Guitar nut height

  • Am I the only one who files down the height on guitar nuts? I always consider them to be a little too high. I was talking to the owner of the music store where I live now when I went there and purchased strings. A local guitar/bass builder/luthier who's co-working with him always does that for new guitars before they go for sell in the shop. Just a thought. :whistling:

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • I think the OP is referring to the NUT height, not the string height.

    And, the string height of the open strings is determined by the nut height. If the strings are too high at the nut, fretted notes can be sharp, even when 12th fret intonation is set correctly.


    Don mentioned a way to determine the proper measurement. Another way to do it is to use a gauge to match the height of the nut slots to the height of the first fret.

  • Almost always. With factory guitars they always leave them a bit higher than the limit because you can't raise them.


    I usually recommend against DIY for this specific job just due to the major impact on playability and tuning stability.

  • To get the perfect width and a nice rounded nut slot, I use this tool (I have a few of them):


    "Welding Torch Nozzle Tip Cleaner for Welder Soldering"
    [Blocked Image: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/615ILopZ7nL._SX425_.jpg]


    If you file the slot too deep, you can "rebuild" the slot with super glue. There are several recipes - like mixing glue with baking soda or use material scraped from the actual nut or bone dust... but in my experience it is more important to use the right super glue! They are different to work with and in the result.


    With some experience (and some study) it is possible to customize the slots to the individual needs of your guitar. With an (rounded) angle you can exactly control, how much of the string is resting on the material.
    A short contact point prevents from tuning issues through friction. But sometimes a bit more "contact area" (with plain strings) can prevent the string from vibrate in the nut slot (behind the contact point). To much can cause issues again.


    I do make my own bone nuts where needed, but I also work on already installed nuts, when the material is o.k. A few weeks ago I did a completly rework of the compensated nut of my Musicman guitar (de-compensated some and properly recut the slots). Compensated nuts are different story... a long story... in short: If your nut is proper cut, you don't need it :thumbup:

  • And, the string height of the open strings is determined by the nut height. If the strings are too high at the nut, fretted notes can be sharp, even when 12th fret intonation is set correctly.

    You guys are talking about the string height from the fretboard... the "action". IOW, by removing material from the bottom of the nut or increasing the depth of the string slots. I get it. I understand.


    I'm talking about the height of the NUT. IOW, removing excess material by filing down the top of the nut, which has nothing to do with the action.



    The OP wrote:

    Am I the only one who files down the height on guitar nuts?

    Notice he says files DOWN the HEIGHT ...unless he wrote what he didn't mean, and is actually talking about the string slot depth. If so, and he's referring to the action, then that's entirely normal and I'm not sure why he posted this thread, because every guitar needs the action adjusted.


    If he's referring to the excess HEIGHT of the nut, then I'd venture a guess that he's in the minority in caring about the nut height.... and the premise of this thread makes much more sense.


    Perhaps the OP can chime in?

  • Pretty sure the OP is talking about string slot depth.


    I know a lot of players, who do not care too much or don't want to mess with it. Guitarists seem to accept quite a lot. I always hear: "It was perfect out of the box bla bla..." ^^ Really? So why do the saddle screws on your custom shop strat are sticking out?


    Easy fix with shorter screws - nothing should stick out! But look around: People accept it.


    (Almost) every Gibson neck without binding has sharp fret ends. "Never noticed that on my Studio, Flying V, Explorer...bla bla". After a decent fret job the same people are suprised how smooth they can fiddle up and down the neck now :thumbup: There are many other "shortcomings" to talk about (saddle notches on tune-o-matic bridge...).
    Expensive guitars are often missing love to details too. What does surprise me: Often guitars with a really good setup and standard are produced in Indonesia ...or the headstock says Japan. They seem to have very skilled workers and better quality control?


    But I do not take me out, spending money on more expensive "made in the US guitars" for example (often asian and mexican workers here too) like Gibson, Musicman ... and accept some flaws (due to lacking quality control?) and the need to setup and upgrade myself.

    Edited once, last by Ibot39 ().

  • Well said.


    I love the one about how the G string always goes out of tune on a LP, bla bla. :)
    Well, about 690 Tokai LPs later since 2009 and never a G string going out of tune as long as the nut slots are correctly filed. :)

  • I was talking about the nut height and not about the slots. Never had any issue with the slots.

    Like many others I initially assumed you were referring to the slot depth.


    I’ve never had any strouble with the nut height personally but the height and slot depth are related. You only want around half the string depth sitting in the slot (particularly on wound strings) to avoid binding and aid tuning stability so if the slots have been cut fairly deep to get the right action it follows that you might want to file down the top of the nut too.