Guitar nut replacement string spacing tool gmc luthier. I am getting ready to do a number of strat and tele guitar nuts. The jig will assist the user in shaping a new top nut, optimising the string spacing and setting the nut. I find myself picky over string spacing at the nutfingerboard width at the nut. The chart below compares guitar neck widths at the nut for various types of acoustic guitars. Using a razor saw i cut a small notch not too deep but just enough so my nut files. Its important to keep in mind that theres no set pairing of nut width and string spacing. Thats the situation with the nut on this old may bell guitar.
You can specify the size of gaps you require either side of the estrings, or. While its raining cats and dogs outside, im in the shop working on guitars its a pretty sweet gig. As far as the spacing at the bridge, thats another area where a luthier building a custom guitar can customize the spacing to fit the individual guitarist. For working with the nut, string centers are located by folding the guide so the outer lines are aligned with the outside edges of the nut, producing a consistent 18 string to board edge spacing. He wants an 8 string octave bass, which should be quite fun to build. The margin between the end of the nut and the outside edges of the 1st and 6th strings varies dependent on the bevel angle of the frets.
The body itself is very thick compared to the neck, that is why the body wood type and form have very limited influence on the sound of electric guitar. If your hands are small and you are having a struggle with 650, try this. So, i can find very little information out there as far as to how to get the string spacing. After sanding my deer antler blank to shape, i now define the position of the six slots for the strings.
Subtracting 651 614 gives the distance from the top zero fret nut to the first fret to be 37mm. Team this angle with our peel n stick fretboards that all have thin lines for exact placement of nut and bridge for instant lap steel guitar on any plank of wood or other material. Even though the differences between these nut widths are incredibly small, your hands can still feel it. Calculating the exact positioning and spacing for strings across the nut can be a painby inputting your nut width, fretboard edge spacing and string gauges, this spreadsheet automagically outputs all the information you need to create a proportionallyspaced nut. Measuring with a tape measure on my guitar, this is correct, and the distance from the bridge to the first fret is in fact 614 mm. It is set up with all of the pole spacing we offer at philadelphia luthier tools48mm, 49. Making a guitar nut from scratch separates the men from the boys continue reading. Sizing guide for slotted unbleached bone nuts stewmac. With the guitar nut cut to length and fit exactly into the nut channel as described in the article above, fitting the guitar nut, it is time to rough cut the nut to proper height. Nonetheless how strings are spaced across the nut matters a lot, especially when the gauges from one side to the other are radically different. Nut width refers to the width of the guitars neck at the nut. Slight adjustments are normally necessary to insure a new. Our string spacing fixture shown below makes this very easy and accurate.
Bluestem strings beginners guide to lap steel construction. Dan erlewine lowers the nut slots while also back filing the nut so the strings angle. Pretend your thumb is a capo, and just squeeze down. Lap steel guitar parts, georgeboards instruments, s8 lap. All that needs to be done is line up the dashed lines to the center of the pole screws. I have typically used equal spacing centertocenter measurements but i am considering considering using proportional spacing making the spaces between the strings the same. Use the string spacing rule frequently to check the slot locations, and move the slots from side to side if needed. Guitar nut bone slotted 43mm for gibson les paul epiphone or similar. It then calculates the required distance for each string from both the bass and treble edges of the nut. You can use the string spacing rule to notch tuneomatic bridge saddles, to lay out bridge pin holes, and when notching archtop guitar, banjo, mandolin and violin bridges. This is a method that i have used for years and works quite nicely. Take a guitar of 650 scale and capo at the 1st fret. If there is no space then the nut would be lower than the first fret. You can use the string spacing rule to notch tuneomatic bridge saddles, to lay out bridge pin holes, and when notching archtop guitar.
Nut rule string spacing in pdf telecaster guitar forum. First, grab the neck and mash down on the string just in front of the nut. This article discusses what might be called standard neck and wide neck acoustic guitar, including specific measures, and provides links to useful resources for additional information on the widths of acoustic guitar necks. Im pretty darn sure its because of the string spacing at the nut, which does indeed affect my whole ability while playing the guitar. Bluestem strings beginners guide to lap steel construction introduction. Making a new guitar nut part 3 spacing the string slots youtube. The vibration behavior of the string depends very little on wood. What you do is scroll to pdf multi page, click save to disk and choose where to save it on your computer. Cigar box guitar students guide developed by building to teach. Too close, and they run the risk of slipping off during enthusiastic fingering. Woodburner optional for marking fret spacing bridge tuner optional, but very nice for tuning the guitars the tools needed overview page 2. Stewmac string spacing rule guitar, violin and mandolin. Making a guitar nut from scratch strange guitarworks.
Get the best deals on guitar nuts when you shop the largest online selection at. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands. I have done nuts with proportional spacing on some acoustics but not my own. On a guitar, these would be the two e strings, and theyre usually located about 18 in from the fretboard edge. Im a little surprised at the lack of string spacing resources out there. They typically go between 1 1116 to 1 34, but some go to 1 78 and 1 2332.
