Double Bass Stagg nut adjustment

[saltydog]

I have a Stagg eub and find that no matter what I do with finger technique, or string choice, I experience string buzz when playing in half or first position. There just seems to be so little clearance between the string and the fingerboard. I have tried putting the bridge higher, but then the string clearance at the bridge end of the fingerboard seems too great.
Has anyone tried putting a shim under the nut to gain more clearance? Was it difficult to do? Can you explain the step you took?
Thanks,
Saltydog

 

[DoubleMIDI]

The bridge on my (older) Staggs is made from a synthetic material that can break very easily. Also the „fingers“ of the nur between the strings are too long and putting a slightly thicker string in can break the nut.
So removing the nut can break it (as long as it is still the same material).
But all of my Stagg EUB bridge nuts were too high.

The fingerboards of the Stagg EUBs were either too straight (not enough camber) or even had a negative camber (my rosewood FB neck), so that I needed to plan the FB. The truss rod had no function on my necks, they are too thick.

A buzz means there is a high spot not far from the fingered position (or you didn‘t press the string down hard enough so the vibration lifts the string from the fingerboard).

I strongly dislike the black painted Stagg FBs (which are not a separate part but the top of the neck), because planing them can easily show the natural wood through were the lacquer needed to be removed.
If it is just a little it might work, but to enhance the camber it will shine through.
If you don’t really know exactly how to identify high spots and plan the FB, this is a task for a DB luthier (not guitar or violin!).
That might raise the price for your instrument to get it in a playable state.

Some buyers were lucky and get a better neck than average, but the Stagg EUB designers have more knowledge of BG than DB.
So quality control is not done by DB knowledgeable people.

To come back to your question, yes you can shim the nut, if it is a separate part and not part of the neck wood and you can get it loose without destroying it. But be prepared to have some hard wood to make a new one. You can always paint it black when the nut is finished.

 

[saltydog]

Thanks DoubleMIDI……..lots to think about in your reply. I’m not in a big hurry.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

The strings should only lie a third to half its diameter in the nut. If it is more or you have the “fingers”, the nut needs to be filed down. Be careful if the nut is a hard synthetic material.
You can put thin cardboard or some sheets of paper in the nut slots to raise the strings temporarily. A thin piece of leather works too.

Luthiers use straight edges of different lengths to visualize the camber and find high spots at different location on the fingerboard.
Maybe you can find a high spot this way, even if you don’t want to scrape it down yourself (always towards the nut only).
If you think you won’t ruin the fingerboard, go slow. Scrape, check, repeat.

I needed to scrape a lot off my rosewood fingerboard with the negative camber. But not only check visually but also with the strings tuned up. The string tension can bow the neck.

When I did this with my DB fingerboard (only one string), I just took of very little and tested it for one or two days and then a bit more and testing again. Took me a few weeks until I was happy and removed two or three high spots below the highest string. But it played so much better after doing it. I watched how the luthier did it and so I have known how to try this myself. Without that knowledge I might have ruined my fingerboard.

 

[saltydog]

The strings should only lie a third to half its diameter in the nut. If it is more or you have the “fingers”, the nut needs to be filed down. Be careful if the nut is a hard synthetic material.
You can put thin cardboard or some sheets of paper in the nut slots to raise the strings temporarily. A thin piece of leather works too.

Luthiers use straight edges of different lengths to visualize the camber and find high spots at different location on the fingerboard.
Maybe you can find a high spot this way, even if you don’t want to scrape it down yourself (always towards the nut only).
If you think you won’t ruin the fingerboard, go slow. Scrape, check, repeat.

I needed to scrape a lot off my rosewood fingerboard with the negative camber. But not only check visually but also with the strings tuned up. The string tension can bow the neck.

When I did this with my DB fingerboard (only one string), I just took of very little and tested it for one or two days and then a bit more and testing again. Took me a few weeks until I was happy and removed two or three high spots below the highest string. But it played so much better after doing it. I watched how the luthier did it and so I have known how to try this myself. Without that knowledge I might have ruined my fingerboard.

Thanks again DoubleMIDI……my situation has changes somewhat. A little backstory here….the main reason I was thinking about messing with the nut or messing with the FB was that I have had a persistent string buzz up by the nut. Really bothersome. Lo and behold, earlier this morning while practicing I saw something I had missed before……The E string was damaged. I put on a new string and that took care of 90% of the problem The buzz is almost entirely gone. There is still a little buzz in those instances when my fingers are tired and not pressing correctly on the strings. But the whole fingerboard thing is really interesting. I put a long straight edge on my finger board between the A and D strings and there isn’t 1/32 of a bow or arch to the FB. Almost totally flat. And the amount of curvature across the FB is way less than my acoustic upright. And while it would be nice to see if I could make the Stagg sound a little better, I don’t think I’m going to tear into it. If I do, I’ll take it to a Luthier. And that will have to wait. The string buzz almost gone, the sound is pretty decent .

 

[Wasnex]

I have a Stagg eub and find that no matter what I do with finger technique, or string choice, I experience string buzz when playing in half or first position.

AFAIK that means the fingerboard needs to be dressed.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Thanks again DoubleMIDI……my situation has changes somewhat. A little backstory here….the main reason I was thinking about messing with the nut or messing with the FB was that I have had a persistent string buzz up by the nut. Really bothersome. Lo and behold, earlier this morning while practicing I saw something I had missed before……The E string was damaged. I put on a new string and that took care of 90% of the problem The buzz is almost entirely gone. There is still a little buzz in those instances when my fingers are tired and not pressing correctly on the strings. But the whole fingerboard thing is really interesting. I put a long straight edge on my finger board between the A and D strings and there isn’t 1/32 of a bow or arch to the FB. Almost totally flat. And the amount of curvature across the FB is way less than my acoustic upright. And while it would be nice to see if I could make the Stagg sound a little better, I don’t think I’m going to tear into it. If I do, I’ll take it to a Luthier. And that will have to wait. The string buzz almost gone, the sound is pretty decent .

Congratulations identifying the main reason to your problem.
The curvature across the strings is almost the same as on my 5-string DB when I got it from the luthier and the following 35 years before I optimized it.
I don’t think it makes sense to change it, not even with the rosewood FB, because it is too thin.
Good luck with your now playable Stagg EUB!