I purchased a Strad copy for a really good price off of my friend who is going to college and not going into music. He didn't play it much. Now that I've been playing the bass a while i notice that the G and A string nut slots are actually digging into the fingerboard causing buzzing (this is probably a result of tuning over time, i think). My budget just hit under zero, so going to a luthier is out of the question. Any suggestions? What can I do?
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Double Bass Nut Buzzing
- Thread starter PIZZAcato
- Start date
Loosen the string enough to put a business card between the string and the nut. Tune it up and tear off the extra.
- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
I thought Nut Buzzing was a small town in Idaho.
If you feel up to it, you can build up the slots in the nut with a little glue and ebony sanding dust- or (and the luthiers may kill me for this) cyanoacrylic and ebony sanding dust. Or black epoxy. Add a very tiny bit at a time, and shape the slot with a round file after it hardens.
Before you get out the pitchforks- the nut is a small, replaceable part, so using superglue or titebond or even epoxy isn't going to do any permanant damage to the bass proper. Just don't get any on the rest of the bass! (Years ago a repairman at Elderly Instruments taught me how to repair surface cracks in guitar bridges using a similar technique.)
If you feel up to it, you can build up the slots in the nut with a little glue and ebony sanding dust- or (and the luthiers may kill me for this) cyanoacrylic and ebony sanding dust. Or black epoxy. Add a very tiny bit at a time, and shape the slot with a round file after it hardens.
Before you get out the pitchforks- the nut is a small, replaceable part, so using superglue or titebond or even epoxy isn't going to do any permanant damage to the bass proper. Just don't get any on the rest of the bass! (Years ago a repairman at Elderly Instruments taught me how to repair surface cracks in guitar bridges using a similar technique.)
- Mar 1, 2002
- 4,237
- 52
- 74
- Disclosures
- Owner: Ken Smith Basses, Ltd.
You have two basic options.
1) take off the Nut and put a small wood shim behind it. Then re-cut the slots slightly so that they are the correct diameter.
The String should almost touch the FB is the FB has the correct minimum camber. If the FB has high spots, then it needs to be scraped or planed till it is correct.
2) take a small razor blade and scrape some of the FB within 1" leading up the the FB enough so that there is clearance under the strings. Again, if it is a FB problem, it must be dealt with.
DO NOT Fill the slots and re-cut as suggested above. Shim the nut is you need it higher or lower the FB under the nut.
This is NOT a Guitar. It is a Double bass, a member of the Violin Family. Most guitar methods have no place in the Violin world.
1) take off the Nut and put a small wood shim behind it. Then re-cut the slots slightly so that they are the correct diameter.
The String should almost touch the FB is the FB has the correct minimum camber. If the FB has high spots, then it needs to be scraped or planed till it is correct.
2) take a small razor blade and scrape some of the FB within 1" leading up the the FB enough so that there is clearance under the strings. Again, if it is a FB problem, it must be dealt with.
DO NOT Fill the slots and re-cut as suggested above. Shim the nut is you need it higher or lower the FB under the nut.
This is NOT a Guitar. It is a Double bass, a member of the Violin Family. Most guitar methods have no place in the Violin world.
KSB - Ken Smith said:
Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat. Everything is going to be fine.
Putting in a little paper shim under the mis-behaving string(black electrician's tape works, as well) isn't going to hurt anything. Refilling the slot with glue/ebony dust is a good solution too. Done correctly, this would be near-invisible and quite cost-effective. Installing a shim under the nut works, but then other three strings will need to be lowered. The choice is yours, Luke.
As soon as I titled this thread I knew someone would say that. And thanks for the help guys.boombloom said:
PIZZAcato said:
Honestly, I could not imagine why it had taken so long for someone to post a bawdy response!
