Replacing the nut

[Window-Licker]

Im thinking of replacing the nut on my Jackson slsmg, it has a bound body/neck/head and the black plastic nut just looks wrong, i have ordered an unbleached bone nut from stew mac but am having a stress about the work involved, mainly because the finish on the binding seems to have gone over the nut, im scared of cracking the finish if i try to chisel it off  :?

Would you recommend risking it, or should i send it off somewhere? had a look at feline guitars (saw a post on forum) :-) but £30 seems abit harsh, although id feel better if someone else took the risk not me, argh the dilema.

[HJM]

£30 is a good price - nut cutting is about as hard as it gets to get right....I find fret dressing easier! If you're the slightest bit unsure get it of to your repair shop - a bodge will be more than £30 to put right if the finish gets damaged!!

[FELINEGUITARS]

Hayden is right although you would want to get it done locally - shipping your axe about would cost you more money. A really well cut nut makes all the difference.

mind you - look at how much the proper tools alone cost at Stew Mac - let alone the time/expertise factor. there will be many things that you will be able to do for yourself  but  letting a pair of experienced hands do the nut is money well spent.

[rinse_master]

£30 isn't too bad, your guitar is a nice one, the last thing you want ot do is chip a lump out of it or something!

[PhilKing]

Nuts are a lot of work and you really need the right tools.  If the nut is cut wrong, the guitar will never play well.  Bone is not the easiest thing to work with, so if you have never replaced a nut before, I would suggest you either have a professional do it, or practice with some plastic nut blanks.

If you are going to do it yourself, remember to cut the finish to stop it chipping before you remove the nut.  Then don't cut too deep before you try it.  It is better to have the action too high and then adjust it on the guitar.  It is easy to cut deeper, filling the slots is a big problem  

[jt]

:D £30. isn`t alot of money for having an experienced pair of hands doing very vital & important work on your fav axe.

if you F**k up the nut on your guitar you`ll have no end of problems with it. If you don`t no what your doing & or don`t have enough hands on experience don`t mess with it get it done properly by someone who no`s what there doing

 :D  8)

[Bob Johnson]

Comment 1) why go to the US (Stewmac) for a nut when there are so many good parts suppliers in the good old UK? Comment 2) The guys advising you to get it done professionally are absolutely right.
Comment 3) Start supporting the UK guitar build/repair/parts industry so that it will still be here when you really need it, If you get copped for VAT and import duty it will cost you about 3 times as much as buying the part here.
Lecture over.

[Bainzy]

Comment 3) Start supporting the UK guitar build/repair/parts industry so that it will still be here when you really need it, If you get copped for VAT and import duty it will cost you about 3 times as much as buying the part here.

yup - I just got a telephone call about my warmoth body that's arriving tommorrow, apparently the ransom money is gonna be £33.30  

[Window-Licker]

Although a noble thought, i disagree about the costs, ive rarely had things held to ransom and have saved so much money going to american stores, i find even with shipping your saving like 30-40% good example is the electronics shielding kit i was after.... in england cheapest i saw was about £14 got the exact same thing from america for $14 i know its kinda shallow, but id rather save as much money as i can.

And to be honest ive had things shipped from america that have faster delivery times then things in england, i dont know why but it happens, carrying on from that, i ordered some things from GAK they have a great range and good prices on things but i ordered a few pedals which took about 2 weeks to arrive, and some patch cables which took 2 months, 2 frickin months for a few cables, whats that all about???

[big steve]

GAK's postage is an absolute rip off. £24 to ship a wah to northern ireland? they can suck my lack of future custom.

[Johnny Mac]

GAK's postage is an absolute rip off. £24 to ship a wah to northern ireland? they can suck my lack of future custom.

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[FELINEGUITARS]

Comment 1) why go to the US (Stewmac) for a nut when there are so many good parts suppliers in the good old UK? Comment 2) The guys advising you to get it done professionally are absolutely right.
Comment 3) Start supporting the UK guitar build/repair/parts industry so that it will still be here when you really need it, If you get copped for VAT and import duty it will cost you about 3 times as much as buying the part here.
Lecture over.

I kind of agree with the sentiment of what Bob is saying.
Whilst i too have bought stuff from USA and have bought a ton of stuff from Stewmac - there is an important reason to buy through the UK dealers or certainly from the small specialist repairman.

There will be various times when you need that specialist to do some work for you that you don't want to or can't do yourself- it may be a set-up, or a refret or even a complete rebuild or building a custom guitar.

You will still want to find him trading as a repairer and not have given up through lack of money and gone off to become a postman or working in an office or supermarket, or wherever will pay enough to keep a roof over his head.

Putting trade his way and buying bits and pieces from him helps keep him employed in the job where his skills are most useful and appreciated.
I'm not suggesting that you pay way over the odds for big stuff but certainly over small stuff where you would be penny pinching to have to import it.

Also his experience means that you end up getting the right part first time.
I have had many guys turn up with parts they have bought to fit to their guitars - only to have to tell them that they have gotten the wrong part, or as has happened  a couple of times that the part is faulty.
If i had been supplying the part and it was faulty then I would replace it and get the job done right, but if they bought it elsewhere then they would have to seek re-dress with the place they bought it and that can become a drawn out situation.
I've sometimes ended up selling them the part that they should have bought, and getting the job done, leaving them with the wrong or faulty part to get returned.

So basically look after those that you would wish to see still in business in years to come - or lose them and regret it later

[38thBeatle]

I totally agree with Jonathan. My missus runs a small health food store and we compete in town with a shop that is part of a well known chain. Go in their shop and they couldn't give a monkeys about what they sell as long as they sell. In her shop she goes out of her way to provide a service and to ensure her customers are happy. We are under threat from EU regulations but we have built up a customer base that means we survive. I am rambling I know but I make a point of seeking out like minded companies to deal with- hence I am a BKP customer. I will gladly pay the decent rate or a product or service if I know that that supplier cares about making me happy, what is that old saying- a poor man cannot afford cheap shoes or something like that.

[rinse_master]

I agree with everyhting you guys are saying, I don't like dealing with big "faceless" companies and would much rather pay the extra couple of ££'s and get real, quality service from someone who clearly knows what is what.

[HJM]

But then companies in the US have been doing this for years, I get better service from a small music store in LA that I get a few small sundries from, tubes etc, and they're a lot more helpful and knowledgable than even the best of my local shops.