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09-02-2010, 11:54 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Roseburg, Oregon, US | | | Nut repair
I was playing my Kay (desperately needs some basic setup work when I can find a good luthier and the money) and, when I plugged it in, I started getting a choked buzz from the open A string. It looked to me like the nut had worn down enough that the open string was buzzing against the fingerboard. I had a small piece of foam lying around that I slid under the string that solved the buzz, but now, for obvious reasons, the string sounds pretty dead. Is there anything I can use to raise the string up that won't deaden the sound or do I just need to add 'new nut' to the list of things I need to do?
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09-02-2010, 12:03 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: NYC | | | A piece of plastic drumhead works pretty well; even a piece of business card would be better than foam. A good setup will likely include a new nut. |
09-02-2010, 12:50 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Maryland | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Fletcher Lanning  I was playing my Kay (desperately needs some basic setup work when I can find a good luthier and the money) and, when I plugged it in, I started getting a choked buzz from the open A string. It looked to me like the nut had worn down enough that the open string was buzzing against the fingerboard. I had a small piece of foam lying around that I slid under the string that solved the buzz, but now, for obvious reasons, the string sounds pretty dead. Is there anything I can use to raise the string up that won't deaden the sound or do I just need to add 'new nut' to the list of things I need to do? | Superglue and baking soda. Temporary fix, but it's very reliable.
Put a few drops of superglue in the string slot. Pour a pinch of baking soda on it - it will harden instantly, so plan ahead. Then file a new slot as needed. It's not a substitute for a new nut, but it will fix the situation quickly.
I did this to my viola a year ago, with the intention of installing a new nut eventually, and I still haven't.
George |
09-02-2010, 05:50 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Forest Grove, OR | | | Is the nut glued in place? (Many are not...)
If it is loose, you can remove the nut and add an ebony shim underneath it to bring the top up to the level you want. If it is glued, the job is the same except that you have to pop it loose first.
The shim is glued to the nut, then trimmed, and becomes quite invisible. Obviously, if the nut is not ebony, you can make the shim out of matching hardwood, or dye it to match. The top of the nut can be adjusted with files, to get the strings exactly where you want them. |
09-02-2010, 06:16 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand | | Quote:
Originally Posted by George700DL Superglue and baking soda. Temporary fix, but it's very reliable.
Put a few drops of superglue in the string slot. Pour a pinch of baking soda on it - it will harden instantly, so plan ahead. Then file a new slot as needed. It's not a substitute for a new nut, but it will fix the situation quickly.
I did this to my viola a year ago, with the intention of installing a new nut eventually, and I still haven't.
George | Not only will it harden instantly, it will get VERY hot and quite possibly release a curl of smoke (ebony won't catch fire doing this, but balsa can if it is even slightly damp...). Don't breathe CA vapour, still less that smoke. |
09-02-2010, 10:25 PM
|  | Supporting Member
Luthier: Bresque Basses, rep: Paulin EUB | | Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Sydney, Australia | | Quote:
Originally Posted by 1st Bass I
The shim is glued to the nut, then trimmed, and becomes quite invisible. Obviously, if the nut is not ebony, you can make the shim out of matching hardwood, or dye it to match. | or you can use cardboard! Only the angels will know ... |
09-02-2010, 10:43 PM
| | Registered User
Luthier, Dallas Strings | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Dallas, Texas | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker or you can use cardboard! Only the angels will know ... | +1 I use black fiber lining of varying thickness for shimming nuts. A thin piece of ebony is just too much work. Might as well just carve a new nut.. |
09-03-2010, 01:09 AM
|  | 'Woodworker - Witch Doctor - Luthier'
Owner/The Bass Spa, String Repairman/L & M Vancouver | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Crescent Beach, BC | | Quote:
Originally Posted by DallasStrings +1 I use black fiber lining of varying thickness for shimming nuts. A thin piece of ebony is just too much work. Might as well just carve a new nut.. | What!? I just glue some ebony offcut on the bottom of the nut and run it on the belt sander when its fully bonded. It hardly takes any time at all...  |
09-03-2010, 05:59 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Denver, Co. | |
Oh, goody....... luthier fight!!!!!!!!. 
