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Need new nut for 5 string

DBFIU

DBFIU

Guest
Jun 29, 2014
199
37
42
south florida
#1
Hi, I will be replacing the nut on my rogue LX205. It's chipped pretty bad.

I watched this video series on replacing the nut and I have a few questions.



The guy sets the action height to 0.022" off the first fret. Is this standard? I have feeler gauges to accomplish this.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or is it just a straightforward procedure, pop off old nut, put new one on, measure action on first fret, sand down as needed, repeat?

I forgot to ask, this guy in the video uses a file to bring down the action height of each string individually, some people just sand the bottom of the whole nut to bring down the action of all the strings at once. What is the better procedure?

Can someone please suggest what kind of nut I should buy for this bass? I don't care for any specific material, just something to replace the stock nut and sound good and last.

Thank you,

- D
 
#5
DBFIU said:
Assuming you do it evenly, what is the preferred method? Sand the bottom or filing each slot?
Click to expand...
The preferred method amonst most of the techs I know is to file the nut slots to the proper depth. Even if you get the E and G strings right by sanding the bottom of the nut, how do you know the A and D strings are right? Each slot needs to be set properly.

There's an easy way to determine what the string height should be at the first fret. Simply press the string at the first fret and measure the clearance at the second fret. That's exactly the clearance you need at the first fret. A thou or two extra won't hurt, but less clearance is not a good idea. More than a couple of thou at the first fret will make fretting there unnecessarily stiffer and can introduce intonation problems. The optimum setting is within pretty tight tolerances - a few thousandths of an inch. That's well beyond what you will get from a factory production bass. So you probably don't need to be as critical as I am.
 
#7
DBFIU said:
I am going by the video in my first post. 22 thousandths at the first fret with open strings. Is that reasonable?
Click to expand...
Not if you want it to play at its best. That would be about 30% higher than it need be on my main bass. Maybe it's right for yours, but how will you know? The method I suggested will tell you.
 
#8
I do it just the opposite: I fret directly on top of the 3rd and check the gap between the string and 1st fret. Should be .003-.005" via feeler gauges. I aim for the high side as it allows some wiggle room for tweaks. This procedure also pretty much rolls relief and bridge / string height out of the equation as maladjustment of either can skew your measurements and results.

Edit: somebody a whole lot smarter than I provided me with step-by-step instructions using nut files and stacked feeler gauges to do the initial rough cut. It saves a lot of time and gets you into the ballpark without accidentally over-cutting any of the slots. Can't find it on my hard disc or who provided it. Maybe 202dy?

Riis
 
Last edited:
#9
Zooberwerx said:
I do it just the opposite: I fret directly on top of the 3rd and check the gap between the string and 1st fret. Should be .003-.005" via feeler gauges. I aim for the high side as it allows some wiggle room for tweaks. This procedure also pretty much rolls relief and bridge / string height out of the equation as maladjustment of either can skew your measurements and results.

Edit: somebody a whole lot smarter than I provided me with step-by-step instructions using nut files and stacked feeler gauges to do the initial rough cut. It saves a lot of time and gets you into the ballpark without accidentally over-cutting any of the slots. Can't find it on my hard disc or who provided it. Maybe 202dy?

Riis
Click to expand...

Yah, I tend to measure it this way too. It will give the same result as the way I mentioned so long as the rest is in proper order.
 
#10
Zooberwerx said:
I do it just the opposite: I fret directly on top of the 3rd and check the gap between the string and 1st fret. Should be .003-.005" via feeler gauges. I aim for the high side as it allows some wiggle room for tweaks. This procedure also pretty much rolls relief and bridge / string height out of the equation as maladjustment of either can skew your measurements and results.

Edit: somebody a whole lot smarter than I provided me with step-by-step instructions using nut files and stacked feeler gauges to do the initial rough cut. It saves a lot of time and gets you into the ballpark without accidentally over-cutting any of the slots. Can't find it on my hard disc or who provided it. Maybe 202dy?

Riis
Click to expand...

Don't know about smarter but it is the way I work.

Stacking feeler gauges, typically shoot for ~.018" at the E string. Subtract .002" for the A and so on. From there it is one stroke at a time constantly checking by tuning to pitch and playing. How low it will go depends on the accuracy of the fretwork, fingerboard, and to a certain extent how the neck responds to truss rod adjustments. When finished, cut the top of the nut to proper height with a file. Finish by polishing to desired sheen.

It is an easy, straight forward task that is very much like playing chicken.
 
#12
Turnaround said:
Not if you want it to play at its best. That would be about 30% higher than it need be on my main bass. Maybe it's right for yours, but how will you know? The method I suggested will tell you.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, though I caution you to always try to err on the larger gap side of things. A nut with too much spacing will still play but one with too little won't. Plus, you can't put the material you filled off back again (without doing something hokey like shoving something under the whole nut).

My preference (especially for a noob) is pre-cut Graphtech black TUSQ nuts. They have lots of models and almost always I've found one that fit my basses. They have built-in lube that greatly reduces that "sticky tuning" syndrome where strings don't tune smoothly as you adjust tension. And I know it's nuts, but I swear they improve the tone of instruments over the usual cheap plastic nuts as well.

With a precut nut, you sand the bottom (and or sides and ends) to fit your instrument and get it all close to the right range. Note that your first fret has a curvature and the slots in the pre-cut nut may or may not match that curvature. Plus as people have indicated it's best if you have a tiny bit more clearance on the low strings than the high string. All these things mean that final job is to hand file each slot into the proper depth using the methods people have described for measuring to to bring the bass into "perfect".

If you can't find a precut nut that fits (or can be sanded into fitting) your bass, then you have to get an uncut nut and go at it hardcore.

By the way FWIW, if you are getting a Plek, a Plek machine does a killer job in properly cutting a nut! I had the nut on my Conklin 7 string done that way. Just superb!
 
#13
bassbenj said:
I agree with this, though I caution you to always try to err on the larger gap side of things. A nut with too much spacing will still play but one with too little won't. Plus, you can't put the material you filled off back again (without doing something hokey like shoving something under the whole nut).
Click to expand...

Oh, it's not that bad. Great save when dealing with worn and/or overcut nuts when time and resources are at a premium. I use super-thin maple veneer (...it only has one side!) which can be glued to the base and trimmed with an xacto blade. Once in place, a couple swipes of the file and you're back in business. Virtually undetectable, as well. If anybody takes issue, tell 'em it's a "multilam".

Riis
 

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