Nuts

C

Cornwall

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I was wondering if anyone here either: knows how to replace the nut of a bass, or a site that can explain how to do it?

I just called my local music store, and they said they were going to charge me 60 bucks an hour to replace my nut! 60 DOLLARS!!! On top of new strings, thats goign to come out to like 100+ dollars... I can't afford to spend more then buying strings and buying the nut... maybe some glue or something... but no way in hell I'm going to spend 60 bucks an hour to get a new nut put on.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Cornwall said:
I was wondering if anyone here either: knows how to replace the nut of a bass, or a site that can explain how to do it?

I just called my local music store, and they said they were going to charge me 60 bucks an hour to replace my nut! 60 DOLLARS!!! On top of new strings, thats goign to come out to like 100+ dollars... I can't afford to spend more then buying strings and buying the nut... maybe some glue or something... but no way in hell I'm going to spend 60 bucks an hour to get a new nut put on.

Any help would be appreciated.
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Suit yourself, but the correct installation of a nut is precision work. Nuts come as blanks, i.e., without slots; they have to be custom cut for the instrument. The height of the bottom of each slot is extremely critical to the action of your instrument, and even a tiny error can make a huge difference in playability. I do a lot of my own work, but nuts and frets I leave to the experts.
 
nut's

i have instaled my own nuts ........ but i am verry good w/ small fine measurements and detailed work :cool:
 
Cornwall said:
I was wondering if anyone here either: knows how to replace the nut of a bass, or a site that can explain how to do it?

I just called my local music store, and they said they were going to charge me 60 bucks an hour to replace my nut! 60 DOLLARS!!! On top of new strings, thats goign to come out to like 100+ dollars... I can't afford to spend more then buying strings and buying the nut... maybe some glue or something... but no way in hell I'm going to spend 60 bucks an hour to get a new nut put on.

Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Why do you think you need a new one?

And IMO, yes, this is best left up to professionals, or at least very experienced and skilled amatuers.
 
Oh, the E-String slot is cut too deep, due to my ex-room mate being an idiot... right now I have a piece of cardboard under it so that it wont rattle, but I want a new nut put in.
 
I have a method, doped out because of cheap guitars always having plastic nuts. On a Fender or copy thereof, this usually results in fine work, but Gibsons are a whole other ballgame. I cut a carpenter's pencil in half on a bandsaw, place the bone blank into the slot, and put a doubled up business card on the fretboard and tape it down. Put a straightedge across your frets to make sure that the card is about 1/32nd or so taller than they are. If not, use tape to bring it up, then run the pencil across the card, cut side down. The line you make is a guideline for how deep to cut the slots using a jeweler's file. The last two slots can be cut with a fine kerfed saw, I use a keyhole saw for this. Cut down to about 1/16" of the line, then install the nut and see how much more you need, repeat until you find it to be just right by removing very little material each time. When your slots are right, put the nut in a vise (ouch) and file the top down until the slots are just deep enough to hold half of the string in them.
Get two nut blanks in case you screw up. Hope this is useful!
 
Flangerhans said:
I have a method, doped out because of cheap guitars always having plastic nuts. On a Fender or copy thereof, this usually results in fine work, but Gibsons are a whole other ballgame. I cut a carpenter's pencil in half on a bandsaw, place the bone blank into the slot, and put a doubled up business card on the fretboard and tape it down. Put a straightedge across your frets to make sure that the card is about 1/32nd or so taller than they are. If not, use tape to bring it up, then run the pencil across the card, cut side down. The line you make is a guideline for how deep to cut the slots using a jeweler's file. The last two slots can be cut with a fine kerfed saw, I use a keyhole saw for this. Cut down to about 1/16" of the line, then install the nut and see how much more you need, repeat until you find it to be just right by removing very little material each time. When your slots are right, put the nut in a vise (ouch) and file the top down until the slots are just deep enough to hold half of the string in them.
Get two nut blanks in case you screw up. Hope this is useful!
Click to expand...

So, doing it yourself with this method, you need the ability to measure accurately to within 1/16", a keyhole saw, a vise, a jeweler's file, and a bandsaw.

And another nut in case, after all that work, you screw it up.

Kinda makes the $60 not look so bad, huh?
 
notCardio said:
So, doing it yourself with this method, you need the ability to measure accurately to within 1/16", a keyhole saw, a vise, a jeweler's file, and a bandsaw.

And another nut in case, after all that work, you screw it up.

Kinda makes the $60 not look so bad, huh?
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And 1/16" isn't enough resolution in measurement to get it right.

I have a full time job as well as a lot of other responsibilities. The limited time I have to spend on music, I want to spend playing. I'll pay someone to do this stuff. Even if I had the tools and could do the work, someone who does it all the time will do it faster and more reliably than I would.
 
