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Must you glue the nut?

Joshua Phelps

Joshua Phelps

Feb 22, 2011
199
0
Memphis
#1
I was just installing some new nuts on some of my jazz basses & was wondering if you have to glue them? & if so way? What will happen? I've noticed on some of my Mexican basses the nuts aren't really glues even from the factory they kind of just pull out.
 
#2
I have a bass where I didn't glue the nut on. Pure laziness really.... I installed the nut without glue to see how it would fit. It worked so well I didn't bother to glue it in :D

I'm sure there are really good reasons why you should glue it in though....
 
#4
You know how I commented on the jazzes I had with unglued nuts, well I also remember having a rosewood board mim that had a crazy crack that went in the direction of the strings & it was located right where the angle is in the nut slot. Perhaps this occurred due to the nut pressing against it.
 
#5
96tbird said:
Simple...Just so it can't slide around if you bend the strings. A properly glued nut should pull out with minimal effort. If it's a good tight fit its not absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...

I only bend a string on one song.... Folsom Prison Blues. At the end of the guitar solo I bend the low G.

But I do have fairly high tension flats on the bass, so that probably helps hold the nut in place.
 
#10
Wow, i totally disagree with that. In my own limited experience, I would say never use wood glue, and always use CA glue because it's much easier to tap it out if you need to and nuts dont' need a lot of holding power to keep them in place. What say the actualy luthiers?
 
#15
Praxist said:
Wow, i totally disagree with that. In my own limited experience, I would say never use wood glue, and always use CA glue because it's much easier to tap it out if you need to and nuts dont' need a lot of holding power to keep them in place. What say the actualy luthiers?
Click to expand...

A "Wow" is a not required man. The fact is that crazy glue can make a mess if you aren't familliar. If you are not comfortable in using CA, then don't use it. I understand it works and well, I also understand guys can get into a mess with it and I would shy away from advising it to all but those familiar with it.

The point here is advice that won't get the uniniated into a mess!

Edit: CA is the best glue for metal.
 
#17
Ca on a nut is a nightmare! You only get one nut slot & there isn't any room for error. "tapping" it out is a horrible idea too. You never want to force that nut out in anyway. The traditional way of tapping it out with a block of wood is sketchy too. If its done to hard you will knock off the whole end of the fingerboard off! I had to remove a nut some dummy superglued in recently & BOY was it a treat! 1 hour slowly sawing it in half so I could collapse it at the base. Ca is way to strong!
 
#19
Wow! Dummy of the year award would have to go to whoever epoxied a nut in haha. Makes me want to ask them, you know these are supposed to be removable right? Next time I do a new nut I'm going to solder or maybe weld it in then on top of that I'm going to seal it with epoxy :)
 
#20
Joshua Phelps said:
I was just installing some new nuts on some of my jazz basses & was wondering if you have to glue them? & if so way? What will happen? I've noticed on some of my Mexican basses the nuts aren't really glues even from the factory they kind of just pull out.
Click to expand...

depends.
If the nut fits well, there is no need to glue it in I think...
 

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