Post by DanielleOMI found a lot of the comments in this thread to be interesting.
The comments regarding nut groove shape and depth got me wondering about
set up and how critical that is and how much leeway there is when
changing for string gauges.
Like I said earlier, if your nut slots are cut for one gauge of strings
you should be able to go *down* a few gauges before noticing any issues.
Post by DanielleOMFor example if you set the guitar up with a TI Swing 13 (JS113) set, and
then changed to a TI Swing 12 (JS112) set, would suddenly find the
strings were bottoming out in the nut, and have to redo the nut?
What do you mean by "bottoming out"?
If your nut slots are correctly cut for the .013"s then the .012"s will
be seated on the nut surface just as well.
The only issue might be some slight side-to-side movement of the strings
in the slots.
And you'd probably only notice that, if at all, when bending strings.
And if you're using strings that are that heavy to begin with you're
probably not bending much anyway.
You'd potentially have a bigger problem if your slots are cut for .012"
strings and you switch to .013" strings.
Post by DanielleOMWill
the money just spent on a good setup at the nut be totally wasted with
the string change?
Depends on how drastic the change in gauges from one set to the other.
Post by DanielleOMHow does a luthier actually know how the string is sitting in the nut?
Feel? Magnifying glasses? I certainly cannot see this stuff with the
naked eye? Maybe I used to.
You use files of specific widths designed specifically for shaping the
bottom curve of the nut slot to fit the curvature of each string.
Usually, it's a good idea to use a file that's just slightly wider than
the string gauge you'll be using in that slot.
E.g. For a .052" string it's a good idea if you can find a .053" file.
Etc.
The actual depth of the slot can be controlled by placing a feeler
gauge, usually about .010" on the fingerboard directly in front of the nut.
That will prevent you from cutting the slots too deep.
But usually, to get the best play-a-bility, you'll do a combination of
visual inspection and playing especially around the 1st fret.
A common way to do the visual inspection is to press the string down at
the 3rd fret and look at the gap between the bottom of the string and
the top of the 1st fret.
If there's no gap at all, you've gone too far.
But sometimes, with the plain strings you can that far w/o too many issues.
The issue is whether or not the string craps out at the 1st fret when
you pluck the open string.
So this gap should be as small as possible for optimal playing comfort.
It should also be very easy to press down any string at the 1st fret.
A common problem with nut slots that are too high is that you'll have to
press too hard at the 1st fret and will make the pitch play sharp.
One way to check if you slots are at a good height/depth is to put a
capo on the 1st fret and measure your action at the 12th or 18th or
whatever fret.
The fully open string and the capoed open string should achieve fairly
similar string heights in along the rest of the fingerboard.
If you go too deep there are techniques that allow you to build up the
problem nut slot again using super glue and bone dust or baking soda.
And then you can re-cut/file the slot.
But sometimes if you screw up badly enough you'll have to totally
replace that nut and start again with a fresh one.
--
Joey Goldstein
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