Nuts too high on new Gibsons?

[Simon_F]

Does anyone else find that the nuts on new Gibsons are too high?

When I bought my LP back in '97 I had to take it to a tech to get the nut slots deepened. I've been playing a few SGs in shops recently and it seems to me they all have the nut slots too high so the bass strings go sharp if you press down on the low frets.

You can always make a note go sharp if you press the string hard enough, but comparing new Gibsons with other brands (Fenders and JJs for example) I'm convinced these nuts are too high.

Anyone else experienced this? Is there a deliberate reason Gibson sets them up this way? Or is it just a poor set-up from a complacent company that knows they can sell on the strength of a long-established rock 'n' roll brand?

[theboatcandream]

Re: Nuts too high on new Gibsons?

I think that it's better to have a nut which needs to be deepened to your personal taste than to have a nut which needs to be replaced all together.

[Simon_F]

Re: Nuts too high on new Gibsons?

I think that it's better to have a nut which needs to be deepened to your personal taste than to have a nut which needs to be replaced all together.

True, but other guitar makers get it spot-on. A lot of new Fenders and others are set up perfectly at the factory. With new Gibsons it seems you need to factor a nut adjustment into your purchase price.

[Benjy_26]

Re: Nuts too high on new Gibsons?

I re-cut the nut on my LP because the slots weren't cut wide enough fro my string guage (10-52) and because the color of the nut clashed with the binding. I don't know if it came this way from thefactory, or if the previous owner is to blame for this.

[Pepi]

Re: Nuts too high on new Gibsons?

I think Gibson sends their guitars out with a high nut so the guitar is playable but doesn't have any fret buzz. I suppose they think everyone is different and would want it setup different.

[theboatcandream]

Re: Nuts too high on new Gibsons?

True, but other guitar makers get it spot-on. A lot of new Fenders and others are set up perfectly at the factory. With new Gibsons it seems you need to factor a nut adjustment into your purchase price.

Is it perfect, or is it perfect for you?

[Norman_T]

Re: Nuts too high on new Gibsons?

It is true that Gibsons don't send out guitars properly set up - and you do find that their nuts are not cut properly. This is because their quality control procedures are frankly appalling and I have come across so many of their guitars not properly set up that I have passed on a lot of them. Other than their custom shop ones which have been through many stages.

I have found that the shop will do a set up and will get these things sorted out for you (at a small cost) if you get the guitar but most of them are reluctant to do so because it means having to put work through their workshops which is time consuming. The same is also true of Fenders and other companies.

Because of the margins involved most of the shops prefer to unpack the guitars and put them out and hope that someone will just buy them without any further work from the shop themselves. If you were running that music shop I suspect that you would also be doing exactly the same thing. Should I ever think about opening a music shop and sell guitars I would like to be able to have all the guitars that I sold perfectly set up, but as someone has already mentioned what could be prefect for me may not be the same for others. Till that day we will all have to just carry on looking and play guitars that may have the potential.

BTW I carry a small set of jewellers screwdrivers and allen keys with me should I ever wonder into shops and then twiddle with the bridge and set up, when no-one is looking!!