installing a nut on a bound fretboard.

[mustang-monk]

ive fitted a nut on my new bound jazz bass but because its aboutn where the nut slot is i have to file away the sides of the nut. this now means that thers not much nut left at the side of the slot for the e and g strings, so im worried that the strings will just break the nut. should i try something else, maybe cutting away some of the binding maybe cutting a sqaures out of the corners of a new nut so the rest over hangs on the fretboard. i looked at the squire VM jazz and it has cut away the binding on the fender 70s reissue they havent cut away the binding. anybody else had this problem or know a better way to go about it.

[Simon Langley]

Giving this thread a bump and subscribing because I am curious too. I am getting an Allparts bound / blocked neck and am wondering about the best solution for nut installment. Like the OP I have also noticed that on vintage Fender bound necks the nut is set in between the binding and on some others the binding is notched and the nut spans the entire width of the neck. Was thinking of three options using a Tusq nut:

1. Cutting off the sides of the nut so it rides in between the binding strips. Like OP noticed this would leave very little material to the outside of the E and G strings.

2. Notching the binding in the nut slot. Not "authentic" but would allow the nut to span the whole width of the neck.

3. Notching the nut so it hangs over the binding on both sides. Seems like the best choice to me but I ordered two nuts in case I blow it on the first.

Anyone here have an opinion or better idea on the best way to go? Help us out!

[jrfrond]

You can keep it original, but you will need to go to a more flexible nut material like Delrin. Bone will also hold up well in this situation. While Tusq and other plastics normally make excellent nut material, in cases like this, it could fracture, particularly on the E string, where the slot comes so close to the edge.

I wouldn't notch the nut to overlay it over the binding. The resulting sharp corner in the notch would yield the perfect opportunity for a crack to start.

[blipndub]

I've gone both ways with this, cutting the nut to fit in between the binding and cutting the binding to accommodate the nut. Although there are issues with spacing when the nut is inside the binding, I think you will be more pleased with the the feel and look if you get the nut inside the binding. Also the binding helps shore up the nut so it can be a bit closer to the edge of the nut. One of the great features of the old fender bound necks was that if felt like the fretboard was "wrapped" in the binding and pulling the nut out of the binding is contrary to this general feeling.