Nut slotting question for the luthiers on the board

[rspst14]

Hey guys, I'm thinking of asking for a set of nut files for Christmas. For those of you who are familiar with slotting nuts, which gauges should I get if I'm slotting for a 10-46 set of strings? Certain gauges aren't available, should I just use the next highest gauge file? Do I file all the slots a tiny bit wider than the string I'm using, or should they be filed as closely as possible to the actual string gauge? Anyone know of a place that sells files for a decent price? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ryan

 

[jeremy]

Re: Nut slotting question for the luthiers on the board

my suggestion is to get the stewmac set, it aint cheap but they work well and it comes with a good selection of sizes

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Nut slotting question for the luthiers on the board

I don't know about the professionals here, but I use a size slightly smaller if the exact size isn't available. You can always make a slot a bit bigger, but not smaller Also, I use an extra-fine X-Acto saw to start all of the slots & for the high E.

I keep a set of string nubs - d'Adarrio because the ends of the strings are color coded - handy and make the slots just big enough for the string to slide through it.

Frets.com has one of the best tutorials online IMHO: http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Setup/NewNut/newnut1.html

Hope this helps,

Chip

 

[Curly]

Re: Nut slotting question for the luthiers on the board

Warmoth sells a set that covers a lot of the basic sizes .. it's about $70

StewMac's fret ruler is pretty darn handy, too

 

[theodie]

Re: Nut slotting question for the luthiers on the board

Here is what I purchased from stew mac for the task of slotting, Stew mac # 4541 012/016, #4542 026/032, #4543 036/042, #4544 050/060. These will work great on 10-46 strings and also most popular guages of strings

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: Nut slotting question for the luthiers on the board

Supplement your set with some tip cleaners used for welding torches. For @ $3- $4, you can fine tune the slots as the tips will lightly file and round out the bottoms. Thinner tips will house string from .015 to .024. Thicker tips will work for heavier gauges.

 

[Tweed]

Re: Nut slotting question for the luthiers on the board

Dan Erlewine has written a book, How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great . Indespensible for novices and experienced folks. Best $20.00 you'll ever spend. He's the dean of guitar repair, setups, you name it. He's associated with Stew-Mac, and a lot of the tools they sell were designed by him. He doesn't push the Stew-Mac stuff too hard in his book, and actually shows you how to make some of your own tools, like nut files. You'd also save a few bucks by going to Lowe's or Home Depot to buy files. Dan also has his own little area at the Les Paul Forum, where you can get a lot of info for anything related to repairs and setups.