nut broke off my acoustic

[hanx]

the nut came off my acoustic while i was re-stringing. Nice clean break, so i'm not panicking yet, but can i just glue it back on or what?

it's a plastic nut on a mahogany neck. what sort of glue do i use? just good old superglue? can i hold it firm with the strings while it sets or should i take the strings back off and clamp it with something else?

is it even supposed to be glued, or is it maybe supposed to be held in place by the strings? for a while it seemed to move with the strings as i tuned up, now it sits pretty firm, but doesn't sound quite awesome.


it's a tanglewood acoustic/electric 4-string

the photo is old, but it doesn't look any different now it's held in by the strings

[mcapote]

superglue it, i would probably put it down with a clamp or something rather than strings though so you have direct press compression instead of a pulling compression.

[JLS]

Replace it, with a couple of tiny dots of superglue on the face that contacts the fingerboard. Hold it against the fingerboard for the few seconds it will take for the superglue to grab, you're done.

[Diogenes]

2 part epoxy or JB Weld.... nah, just kidding.

I use plain old Elmers type household glue because:

1. the nut is mostly held in place by string tension, you just want to keep the nut from shifting
2. you may want to eventually replace the nut at some point so there's no sense in using a high strength adhesive which can cause wood tear-out.

I use glue sparingly when adhering nuts.

[hanx]

i'm wonderring what did it too

could have been the weather, it's been mad round here lately, whole state declared a disaster area from flooding for a while, then hot, now cold... and someone else i know had a nut break off this week

I used a totally different type of string, and the nut seemed a bit small for the E, but it was a "light" set, and the e was only a 100 gauge, i was switching from rounds to flats, maybe flats are more sticky?

I'm also wonderring if maybe i should change direction on E and G, i did it the way i it was strung when i got it, but it looks like switching direction on E and G would be a bit more gentle on the nut?

or maybe i left too much on the end of he string when i snipped, ended up wound round a few extra times, so maybe bending too hard over the nut?

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by Diogenes

2 part epoxy or JB Weld.... nah, just kidding.

I use plain old Elmers type household glue because:

1. the nut is mostly held in place by string tension, you just want to keep the nut from shifting
2. you may want to eventually replace the nut at some point so there's no sense in using a high strength adhesive which can cause wood tear-out.

I use glue sparingly when adhering nuts.

^This.

If I glue them at all that is. Usually the downward pressure of the strings is enough to hold the nut in place.

Regards
Sam

[202dy]

Originally Posted by hanx

i'm wonderring what did it too

could have been the weather, it's been mad round here lately, whole state declared a disaster area from flooding for a while, then hot, now cold... and someone else i know had a nut break off this week

It doesn't really matter. Without seeing it, impossible to tell. However, the most likely reason is that there wasn't enough glue when it was first installed.

I used a totally different type of string, and the nut seemed a bit small for the E, but it was a "light" set, and the e was only a 100 gauge, i was switching from rounds to flats, maybe flats are more sticky?

I'm also wonderring if maybe i should change direction on E and G, i did it the way i it was strung when i got it, but it looks like switching direction on E and G would be a bit more gentle on the nut?

or maybe i left too much on the end of he string when i snipped, ended up wound round a few extra times, so maybe bending too hard over the nut?

Restring exactly the way it was from the factory. Reversing the direction on the outside tuners will cause more stress on the edge of the nut. That could lead to shearing off the end and replacing the nut. Besides that, having tuners that turn in two different directions is entirely too confusing when tuning on the fly.

[Chris K]

Replace it right away as mentioned in T-Bird's post.
Preferably with a bone nut. Blanks are cheap, just a few dollars, at a luthier's shop. He might be willing to lend you a set of files and give some instruction. It isn't really hard.

[hanx]

thanks for the tips everyone

but Chris, why not just use the original nut? it looks undamaged other than not being attached.

[hanx]

when i come to re-string though i'm wondering if something i did wrong may have caused the problem

could too many wraps around the pegs have put too much pressure on the nut? (i always leave as much extra strings as possible in case i want to swap the strings to a different bass)


i strung it the same way it was when i got it from the store, but the E and G pegs are pretty much directly below the A and D pegs, so i'm wondering if alternating the winding direction to more evenly distribute the pull of the strings might help a bit?

[202dy]

Originally Posted by hanx

when i come to re-string though i'm wondering if something i did wrong may have caused the problem

could too many wraps around the pegs have put too much pressure on the nut? (i always leave as much extra strings as possible in case i want to swap the strings to a different bass)


i strung it the same way it was when i got it from the store, but the E and G pegs are pretty much directly below the A and D pegs, so i'm wondering if alternating the winding direction to more evenly distribute the pull of the strings might help a bit?

Second question first. Look at the picture. Normally strung, the vector on the E string is severe but is counteracted by the A string. The material between the E and A string is in compression and stable. Same thing between the D and G. In the alternative scheme, the vector of force is on the edge of the nut. There is less material that between the strings and there is nothing to counteract the force. A sharp rap to the side of the nut and questions about nut replacement will follow.

Too many wraps around the pegs is a bit like too thin or too rich. The usual problem is not enough wraps down or wrapped up. As long as the wraps are not piling up on each other it is o.k. Ultimately the goal is to cut the string so that there is just enough left to wrap down the tuner to the bottom. No more, no less.

Don't over-think this. A loose nut is a relatively common occurrence. Factories are in a hurry. An extra dab of glue missed in the production line won't show up in QA/QC. When glued properly it won't happen again. Most shops charge a nominal fee or do the work for free as a good will gesture.

Relax and play your guitar.

[tdub0199]

Yeah I would string it the way it was from the factory, too much risk breaking the end of the nut off the way you have it illustrated in the 2nd pic.... It's pretty common for a nut to come loose on acoustics, just follow the simple instructions that have already been given and you'll be fine bro....

[dmusic148]

What 202dy said. Glue it back on, string it the way it was, and yer done.