Nut not centered...

[alans056]

Hello

 

I replaced the nut on my Les Paul Custom today.

 

I glued it with superglue.

 

Now the thing is, it's not PERFECTLY centered... The strings are not perfectly in the middle of the neck... Like 1 mm or something...

 

Is this a thing I can live with ?

 

Thanks

[Supersonic]

Superglue???

[alans056]

well err... yeah cause It wouldn't stay in place properly otherwise...

 

Wait a second did I do a big mistake there ???

[L5Larry]

"perfectly centered" is not the issue. The only issue is that the E strings do not fall off the neck while playing. You won't know if you have this problem until you string it up and play it for a while. As for not being centered, your left hand will automatically compensate. I've played hundreds of guitars, and never once did the thought go through my head "these strings are in the wrong place".

[Hungrycat]

You didn't HAVE to superglue it. The string tension would have held it in place.

[alans056]

Alright I screwed up :( I didn't think about the pression of the strings... I just glued the damn thing!

[Hungrycat]

Alright I screwed up :( I didn't think about the pression of the strings... I just glued the damn thing!

 

Well most manufacturers DO glue it down, but for future reference you don't have to.

Don't Panic

[alans056]

Thank you for the info! I will remember that!

 

 

 

So what do you think ?

[Southpaw]

Don't Panic

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ilGGP9BDZs

[animalfarm]

Your thread TITLE instantly reminded me of my Girlfriend.... HEY-OOO!!! (Rimshot).

 

Looking at pic, I'm not freaking out. Give it a whirl for a few plays,

then decide.

[brianh]

So what do you think ?

If you hadn't told me that the strings were off-center I wouldn't have seen anything wrong with this picture. In fact I still don't see anything wrong with it - strings have different diameters, therefore they need to be spaced and positioned unevenly.

 

But, the superglue was an unfortunate choice because it may make it difficult to remove the nut in the future, depending on how much was used.

 

The conventional wisdom is to use a very small amount of wood glue (Titebond or Elmer's) - just enough to hold it in place when you change strings.

 

I use a toothpick to apply the glue, one or two very small drops, and then clamp it for an hour or less.

 

That way it'll stay put, but if you need to remove the it later, a gentle tap will knock it out without taking much if any of the neck material with it.

[jerrymac]

Hello

 

I replaced the nut on my Les Paul Custom today.

 

I glued it with superglue.

 

Now the thing is, it's not PERFECTLY centered... The strings are not perfectly in the middle of the neck... Like 1 mm or something...

 

Is this a thing I can live with ?

 

Thanks

 

You can remove the nut, but you got to be careful. You don't want the wood coming off with the nut.

 

You want to lightly tap the nut from the side like this:

 

 

 

You don't it to pull up, you want it to slide to the side. Don't gorilla it, just lightly tap it until you break the adhesion.

[RobinTheHood]

A little super glue is no big deal - as long as you didnt slather the nut with it. A little drop on each end is perfectly acceptable and will be easily removable in necessary. I do the same thing on my 5-string basses with a straight-5 headstock because the string tension will pull the nut about 1/8" off the board....especially plucking bass strings. I'll see the nut slide around if I dont glue it down.

 

On the bottom of some nuts, you'll see two little divots. That is where I put a teeny tiny little drop of super glue. Its enough to keep the nut from sliding, yet not enough to damage the fretboard if you need to remove it.

[bobouz]

I've generally put a small amount of superglue on nuts to keep them in place. No big deal, it should still pop right off. Protect your fretboard & put a flat item against the front of the nut that can be struck lightly with a hammer, and it should pop right off without taking off much, if any, of the surrounding wood. If you doused it heavily with superglue, that's another story & I'd probably leave it alone.

[alans056]

Thanks a lot everyone :)

 

No I didn't put a lot of superglue, just 1 drops on each side.

 

 

I think it's fine I don't need to change anything finally !

[amx05462]

ive superglued them before no problem getting them off. just took one off my wildkat today to install a roller nut. super glued the filler wood in place before i router the end to put the center of the roller where the end of the fret board used to be. nothing wrond with superglue unless your such a traditionalist the least little thing bothers your head. if so use elmers and wait till tomorrow to play.

[animalfarm]

This is SAD, Oh so SAD... Alans056 also posted this same question

on the GIBSON side of the forum. Good idea, get more input. BUT -

one of the Gibby Side responders actually said:

 

"That's not a Gibson. Why post it here?"

 

 

Tsk, tsk... Others who responded were helpful.

[alans056]

yeah the truss rod cover ^^

 

thanks a lot guys you are great :)

[ladyscaglyc]

That nut looks dead on (to me).

I've played my 12 string Gibson Firebird as a 6string for many years

and all I've ever done was to tap on the side, use a drop or 2 of Elmers

and position it so the 2 E strings are equal relative to the edges.

 

BTW Your post has now inspired me to reconvert the Bird to 6 again.

As a 12string I hardly ever take her out to gig. Now she can back-up my EPIPHONE Joe Pass.

(Had to do it- I can't stand brand snobs.)

 

Your string positions look great, just play it & rejoice in a job well done.

[Gordy01]

I use a couple drops of watered down wood glue. Just enough to hold it on without strings.

Wood glue full strength is more likely, but not certain, to take a bit of wood with it when you remove the nut.

If you used Superglue it might be a bit tougher to take off next time. Depending on how much you play the guitar, that could be years from now.