Nut, MIM/MIA same?

[timmus]

Looking at one of these to replace a cracked nut on my MIM Pbass...

http://angela.com/americanseriesprec...stringnut.aspx

Will it fit an MIM P-Bass?

[Hookus]

Really you should have one cut for your bass from a blank, and a setup done at the same time.

[mulchor]

Prob'ly, but I personally would be more comfortable buying one that gave the dimensions so I could be sure. With pre-slotted, it's a problem if it's too big as well as if it's too small.

[timmus]

I can do my own setups and have for years. I had a good friend of mine that is a luthier (unfortunately no longer of this world) show me how to do my own setups but the nut cracked on one of my MIMs and it's been superglued together now for a few months. With a lull in gigs for a few weeks, I thought I might want to replace it before it breaks again.

I don't have the correct tools to cut new slots in a blank nut although I wish I did. I figured if the preslotted ones were close I could finish them in with a small round jeweler's file that I could purchase for a buck or two.

[mulchor]

I buy pre-slotted, too.

I'm just skeptical of places that don't give useful measurements about their nut blanks, cuz there's a few sizes of nuts, as well as the ones that go on the end of the fingerboard vs into a slot on the fingerboard (Fender style).

1 11/16, 1 5/8, 1 9/16...

I can't tell in your link which size it is. There are on-line sellers who do.

The place I recently purchased from I would NOT recommend, as they took 2 weeks to mail it. But see for example:
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/bass_nutsaft.htm
with the dimensions so you don't have to guess.

[timmus]

I've bought stuff from Angela Instrumenst before and they seem to be a good comapny to deal with. I'll have to contact them directly with the width of the broken nut and see if this one matches up...the one thing that I have a question about regarding the possible differences between MIA and MIM is I thought I remember hearing that the MIA is curved under the nut (notice the radius in the picture) and the MIM is not...or vice versa.

Maybe an email to Fender customer service...

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by Hookus

Really you should have one cut for your bass from a blank, and a setup done at the same time.

+1

[timmus]

Originally Posted by Hookus

Really you should have one cut for your bass from a blank, and a setup done at the same time.

Maybe it's time to learn how to make my own...

[okcrum]

Originally Posted by timmus

Maybe it's time to learn how to make my own...

Sears sells Swiss Files, which are great for working on nuts, among other things. A set of 6 goes for about $17 these days, if you need to get some tools locally. Good quality files too.

Also, check out www.victornet.com for needle file sets and other misc. tools. They have pretty good prices:

http://www.victornet.com/subdepartme...ents/2214.html

You'll need something like a jeweler's or small toolmaker's vise to hold the blank while you cut it, as well. Something with smooth jaws.

You could even use something like this

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/...ise/SAC3-416CV

if you padded the jaws with a paper towel or the like to keep from marring the nut.

Nuts are all about taking your time and being careful.

[timmus]

Originally Posted by okcrum

Sears sells Swiss Files, which are great for working on nuts, among other things. A set of 6 goes for about $17 these days, if you need to get some tools locally. Good quality files too.

Also, check out www.victornet.com for needle file sets and other misc. tools. They have pretty good prices:

http://www.victornet.com/subdepartme...ents/2214.html

You'll need something like a jeweler's or small toolmaker's vise to hold the blank while you cut it, as well. Something with smooth jaws.

You could even use something like this

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/...ise/SAC3-416CV

if you padded the jaws with a paper towel or the like to keep from marring the nut.

Nuts are all about taking your time and being careful.

The other thing that would make it easier is a small(ish) belt sander. My friend that was a luthier before he passed away had one and he used it all the time to shape nuts and bridges and all kinds of other things...I've been looking for an excuse to buy one....this may be the right time.

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by timmus

The other thing that would make it easier is a small(ish) belt sander. My friend that was a luthier before he passed away had one and he used it all the time to shape nuts and bridges and all kinds of other things...I've been looking for an excuse to buy one....this may be the right time.

Look into the Dremel model builders tools. They have smaller versions of table saws and drum or rotary senders and a small belt sander on a table too.

[timmus]

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

Look into the Dremel model builders tools. They have smaller versions of table saws and drum or rotary senders and a small belt sander on a table too.

Great idea...I will take a look...

[doktorfeelgood]

Originally Posted by timmus

I've bought stuff from Angela Instrumenst before and they seem to be a good comapny to deal with. I'll have to contact them directly with the width of the broken nut and see if this one matches up...the one thing that I have a question about regarding the possible differences between MIA and MIM is I thought I remember hearing that the MIA is curved under the nut (notice the radius in the picture) and the MIM is not...or vice versa.

Maybe an email to Fender customer service...

Here's an 800# for Fender's Customer Service. Just follow the prompts to get a tech and you can ask him then if your nut slot is curved or flat. He'll ask you the model and year so be ready with that. I've called this number many times and the tech is great. 800-488-1818 )-(

[Hookus]

A bone nut blank will shape pretty easily, it just smells bad, graphite works easy too. You can buy a piece of brass, and shape it as well, but it will clog files easy, at least it does for me. I would stay away from plastic.

I did not specify my reasoning earlier. You will want each nut slot cut to a VERY specific depth based on YOUR setup, not Fender's factory setup. The nut depth can drastically screw your intonation at lower frets, and you won't notice right away, because your open strings and intonation at the 12th fret will be spot on, but if the nut is not cut right, you can be pretty far out of tune from about the 1st to the 7th fret. It is common for the 1-4 frets to be a tad sharp, 5th should be spot on, and then it will gradually get back to perfect intonation by the 12th fret.

Though many folks advocate the 5th and 17th intonation method, I am not a fan of it for this reason. I check open for tune, 5th for tune, and 12th for intonation, then adjust the nut for the 5th, and saddles for 12th.

Hope this helps. IIRC, the neck dimensions are the same for MIM/MIA, so any factory spec nut should work fine depending on how picky you are.

[joeyl]

and if the nut's bottom is different than the nut slot, once you can make sure that the slot curvature is the same as the radius of the fingerboard, you can stick some sandpaper on the fingerboard and start rubbing the bottom of the nut on it (the bass nut that is)