guitars? length between 3rd and 4th cord wrong!!! graph tech tusq!!!!!!!! great nut.
The good idea use string like leaner + protect 0,1 mm on the first fret
If the entire thing is high, can't I sand the bottom of the nut instead of touching the slots?
yes, unless your nut has a rounded bottom edge, which some old fenders have, then it's recommended to file it this way on each string
See the Stu Mac "Fitting a pre-slotted nut" video. Dan shows how to lower a nut by using the fret board radius and sandpaper.
It depends. Unless that nut is made for your set of strings, you have to cut new slots. It's a good practice to take material off of the top. The Stew Mac video out there does NOT teach you how to take material off of the bottom. Sandpaper on the fretboard cleans up the radius on the bottom of the nut. It's not designed to lower nut action.
I can see how it could easily go wrong, but with the right tools and, as advised, taking your time and carefully filing slowly and gradually then that seems an achievable job for the non-expert. Nuts can be replaced, so not a disaster if you file too much. Am I being unwise?
Parallel to the string!
what is the reason why they're filling the guitar nut?
0.010". Got it!
I thought you were only supposed to use a file in the direction it cuts instead of going back and forth with it?
The guy goofed it up, didn't tape over the headstock to protect it, didn't re-film it to avoid showing his error and Fender has factory machines to cut a nut slot and the nut height 'itself. Why not set the machines to leave a small bit of material to be removed as a 'fine tune' adjustment ?
So does this mean that even a new fender strat has to/should have this done? I have one coming that I ordered and want to have this done if it needs to.
No not neccessairily all the time. This is for when you get a new separate neck from Fender from their accessories department. I got a Fender jazz neck which needs the nut filed but I don't have the tools to do it nor do I have the $$$ to go to a luthier or get my own tools so I use alternative methods.
Like old roundwound strings to file it. Not the best method and it is veeeery slow
For me, I need to have all my guitar's nuts filed down because I use heavy gauge strings and they don't sit properly down into the nut.
***** Heavier the gauge, the deeper the nut nees to be filed. I use standard gauge so I don't have much of a problem.
yes; SamAsh offers a setup to a new or used guitar. Any brand new guitar from a factory (versus Custom Shop sometimes) will need a setup and that includes adjusting the nut slot depth. Learning the '3rd fret test' is good to know and with the right nut slot files, you can do it yourself if you are careful and reasonably coordinated.
philmiller99 You can't put material back. And the height that any particular player likes is personal to that player. So, the guitar is delivered to have enough material to meet 90-95% of players' preference for string height.
That means that if *you* are a 50th percentile person, you will want to remove some height on the nut, but 40-45% of players will want less removed than you. If you are one of the 5-10% that likes a greater string height, you'll want to have a new nut made/installed or have the original one shimmed up to where *you* like it.
And yeah, they should have had him tape off the neck before pulling out the metal tools. That was sloppy. It's better to nick the tape with the file than the finish or the wood.
seemed to me he didn't want to give any "trade secrets" and made it sound next to impossible so people would have to come to him.
Exactly this is what I'm getting from these clowns...
How could possibly excuse yourself for not telling the novices to tape off the neck on both sides of the nut before you started. Even a doofus can see you should have done that, and that's what you are for not doing so. Got your reward, didn't you? And you've been doing this for "a really long time"? Tell me about it...
Robert R Rainey Jr check out his video on adjusting a truss rod. he almost snaps the neck. I cringed hard.
It’s great when they hire a son in-law to be your boss then expect you to train him
Hi Ginger Jam,. he says that he has already touched the wood on 4.01 So i dont understand your reaction. Its not a big problem for me, but when you make a film like this you have to have to do it right. He must also use tape to pretect the fretboard. And is not the fretboard behind the first fret is the otherside he talks about
i normally just file thr nut so it doesnt bind the strings, then ill take the whole nut off and sand the bottom to the radius of the neck and keep doing that till its perfect.
I don’t really know anything about adjusting anything on my guitar, but based on the comments this isn’t the place to go to learn
LOLOL same
I wish he was a little more specific about the angle of the slot where the string takes off to the tuners.
I'm sharp. Need file...
I need to sort the nut out it's a bit too sharp. Advice
is it safe to use 3 in 1 oil on a guitar nut???
It won't hurt anything but might not help anything much either. Martin actually suggests using 3-in-1 on their FRETBOARDS . Not kidding. A little graphite dust from a lead pencil will also lube the nut slot - less mess.
Hi Aaron, I wouldn't recommend 3-1 oil on a plastic nut as it can make the plastic swell. I use silicon lubricant, like you would use on a bike chain, just a tiny drop on the end of a toothpick or as Tioga says a dry lubricant is great like graphite dust.
hmm ok thanks mate.
no it can penetration wood and make glue joint loose. use graphite.or talc
I wonder why every Stratocaster you see has lateral string misalignment at the nut from the factory....
