Tusq nut - what if it doesn't quite center?

[Pickngrin]

I bought a Tusq XL (black Tusq) nut for a Strat-style guitar. It's slightly wider than the stock nut, so I need to sand a bit. The nut fits well, but with the strings tuned up, the nut shifts a bit toward the bass strings (i.e., hangs a bit off the bass side of the nut channel).

I just don't know if I should sand to remove the overhang, or if I need to make sure the nut is centered (though I think it will shift back to this position again).
Does that make sense?
The guitar seems to play well with it, though I haven't put it through all the paces yet.

Thanks

[Heywood Jablomie]

If the nut is wider than the fingerboard, you probably need to sand equal amounts off each side, so that it's exactly the same width as the fingerboard. And a tiny bit of Elmer's glue will keep it in place.

[Pickngrin]

Thanks, Heywood. My concern is that the nut slides over to the bass side as soon as I let go of it, so I am thinking that Elmer's glue and string tension are not going to hold it dead center.

[Moander]

Heya.....

The nut, in it's end state, should fit snugly in the slot, enough so that it shouldn't move when the strings are tightened...

When the nut moves, it's usually an issue with the seating... ie; does the slot curve with the neck radius, or is it a straight edge slot bottom... then, how is the bottom of the nut.. straight or curved...

A replacement nut very seldom comes ready to plop into the slot... a Strat nut sold by 3rd parties has to be exact... exact enough to fit Fender strats, but also, exact enough to fit many Strat copies.....ie; not exact....so they get these replacement parts close, but making a nut ready to plop into a Fender Strat probably mens that nut can't be used on most other clones, so they gotta now make a 'universal strat-style' nut to boot, or they leave more material on their Fender Strat nut, and YOU remove it......

Get a metal straight edge, so it's thin. True straight edge, no home made hack unless you got the tools....lay it in the slot, and attempt to rock it in a see-saw motion in the slot.. the curvature can be so slight......I've seen weird things on Fenders, and clones.....

But, if the nut is seated properly, it should not rock at all, nor drift, with string tension especially. No glue should be needed, which also helps if you ever have to change the nut again in the future....

[Pickngrin]

It's not that it moves around continuously -- it's just that if I center the nut in the channel, it shifts a bit toward the bass strings, then stays there. That seems to be the point of equilibrium. And it looks like the strings make a straighter line when it is slightly skewed like that. I haven't checked the slot with a straightedge yet, but I can't see how it's going to be possible for it to sit dead center. I'm just leery of sanding of material from just one side of the nut...

[deeaa]

I always use superglue. Not much, just a few dabs, which is enough to jam the nut down enough so it stays in place despite string pull, if the nut is otherwise well fitted. Superglue is handy because it's not made for wood, so it's easy to break off from wood when need be - just a sharp knock on the side will loosen it again, and it's so thin a layer it doesn't affect sound.

So my 2c is make sure it's seated well and use a couple of dabs of superglue; let be a minute and see if it won't hold well.

I truly hate it when a nut or bridge is too wide (or neck too narrow, heheh) because I tend to play pretty strongly with my left hand at times and then I'll be pushing the strings off the fretboard when I bend them...not good.

[gordy_sg_no1]

ive had this problem myself. if you have glued it properly and its doing it you my friend have a good old seating problem and you to mod the nut a bit, its easily enough done and you should be ready to rock.

[Pickngrin]

ive had this problem myself. if you have glued it properly and its doing it you my friend have a good old seating problem and you to mod the nut a bit, its easily enough done and you should be ready to rock.

Thanks for your posting. I've had this on the back burner since I last posted. I'm afraid to superglue it in the slot (prior to the recent post, I'd always read not to superglue the nut in). What do you mean by a good old seating problem?

Thanks

[deeaa]

The thing with superglue is you really must use very little of it, you can do damage if you soak the thing with it...plus it has to be the kind of superglue that isn't totally liquid, but slightly gel-like.

BUT if you use some gel-type superglue and just a few dabs, the good thing about it it is a _very_ thin bonding agent, allows for direct wood contact, and while it has great tensile strength and surely will hold the nut in place, it is very brittle and the nut is very easy to break off when need be, unlike elmer's glue, and when it comes off, you can just scrape away what's left. At least until I'm totally sure the nut is perfect I'd only use superglue to keep it in place.

Superglue, btw, is also a quick and easy temporary fix if you notice your nut slots have worn a bit too deep, just carefully apply some superglue, let dry, repeat a few times if need be, and you can accumulate some material in the bottom of the nut groove to lift the string some. Will work fine until it's definitely time to replace the nut, actually might be fine for a year or more.

[gordy_sg_no1]

Thanks for your posting. I've had this on the back burner since I last posted. I'm afraid to superglue it in the slot (prior to the recent post, I'd always read not to superglue the nut in). What do you mean by a good old seating problem?

Thanks
inside the nut slot can vary between different guitars so it doesn't sit properly. if you get a steel rule you can check for it a lot easier. the slot problem arises mostly due to the nuts being a general spec. to cover the various clones as well as the usa models. and as for super glue that is a no no as it is to brittle imo, graphtec say its to strong , I use pva school glue as it make a strong enough bond but it comes away very easily. all i say is never use epoxy as it never comes off.

[Andy]

never use epoxy or super glue on a nut, it should fit snug in the slot without movement ,,luthiers typically use mild glue (a dab) to secure the nut.
(pretend you have to replace it in the future)

once the nut is in postion mark the edges, remove nut saw /file to length. finish installl only after the grooves are correct depth/width.

one mistake could trash it

[Pickngrin]

never use epoxy or super glue on a nut, it should fit snug in the slot without movement ,,luthiers typically use mild glue (a dab) to secure the nut.
(pretend you have to replace it in the future)

once the nut is in postion mark the edges, remove nut saw /file to length. finish installl only after the grooves are correct depth/width.

one mistake could trash it

That's what I was thinking -- I was averse to the idea of super gluing it. So, going back to my original question, would you let the nut sit at its point of equilibrium (skewed to one side of the neck) and then sand the protruding edge?

[deeaa]

I still stand by the superglue in very small amounts - absolutely no epoxy though. But I know at least two luthiers who use superglue to keep many things such as the nut secure, or like an acoustic's bridge, not necessarily the final glue they use but until they're sure it fits perfectly. Because it's so easy to knock loose due to brittleness, can be scraped off with a fingernail, but holds just enough to keep things in place until the final gluing, if necessary. I think on my guitars on at least two the nut isn't glued at all almost, there's just a tiny drop of superglue to keep it from falling off during string changes.And just to make sure by superglue I mean the cyanoacrylate gel that dries in ten seconds flat, no epoxy or any similar super bonding agent.

As for the original question, I'd temporarily affix like it is, and play it lots, and see whetherthe string sometimes gets too close to the fretboard and drops off it when playing.

I tend to have my nuts ever so slightly off-center so there is a tad more room on the high E side, because I tend to use a lot of vibrato in leads and it's very annoying if there's no room and the string drops off the fretboard (sqeeinggg!) when doing a lead near the nut. On lower side I'd only do the vibrato downwards so it's less of a problem.

So my take is you have to play it to know. If you don't have any problems with the low E, by all means, just sand away the excess and let it stay like that. If you find that you have to chord carefully or you'll push the low E off the board, then you need to get it more centered.

A half-millimetre at the nut won't affect the centering over the pickups more than a quite neglible amount either way, it's all about playability.