Jehle Posted February 10, 2003 Report Share Posted February 10, 2003 I'm stumped on this one. I think there's a problem with the nut on my new guitar. It plays really well except for one little problem, the open strings appear to be slighly flat. For example, in playing this all the open strings are too flat. |-3------------------- |------3-------------- |-0---------2--------- |------0---------2---- |-----------0--------- |----------------0---- But playing this anywhere else on the neck is perfect. |-4------------------- |------4-------------- |-1---------3--------- |------1---------3---- |-----------1--------- |----------------1---- I originally thought that the action might be too high, or that the nut was too tall. I doubt that, as the action is set nearly to the point where the strings buzz. As far as I can tell, I've got the guitar set up well. I've been doing this sort of set up for years, and this is the first time I've noticed this oddity. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 10, 2003 Report Share Posted February 10, 2003 Check the nut height by fretting on 2 and seeing if you have about .005 clearance on 1 to start......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted February 11, 2003 Report Share Posted February 11, 2003 should`nt the nut slot be cut at an angle? , such that the string rides on an apex which is as close to the body side of the nut as possible, perhaps if you cut it at a sharper angle it may cure this. ps , im in no way an expert on this so donr take my word for it! john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted February 11, 2003 Report Share Posted February 11, 2003 Do you have some calipers you can measure with ? I think the distance between the nut and the first fret on a 25.5 (Typical Fender) scale is : 1.431 (slightly less than 1 7/16 ") A possible trial method of seeing what would happen if the nut was moved closer to the first fret , would be to put a large fret in the nut-slot at the edge closest to the first fret (you'd have to put a piece of wood in the slot, so the fret would hold tight in it). then file some notches in the fret, to hold the strings. The notches would also move the "contact point" closer to the first fret. A big hassle, but if you need to find out if the nut slot needs to be moved, it's worth it, I guess. Or, fill the nut-slot with a piece of wood . No glue. make sure it's flush with the fret-board surface, but don't sand the filler strip while it's in the slot. Then make a nut that just sits on the fret-board and can be moved. Make it out of plexiglas. Or, maybe just put a piece of Low E guitar string across the front of the nut. If the strings rest on it instead of the nut, it will give you an idea . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted February 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2003 Well, I was able to cure the problem. I changed to a new set of 9's and used a razor saw to just lower the slot for the 1st and 2nd strings (angled the slot back to the headstock a little too). It took a little trial and error but it worked. Thanks for all the input guys. Now I need to make an MP3 of the planarian for y'all to hear. BTW, this is also the first guitar I've ever played where the tone improves drastically by lowering the pickup. Tele's are an odd beast, but I'm starting to really dig them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted February 11, 2003 Report Share Posted February 11, 2003 I have found that almost ALL pickups improve their tone when lowered! Something about the magnetic field Dave K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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