bone nut ?

[toyL]

The last time I had my early 70s sg in the shop (Wayne Kamp's Custom Guitars) for a setup, he told me that the nut (bone) was pretty much worn down to the point that I should consider replacing it. He pointed out a
couple of the notches (the A and the low E) where he had built them "up"
using a small amount of some hardened synthetic material. On top of these
reworked notches he inserted a thin rectangular "medium-soft" plastic-like
material, under the string, that basically served to minimize string-wear on the hardened synthetic material that filled/raised the notches. All in all, he
had done a magnificent job, although it was clearly a temporary "fix"--
which he didn't feel the need to elaborate on because he knows me well
enough to know that I could plainly see it for what it was.
At the time, I could easily "see" the hardened synthetic filler he had ever so
neatly used too build up the worn notches, but I did NOT see the small thin
plastic-like inserts under the two strings. It wasn't until a few days later, when I was tuning down to play Zep's "In My Time of Dying" that I even noticed the thin plastic inserts. Tuning the top two strings down a whole step caused the plastic inserts to move slightly toward the bridge, which dramatically muffled/altered the intonation, rendering the guitar unplayable--except in standard tuning after tedious replacement of the plastic inserts under the strings at the nut.
So, does anyone know where I can get my hands on some old bone nut
pieces that can be re-worked to fit nicely on a fairly thin old Gibson SG
neck? I know that most of these particular guitars have been hacked-awayin order to salvage their fret-boards and pickups, so, I'm thinking there
might be a few nuts laying around as well. Thanks for any replies.

 

[Milnoque]

Any competant luthier can fashion a new bone nut for your SG. Unbleached bone will have a proper vintage look. A used nut from an old SG will not necessarily fit your guitar correctly.

A professional nut replacement isn't cheap, but it isn't prohibitively expensive. The results will be very much worth it. You have a fine guitar. It deserves a new nut.

For the short term, You can use crazy glue to re-attach the inserts and get yourself going.

 

[muttley600]

I have no idea why your repair guy did the fix that way but there are better ways to do it. Not having seen the job I can't really comment on it tho! One thing for certain you shouldn't have any loose pieces of anything in the slots. You have found out why.

Get a new bone nut cut by a decent luthier. He or she would be able to match the existing nut and set it up to play correctly.

 

[toyL]

I have no idea why your repair guy did the fix that way but there are better ways to do it. Not having seen the job I can't really comment on it tho! One thing for certain you shouldn't have any loose pieces of anything in the slots. You have found out why.

Get a new bone nut cut by a decent luthier. He or she would be able to match the existing nut and set it up to play correctly.

He did it strictly as a temp fix to give me some time to decide on and locate proper fix--which I have yet to locate...now that you've made clear your distaste for his "fix", can you direct me to a good piece of bone?--as per my request...

 

[Slowrider]

I've used 2 I bought from Stewart-McDonald. So far,... all my purchases from them have been great.

 

[muttley600]

He did it strictly as a temp fix to give me some time to decide on and locate proper fix--which I have yet to locate...now that you've made clear your distaste for his "fix", can you direct me to a good piece of bone?--as per my request...

There is no place for a loose piece of anything in a nut slot if he had done it correctly. That was the only point I was making. If he's that good as you say he is, he will be able to tell you where to get bone blanks and how to shape, cut and fit one.

 

[muttley600]

There is no place for a loose piece of anything in a nut slot if he had done it correctly. That was the only point I was making. If he's that good as you say he is, he will be able to tell you where to get bone blanks and how to shape, cut and fit one.

OK, didn't mean to come across as rude so I'll try again. I know we've fallen out in the past I was just wondering out load why anyone would put little lose pieces under the st string when its actually easier to fill the slot with bone dust and super glue and re cut the slot. This is a very common semi permanent fix that would seem easier if nothing else.

If you feel you have the skill level to fit a bone nut then get one from stewmac and follow their basic guide HERE

As has been mentioned getting a precut or old nut is unlikely to work, you could get lucky but I would still advise a new nut.

 

[rileykill]

The blank itself is usually pretty inexpensive. Cutting/fitting it is a little trouble but should be easy for a good luthier. Here are some blanks to give you an idea:

http://elderly.com/search/elderly?terms=bone nut&step=20&query_start=181&page=10&cname=Search

I have never fitted a bone nut to an electric. Do you find that it makes a significant difference in tone or sustain?

 

[toyL]

There is no place for a loose piece of anything in a nut slot if he had done it correctly. That was the only point I was making. If he's that good as you say he is, he will be able to tell you where to get bone blanks and how to shape, cut and fit one.

He only used the thin inserts to lessen the wear on the hardened filler. I'm sure he knew all along that they would slip-slide away and disappear onto the floor because he knows I'm constantly de-tuning. I'm also sure he knew full well that I could and would make my own "inserts" if I felt inclined to do so...which I did--using the plastic from a package of ghs boomers...I found that if I cut them just the right shape, and bent them "just" right, they didn't move at all so long as I didn't de-tune anymore than one whole step.
Yeh, you're correct--this guy can give me good "opinionated" advice all day long; part of that advice is for me to talk to others and look around for similarly shaped bones that were salvaged from Gibsons that bit the dust ahead of their time...which is why I'm here, asking about...for that matter, I may decide to wonder off into a petrified-woodland and scour around for a bit of naturally hardened wood, and cut my own nut just for grins...

 

[muttley600]

He only used the thin inserts to lessen the wear on the hardened filler. I'm sure he knew all along that they would slip-slide away and disappear onto the floor because he knows I'm constantly de-tuning. I'm also sure he knew full well that I could and would make my own "inserts" if I felt inclined to do so...which I did--using the plastic from a package of ghs boomers...I found that if I cut them just the right shape, and bent them "just" right, they didn't move at all so long as I didn't de-tune anymore than one whole step.
Yeh, you're correct--this guy can give me good "opinionated" advice all day long; part of that advice is for me to talk to others and look around for similarly shaped bones that were salvaged from Gibsons that bit the dust ahead of their time...which is why I'm here, asking about...for that matter, I may decide to wonder off into a petrified-woodland and scour around for a bit of naturally hardened wood, and cut my own nut just for grins...

The only problem with a salvaged nut is that it will have been cut for a different guitar and set up as well as most likely have been tweaked over the years much as yours has. Like I said above you may get lucky and get a close fit but more likely you'll spend as much time seating it right as you would cutting a new one.

Follow the guidelines on the link I posted above and you should be able to fashion a nut from whatever you choose, bone is about as good as it it gets and it's cheap. Nothing wrong with wood, I have fitted ebony nuts on request and also as standard on one archtop model I offer. They do wear quicker though and you need to pick a timber with a good "slip" to avoid binding in the slot and possible string breaks as a result. The good thing about learning to fit a nut is that if you don't get it right first time you can bin a few as you learn without damaging the guitar.

 

[Milnoque]

If you want to try cutting your own nut I would encourage you to do so. Read through the link Muttley gave you. Get a real bone nut. Make sure you have the right tools for the method you choose. Work with care and protect your instrument at all times.

I say again, You have a fine instrument. It deserves a proper repair.

If you are reasonably handy you can do a good job. It takes longer than you think to do it properly, but it ain't rocket science.

Make sure you know what you're doing before you start.

A hard piece of wood makes an acceptable practice blank.