|
Post by John on May 20, 2006 5:19:05 GMT -7
This is part of my trying to get my Telecaster to work right. (you may have seen my posts before)
I have a dead low pitched E string. It's driving me crazy. I thought the problem was the bridge. Six individual string trees, but the low E...when changing strings...would point upward. So I figured when there IS a string on there, there is upward tension, causing the string to sound dead. Not your 'piano wire' type sound or sustain.
I changed the bridge to a real heavy one. The guitar sustains more, but it didn't fix the low E string problem.
What about a bad nut? One thing I do notice, this guitar has a very high nut. The string height from the first fret is twice the distance (or more) as compared to all my other guitars. This in itself is driving me crazy.
Any experince with the nut causing problems?
I'll fix this Tele if it kills me!!
|
|
|
Post by billyguitar on May 20, 2006 6:40:27 GMT -7
Never had that problem, a nut being too high. It's only got to clear the first fret by a few thousandths of an inch. Press down on the third fret tho check the heigth. Personally I wish all guitars had zero frets then this wouldn't be an issue. I would actually expect a string to sound better with a high nut when you pluck an open string, like a lap steel.
|
|
|
Post by Telemanic on May 20, 2006 8:00:31 GMT -7
Billy, ive got a vince canetto built, 1996 60' Relic strat, i picked up used in about 98. Its really amazingly close to some early 60's strats ive a/b'd it against. But, i have a similar issue with the "G" string ringing a little dull, almost like its partialy muted out. I too am thinking the nut is off. It looks like someone cut the slots deeper than they were originaly. The guitar plays beautifuly and the clearance at the first fret is very low, but no buzzing. The only thing i can think of is that i recall from prior reading or discussions with techs, is that the string slots should not be excessively deep. In fact ive had several guitars set up by a well known luthier in Chicago, and the slots are very shallow, leaving some of the E,A,&D strings thickness above the nut, and the three high strings not deep either. my understanding is that the nut should be shaved down, rather than cutting the slots deeper, to reduce the first fret clearance. I'm wondering if my G string way down in the nut slot is causing it not to ring and sustain like it should??? The perplexing thing is that its not buzzing and doesnt appear to be touching anywhere to cause this??? Please let me know if you have any success with yours, or anyone else with some ideas. Thanx, lou
|
|
|
Post by Telemanic on May 20, 2006 10:16:13 GMT -7
Sorry Billyguitar, I meant to address Gtrman3, with my previous post. Didnt get much zzzz's last nite !
|
|
|
Post by billyguitar on May 20, 2006 11:06:14 GMT -7
It's all good. I thought of something. One time a guitar tech made a nut on one of my guitars out some plastic that was way too soft. The whole guitar was dead. Probably what you need is a good nutmade out of something harder or if the tech thinks this material is okay, just reshape this one properly.
|
|
robt
Full Member
Posts: 138
|
Post by robt on May 20, 2006 12:13:08 GMT -7
You may want to slap a capo on and see if you experience the same thing. Also, you might want to check the "takeoff" in the nut slot--the angle at which it's cut--as opposed to how deep it is.
|
|
|
Post by Telemanic on May 20, 2006 16:14:06 GMT -7
Cool, good stuff guy's, thanx!
|
|
|
Post by skydog958 on Jul 20, 2006 6:43:47 GMT -7
I think I have a similar issue with my Les Paul. I put on a new bridge about a year ago (Detemple Titanium Saddles) and it sounded like there was buzz on the 1st string. It sounded good enough playing through the amp so I didn't make much of it. I did get the crummy plastic nut replaced (the slot for the 3rd string was way too low and buzzed) with a bone one before changing the bridge, but I am not sure how good the work was on it. The saddles were supposed to not only help sustain and string definition in chords, but Mike D also said it would expose bad guitar work (like frets).
