the hand of john curley Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Afternoon one and all! reet then, My Geddy Lee has developed a slight issue, inasmuch as I seem to have somehow chipped a teeny tiny piece off the nut to the left side of where the A string sits ( as your looking at the bass). Result is that the A string keeps popping out of the nut!...Time, therefore to replace it! I'd love some feedback as to what you would suggest? Do i stick with a simple plastic replacement or go down the Brass or Bone route? any advice greatly apprecaited. Secondly....and I think I already know the answer to this!....Is it a DIY job or should I just hand it over to a luthier to do? Again - any and all advice appreciated guys n gals! Thanks a lot Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Personally I'd go for a graphite or a Tusq (synthetic ivory) nut. If you don't have any experience of cutting/filing nut slots I'd definitely get it done by somebody that knows what they're doing. It's a very easy thing to get wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Get a luthier to do it as you need the correct files to do it. Tried a diy approach before and take my word for it, if you don`t know what you are doing and haven`t got the right tools, it will end in tears. It doesn`t cost that much too get it done by a pro. It will be cash well spent. Jez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the hand of john curley Posted August 1, 2010 Author Share Posted August 1, 2010 Cheers Guys, Righto - Graphite it is and off to Howard Smith in Leicester to get done.....unless anyone knows of any other luthiers in the vicinity? Thanks Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matski Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 I replaced the nut on my P bass a couple of months ago and it was a piece of cake. I bought a Tusq one off the web, used the highly scientific method of gently tapping the old nut out sideways with a hammer and a flathead screwdriver, and slotted the new one straight in. Maybe I was lucky that the replacement nut was exactly the right size and needed no sanding down to fit, but it couldn't have been simpler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 [quote name='matski' post='912754' date='Aug 2 2010, 01:20 PM']I replaced the nut on my P bass a couple of months ago and it was a piece of cake. I bought a Tusq one off the web, used the highly scientific method of gently tapping the old nut out sideways with a hammer and a flathead screwdriver, and slotted the new one straight in. Maybe I was lucky that the replacement nut was exactly the right size and needed no sanding down to fit, but it couldn't have been simpler.[/quote] Did it have the string slots already cut? If so you were lucky that they didn't need adjusting. Taking the old nut off & fixing the new one in place isn't the tricky bit - cutting the slots properly is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 The fitting is the tricky bit The nut should snap in and be such a tight fit that you can lift the whole bass by the nut (don't try this though). I cut new nuts from blanks, just small blocks of bone, and then shape each one to fit. [b]Matski[/b[ has the right technique of knocking the nut out. Scribe around the old nut first with a sharp blade, then knock the nut from the fretboard side, then the nut side and keep switching from side to side. Don't knock it out sideways.... There will be all kinds of dirt and glue in the slot which will need to be removed. This stuff stops the new nut from seating properly. Getting a pre-slotted nut does save time, but cutting your own slots allows you to play with the string spacing a bit. You can gain some playing area by moving closer to the edge and maybe even line the strings over the pickups a bit more. Fitting a nut just needs patience as you end up sanding thousandths of an inch off to get the right fit. IMHO, I'd have a bone nut fitted and if this is your first go, I'd leave the Geddy to the local experience tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geofio Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 the string popping out of the slot on the A string is common on the Geddy's make sure your string is pulling down on the nut and not at the same height in other words make sure the string is far down the actual tuner wind. putting tension on the nut and puling down. there is hardly a groove on those nut's the string just sits on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I did a nut replacement on one of my basses and it's not that difficult. Took about 2 hours all in (shaping, matching the radius and filing and glue setting). You will need nut files, string spacing ruler/reference, the material for the nut, decent adhesive (I used titebond), some masking tape and some varying sand paper. Process is really simple and there are some excellent walk through videos on stew mac. It's a great feeling of accomplishment when you fix up your own gear but if you're not comfortable then maybe a luthier is a good idea. Good luck either way! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustInPeace90 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I always use Graphtech Black Tusq nuts on all my guitars and basses, never had a problem with a single one. They last, they let the strings guide through without resistance and it would look especially good with the black binding on your Geddy! I believe its the PT1214 for jazz basses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Try an ABM adjustable but it is brass it needs no cutting of slots and is high quality look on Thomman lots of good info on there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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