Roller Nuts

[jestaudio]

Good idea, Martin. I can make such a template and attach it to the guide board. My best rulers has divisions of 100ths of an inch. I hope that will be good enough.

The nut came with some shims but I hope they are not necessary. I will cut it to 0.100 and go from there.

Shims are your best friend on these, I cut mine very slightly deeper than needed and then used the shims to get the perfect height on either side plus it give the freedom to change string gauges, I found the best way for me was once strung up and in tune stick a capo on the 3rd fret and adjust the nut upwards until the e strings just clear the first fret then alter the truss rod as needed, i got a incredibly low action on my 89' strat, no doubt others on here have different methods, its a case of finding what works for you

[sepulchre]

So, do you check it and then have to take it apart, add the shim, put it back together and tune it up again to check it?

[Cantplay]

Oh, one more thing.

Drill a pilot hole for the screws, don't just try to drive em in blind.

John

[jestaudio]

So, do you check it and then have to take it apart, add the shim, put it back together and tune it up again to check it?

Nope, assemble it all up, leave the screws a little loose, tune to pitch, if the strings are fouling the first fret put a shim or 2 in until it you can play the string with no rattle, jobs a good one, I usually find I need more on the bass e string than the top e,

[sepulchre]

Okay, can't get a razor saw anywhere locally here so I ordered one. It may be awhile before I can give it a go anyway because my little shop only has one radiant heater and I didn't seal it in the fall, so it's fighting a losing battle. Maybe I can get out there Saturday when it's supposed to get all the way up to 32 degrees (heat wave). I shoveled the path out to it yesterday but we've got more snow on the way.

Btw, John, I will definitely drill pilot holes; I do so for everything. I was wondering, what is that neck you posted made of? Nice looking grain there.

[Structo]

Yeah, it's surprising how many people don't drill pilot hole when installing screws into hardwood/ maple.

The quality of the screws is not so great anymore so it is pretty common for guys to twist off the head.


I always drill the hole so it is the same size as the shank of the screw, so only the threads bite the wood.

[Cantplay]

Btw, John, I will definitely drill pilot holes; I do so for everything. I was wondering, what is that neck you posted made of? Nice looking grain there.

Cocobolo with rosewood fretboard.

John

[sepulchre]

Okay, my saws finally arrived. But removing the original nut revealed something unexpected: a plastic sleeve around the truss rod adjuster is shallow beneath the nut. I suppose the best way to proceed would be to simply cut the plastic along with the wood? And then it would have to be filed - I don't think a chisel will work on it. Or maybe a Dremel should be used to avoid hitting the surrounding wood. However it's done it will be a delicate process. Any thoughts, suggestions or ideas?

[JazzGuitarGimp]

I'd carve a small arc in the roller nut and leave the truss sleeve alone.

[sepulchre]

I'd carve a small arc in the roller nut and leave the truss sleeve alone.

Hmm. Not sure I can do that with the dinky Dremel I've got. I'd hate to mess it up. Looks like the the sleeve has already been shaved down for the original. I'm at work now but I'll look at the nut with that in mind at home.

Is there a particular reason for preserving the plastic sleeve?

[JazzGuitarGimp]

My concern would be if you broke through the sleeve, exposing the truss rod - it just feels like that could cause problems with adjusting the rod down the road.

[sepulchre]

Actually, the rod itself is not in the sleeve. The sleeve just allows a clean access to the adjusting head on the rod. My hope is that I won't have to cut all the way through the wall of the sleeve so that the inside of it remains intact. I really don't think that will happen because it looks like it will only take a few thousandths to get where I need to be. Hopefully, the sleeve os thick enough to accommodate such a cut. I will measure the thickness and if it's really necessary I'll figure a way to groove the nut without damaging it.

Also, if it turns out that the rod is indeed within the area that needs to be trimmed I will go ahead and groove the nut for it.

Thanks, Lou. You've made me think this through thoroughly before going at it.

ken

[JazzGuitarGimp]

Ken, do you know at this point that the slot is deep enough to give you the string height you are shooting for? If the slot is already at the desired depth, and it's just a few thousandths of plastic to be removed, then you're probaby doing okay by trimming the plastic. But keep in mind that estimating the real thickness of the sleeve wall is complicated by the fact that the exposed section of the sleeve is cut at a severe angle, making the wall appear much thicker than it actually is.

[sepulchre]

Good point! Yes, I will measure the thickness with a caliper from perpendicular to the inside of the sleeve, not the width that's showing. I will measured the depth of the slot and make sure that the thickness of the sleeve can cover the 110 thousandths I need. If it turns out I need to go deeper then the nut will get grooved . . . Carefully! My hope is that I won't need to do so.

Thanks again!

[martin manning]

Where is the head of the truss rod with respect to the nut slot? If it is beyond the slot, and you can get the appropriate tool past the bottom of the installed roller nut to adjust the truss rod, who cares if you notch through the sleeve? I think trying to remove the wood and leave the plastic will be painful. You'll have to saw through the plastic anyway, and then keeping the bottom of the slot in a single plane will be difficult.