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Oh, no.....have we gone OT yet again?
"The opportunity was there...but it never presented itself." Phil Urso, 1980. :atoz: |
09-03-2010, 06:39 AM
| | Registered User
Luthier, Dallas Strings | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Dallas, Texas | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Warburton Oh, goody....... luthier fight!!!!!!!!. | Bring it Jake!  |
09-03-2010, 07:41 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Roseburg, Oregon, US | | | Well hopefully the whole issue will become moot when I get an adjustable bridge next month. I'm just going to get a full setup if I find a luthier nearby. I finally decided to go adjustable so I can try out a Full Circle pickup. |
09-06-2010, 07:55 PM
| | Jim Stiel | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Lake Orion, MI | | | Happened to me recently on my g string. Turned out the nut had shifted to the side. The buzz went away when I shifted it back.
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Can't tell if my intonation is getting worse or my ears are getting better |
09-08-2010, 01:10 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: LaBelle, FL | | About a year and a half ago, I took the Obligatos off my bass, and installed a new set of Spiro Weichs. Apparently, the Spiros are a smaller guage than the Obligatos. causing the string to sit lower in the nut slot. It immediately developed a buzz on the open A string. I had no idea what was causing it. A few months later, I loaned the bass to Bribass, for a concert he was doing down here in Naples. He noticed the buzz, and instantly knew what it was. He put a piece of paper in the slot, under the string, and solved the problem. I have been meaning to get that fixed ever since then. Today, I finally pulled that old piece of paper out of there, and applied the old CA glue and baking soda trick, as described earlier in this thread. It worked like a charm. No more buzz. Thanks for the tip, guys. 
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Jim Lownds
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09-08-2010, 02:30 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Maryland | | Quote:
Originally Posted by jtlownds About a year and a half ago, I took the Obligatos off my bass, and installed a new set of Spiro Weichs. Apparently, the Spiros are a smaller guage than the Obligatos. causing the string to sit lower in the nut slot. It immediately developed a buzz on the open A string. I had no idea what was causing it. A few months later, I loaned the bass to Bribass, for a concert he was doing down here in Naples. He noticed the buzz, and instantly knew what it was. He put a piece of paper in the slot, under the string, and solved the problem. I have been meaning to get that fixed ever since then. Today, I finally pulled that old piece of paper out of there, and applied the old CA glue and baking soda trick, as described earlier in this thread. It worked like a charm. No more buzz. Thanks for the tip, guys. | Glad the superglue+baking soda worked out for you. I'm still sporting that fix on my viola - too lazy to replace the nut.
On a side note: Since switching to a thinner string caused the string to sit lower, does that mean that the original (thicker) string was getting pinched by a slot that was too narrow for it? Meaning, the original string wasn't in full contact with the bottom of the groove?
George |
09-08-2010, 05:40 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: LaBelle, FL | | Quote:
Originally Posted by George700DL On a side note: Since switching to a thinner string caused the string to sit lower, does that mean that the original (thicker) string was getting pinched by a slot that was too narrow for it? Meaning, the original string wasn't in full contact with the bottom of the groove?
George | I don't think that it was, but I'm not 100% sure. All I know is that the Obligato A didn't buzz, but the Spiro did. The rest of the strings were fine. 
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Jim Lownds
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09-09-2010, 08:08 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Maryland | | Quote:
Originally Posted by jtlownds I don't think that it was, but I'm not 100% sure. All I know is that the Obligato A didn't buzz, but the Spiro did. The rest of the strings were fine. | Maybe it was a case of side-to-side action within the groove when using a thinner string.
Whatever the case was, you obviously solved the problem.
George |
09-09-2010, 08:16 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Atlanta, GA | | | The subject alone - sounds painful! Owwch... |
09-09-2010, 08:19 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Maryland | | Quote:
Originally Posted by scatbass The subject alone - sounds painful! Owwch... | Nothin' a little superglue and baking soda won't cure... |  | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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