New member/tech question

[Benm]

Ok, new guy with a couple SE's and a question. I have a custom 24 with grover 406c's and DGT pickups and Im using D'addario 10's. Everything sounds fine except the g string. When tuning, the open string sounds fine, but when I fret on the 2nd fret to make a d chord, its sharp? Can someone lead me in the correct direction? Intonation is correct (using the open/12th fret check) could it be binding in the nut? What nut should I replace it with? Thanks in advance guys.

 

[Benm]

Also, I want to replace the nuts on my custom 24 se and my marsden se. Can anyone tell me which part numbers I need?

 

[alantig]

Sounds like it could be that the G string slot on the nut is too high. Have you checked other frets against the tuner?

 

[Ovibos]

Have you replaced the nut or had it filed out for 10's?

The SE nuts are cut for 9's, and in the case of mine not cut very well. Not only did it bind very badly on the G, but when you looked carefully you could see that the strings weren't even spaced equally from the sides of the fretboard. No amount of Nut Sauce helped.

So I just had it replaced with a USA nut, and tweaked down a bit. Seems much better now. Only downside is a little gapping between the nut and the trussrod cover.

(or you might have a bad string or just need better string stretching...)

 

[John Beef]

I was also thinking it might be a bad string.

 

[dogrocketp]

I've used both graphtech and PRS USA nuts on my SE's, with equally good results. Sorry I don't have the parts numbers, but they are widefat/widethin from PRS. The graphtec nuts were clearly marked on the package. My luthier used a colored sharpie to fill in the tiny gap before he mounted the new nut. I consider this the single most important thing to do, especially if you bought a used guitar. My divorce left me too broke to buy a new PRS, but I still have what I want, used.

 

[aristotle]

This happens with most guitars. It's always the "g" string when doing a D cowboy chord. It's worse on thick fretted guitars (and PRS frets are relatively thick) but in my case at least, it's not the nut, and it's not the intonation. The string is just stretching when you push it down to the fret board. You can verify this by only pushing the string as far as you need to in order for it to make contact with the fret. You'll find, I think, that it's in tune at that point. That's not how you'd play it in real life of course, so I always tune by ear, with the G string tuned as a compromise. As to why it's the g string, and why it's only when low on the fretboard, it's just the geometry of the frets and relief I think. It happens with all of the strings actually down low on the fretboard, but it's always worse with the G string.

If you do the experiment, putting only enough pressure on the G string at the second fret so that it makes contact with the fret, then pluck the string, then push down all of the way to the fret board, you'll hear it clearly going sharp. You can either change your playing style or compromise your tuning (and it doesn't require so much of a compromise that it's noticeably off elsewhere.) Or get thinner frets...... I'm not saying that cutting the nut down won't help at all...but that it won't completely solve the issue.

 

[djd35de]

Nut slot is too high. Bottom of string should have about .014-.016 under 1st fret and string.

If you have more space then that the note will go sharp when you fret it. Thats nut action etc....

 

[John Beef]

Thats nut action etc....

Sometimes the jokes are so easy, it's not even worth typing them. :laugh:

 

[djd35de]

I hear ya, i could've recommended just a squirt of ( Nut sauce) will do the trick but i did'nt LOL