Making strings sit in the nut properly...

[abyssofdreams]

I see that with thicker strings I'm getting problems for the strings being "too thick" to fit in the nut slots (or whatever they're called).

I have an ESP LTD with some sort of platic nut piece and I'm thinking about changing that piece with something more spacey.

Would that be a good idea? Or should I just take some sharp tools and widen the nuts by myself?

 

[AudioGeekZine]

ESPs have the Earvana nut and its probably not a good idea to replace it with a standard one.
Go to your guitar shop and get them to set the guitar up for the heavy strings.

If you do it yourself and fuck it up, you'll have to go to the guy to fix it anyway, skip the unnecessary step.

 

[abyssofdreams]

 

[AudioGeekZine]

you CAN do it yourself with a nail file or a butter knife with fine sandpaper wrapped around it, but don't.

 

[abyssofdreams]

I would bring it to a guitar shop but the problem is there is no guitar shop around with useful tech guys. Just noobs and I don't wanna hand my axe to 'em

 

[James-Doolan]

I would bring it to a guitar shop but the problem is there is no guitar shop around with useful tech guys. Just noobs and I don't wanna hand my axe to 'em

Unless you are retarded you are not going to fuck it up.

save some cash and just do it yourself its a pretty straightforward job.

 

[Gnash]

You can use the string as a saw on the nut. It takes off a little at a time, so you don't hack it. Just saw a little bit, then wind it up, repeat until it fits good. Use the actual string for each slot. Works for me

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

I would just make sure you know that you can find a replacement for the nut if you fk up.

 

[Where She Wept]

I would just make sure you know that you can find a replacement for the nut if you fk up.

+1

You could get a small set of files if you want to do it yourself, just be patient and slow. there's lots of info on the net. I recently made my first bone nut from a blank. it was a pain in the ass but worth the work.

 

[abyssofdreams]

hmm, isn't there a way to buy some finished, non-blank earvana nut anywhere?
all I can find is either a blank or a bass nut 4string/5string nut...

btw, a set of files is around 70 EUR

 

[ConspiracyBass]

Those Earvana nuts are compensated nuts (haha). They fix the tempered turning of guitars. You need to take the guitar to a tech that knows how to file em down. So yeah....

 

[JBroll]

Wrongo. If you know what you're doing (read: you know how a nut works) you can do it. Just pay attention to how the nut's shape compensates for the strings, and you'll be fine.

Another option would be to get a more dependable and less gimmicky nut. I'd recommend a proper intonation setup, and maybe checking out tuning variations like Feiten's tuning if you're actually bothered by the intonation, instead.

Jef

 

[ConspiracyBass]

Wrongo. If you know what you're doing (read: you know how a nut works) you can do it. Just pay attention to how the nut's shape compensates for the strings, and you'll be fine.

Another option would be to get a more dependable and less gimmicky nut. I'd recommend a proper intonation setup, and maybe checking out tuning variations like Feiten's tuning if you're actually bothered by the intonation, instead.

Jef

Not to be a dick, but if the OP can't figure out that he needs to file the nut to get the strings to fit properly, what makes you think he gonna know how to file the Earvana nut? And as far as I can recall, the Feiten system requires a special nut as well as setting the bridge saddles to a certain measurement.

 

[jeffadies]

you can order a set of nut files from stewart mac for about a hundred bucks. just make sure to get the right size. Go slow and pay close attention and when your done use some 3&1 oil and your set.

 

[JBroll]

I've done what Gnash suggested frequently - 'hacking away' at the nut with a string. The Earvana nut isn't magic, it just has a 'crooked' edge that changes the string's effective length slightly and as long as the edge doesn't get hacked to bits it's fine. Some people just don't automatically jump to 'hey, this doesn't fit as well as I'd like it to... HACK IT DOWN!' before asking questions, I'd rather not pretend the OP is a complete and total moron.

As for Feiten... it's just a tuning scheme. It's a slightly different way of tuning and intonating... 'setting the bridge saddles to a certain measurement' is nothing more than intonating the guitar, and everyone I know of who uses it just has the stock nut and not a special gizmo. You can search for the patent documents and find the tuning adjustments... anyone with a pocket tuner can pull it off, even if it's not perfect it can help a bit.

Jeff

 

[Executioner213]

ESPs have the Earvana nut and its probably not a good idea to replace it with a standard one.

Not all of them do, just the mid-to-higher end ones. What if he has one of the cheaper, yet effective ESP/LTD's with a standard style nut?

Buzz Feiten tuning does not require a special nut, it's just compensating for where the actual 'middle' of the string is for the most part and making everything settle better by offsetting things slightly, instead of just saying "open and 12th fret are tuned to E, we're good to go". Buzz Feiten himself has a video on youtube somewhere where he explains the whole thing.
Satriani was one of the first big-named endorsers of the tuning method, and he generally uses guitars with locking trems. Standard locking nut, nothing special. That was over 10 years ago when I remember him endorsing it, I'm sure they didn't go out of thier way making special shit for it when it first came out.

You could do it the slow way, like I did on one of my guitars and just string it up with the guage you want. Eventually, it will set into place. Or, get some mini files. You can get a luthiers set of files from www.stewmac.com if you want to do it right. There are probably even tutorials for doing so on that page.