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While replacing my bass strings, the nut fell off.

#21
One risk that hasn't been mentioned with superglue is that it easily ruins a finish if it gets where it isn't supposed to be. Take a lot of care masking the rest of the instrument if you must use superglue.
 
#23
Just play it safe and use Elmers. It's water soluble and easier to break loose. No finish issues either. Better yet, go to Barnes & Noble, look at Erlewine's guitar repair book and find out from one of the best instead of us internet rookies.
 
#24
jeez, this is just like the theory threads.

A couple or three small dots of super glue is fine, it'll come right off when necessary with just a tap, or a little heat followed by a tap. Worst case actetone will take it right off -- that's "worst case" because acetone will also damage some finishes. But in any case, super glue is not that super when it comes to bonding to wood, which in this case is a good thing.

Elmer's (the white Glue-All) is also fine.

I wouldn't use Titebond or any yellow aliphatic resin glue (like Elmer's wood glue) those take considerably more heat to loosen, and bond much more strongly to wood. If you've already done it, chances are it'll still be fine, if you haven't, use something else for this job.

Just don't use very much of whatever you decide on. All the glue really needs to do is keep the nut from slipping sideways, the strings are gonna be holding it down. Elmer's white glue or super glue, a couple of drops, will do that just fine, and be no problem if you need to replace the nut later.
 
#25
Yes, 2-3 drops of superglue (ca glue) is the way to go!

a) Every major professional repairman that I know here in music city uses ca to attach a nut.

b) It is removable. Again, just use a couple of drops. A quick, smart tap with a tool pops them right off. Or, acetone or heat can be used to help a stuck glued nut out.

c) Super glue sets quickly, so your nut doesn't move while the glue is drying (if there isn't a tight slot, like an end-nut). This is possibly the best reason to use ca glue!
 
#26
phatbass said:
DON'T USE SUPERGLUE!!!!

Sorry, but although it will work, at some stage down the road the nut may have to be replaced for any number of reasons. You need to use a glue that enables the nut to be easily removed. A couple of drops of Titebond or similar will do.

Or don't use glue at all - on one of my Basses string pressure is quite adequate for holding the nut on.

I learnt this the hard way with a vintage lap-steel...
Click to expand...

CA is just fine, as long as you don't drown the area--one or two TINY DROPS, is/are all that's needed.

If it were so wrong to use it, the professionals wouldn't be doing so.
 
#27
SolidFooting said:
Let me tell you what I'd do. I'd use whatever happened to be available at the time. If the nut slot was cut correctly, and it's at least a reasonably tight fit in there, it's probably not going anywhere, if your tuners are lined up for straight string pull. If I happened to have a hot hide glue pot next to me and already heated up, I'd use that. If not, I'd use Titebond unless I ran out, and then I'd probably go for a basic white glue. If I didn't have superglue, I'd throw an audible with the superglue, and just try to remember I'd done that, so I knew how to get it off later. At this point, I'd probably start improvising with caulk or bubble gum or something in an effort to avoid cleaning up and going to the store.

Bottom line: This is not a critical glue joint.
Click to expand...

I was gonna write up something like this, but you beat me to it; well said.
 
#28
SurferJoe46 said:
Mostly as a joke - but really taking all the strings off at one time and not changing them just one at a time goes counter to the Fender Official post that says it just isn't penguin.

However, in this situation, it might've been a good thing because the nut fell off and who'd-a known it was loose otherwise?

So - I was just being a wise butt. It's the medications I take.
Click to expand...

Yes you are a wise-butt! But there is a reason to change strings one at a time. And the reason is that it keeps most of the tension on the neck, so the nut doesn't fall off, but more importantly doesn't relax the neck. If you do that the neck and truss rod adjustments will change and it will take longer for the neck and truss rod to stabilize again. Not real long. In my experience a couple of days and no more than a week but if you change strings one at a time you don't loose your settings unless you are going with different weight (tension) strings.

But on the other hand don't get Fender-paranoid about loosening the neck. You have to do this periodically to clean the mung and grime off your fingerboard and give it a treatment with lemon oil or the like to keep the wood from drying out too much. So the question then is whether the bass needs a nice D&C (dustin' and cleanin') or whether you have to change strings and have a gig in 5 minutes. Don't make a religion out of it!
 
#29
JLS said:
CA is just fine, as long as you don't drown the area--one or two TINY DROPS, is/are all that's needed.

If it were so wrong to use it, the professionals wouldn't be doing so.
Click to expand...

Basically Moo Glue (Elmer's) is the traditional thing, but these days most pros go super glue because under pressure it sets up in a couple of minutes speeding the fix.

But the danger with it is that the words above TINY DROPS is IMPORTANT! And tiny means tiny. If a noob gushes a big batch out of the tube it'll not only be all over the place, but the nut will be REALLY hard to remove (note two 1" square steel blocks superglued together can hold up a CAR!) And wait, it gets worse. The solvent for superglue is acetone! You have ANY idea what acetone does to a guitar finish? Don't ask!

So you can see that superglue is great for nut holding, but you should also see why it's a pro thing. So all you've got to ask yourself is, "do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya?
 
#30
bassbenj:

So you can see that superglue is great for nut holding, but you should also see why it's a pro thing. So all you've got to ask yourself is, "do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya?

First laugh of the day, thank you!
 
#31
White glue is the traditional, accepted and correct glue to use. A couple of drops, and it sets up quickly, and you can clean squeeze-out with a damp cloth. You can re-string in a few minutes and use the string pressure as a clamp.

Don't use Super Glue!!! Not only is it a bad trick to play on an unsuspecting repairman, but if the nut requires replacement, the slot will need to be chiseled, cleaned-up and squared first, which will cost you more in the long-run.
 
#32
Plain white Elmer's. I even dilute it a bit with water. The minimum required to hold the nut in place when the strings aren't holding it down. This makes it as easy as possible to remove the nut and the old glue residue if you need to replace it.

Put the strings in place, ensure the nut is seated and aligned properly, tune strings to pitch, 24 hours dry time.

[DEL]Superglue.[/DEL] No.
 
#33
iammr2 said:
No finish issues either. Better yet, go to Barnes & Noble, look at Erlewine's guitar repair book and find out from one of the best instead of us internet rookies.
Click to expand...

And from his "Guitar Player Repair Guide" (second edition © 1994, 1990) on page 136.

"If the final fitting meets your approval, glue the nut into place using a couple of light dabs of hide glue or white glue. I avoid using my beloved Hot Stuff super glue here, because its instant setting time won't allow you to move the nut from side to side when lining it up. Apply the glue lightly to the front wall and the underside of the nut, set it in place, and quickly snug up the strings to help hold it. After the glue has set (one hour for a white/yellow glue such as Tite-bond, and three or four hours for a hide glue), you can tune to pitch and you're back in the business of making music."

"How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!" has similar instructions as well, where he suggest diluting the white glue 3 parts glue to 1 with water.

John
 
#38
RoboChrist said:
If the slot is cut properly there should be no need to glue the nut in place. The down pressure of the strings is more than enough to hold it into position.
Click to expand...

I'm with JTE on this one. Over time or with aggressive playing styles, the nut will shift if not glued in. It's a rare bass or guitar that has a slot that is so perfectly tight around the nut as to prevent this.
 

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