Official Luthiers Forum!

I've seen the nut been placed either right on the neck or at the end of the headstock . I always put mine on the neck but was wondering what the rest of the guys do and maybe someone has some input to say about it and why!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Figure 1...the fewer angles I have to grind on the nut, the better...I lose too many fingernails/tips as it is...

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

I've always done it as in Fig.1(top) The one I'm currently working on will have it as in fig.2 (bottom).

No real reason just thought I'd try it a different way. I agree making the nut will be a bit more involved.

Uh oh! Looking at your drawings, I just thought, Hope my nut blank is tall enough...

Personally, I like it as in the lower drawing. More trouble, but I like how the bottom of the nut flows with the headstock and the top of the nut as slopes towards the tuners.

Pat

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

No matter where the placement ends up, you can use a saw to cut the channel flat so you don't have to worry about the angle of the nut. It can still be square on the bottom even if you start it on the slope of the neck. Less apt to mess up the angle and avoid as little movement as possible.
-j.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

I do my archtop nuts "Bennedetto" style-Kind of hard to explain-you have to add a wedge shaped piece of wood to the neck to continue (and extend) the plane of the head in order to get the side purflings from the head to the neck to flow continuously-check out Bob Beneddetos book-even if you are building flat-tops-it's one of the best out there.

I use method 1, but with headplate veneers, so the nut is 'wedged' between fretboard and veneer. Sort of like brad's pic, but the nut's on the same plane as the fingerboard.

On slot heads I use the first way, on solid heads, I use the second.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Colin is there a particular reason why you use both methods?

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Sorry Joe, I can't give a logical reason, just the way I have always done it and the way I cut my necks. Slot heads tend to be 24.9" and solid 25.4 ala Martin.

The real reason being that on my first slot head, I forgot it was supposed to be 24.9 and cut it for 25.4, by putting the nut on the flat I got the 1/4" I needed to shorten it by. I've just done them that way ever since.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Brad I do it the same way. Maybe this diagram helps to explain the fingerboard stop.


If you look at Peter's first diagram, where the nut is seated you glue on a small strip of wood, then sand it to the angle of your headstock. Cut the channel for your nut as Brad has shown. It's a nice touch on bound headstock guitars.Anthony Z38734.4173611111

Mine was just like Mattia said.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Anthony,
Thanks for doing the drawing-I don't have enough computer prowess to do a sketch

Thanks a lot Anthony, easier to understand!

Serge