If you do a traditional nut, where it's inserted into a channel in your fingerboard, you should get one of these files. Yeah, StewMac's price is a little high for such a simple item, but the improvement on your work will be well worth it in the long run.
Quick explanation: I bought a set of smaller standard files from Lowe's to do my nut work and was using the small flat file to do this channel. By the time I was done, due to an inability to hold it perfectly straight while filing (even up against a straight edge), the middle of the channel would always be tighter than the sides, which led to a fit that was not very snug. This unevenness in the channel is because a standard file is textured on all four sides.
With a nut slotting file, only the edges are textured; the flat sides are ground smooth. This means that you're only filing the wood that you actually want to remove and everything else is left alone. In other words, if you work carefully, an 1/8" channel will be 1/8" all the way across and not just in the center, ensuring a snug fit all the way through.
The tool was well worth the money in my opinion.
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The v block is in fact the most precise way to hold the string in place, and is actually the method I use on most of my more simple guitars. However, the v block will put undue and uneven wear on the string over a shorter period of time, especially with bending and tremolo techniques, which will lead to more frequent string breaks, premature wear on nut slots, and jerky slide over the nut with a tremolo system.
Also, that wasn't the kind of file I was talking about. I was talking about the file you use to grove your fingerboard. It's what makes the channel that the nut will sit in.
Josh
Kevin Lawton said:
To be honest I only see special nut-slotting files as an unneccessary expense. Guitar strings are round in section. Ask any engineer the best way to support a round bar accurately and he'll tell you 'vee blocks'. Supported in a vee, a round bar - or guitar string - will just sit still precisely in one position. With nut slotting files you need a whole set of them for different guage strings.
All I use is a cheap and simple triangular section 'riffler' file. This easily cuts a precise vee slot (60 degrees) into which a string of any guage wil sit perfectly. It won't move about, won't buzz, won't bind.
If you like to cut grooves in your brdige saddles, well it works at that end of the guitar too.
A small set of a few riffler files costs about the same as a set of guitar strings, too.
To be honest I only see special nut-slotting files as an unneccessary expense.
Guitar strings are round in section. Ask any engineer the best way to support a round bar accurately and he'll tell you 'vee blocks'. Supported in a vee, a round bar - or guitar string - will just sit still precisely in one position.
With nut slotting files you need a whole set of them for different guage strings.
All I use is a cheap and simple triangular section 'riffler' file. This easily cuts a precise vee slot (60 degrees) into which a string of any guage wil sit perfectly. It won't move about, won't buzz, won't bind.
If you like to cut grooves in your brdige saddles, well it works at that end of the guitar too.
A small set of a few riffler files costs about the same as a set of guitar strings, too.
The 1/8" file is all I bothered to get. It's working out pretty well for all my needs so far. If you're really good with your jig saw, you can actually get two nuts out of one corian blank when you thickness them at 1/8".
Darren "Big Daddy" Dukes said:
Smokey, I agree they would be well worth it. I aim to have a set at some point. I don't know how you guys approach tool buying...for me I have a wish list and after I have sold 6-10 I buy a tool....then I buy parts,parts,parts,parts and then I pay me $10 buck and then parts,parts,parts...tool and so on! LOL I really hope Stew Mac has me on their Christmas Card list.....They get $200-300 bucks a month off of me I ought to get something!! Big Daddy
Smokey, I agree they would be well worth it. I aim to have a set at some point. I don't know how you guys approach tool buying...for me I have a wish list and after I have sold 6-10 I buy a tool....then I buy parts,parts,parts,parts and then I pay me $10 buck and then parts,parts,parts...tool and so on! LOL
I really hope Stew Mac has me on their Christmas Card list.....They get $200-300 bucks a month off of me I ought to get something!!
Big Daddy
Replies
The v block is in fact the most precise way to hold the string in place, and is actually the method I use on most of my more simple guitars. However, the v block will put undue and uneven wear on the string over a shorter period of time, especially with bending and tremolo techniques, which will lead to more frequent string breaks, premature wear on nut slots, and jerky slide over the nut with a tremolo system.
Also, that wasn't the kind of file I was talking about. I was talking about the file you use to grove your fingerboard. It's what makes the channel that the nut will sit in.
Josh
Kevin Lawton said:
Guitar strings are round in section. Ask any engineer the best way to support a round bar accurately and he'll tell you 'vee blocks'. Supported in a vee, a round bar - or guitar string - will just sit still precisely in one position.
With nut slotting files you need a whole set of them for different guage strings.
All I use is a cheap and simple triangular section 'riffler' file. This easily cuts a precise vee slot (60 degrees) into which a string of any guage wil sit perfectly. It won't move about, won't buzz, won't bind.
If you like to cut grooves in your brdige saddles, well it works at that end of the guitar too.
A small set of a few riffler files costs about the same as a set of guitar strings, too.
The 1/8" file is all I bothered to get. It's working out pretty well for all my needs so far. If you're really good with your jig saw, you can actually get two nuts out of one corian blank when you thickness them at 1/8".
Darren "Big Daddy" Dukes said:
I really hope Stew Mac has me on their Christmas Card list.....They get $200-300 bucks a month off of me I ought to get something!!
Big Daddy