Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey all, so in my pursuit of “the perfect nut” I’ve been inspecting some factory nuts from different manufacturers including the big F. Today I was quite shocked at the below offering from Chapman guitars. I also noted a finish issue on another guitar, which is something I have seen raised as a concern before.

Re the nut though, have a look at the 4th string slot and tell me if you share my concerns.





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I've seen worse on new Fenders.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Hi, Bosco.
Well, the nut needs to be set up properly.
Plenty to find here at the forum,
or elsewhere on the www.
Basically, the strings should be slightly proud of the top of the nut,
string grooves slanting back towards the tuners,
and the strings touching at the leading edge at the fretboard.
The high string is way too deep on that one too.
Hear any buzzing when played unplugged?
Professional set up,
or try it yourself.
You will need a few tools to do that properly.
Good luck!
Alan

Hey Alan,

I didn’t actually play the guitar as it was one of those “look but don’t touch” stores I’m amazed still exist.

I do have fret files etc and have watched many videos on the process and art. The main thing I was looking out for was whether or not manufacturers were tapering their slots slightly to make them almost V shaped vertically to reduce binding. I’m finding on a Strat build with a floating bridge that even after following all your aforementioned rules the strings still bind a little if the slots are cut to exact width, even with a little nut lubrication. But I’ve seen some luthiers rock the files from side to side slightly to open up the tops of the slot a fraction. I guess the bottom of the slot would remain the correct width, with the top of the slot just a fraction wider to facilitate a bit of travel during vibrato use?


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I use gauged nut slotting files, and usually go a few thou bigger than the anticipated string gauge. The files are rounded to accommodate the string, and create a U shape in the bottom of the slot. I would think a V shaped slot would increase the chances of binding. I will sometimes chamfer the peghead side of the slot (especially the D and G strings on Les Paul's), and will always make the slots fall away from the fret board. My logic is that the nuts main job is to provide appropriate action and keep the string in place, so the less surface involved in the string/nut relationship the better.

If the slot is cut slightly askew you're definitely asking for binding, but string trees or guides on a strat style guitar can also be problematic for vigorous whammy bar usage.

In your picture the slots seem awfully deep, if the action at the nut is good I would probably shave the top of that nut down.