Well, I didn't mean to set off an explosion in a cesspool. No, 1/16th of an inch is not proper resolution to get it right, that's why I work from that point downward. You are free to spend your time any way you like, I like to spend mine making my instrument work the way I want it to instead of the standard that another luthier feels is right. And the tools I use can all be replaced by less difficult to obtain ones with a little ingenuity, you needn't go out to get a bandsaw to cut a pencil in half. The point I was making was that it's not impossible to do your own work, the nut isn't going to damage the instrument if you screw it up, and the blanks are cheap. The poster asked for information, and I was happy to give him my method.
 
Flangerhans said:
Well, I didn't mean to set off an explosion in a cesspool. No, 1/16th of an inch is not proper resolution to get it right, that's why I work from that point downward. You are free to spend your time any way you like, I like to spend mine making my instrument work the way I want it to instead of the standard that another luthier feels is right. And the tools I use can all be replaced by less difficult to obtain ones with a little ingenuity, you needn't go out to get a bandsaw to cut a pencil in half. The point I was making was that it's not impossible to do your own work, the nut isn't going to damage the instrument if you screw it up, and the blanks are cheap. The poster asked for information, and I was happy to give him my method.
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There was no explosion, and do whatever blows your skirt up. The luthiers I go to when I need nut or fret work do a fine job in setting my guitars just the way I like them; it's not hard for them to ask a few questions and nail it. I am fortunate to have a good enough job so that paying for their work is not a problem. I am unfortunate enough to have a job that demands so much of my time that spending a lot of what I have left tinkering with my guitars is just something I would rather not do. I'd rather spend it playing.

Anyway, it works for me. DSFDF and YMMV.
 
I wasn't saying it couldn't be done

I was just thinking that somebody who doesn't want to spend $60 for the job probably doesn't want to spend it having somebody fix what he did wrong.

I remember a thread on another board where the guy complained that when he took the nut off, a chunk of the fretboard came with it.

I'm all for people tinkering and learning how to do things themselves, but generally you want to start on somthing that you won't be upset if it gets ruined. A practice piece, if you will. Not your only or main instrument.

And I wasn't dissing you for telling him how you did it, I was just pointing out to him that there might be a little more involved than he had originally thought.
 
Is this the bass we discussed in this thread here?. If so heres some advice thats already available for free on these forums if you do a basic search here.
There are many other threads covering nut installation but all you need to know is there.

You either pay $60 an hour or you do the work yourself and that includes doing the homework. Guys and girls who work on instruments need to eat, feed and cloth their kids and have the odd beer too.

If you come on with the "I ain't gonna pay tho$e dollars for that" you are seriously going to limit the quality of the advice you get.
 
I don't mean to come across as defensive, maybe I'm a little edgy sounding via type due to some nonsense I'm dealing with currently not involving any sort of tape or fretted instrument. I admit the overuse of the phrase,"explosion in a cesspool," as I like the imagery. Cutting a new nut is touchy, it's true, and I probably should have advised him to be extremely careful when removing the old one. A good luthier is worth anything you pay him, this work is neither easy nor common, and takes years to get good at. I personally enjoy buying incredibly cheap instruments and getting them to play like those that cost ten times as much, paying someone to do that defeats the purpose.
Cutting a new nut will teach someone how valuable a good luthier is faster than almost any job short of crack repair, though.
 
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I do set ups and minor repair (including replacing nuts) and just wanted to say that most minor repairs are easy if you have the right tools, a good working knowledge of what you are doing, and a healthy amount of patience. Even with these, I messed up about half of the first 20 nuts I replaced, then i learned how to do them correctly. Removing the old nut is usualy harder than installing a new one, you have to be carefull with that part too. Be sure to remove any old glue from the slot or the new nut wont seat propperly.
 
I would suggest you look for a pre-slotted nut. I think Stewmac or Allparts have them. We have a local store that carries the pre-slotted nuts and they've worked well for some old Japanese imports I fixed up. I'm even thinking that Graphtech might have some as well - that's what I put on my Strat.

I know a lot of folks on here are totally anti-DIY with nuts. But with patience, it's really not that big of a deal. I do think if you have to start cutting/filling the slots that IS another universe of complexity. But if cost is a factor, then $15-20 for a replacement nut is not an insane option.

Check out the replacement parts sites and see what they have.
 
My suggestion would be to find a "give away" bass at some yard sale or a cheapo neck on ebay and practice on that.

One screw up and you'll have to get a new neck or turn it over to a luthier to have it repaired.
 
Cornwall said:
Any help would be appreciated.
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For what it's worth, my shop charges about $85 for a new nut, plus the bone blank ($10) and of course strings. $60 is a good deal, if you think they will do a good job.

If you still want to do it yourself, buy a copy of Dan Erlewine's book on set up from Stew Mac, and follow his directions. The tools to do a half assed job (not to mention doing it right) will only cost you about $100, and you might get lucky and only screw up 3-4 before you get one right, so in the end you won't save a penny.

And stop asking people to give you shit for free. If you want good information, you will usually have to pay for it.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
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