How much for a nut job?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Grilled_Cheese
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Grilled_Cheese

Grilled_Cheese

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I need to get a nut job so I can put some heavy gauge strings on my acoustic.

About how much does this usually cost (+ the cost for a new nut)?

And what kind of bone should I use for my nut?
 
faderbug said:
i never pay more then 50. that does include some fiddling with the trussrod.
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Fuck you, asshat. You have no clue what you are talking about. And before anyone accuses me of a personal attack, saying that someone shouldn't pay more than a ridiculously low amount for a repair is the same as calling me a rip-off artist, which is a VERY personal attack in my book.


Doing it right takes about an hour, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. My shop rate is $80 an hour, and that only just barely covers my overhead (rent; insurance - you DO want your guitar insured while it is out of your hands, just in case something should happen, right? - HVAC; etc.) If you want a half-assed job, don't pay more than $50. If you want it done right, go to a good shop and find out what they will quote you. In my shop, it costs about $80, plus $8-10 for the bone blank. I don't know about anyone else's business model, but I couldn't do it for less without screwing over my employees, which I will NEVER do.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Grilled_Cheese said:
I need to get a nut job so I can put some heavy gauge strings on my acoustic.

About how much does this usually cost (+ the cost for a new nut)?

And what kind of bone should I use for my nut?
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Why do you want to put heavies on your guitar? If you are tuning your guitar down a bunch, (at least one whole step), then it is fine, and you should feel free to do so. If you are planing on EVER tuning to standard pitch, heavies are too heavy for any acoustic guitar (except maybe a Bozo), and I would STRONGLY advise against it. Mediums are fine at concert pitch, but heavies are a bad idea.


Oh, and you likely don't need a new nut. It is almost certain that your current nut can be adjusted to work with your new strings. In my shop, that's usually about $30-35.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Then maybe I'll stick to medium gauge, I just wanted to give heavy ones a try.

I do want to replace the nut and the saddle though because they're plastic.

What kind of tone difference can I expect with a bone nut/saddle instead of plastic? Anything significant?

I wouldn't mind paying $80-$100 to have it done right.

Also, I heard using brass bridge pins can help tone/sustain, but then I heard others say it doesn't do anything at all.
 
F U asshat? Wow, all he said is the max price he's paid for that job. No personal attacks implied in there from my perspective.

I suggest a 50 mg chill pill and maybe a cold beer, then a good night's rest. Then try again in the morning.

:rolleyes:
 
Can you even buy heavy guage acoustic strings anymore? I dont' believe I've ever seen them.
 
Between 1 and 2 hours work to do it correctly. Aorund £50 to £75 depending on how much tinkering it needs to get it right.

Bone should give somewhere between loads and no improvement on plastic depending on the guitar in question. You will usually notice a marked improvement. Brass pins will give more mass to the bridge so it should change the attack and delay. I don't personally like them. A well fitted ebony or hard rosewood pin would be ok if your switching from plastic.

If it were me I'd stick with mediums unless you have a really good reason to go heavy.
 
I keep 11-52's on my Guild JF50 but I think that is still a med. No reason to go heavier unless you are using a low tuning like Kottke or something. Or for an electric like that Ric Lennon I used to have but got rid of (one trick pony)
 
Big Kenny said:
I keep 11-52's on my Guild JF50 but I think that is still a med. No reason to go heavier unless you are using a low tuning like Kottke or something. Or for an electric like that Ric Lennon I used to have but got rid of (one trick pony)
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11-52 would be considered light gauge by most acoustic string manufacturers. 13 -56 would be a typical medium set, some call them medium heavy. Heavies are really a thing of the past. Few sets go above 13 on the top you can get some that give a heavier bass.
 
you can make the nut yourself

practice on the old one

and/or some plastic stock

then buy a piece of bone nut stock

(which you can get for less than $5)

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdpr...it=Quick+Search&NameProdHeader=Nuts+&+Saddles

using some sandpaper and some needle files/hacksaw

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/PROD/file-diamond/BCU10

you can make a nut

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Setup/NewNut/newnut1.html
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Setup/SetNut/setnut.html
http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/nuts.htm

it's not rocket science, and with a little patience

you can have the satisfaction

of doing it yourself

(and depending on where you live, you can probably find

the tools and materials locally)



heavy gauge strings were traditionally used

on arch top (f-hole) acoustics, for volume


i guess people don't play these much anymore
 
I use 12s I think, or maybe they're 11s. They say medium on the box but I don't know the exact guage.

Cannabis - Why do you type your posts like a poem?

Either way that was a really helpful post, so thanks. :)

I'd like to try it myself but honestly, I'd rather just leave it to the professionals.

I'll bookmark those sites though because I have another cheap acoustic and I may try it out for practice.

Thanks to all for the advice.
 
Light said:
Fuck you, asshat. You have no clue what you are talking about. And before anyone accuses me of a personal attack, saying that someone shouldn't pay more than a ridiculously low amount for a repair is the same as calling me a rip-off artist, which is a VERY personal attack in my book.


Doing it right takes about an hour, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. My shop rate is $80 an hour, and that only just barely covers my overhead (rent; insurance - you DO want your guitar insured while it is out of your hands, just in case something should happen, right? - HVAC; etc.) If you want a half-assed job, don't pay more than $50. If you want it done right, go to a good shop and find out what they will quote you. In my shop, it costs about $80, plus $8-10 for the bone blank. I don't know about anyone else's business model, but I couldn't do it for less without screwing over my employees, which I will NEVER do.
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I think you owe the man apology. He's in Belgium, and informed as you are about guitars in general, you have no idea as to the overhead and labour costs in Belgium. You dont know if his local shop offers insurance (whether or not it should is a different matter). Like you said you don't know anyone elses business model; maybe his local shop is engaged in a low-pricing strategy to get one up on the competition.

Also, after a quick calculation on exchange rates his '50' (which i'm gonna assume is Euro) comes to about $65. I think it's entirely plausible that a $15 dollar discrepancy could be accounted for by insurance policy variables and lower corporation tax, as well as such overheads as premises rental rates.

Light you clearly know you're stuff when it comes to guitars, and everyone here appreciates that. But 'fuck you asshat'? Whats with that?
 
Grilled_Cheese said:
I use 12s I think, or maybe they're 11s. They say medium on the box but I don't know the exact guage.

Cannabis - Why do you type your posts like a poem?

Either way that was a really helpful post, so thanks. :)

I'd like to try it myself but honestly, I'd rather just leave it to the professionals.

I'll bookmark those sites though because I have another cheap acoustic and I may try it out for practice.

Thanks to all for the advice.
Click to expand...

He is posting in the form of the Japanese Haiku-a form of poem... :)

See Haiku info here!
 
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