Spyke
It would have been easier to just send a PM but in the interest of education the forum browsers -
Does anyone (read: Alan) know who the agents for Graph Tech are in SA?
Or who keeps Graph Tech items?
Instead of getting in my car or picking up the phone, I'm being super lazy and just asking online - bad, I know.
AlanRatcliffe
It was Specialist Guitar Supplies - Andy McGiven (Spelling?). However I was at the Graph Tech site last night and they no longer list an SA agent. It's a new site, so there's a chance the info just isn't up yet. Otherwise, If you don't come right with Andy, give me a shout - I have contacts there as I used to endorse them.
What are you looking for?
Spyke
Great, thanks Alan, I'll try Andy McGibbons as they're down the road from me.
I'm looking for a Trem-nut and trees, and depending on price, saddles.
Renesongs
I bought Graph Tech parts from Paul Bothners last year (Not my favourite store ???)The string trees cost R30 The Nut R60 and the saddles about R300. They did manage to sell me the wrong nut despite giving the salesboy the precise specifications of my strat neck which cost me many hours of sanding and reshaping the nut .So if you do go to Bothners I might suggest you give them your specifications in brail. >☹
Spyke
This is also something that worries me as my previous runnings-in with Andy's has been less than perfect. (I'm still waiting for them to call me once they receive the black knobs ??? )
Not having done any nut work before, I'd also need one as close to spec as possible from the word go.
I'll stop there today and report back tomato... ?
AlanRatcliffe
Guys
No nut is a perfect fit. Even with one make/model of guitar like a Strat, there's too many variables - neck width, depth of slot, curved or flat nut slot, fingerboard thickness, fingerboard wear, fret height, fret wear. Even player preference. So any nut job (as it were ;D) is going to require the nut is sized, shaped and the string slots cut, even thinned. Even those with string slots already in place, the slots are more to use as a guideline than anything else.
Spyke
OK, andy mcgibbons has quite a comprehensive range of graph tech items, including the TUSQ lot.
they're out of stock of the trees, but have slotted nuts and string saver saddles for R60 and R300 respectively.
seems to be the going rate...
Renesongs
I looked at Graphtech's site. Saddles are $43.50 (R330) a set of 6, a Strat slotted Trem Nut is $10.95 (R83) and String trees are $9.95 (R75.50) each. Bothners and McGibbons prices are below that ?. Oh yes and it seems that I owe Bothners an apology for the flaming ;D Graphtech only make 2 types of trem nut for stats, normal and lefty. So be prepared to spend some time sanding and tweaking. Better still try to get your old nut out in one piece so you can get it's exact profile, mine shattered when I tried (bloody Japanese extra stong Bonzai glue!).
Spyke
Well, i think i'll be fitting a Graph Tech Trem-nut from Andy's. I removed mine and it's a seriously dodgy piece of cheap plastic...
Suggestions please: fit a pre-slotted one or cut my own slots? The pre slotted one is spaced a little wider than my current one...
How tricky can this be?
AlanRatcliffe
Pre slotted - it's great to have a guide to string spacing. The spacing is a little wider than many stock nuts, but as long as your strings aren't already too close to the edges of the board at the top, that's not a huge thing.
It is a tricky job, but if you are handy and take it slowly and take some care, there's no reason why you cannot do it.
www.ratcliffe.co.za/articles/action2.shtml
Renesongs
Yeah I also noticed that the Graphtech preslotted was slightly wider than my neck., but IMO it was easier to trim the nut than to cut slots. I cleaned the route in the neck were the nut fitted and lighly sanded the nut so that it clould move in the rought, strung and tuned my guitar and gradually trimmed and rounded the excess until my hand didn't catch on the edges
[img][/img]
StephenG
ok heres a bit of serious forum necrophilia....
but anyone have a clue where to get saddles in Cape Town?
graphtec still dont list an agent for south africa on their site..
AlanRatcliffe
Marshall Cape just landed the agency, but it'll likely be a month or two before the first stock gets here.
StephenG
thanks A.
i'll keep an eye on that.
Wizard
I spent an age driving around; phoning and e-mailing to try and find a Graphtec trem-nut & string trees.
After an age of failures I just ordered from StewMac.
Pair of string trees: $ 5.97
Trem-nut: $ 7.37
I was buying a bunch of other stuff so the shipping was spread over a wide base.
Renesongs
I got my saddles strings and trees from Paul Bothners Claremont. That was about 3 years ago though
