nut

alexis221woodworks

Hi. Whats the best way to center a nut? I was thinking measuring length then divide by 2 to get my center but what do I use that center line in reference to on the neck. should i get the center of first fret? or center of heel? I know this is a stupid question but please guide me.....also what type of glue some say super and some say yellow and some say none....I dont have a groove for the nut just sits againts the fret board. Thanks

AlanRatcliffe

The centre of the fret shelf - you'll find the centres anywhere along the neck line up anyway.

A drop of hide glue is fine. Superglue sticks a bit too well, so you'll never get the nut out intact if you need to and there's a real chance of damaging the shelf too.

DonovanB

what is hide glue?

AlanRatcliffe

Donovan Banks wrote what is hide glue?

The original hot glue used for building guitars. It is best, but I think I meant to write cold (AKA carpenter's/Elmers) glue, which is my usual recommendation.

Ray

Cold glue - the white pasty/runny stuff in plastic bottles? Is that good for all nut materials?

AlanRatcliffe

Ray wrote Cold glue - the white pasty/runny stuff in plastic bottles? Is that good for all nut materials?

Yup. A dab'll do ya. I used to like using cyanoacrylate, but the problem with that is it bonds too well and too quickly and there's no way of removing a nut intact later if you need to.

singemonkey

Is there a disadvantage to no glue? My Pacifica's nut is free - I'm not sure whether it came loose or was never glued.

AlanRatcliffe

No real impact on tone, but a loose nut can shift, moving the strings closer to the edge of the fingerboard. There's also the possibility of losing the nut when you change strings.

singemonkey

Alan Ratcliffe wrote No real impact on tone, but a loose nut can shift, moving the strings closer to the edge of the fingerboard. There's also the possibility of losing the nut when you change strings.

Forgot about this thread. But thanks. I do check periodically to make sure it hasn't shifted (you can feel an edge stick out with your finger-tip if it does). I'll make sure I know where it is when changing strings.