If you go to far or have an old nut you want to repair use dentist composite resin, cheap on ebay.
hi guys, i have question, the feeler gauge is .010 or .10
.10, but I use .16 which you can use the file for your G string.
Isidro Soto .010 .... ten thousandths not 10 hundredths. A regular light gauge set for electric guitar is 10 to 46 one thousandths. .010 - .046
If I bought a mexican made strat would I have to do this too?
use .018 feeler start from there .010 is when you press the third fret
If you go too far just mix up some nut dust and glue it back in to the slot...simples!
Only if the string binds in the slot. You may think it's gone in the slot at times though, but not have it sitting right in the bottom, so you need to check carefully that's where it is. The only time you'd definitely need to be looking at recutting the slots is if you go up a couple of gauges - the low srtings grow in size much faster than the high ones.
My low E nut slot is broken and I have no money to get a nut file, can anyone help me??
mine buzes to on my yamaha pacifica prob bringing it to guitar shop to get it repaired but i think maybe a short time solution if you are really despred to play maybe put some tape under the string
baking soda + super glue then use something else to file it out.
A decent 2-sided nut file is $10-15. You can't raise $10? Actually - any round or needle file will work in a pinch - I've filed plenty of string slots with little files I bought at the hardware store for a buck or two. Not ideal, and won't last a long time, but so what?
Yeah but if he can't afford a file, he's not going to buy a bottle of thin viscosity super-glue and have it shipped either. Sounds like a 12-yr old's issue to me.
between fret and string there is 0,2 mm gap.
all fender guitars need their nuts cut. they all bind with trem use and go out of tune. file up a size higher than your string gauge to widen the nut slots for whammy use and lubricate.
Why does he start filing without measuring first?
it's crazy
He looks like Clapton
UNA LIMA DE UÑA ES LO MISMO Y UN A MONEDA DE 5 CENTIMOS ABAJO PA N O PASARTE ...ANYMORE VIA EL PERU
"Use a guague"
What guague value?
The one marked 0.010"
I'd use a gauge.....but I won't go into the numbers...fail.
3:20 Parallel to the string, not perpendicular 😮
Chris seems a little aggressive with that file
As a guitar tech there is only one thing i can say about this video.....Ooouuuuchhh... Fender is just crap now days and this guy is just one of the clowns that set up the guitars at the factory...
+David Solano yeah, well some techs are lazy ass bullshitting clowns...just sayin
Honestly I think their mediocrity is to help keep the guitar-tech industry going.
And enough consumers are so obtuse they don't notice a problem, or they even think guitar set-ups are a scam.
I witnessed a guy turn down 8 set-ups for $70 from Sam Ash when he bought his new $800 strat. Is their set-up any good? I hope so, and the purchaser acted as if he didn't know what a set-up was. Probably just the dude who needs one!
So Fender is saving cost by shipping out their guitars just good enough. And dealers should be doing a final minor setup, anyway. That would help sell a lot of guitars
My new squier classic vibe has a nut that is cut terribly.
I wonder who are these people who inspect the instruments and say something like"ok this is a sloppy job but someone is gonna buy it and fix it-we don't care"
Yes, squiers in general are cheap guitars but 400$ is a significant amount of money for some people...
Stew Mac videos basically do NONE of this,most videos on RUclips just slap a pre slotted nut on.which will leave you with terrible action😂 you have to file each slot down to get the action you want. Also stew Mac and others never mention that you need to check your neck truss rod before doing this because that can effect your action greatly etc.
It's also a "DO-IT-YOURSELF" guitar. Meaning just that,, you need to do it yourself! Why would they have the nut filled and everything set up already? Might as well buy a new guitar if that's what you want.
I love potatoes!
£140 for a set of Hosco nut files to shape a £5 guitar bone nut
Anyone can learn how to do this well in no time at all. Just takes a bit of patience and tools. These people aren't magicians. They were mostly musicians who decided to do it themselves. He just showed us how you do it and it was nothing.
@@curtrod what a ret@rded, clown comment. Firstly, my comment is 9 years old. Secondly, clearly I am addressing what they are saying in the video about taking it to a specialist. Therefore your comment is completely irrelevant and makes no sense. You look stup!d.
Gee, would be nice if you filed them at the factory down to a playable height. .031" above the first fret, really?
shouldn't you check the gap at the first fret before you start filing anything so you know what to take off? thanks for posting but you should tape the string post so you don't file mark the guitar.
Very bad video! Where is the protecting tape on the first fret to protect the wood from the file? Check the video's Stew mac!
