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G&L Club Part 7

#2,142
gustobassman said:
So i took the new Red Witch (the name so far) to Bass San Diego today to see about the buzz on the A. There is a small chip in the nut and the nut slot seems to be cut pretty low. George recommended I add a drop of cyanoacrylate to the nut slot. Gonna try that later.

I also fixed the feel of the G string being so close to the edge of the fretboard. I filed the inside of the G string saddle just a teeny bit. It was so little i barely could tell i did it, but it made a huge difference in feel and didn't mess with the alignment over the pole pieces. So far so good!

EDIT: Only negative is that there is no room to adjust the neck in the pocket, it's snug.. It's purely cosmetic though, the strings line up perfectly over the pole pieces and there is ample room on the G string side now.

On to the super glue...
Click to expand...

I was there with my 1980s SB-2 (1984 neck on a 1989 body). Nut cut low and a buzz on the A string. I tried to superglue it but that fix wore off quickly. Then I just bought a set of Fender taperwound strings I found in a closeout bin that were heavier gauge. Opened the E slot a tad wider and tuned it one step down. Now I have versatility and won't need a 5-stringer.
 
#2,144
So I have totally drank the G&L Kool Aid! This bass is so comfortable, I don't even notice the narrower spacing. I wanted to let the new strings settle for another day before I went with the Super Glue on the nut slot and some new fret noises have developed.

1. On the D string I am getting an audible "clank" behind the fretted note, it sounds like around the 1st or second fret. This happens all the way up to the 8th,9th fret.
2. The G string has developed a buzz on the 6th & 7th frets.

So I put on my Sherlock Holmes hat and deduced that since I needed to add Super Glue to the A slot, it's very possible the other slots were cut shallow as well.. :cautious: To all my TB Watson's out there, based on this pic, should I follow through with this reasoning and give the glue a shot on the A,D,and G slots?

20150508_113130.jpg
 
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#2,145
Looks like a home-made nut cutting has been done with the wrong tools. Were it mine, I'd probably replace that nut. As for height, there's no correct height for nut slots, once the strings clear the first fret without buzzing or choking, it's all down to how you like the bass to feel. If you want to put glue in and raise them up, do it. Personally, I like to have the nut cut as low as a zero fret would be and I appreciate that wouldn't be to everyone's tastes.

Sometimes you'll hear noises like ghost clanks or rattles between the nut and your fretting hand when playing unlpugged. A lot of these don't get heard by the pickups though, so I tend not to worry about them. If you can hear it coming out of the amp, address it, if not don't worry about it. You may be hearing the string hit the lower frets as you fret a note further up the neck. Check the relief, make sure you don't have any back-bow. Again, if you don't hear it coming out of the amp, it wouldn't bother me.
 
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#2,147
gustobassman said:
So I have totally drank the G&L Kool Aid! This bass is so comfortable, I don't even notice the narrower spacing. I wanted to let the new strings settle for another day before I went with the Super Glue on the nut slot and some new fret noises have developed.
1. On the D string I am getting an audible "clank" behind the fretted note, it sounds like around the 1st or second fret. This happens all the way up to the 8th,9th fret.
2. The G string has developed a buzz on the 6th & 7th frets.
So I put on my Sherlock Holmes hat and deduced that since I needed to add Super Glue to the A slot, it's very possible the other slots were cut shallow as well.. :cautious: To all my TB Watson's out there, based on this pic, should I follow through with this reasoning and give the glue a shot on the A,D,and G slots?
View attachment 612439
Click to expand...

To me, the E and A strings (d'Addario rounds?) look too short as the taper is not behind the nut. Do you have a through body bridge?
The badly performed filing on the nut slots is obviously an issue.
I would show this bass to a qualified luthier who would likely recommend a nut replacement and a fret leveling, in addition to a proper string scale.
 
#2,148
Glazenn said:
To me, the E and A strings (d'Addario rounds?) look too short as the taper is not behind the nut. Do you have a through body bridge?
The badly performed filing on the nut slots is obviously an issue.
I would show this bass to a qualified luthier who would likely recommend a nut replacement and a fret leveling, in addition to a proper string scale.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing about the nut. I'm giving the Super Glue a shot right now but on further inspection i do agree a nut replacement is in order. You are looking at the B & E strings. The A clears just fine. The strings i used were D'adarrio XL170-5, I use these on all my basses, with the exception of the long-scale version on my Roscoe Beck V. I did go string through body and noticed they were a hair short on the B & E side. I used to go string through on my old Am Std Jazz V and had no issues with needing a longer scale string. I assumed the 1505 would be similar.
 
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#2,149
gustobassman said:
I was thinking the same thing about the nut. I'm giving the Super Glue a shot right now but on further inspection i do agree a nut replacement is in order. You are looking at the B & E strings. The A clears just fine. The strings i used were D'adarrio XL170-5, I use these on all my basses, with the exception of the long-scale version on my Roscoe Beck V. I did go string through body and noticed they were a hair short on the B & E side. I used to go string through on my old Am Std Jazz V and had no issues with needing a longer scale string. I assumed the 1505 would be similar.
Click to expand...
My mistake indeed, it's the B and E strings that actually look a tad short, not A.
 
#2,152
gustobassman said:
:cautious: To all my TB Watson's out there, based on this pic, should I follow through with this reasoning and give the glue a shot on the A,D,and G slots?
Click to expand...
There was a thread someplace about a trick to build up a nut using baking soda and liquid super glue. I used it to good effect on my Tokai where only one slot was low. You do need a set of nut files.

G&L specs are probably close to Fender. String clearance at the first fret should be about 0.020" IIRC, as measured with a trusty Pep Boys feeler gauge.
 
#2,153
UPDATE: To my disbelief the Super Glue worked. I put a small drop or two in each of the A,D, and G slots. I let it dry for about 5 hours before restringing. It's not the optimal fix, I will absolutely be replacing the nut. That said, until then I think I'm gold! :woot: :thumbsup: :bassist:
 
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#2,156
2cooltoolz said:
Uh, that internet forum "pics, or it didn't...." thing...

View attachment 612975

I mean pics of the bass, not the nut!!

[edited: I found your NBD thread. Gorgeous!]
Click to expand...

I also posted in this thread a few pages back. I know the rules around here! I do have to admit that was the first time I've tried to take a closeup pic of my nut though.... :roflmao:

I'm curious, is there any particular way to tell if the body of mine is Ash or Alder? I'm not sure what finish and wood combos were available around '99. The site says the current model "standard finishes" are Alder and "premium" are Ash. The grain appears rather tight through the finish. I can try to get a better photo a little later.
 

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