|
|
|
Post by Buzz Fretwear (Ignatius) on Jul 20, 2006 13:20:57 GMT -7
You may want to slap a capo on and see if you experience the same thing. Also, you might want to check the "takeoff" in the nut slot--the angle at which it's cut--as opposed to how deep it is. Right - because once you fret (or capo) a note, the nut is no longer part of the equation.
|
|
|
Post by bustertheboy on Jul 20, 2006 15:18:14 GMT -7
sure can! i've had best results with bone nuts i've had graphite style nuts which are ok , plastic that are terrible think about it- a high nut will make action in the low frets difficult- a nut is supposed to keep the action at first fret about the same as if u capo at first fret and look at action at 2nd fret a nut slot clamps the string- it should do so very cleanly- look where the string actually comes out of the nut a string should come off the nut cleanly- like a pool cue off the edge of a sharply cornered table strings are supposed to only have about half their diameter in the nut slot- the rest sits above
also look at how the slot is cut in the offending string's bridge saddle- although i think u said u changed that hope some of this helps all the best brett
|
|
|
Post by janinedoubly on Jul 21, 2006 18:27:24 GMT -7
Sometimes, some nuts will have slots that are cut at a slight angle, thereby "pinching" the string as it glides through. When this happens, the string will sound dead when played open. But if its dead all up and down the neck, its not the nut slot.
|
|
arthur
Junior Member
Posts: 85
|
Post by arthur on Aug 2, 2006 22:06:26 GMT -7
I've noticed bad tone when the string is not angled down low enough as it heads to the tuners. Sometimes I file a slight angle in the string slot tilting back toward the tuners. My feeling is that the string should leave the nut at a high point, right at edge closest to the fingerboard.
|
|
|
Post by tele1962 on Aug 7, 2006 9:04:33 GMT -7
The best material for nuts and bridge inserts (on acoustic guitars) was and is whale bone. Hard to find now because it's not politically correct to harvest whales. If you have a bad nut, replace the sucker. And forget the graphite, titanium, and whatever else is the latest rage in nut materials. These only lead to tears.
|
|
|
Post by John on Aug 7, 2006 9:53:36 GMT -7
UPDATE:
I had a new nut and bridge/saddles installed. Works fine now.
|
|
|
Post by Hohn on Aug 7, 2006 15:14:09 GMT -7
I've noticed bad tone when the string is not angled down low enough as it heads to the tuners. Sometimes I file a slight angle in the string slot tilting back toward the tuners. My feeling is that the string should leave the nut at a high point, right at edge closest to the fingerboard. I agree on the slot angle. gtrman3-- glad to hear this all worked out. What did you go with for hardware and nut material?
|
|
|
Post by John on Aug 8, 2006 8:49:45 GMT -7
I have always used Phil Maneri at the Fifth Avenue Fret Shop in Columbus, Ohio. www.fretshop.com/He does great work and is considered the best in town. I've had him refret 4 guitars, custom wire three of them, replace three nuts, strip the finish off the back of my 335 neck and re-stain and re-finish it, troubleshoot pickup wiring...etc. I purchased a 'beater' Ibanez on Ebay and the dumbass who had it before me installed Seymore Duncans....but the standard SD pickup hardware doesn't fit certain types of Ibanez guitars. (pickup is about 1/2 inch away from the strings...and dumbass said it was 'professionally set up') Phil had to first identify what type of SD pickups they were. (whipped out his laptop and went by serial number...pretty cool, but I ended up with a George Lynch Screamon Deamon in the bridge...ugh) Then he had to find pickup brackets that would fit the SD pickups and the guitar. He's the best around at restoration. Finding the proper mix of updating, but keeping the vintage value. And a damn fine bass player too. Highly recommended.
|
|
|
Post by skydog958 on Aug 16, 2006 17:24:44 GMT -7
I have a bone nut on my LP. I'd be interested in trying the fossilized mastadon tusk that Michael Detemple uses on his guitars. He sells nut blanks, but they are thin cuts for Fender style guitars.
|
|