You don't need tape because you can't touch the fingerboard with the file . If you do you're an idiot. You have filed your nut to zero and through the first fret...
Ginger Jam: Yeah, if you file perfectly parallel with the fingerboard on every single stroke, which is not what you want to do. It's actually behind the nut, on the headstock, where you're more likely to do damage when rounding the proper "ramp" in the slot. The slot needs to be cut deeper on the headstock side than the finger board side, and it's not a straight line filed, but rather gently rounded. The rounding action is where it's pretty easy to accidently file wood with the tip of the file. He actually does it in this video.
Where is the accuracy? Puts feeler gauge in at an angle... "I am going to take my time..." rushes through at the wrong angle and damages the neck. Geez Fender, get a grip!
Phil Anselmo?
Featuring Eric Clapton!!
4.00 he hit the wood??????????? Its a new Fender of 1000 bucks..... this is emberasing
Paul Vreugdenhil thats whati thought. Id never trust him with a guitar after seeing that shit.
Please stop saying bullshit. He didn't hit the wood. The noise is just his watch clicking on the bench. You're embarrassing.
Ginger Jam You're fucking stupid. He clearly said in the video "it looks like I did that a little bit". He said himself he accidently hit the wood.
English is not my mother tongue. I thought Paul was speaking of the "knock" we can hear. Ok he grabbed a bit of lacquer. I would not have call this a ""hit" but I can't speak proper english, i'm french. So apologize gods of lutherie. Why the fuck am I here ?!
Celline
My favorite part about this vid is that the shirts they're wearing still have creases at the shoulder, meaning some PR rep told them to change into them 15 minutes before the cameras started rolling lmao
Between that, the bad green screen, and the way he immediately starts cutting into the fretboard wood behind the nut, this video is like a piece of modern art.
lot of bs here!!!!!
This is a demo video 6 minutes long using one of Fender stock instruments it is not your guitar obviously if you paid the guy he would take his time and mask that thing up
Its all about business.
I just sort of do this like that so I don't mark it, oh I've marked it, anyway that's one string you guys figure out the rest and um, BUY FENDER!
LOL hilarious,
I believe the chap knows what he's doing well enough but rushed it for the take. They should have edited and told him to take his time.
It's to be hoped that the guitar you buy won't need to go to a luthier the minute it leaves the hanger. That's ridiculous.
LOL, he said perpendicular when it's parallel, fine I'll leave
I'm not one to bad mouth others work. The Fender Company should have posted a video made with professionalism.
Jeez, this seems primitive
You dont necessarily have to be a pro to do this, you just have to own the correct tools, i didnt and kind of butchered the nut.,.. nothing that cant be fixed by someone with a good set of nut files though. Best piece of advice, befriend a luthier lol
Who else thought that was ec
For the past 25 years manufacturers have been making nuts with the string slots too close together. They leave too wasted space on the far sides of the 1st and 6th strings. There's plenty of room for spacing the strings further apart, which makes the guitar easier to finger while playing intricate chords. Stay away from pre-cut nuts.
Yeah I couldn’t agree more. It is the bane of my existence and forces me to try each guitar in person before buying because I'm looking for something just a bit wider than the cramped standard that has taken over everything. I do not even have large hands but I play so much better with a wider string spacing it is not even funny, and I think some others might experience this if they tried it. Whenever I mention string spacing to other guitarists I get blank looks and total apathy as if I am speaking latin to them. So few guitarists understand even a hint of setup so it is hopeless to expect the industry to give us options or at least tell us detailed specs of guitars online (nut width does not count, it's different than string spacing). Only when I have talked with luthiers can I get some understanding or help, but even then it can difficult. Guess I am going to have to learn to do my own setups because a nut replacement gets expensive for a good one.
@@LiamDarden I finally gave up and went to a guitar with 1 7/8" nut width. Best thing I ever did. Incidentally, I read an interview with Leo Kottke once where he said he also always cuts new nuts with wider string spacing for all his guitars and for the same reason.
@@wildbillhackettThe 1st string can end up slipping off the fretboard if you widen them like that.
@@markseymour8365 Well obviously you don't widen them to that extent. Leo Kottke has also been widening the string spacing for decades, and I'm sure we aren't the only ones.
@@wildbillhackett I find the high E is already close enough to the edge on my Strats, for example, that any movement of the slot in that direction would result in this behaviour. Maybe my nuts are atypical (if you'll excuse the expression).
this did nothing for me but scare me into bringing it to a shop, which i'm not doing because i'm trying to learn. professionals begin as amateurs so i hate when people say that stuff because i wouldn't have even looked up this video if i wasn't prepared to do some learning...going elsewhere!!
Please dont ever fix my guitar..
Please don't do this to any Strat or Tele made before the year 2000, thank you.