AwakenTheSkies
Life is like a box of chocolates
Ordered a Stewmac nut seating file, hopefully that helps me flatten any imperfections in the nut seating slot. I really want that perfect fit 
I'm going to cut my nuts - need advice
- Thread starter AwakenTheSkies
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
I will repeat myself but the only question is: are the string length and the respective fret positions correct for the instrument to play in tune? If yes, then don't mess with it and live with the micro gap it won't do a thing. Unless you really know what you are doing, chances are you will mess up the nut slot by trying to fill/sand when the frets are already in.
But if you really want an answer: to do it cleanly I would need to first see what is actually good (bottom of the slot parallel to fretboard, or fretboard side perpendicular to the fretboard), and fix the bad part by sanding it flat, gluing in a piece of wood, and reshaping said peace of wood hopefully better than what it was.
AwakenTheSkies
Life is like a box of chocolates
How much do you need to file off the fretboard end until you start messing up the intonation? With the nut seating file that I've ordered I won't be touching the fretboard side anymore. But the first mod I ever did on this guitar was changing the nut 10 years ago and I was a teenager then, so obviously I wasn't as careful as I am now
I've filed all over the nut seating slot a bunch of times with different sandpapers and files that aren't meant for wood in these 10 years, but nothing too coarse, it never felt like I was doing anything more than scraping off glue..I can stick the nut flat against the fretboard or the bottom, but not both. So then I should be able to stick the smooth side of the nut seating file against the fretboard side, let the file do it's thing and it should make a 90° slot, also smoothing out any imperfections on the bottom. That's what I'm hoping for anyway. Ahhh I'm so impatient now
AwakenTheSkies
Life is like a box of chocolates
Phew got a bit scared there 
Fuck yeah we're good to go
now I just need that file to get here and I can fit this right
Fuck yeah we're good to go
now I just need that file to get here and I can fit this right AwakenTheSkies
Life is like a box of chocolates
Good news and bad news
I was checking the fretboard side of the nut slot on the PRS and it's pretty perpendicular, so it shouldn't be a problem. If I get the file tomorrow I should be able to fix the bottom.
On the SZ today I went for it and started cutting the slots.
I did it how I saw on Stewmac with feeler gauges. Straight edge across 2 frets and measure the height of the frets with the feeler gauges that way, then add to that 0.005-0.010 inch. Then add to that 0.002 inch as you go up to the bass strings.
So I used 0.049, 0.051 and 0.054 inch feeler gauges as a guard while I cut into the nut slots and once I hit the feeler gauge I stop. It was pretty easy.
The bad news is that on the 2 middle strings the slots turned out too low. So those strings are kinda buzzy open.
I guess I should have added 0.010 inch instead of 0.005.
Anyway the good news is that the guitar sounds & plays a lot better like this acoustically, haven't plugged in yet. Especially the bottom strings the power chords you can tell it sounds better.
I also have 2 PRS ACC-4204 nuts on the way and the nut seating file too, if it's as good as they say then replacing the nut again should be a breeze. Just have to stack more feeler gauges the next time.
I was checking the fretboard side of the nut slot on the PRS and it's pretty perpendicular, so it shouldn't be a problem. If I get the file tomorrow I should be able to fix the bottom.
On the SZ today I went for it and started cutting the slots.
I did it how I saw on Stewmac with feeler gauges. Straight edge across 2 frets and measure the height of the frets with the feeler gauges that way, then add to that 0.005-0.010 inch. Then add to that 0.002 inch as you go up to the bass strings.
So I used 0.049, 0.051 and 0.054 inch feeler gauges as a guard while I cut into the nut slots and once I hit the feeler gauge I stop. It was pretty easy.
The bad news is that on the 2 middle strings the slots turned out too low. So those strings are kinda buzzy open.
I guess I should have added 0.010 inch instead of 0.005.
Anyway the good news is that the guitar sounds & plays a lot better like this acoustically, haven't plugged in yet. Especially the bottom strings the power chords you can tell it sounds better.
I also have 2 PRS ACC-4204 nuts on the way and the nut seating file too, if it's as good as they say then replacing the nut again should be a breeze. Just have to stack more feeler gauges the next time.
AwakenTheSkies
Life is like a box of chocolates
There, I fixed it. Also babbys first Stewmac tool
AwakenTheSkies
Life is like a box of chocolates
So something's not right.
I got 2 new PRS nuts which are awesome. Seeing as last time 0.005-0.010 above the first fret with the neck straight was too low, this time I went for something safer. 0.017 on the the bass strings, 0.015 on the middle strings, and 0.013 on the treble strings.
This worked with 2 of my guitars, but on another guitar the G string which is 0.015 above the first fret buzzes open.
0.015 above the first fret isn't a very low setting I think, seeing how Stewmac shows most setups that go down even lower.
So what's the correct next move? Do I need to level the frets a bit better? On this guitar there's plenty of fret material left so it shouldn't be a big deal. Or buy a new nut and cut it higher?
I got 2 new PRS nuts which are awesome. Seeing as last time 0.005-0.010 above the first fret with the neck straight was too low, this time I went for something safer. 0.017 on the the bass strings, 0.015 on the middle strings, and 0.013 on the treble strings.
This worked with 2 of my guitars, but on another guitar the G string which is 0.015 above the first fret buzzes open.
0.015 above the first fret isn't a very low setting I think, seeing how Stewmac shows most setups that go down even lower.
So what's the correct next move? Do I need to level the frets a bit better? On this guitar there's plenty of fret material left so it shouldn't be a big deal. Or buy a new nut and cut it higher?
