Installing USA Nut = Slot is...not cooperating.

[SausageofPower]

So, after having done USA electronics and so on, I decided to throw a USA nut on my Tremonti SE Custom. Old nut came off easy, cleaned up the slot (gently) with 400 grit, it's perfect and flat and...the new nut rocks back and forth in the slot? Okay, fair enough. Put sandpaper in the slot and pressed the nut into it so I could sand it slightly to fit...but it won't seem to go.

Has anyone else run into this? Do I just need more practice with this sort of thing? It's entirely possible. Thankfully nuts aren't expensive.

 

[justmund]

Is the nut simply not as wide as the slot? I take it you haven't glued it in yet either?

 

[SausageofPower]

Is the nut simply not as wide as the slot? I take it you haven't glued it in yet either?

It's near perfect in all dimensions except that I can either have the nut flush with the fingerboard and therefore not flush against the bottom of the nut slot, or the other way around. Used a straight edge to make sure I didn't alter the dimensions of the slot, it's perfect. The old nut fits perfectly.

I didn't glue it, no. The general wisdom I read is that the nut should be flush on all sides in the slot.

 

[justmund]

My opinion (whatever that is worth) is that a precut nut should be flush on the fretboard side (for intonation/compensation purposes) and the bottom of the nut slot (for action/relief purposes).

Are you saying you can't achieve both these without compromising the other?

 

[shinksma]

The angle of the headstock (bottom of nut) and fretboard end (front of nut) of the "raw" nut vs the guitar is different - it happens because the headstock angle varies somewhat from model to model and build to build, I suspect. You need to sand the nut down more on one side of the bottom than the other. It still needs to be flat, but at a different angle.

I can't find any images handily online, so I'll draw something up quickly in a minute if I get a chance...

EDIT:

See this image:

A simple line drawing, and the nut isn't shown to scale obviously. But you get the idea: you need to sand down the bottom to a different angle. I had to do this for the USA nut I installed in my HB, replacing an aftermarket nut I didn't like (which would have replaced a stock USA nut!). I had to sand it down because the nut can never come stock exactly fit for your guitar.

 

[SausageofPower]

Think I've got it guys. Thanks for the assist! Love this guitar and want to make sure it's as close to perfect as one can get!

 

[John Beef]

The angle of the headstock (bottom of nut) and fretboard end (front of nut) of the "raw" nut vs the guitar is different - it happens because the headstock angle varies somewhat from model to model and build to build, I suspect. You need to sand the nut down more on one side of the bottom than the other. It still needs to be flat, but at a different angle.

I can't find any images handily online, so I'll draw something up quickly in a minute if I get a chance...

EDIT:

See this image:

A simple line drawing, and the nut isn't shown to scale obviously. But you get the idea: you need to sand down the bottom to a different angle. I had to do this for the USA nut I installed in my HB, replacing an aftermarket nut I didn't like (which would have replaced a stock USA nut!). I had to sand it down because the nut can never come stock exactly fit for your guitar.

Thanks! I replaced the nut on my Mira and had the same issue. Unfotunately I sanded maybe 2 strokes too many (seriously & literally 2 strokes on 400 grit paper) and went too low, so I had to shim it. If I ever do it again, I'll leave it to a pro.