Do I Need a New Nut???

gaza4

hey guys could you have a look at these photos and gimme some advice??? basically i think i'm in need of a new nut. this one looks pretty rough and worn down. i've never (in my limited experience) seen anything like this. also if i need to replace it can i do it DIY or will it have to be a pro job??? guitar is a Washburn x200Pro with a Buzz Feiten system if that makes any difference...
thanks!!!

A String cutting into the wood, Low E a bit too...

Trevor Kent

God that does look rough. How was the action on this guitar with the nut like that?

Brave Badger

Must be terrible fret buzz or terrible high action further up the fretboard...

gaza4

dont ask me how but it actually felt and played fine. if i had of noticed a problem i would have looked at it earlier...

so now on to solutions...easy enough to replace DIY or expensive pro job??? also what types/brands of nuts are good???

geetar

gaza4 wrote: »

dont ask me how but it actually felt and played fine. if i had of noticed a problem i would have looked at it earlier...

so now on to solutions...easy enough to replace DIY or expensive pro job??? also what types/brands of nuts are good???

go to stewmac.com

they have a load of high quality stuff for guitars of all sorts.

the best sounding nuts you can get are made of bone. TUSQ nuts are great too, they are synthetic bone and they are naturally lubricated.

they sell pre-slotted nuts that only need to be installed, the grooves are filed for you. (some may need to be slightly filed, they sell files too if you think you might be doing this more than once)

nuts pop out surprisingly pretty easy too. they only need a dab of wood glue to keep them in place.

it looks like fender style neck? be sure to get the corresponding nut. you should be fine doing it yourself

gaza4

geetar wrote: »

go to stewmac.com

they have a load of high quality stuff for guitars of all sorts.

the best sounding nuts you can get are made of bone. TUSQ nuts are great too, they are synthetic bone and they are naturally lubricated.

they sell pre-slotted nuts that only need to be installed, the grooves are filed for you. (some may need to be slightly filed, they sell files too if you think you might be doing this more than once)

nuts pop out surprisingly pretty easy too. they only need a dab of wood glue to keep them in place.

it looks like fender style neck? be sure to get the corresponding nut. you should be fine doing it yourself

picked up a tusq nut today. needs a bit filled off the edges and bottom but should be fine. guy in the shop recommended not gluing the new one in at all and i dont think i will. old one was a nightmare to remove!!!

feylya

I'd disagree about not gluing it in at all. Use the smallest amount of superglue in the middle of the nut when you're sticking it in. That way, it won't suddenly disappear when you're changing strings and if you ever need to remove it, a quick tap with a hammer will break the bond.

Grolschevik

Every time I see it, I can't help but imagine what the responses would be like if a thread with this title was started in After Hours.

-=al=-

Grolschevik wrote: »

Every time I see it, I can't help but imagine what the responses would be like if a thread with this title was started in After Hours.

The internet has ruined my innocent mind

Menapia Handbuilt Guitars

If you have buzz on the first fret then you need a new nut. It's relatively easy to replace, you could do it yourself but it may need some filing.

Cheers

Marty

roast

TUSQ are fairly common, and cheap, I've replaced a handful of them over the years. For one of my strats though, the standard strat TUSQ nut didn't fit correctly - cue sanding it down a lot. Still worked fine though.