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Can you look at my nut please?
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JuanDaBomb
Posts: 189
Joined: May 18 2011
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 Can you look at my nut please?
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So I whipped out my Paracho guitar I bought many moons ago. It's an OK guitar, a spruce / rosewood built as a 50's Marcelo Barbero. I want to start playing it more, sort of as my "pseudo-negra"  until I can afford a new one. Anyway, so I remove the strings to change them and the nut falls right out of its slot. I understand that a nut is not necessarily glued in, but this one just slides in and out without any compression holding it. Upon closer inspection, I noticed both sides of the slot were also cut at an angle, like this:
which looks weird! Basically, the nut only makes contact on its bottom and along the edge cut. Do you think there's an improvement in tone to be had by correcting this? Should the slot be squared and a new nut fitted snuggly, or leave the angle cut? I was thinking maybe its like that for intonation reasons (right now all the strings' 12th fretted notes are noticeable sharp compared to the harmonics).
Any advice would be appreciated!  Thanks
(incidentally, he sent me a copy of the Barbero plan, if it's of use to anyone just let me know.)
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Sep. 12 2011 7:55:40
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Ruphus
Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010
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RE: Can you look at my nut please? (in reply to JuanDaBomb)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: JuanDaBomb
(right now all the strings' 12th fretted notes are noticeable sharp compared to the harmonics).
That seems to correspond to how the nut is tilted ( = shortening scale length / making fretted notes sharp ). From there, I would not expect the nut edge to be shifting beyound appropriate spacing, when you erect the nut. With the edge rather likely ending up within tolerance / leaving you with a bit overhead to file on, in case of adjusting ( prolonging scale length ) was needed after erection.
And even if erecting the nut was to be shifting the edge beyound required scale length; straightening out the slot and inserting a snag fitting new nut that shall fully contact at the base, should be worth the efforts. Even if the nut needed to be made protruding laterally at the top to compensate for hypothetically extended scale length.
As it seems now the base of the nut appears to have only contact in places, possibly reducing performance of what I deem as "vibrating unit".
And intonation is crucial anyway. When set accurately, making for a fundamental difference in terms of lushness, separation, harmony and inspiration.
Accurate and not-so-accurate intonation make a very different beast of the very same guitar.
Should you be going for it anyway, I would recommend to be really meticulous ( possibly including the saddle too ) about it. ( While using a fresh set of your prefered strings ).
And if possible to get a hold of a strobe tuner for the procedure, just the better.
Ruphus
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Sep. 12 2011 11:35:28
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