Eddie Rondack Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Anybody experienced with doing this... techniques that work? I started in on mine but stopped because I got scared... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 You need to slice through the lacquer at the edges of the nut first. If you don't have an x-acto blade, use a single edged razor. Here's where I throw in my disclaimer to fend off lawsuits, overall besmirchment of my name and derision of my technique: This has worked for me for many many years and I haven't had a casualty or injury yet, save for the shattering of a few cheesy nuts. Place a piece of wood up against the underside of the nut. Hold it there firmly, not flopping all around. Give the other end of the wood a quick snap of a hammer. I can almost guarantee the nut will pop off cleanly. It works for me, your mileage may vary. Remember, it's not the brute force that pops it off, it's the percussion, like snapping a towel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 This link also has some good information. http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Setup/NewNut/newnut1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 I used the afore mentioned technique when "neutering" my 2004 Les Paul Jr. I purchased it new from Musicians Friend for a 'friendly price'! Was dissapointed with the cheap plastic nut and sloppy slot job. The G string would jump out of the groove with a slight bend. There was not much nut height to deal with but I was able to deepen the slot some...with a modicum of buzzing. Got tired of that and replaced it with a nice bone nut....The difference in tone and playability was amazing! At any rate, the Xacto knife and percussive tap with a wood block did the trick for removal....clean as a whistle.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Rondack Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 Hey folks- Decided not to do it... the one on the guitar functions fine, I was just considering changing to get bone in there... per some folks who I think know, the difference a bone nut makes is negligible... Thanks for all the advice... I'll file it away for when I finally have to do this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 And not to beat a tired old saying to death, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There have been many mods made to guitars over the years in the interest in improving them. Now I'm not discouraging that, as I've done a lot myself, but what's the AA motto? God give the serenity blah blah blah? Sure rings true with guitars too, especially the last part.... knowing the difference. We have a Project Engineer in our office, who's about as laid back as anyone could be and still have a pulse. His assistant is an anal retentive with OCD. I love him like a brother but I could wring his freakin' neck sometimes because he will second guess everything. He's contemplating selling some junk on ebay, some Dungeons & Dragons crap (imagine that!) and he was questioning me as to how to pack them for shipping. We went back and forth and he "What if"d me to death and "wouldn't it work better if.....". Finally I told him, look, there's not one blessed thing in life that couldn't be improved or done better in some little way if you want to analyze every little detail. You've just got to know when to say "this is good enough". I was speaking mainly about packing a little figurine in some bubble wrap, when he wanted to custom make a polystyrene sarcophagus for each one. No doubt that would be better, but at what cost, in time and money? I don't think anyone would choose plastic over bone, that's just silly. But TUSQ is a good alternative. And TUSQ is some sort of plastic, no idea if it's thermosetting like bakelite or injection molded or what, but it's cheap, hard, consistent, doesn't rot like Gretsch binding (and even if it DOES, it'll be cheap to replace!). Don't mean to rant, I just made a bone nut last night, screwed it up trying to make it "too perfect" and today I will be making another one, so I have nuts on the brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 I agree with ksdaddy. Tusq is a good material and it's for that reason that Gibson uses it in many of their guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibtex5 Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 I know some folks sing the praises of bone nuts and saddles, and I do have both in a nice little custom OM guitar I had made a couple years ago. That guitar has a wonderful tone, and the luthier was adamant about no plastic on his guitars. Plus, the wood on the guitar is really wonderful - Engelmann spruce top, Indian rosewood sides and back, ebony fretboard - so no reason to cheap out on the nut and saddle. But a while back I had some work done on my early 90s Taylor 410 - a nicely made grand concert type guitar of sikta and mahogany, but still their entry level guitar at the time it was made. The luthier convinced me to put in a bone nut and saddle, and to tell you the truth, I really didn't notice much difference in the sound, which was fine to begin with. I'm sure it makes a difference when replacing cheap plastic though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Bone vs. plastic = No Contest! Once you go bone....you never go back[-x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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