New Nut Day

smitty_p said:
It's been a goal of mine for quite awhile to replace the cheap, plastic nut on my Washburn HB-30. Not only did it look cheap, it had the feel of the type of plastic you'd find in a plastic model airplane kit.

My plan is to eventually put some sort of vibrato on that guitar. Consequently, I've been looking at using something like the Graphtech Tusq XL nut, to help with return to pitch stability. That's really the main reason I've been wanting to replace the nut in the first place. It's somewhat of a pre-emptive move. Getting rid of a cheap-looking nut is a bonus.

Now, the tricky part is that there is no listing on Graphtech's website for anything for a Washburn. However, a Tusq nut for an Epiphone works quite well. The part number I ended up with is PQL-6061-00. This nut matched the thickness and string spacing perfectly. However, I did have to sand a fair amount off the bottom and just a touch off the ends.

I lucked out with this. I was a bit nervous about getting the height were it needed to be. But, I got it right where I needed it. The strings are high enough that I get no buzzing on the first few frets, yet I'm able to finger chords without pulling the notes sharp.

So, a few pics...

Here is the original nut. I don't know what purpose the hollow openings serve in the bottom of the nut, if any.

View attachment 15693


Here's the new nut in place and strung up. You'll notice the wound G string!

View attachment 15694

And finally, the rear showing the Tusq XL logo. I may still sand some off the top of the nut, so the slots aren't so deep. I only really want the slots to come about halfway up the wound strings, and just to the top of the plain strings.


View attachment 15695
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Dang smitty, I have 2 Tusq nuts for Epi I could have given you when you came over had I known you were needing one for the Wash. I bought 3 when I was replacing the one on my friend"s Dot.
Good job bro.
 
Robert Herndon said:
I have the Gibson specs on nut slot width...would that help you???
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Thanks, but the tuning issues with this particular Gibson happens when its Strat-style vibrato system is set up with some "float". If the vibrato is blocked or decked, then the tuning remains solid. In other words: No strings are pinging at the nut when bending the strings.

Now, I'll quote Smitty's post again:
smitty_p said:
Maybe, you could try dressing the slots with nut files or abrasive cord before you go all out with a new nut.
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The first time I replied to the above quote, I said I have tried this. WRONG!!!! I'm such a dumba$$... When I took a closer look at the Gibby, I realized it was a different guitar that I performed some nut molesting, and not this one!

First thing I noticed on this Gibby's nut is that the slots appear to be gauged almost exactly to the strings size. In fact, my string gauge of choice is sets of regular 10s. If I wanted to go to a set of 11s, the slots will have to be widen. That's how tight the slots are.

Anyways... I widen all the slots > increased the ramp-down at the headstock side of the nut slots > clean and polished the slots with the Mitchell Abrasive cords > applied some Nut Sauce > SUCCESS... (y)

On to next crisis...
Oh yeah... I need to mow the lawn... :blink:
 
Sysco, view my other posts re: trems in the "to what are ye listenin' " thread. The guy playing Strats demo's all manner of lube and tweaks etc he does to Strat saddles, springs, nut etc to maximize tuning stability on Strats during dive bombs.
 
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How long does it take to recover from a new nut surgery? Wait, maybe I'd better go back and start from the beginning of the thread...
Been spraying clear coat, sorry, bad yoke...
 
No, I'm finally getting around fiddling with the old Vox Stage 65 again. I finally got decals on it and finally getting around to clear coating it. Hopefully by this time next week I'll have the chassis back together. But, then I have to remake the combo cab for it too. It sat around for months after I sprayed the chassis - lol. No one can say I'm rushing this one ;)
 
Problematic nuts can be quite troublesome.
As a younger man one of my nuts would twist and cut off the blood supply and cause terrible pain.

It had to be surgically corrected to tether the offending testicle in place.
Its all good and I have 2 grown children to prove it, and I dont need to go on Maury Douchebag Povich to prove that.

But I digress....

Glad the Tusq XL worked out for you Smitty, I have been very happy with the 6 or so I have done to date.
Those cheap plastic nuts are not dreadful if they are cut right for height and width, especially on a hard tail.
But if not, I would rather fit a better nut than take time to fit the existing cheapy.
I would try dressing the slots once first, I suppose.
 
JT, back when I was approaching 30, I met a younger fella in his 20's that had a similar issue to you twice and yes he said it got very painful and required surgery twice.
Yup what does one lose at trying to dress plastic nut slots properly? Worst case scenario is the cheap plastic nut gets replaced which is likely what was going to happen anyway.
Best case is it works and gives trouble free use if lubed and kept in good condition.
 
The next thing to get changed on this Washburn is the bridge.

It’s horrid.

I had forgotten until I changed the G string to a wound G that I had dabbed a drop of glue on the bridge adjustment screws to keep them from vibrating. They sit so loosely in the saddles that they flop around.

I rediscovered this when I went to re-intonate the guitar.

Gee...the things I used to tolerate...

It’s an interesting dichotomy. This guitar is actually well-built and easy to play. But, the components are rather poor.

Ahh, well...it’s almost to “Les Paul Killer” status.

Or...”ES-335 Killer” status...pick your own “guitar killer” status.
 
Ran across this video. I was always curious how to tell the proper height of the nut slots. The part that shows .006 at high e and .010 at low e seems like good info.

 
chilipeppermaniac said:
Ran across this video. I was always curious how to tell the proper height of the nut slots. The part that shows .006 at high e and .010 at low e seems like good info.

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She's sloppy. Her technique for squaring is inaccurate, and those clearance numbers are nonsense. There should be no clearance. The height of the nut should be identical to that of a fret at that location - in other words perfectly aligned with all the other frets.

What she has replicated is the kind of setup you get from the factory, before a decent tech has done a proper setup job for you.
 
Its still a good how-to for diy. I'm strictly working on my own guitars.

It looks like she frets ahead of the 3rd fret, I have been fretting the string to the top of the fret.
A tiny gaps seems right, when I went down just a hair too far I got open string buzz.
I'm a clumsy heavy picker though.

It is important to put some tension on the strings too; I went down too far on another one that seated more with the strings on and tensioned.
Finally, check all the strings; the radius of the nut may not match exactly. I have a couple that could benefit from the D and G slots cut a little lower.

I had to sand a LOT more for height on every on I have done, they can make them tall to fit a variety of guitars.
You need to watch as you go; things can get uneven front to back and side to side.
 
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