Guitar nut spacing fender stratocaster guitar forum. You should file it just underneath, just by the amount needed to reach around 3,5 mm of strings height on the 12th fret. I even added fold lines to help you fold the pdf so it will easily fit under the strings. Proper guitar nut height and action guitar player world. Nut width and string spacing at bridge ultimate guitar. The actual nut width will vary from guitar to guitar. The flamenco guitar has lower strings than the classical guitar, so to start making flamenco guitar, well lower the strings by lowering just the saddle and not the nut.
I want to have a more or less regular jazz bass neck, but with 24 frets instead of 20 21. Nut width is measured from the outer edges of the nut itself. Of course, if youd rather not adjust it yourself, you can always take your guitar to an authorized fender service center for help. I made a full scale drawing, but i think the nut is somewhat narrow and the strings are very close to the side of the fretboard. With the guitar, banjo, mandolin or any other fretted instrument tuned to pitch. Guitar nut replacement string spacing tool gmc luthier tools. Something else i do is fret at the first fret and look at the movement at the 12th. When the slots are well defined, and their bottoms meet the. If you have any reservations about performing this adjustment yourself, it is best that you save up a little bit of cash on the side and get the job done. Measure fret spacingprintable fret template handmade. The basics of nut width and string spacing sound pure. The string spacing rule is included in the essential nut making tool kit, which has all the basic tools youll need for shaping.
In this article, we are going to go over proper guitar nut action height so that you can adjust your guitar correctly without causing damage. I generally build my guitars with 38 string spacing at the nut because thats what most. Two tips for filing string slots at the nut youtube. How to determine the proper string spacing for your guitar nut blank december 27, 2016 december 27, 2016 by best bass gear while there is the option to buy a nut that has precut string slots, cutting the slots yourself ensures that the spacing and depth will be absolutely what you want. Dan erlewine demonstrates how to slot a nut using stewartmacdonalds equal spacing string spacing rule. Selecting a guitar with a nut width and string spacing that suits your style of playing is something worth thinking. Making flamenco guitar from classical guitar flamenco. Taylor guitars production setup specifications height of string above 1st fret. The most practical method is to work out the spacing between each string and make a precision wooden shim. Make a new guitar nut, mark out the proportional string spacing, file the string slots to precise depth. A repeatable accurate luthier tool system that simplifies. For clean playing instruments you should keep the nut slots low and then you can raise at the bridge. Almost all guitars have wider spacing at the bridge than at the nut so strings can be more easily isolated when picking individual strings. I made a nut centerline calculator in excel as pictured below.
The final consideration for string spacing is how close they are to the edge of the fretboard. Some manufacturers take this measurement at the 14th fret, while others take it right at the saddle. It will be an indicator at how much lower the string can get without extra buzzing. There are 2 ways that you can use to roughly shape the guitar nut to proper height. String spacing is the distance from the low e string to the high e string and how they spread out as they get closer to the saddle. Of course, when we think more deeply on the matter we might then be concerned with the string spacing at the nut, the treble and bass ledge distance from the. Any other desired string to edge spacing is simply a matter of selecting the correct outer string spacing, though. I know for certain that i will struggle on any guitar with a nut width of less than 44mm as there is no chance that the string spacing can be great enough for me to play cleanly. I already have all the scales i usually use saved as a pdf and open them to print the template. Its a great day to be a guitar tech in new orleans. On necks and strings, and saddles and nuts by azaret guitars. Short scale classical guitars smaller guitars, string.
Generally a guitar with a wider nut will have a proportionally wider bridge spacing, but there are variations among the many types of guitars on the market. On acoustic guitars, theres a spectrum of nut widths. I just tried it and was able to download a pdf of 25. The string spacing rule is made of laseretched flexible stainless steel that conforms to flat or arched surfaces. My friend told me that guitars with 42mm nut or less usually have more narrow string spacing at bridge than those with 43mm and up. The spacing between the strings needs to be uniform, which varies with the string gauge you use. Looks like ill need to make my own, and out of brass.
If you are buying a slotted nut, measure your current string spacing and find something close to yours. Of course, you can also create hybrid spacing by mixing these parameters from string to string, or from nut to bridge. How to determine the proper string spacing for your guitar. If the string spacing is a little more or less at the saddle, i have never noticed. Looks like i shouldnt have any issue getting the dimensions, wood and hardware ill need for his specs, except for the nut. It accurately calculates the position of the nut slots for evenspaced strings using any combination of string gauges. Please start by choosing the instrument and set of strings for the instrument you wish to cut a nut for. Model d 0m o cw indian a cw mh a cjsj cio cio dix ds 0 12fret 00 000 baby 035 cio35 0 12string tenor profile modified v vintage now vintage modified v c shape modified v modified v modified v vintage now wide v narrow v nut width 1 1116 1 2332 1 34 1 34.
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