Cutting Of Locking Nut Base

[duo2]

I have an old dean neck that is beat and busted all to hell and my current project needs a fretboard. The fretboard is the only part of the neck that is still in good condition. The problem is that the dean neck is designed for a locking nut and I want a standard nut on my new guitar. Instead of like on a standard neck where the fretboard ends and then the nut is placed behind it, this fretboard has a small shim that the locking nut bolts onto. My question is would the fretboard work normally if I cut off this shim or should I just use the locking nut on my current project and just leave the strings unlocked? Im not using a trem. So far I have decided on using an LP junior wraparound bridge from stewmac.

Also if anyone knows, do you think i will need a neck angle with this bridge?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edited May 29, 2005 by duo2

[Marzocchi705]

I should think that cutting off the shim would be ok, the nut on my LP goes into the neckwood like a housing joint. You will need a neck angle for the wrap around bridge.

[duo2]

Thanks a lot. I figured I would need a neck angle. Do you think three degrees would cut it? And I'm thinking of cutting the headstock at ten degrees. Any comments are welcome.

[WarriorOfMetal]

i can't remember where it was that i saw it, but i remember seeing a nut, made of graphite i think, that was the same size as a locking nut, and attached the same way (intended to be a direct replacement, basically), but it worked just like a normal non-locking nut.....i'm gonna keep trying to find it so i can link you...