I obtained a lovely re-issue L6-s. I like Gibsons, I like single cutaway because it's rigid at the heel, I like solid maple bodies and solid maple necks, so this suits me. The choice of single-coil, 'bucker, series, parallel, etc. has also grow on me (though I may never get used to the rotary selector). It's also the first time I got a new guitar that has been set up by a robotic Plek, and they really did a superb job, it's the first time I have not had to spend a lot of time perfecting the setup.
I had to sell my beloved Travis Bean in order to not lose my house a few years back. So I'm used to a guitar with a zero fret at the nut. On those, the nut just positions the string in a "V", but the nut height is controlled by the zero fret (an extra fret at the nut). That was very forgiving of different string gauges.
My other guitar is a Hamer with a Kahler, and a locking nut.
This L6-S has just a conventional nut. It still has the strings that came on it. When I tune, the strings stick at the nut leaving excess tension (or insufficient tension) between the tuning machine peg and the nut, and later can slip at the nut and go sharp (or flat) when I play. Watching with a tuner, it jumps at the nut quite a bit, and I end up tapping and wiggling the strings on either side of the nut to get it tuned with even tension on both sides of the nut so it stays in tune. Tuning takes too long, and is too imperfect.
I'm reluctant to file the nut, as I may change to lighter strings someday. I've heard of people lubricating the nut, usually with some dry lube like graphite. But with a maple neck and white nut I don't want black graphite. Is is a good idea to lube the nut? No funny off-color jokes please, I know I walked right into that one. Or should I just try new strings, maybe the Ernie Ball Cobalt, and go to a slightly lighter gauge?
Everything on this no-frills guitar is about function. I'm just a little disappointed it's so hard to tune perfectly. Then again, I am used to the aluminum Travis, which always stayed in perfect tune, even in its case over time, it was just solid as a rock and had that zero nut...or the Hamer with micro-tuners at the Kahler vibrato and a locking nut (which took a few passes due to the vibrato, but still was pretty easy to tune because it had rollers at the bridge).
I had to sell my beloved Travis Bean in order to not lose my house a few years back. So I'm used to a guitar with a zero fret at the nut. On those, the nut just positions the string in a "V", but the nut height is controlled by the zero fret (an extra fret at the nut). That was very forgiving of different string gauges.
My other guitar is a Hamer with a Kahler, and a locking nut.
This L6-S has just a conventional nut. It still has the strings that came on it. When I tune, the strings stick at the nut leaving excess tension (or insufficient tension) between the tuning machine peg and the nut, and later can slip at the nut and go sharp (or flat) when I play. Watching with a tuner, it jumps at the nut quite a bit, and I end up tapping and wiggling the strings on either side of the nut to get it tuned with even tension on both sides of the nut so it stays in tune. Tuning takes too long, and is too imperfect.
I'm reluctant to file the nut, as I may change to lighter strings someday. I've heard of people lubricating the nut, usually with some dry lube like graphite. But with a maple neck and white nut I don't want black graphite. Is is a good idea to lube the nut? No funny off-color jokes please, I know I walked right into that one. Or should I just try new strings, maybe the Ernie Ball Cobalt, and go to a slightly lighter gauge?
Everything on this no-frills guitar is about function. I'm just a little disappointed it's so hard to tune perfectly. Then again, I am used to the aluminum Travis, which always stayed in perfect tune, even in its case over time, it was just solid as a rock and had that zero nut...or the Hamer with micro-tuners at the Kahler vibrato and a locking nut (which took a few passes due to the vibrato, but still was pretty easy to tune because it had rollers at the bridge).
Here's another "nutty" question. I have a knock-around Epiphone. It has a black nut. One string is too low at the nut; it appears that it came from the factory that way, which is probably why I got it cheap. I know that with the cream nuts (no off-color jokes please) people apply thin crazy glue, baking soda, and more crazy glue, and it makes a nice quick hard fill to re-file. But this is a black nut. I have some slow-set clear epoxy, does that sound appropriate?
what is the nut material (some are composite plastics) bone nuts are better (synthetic bone with ceramic compounds/harder).
you could try using a fine emery folded around a drafting erasure shield and reshape the side of the nut notches(using a thin piece of hardwood at the appropriate thickness to prevent you from cutting the notch deeper)that's what usually causes the string to bind (especially the plastic nuts 08 and 09 gauge strings can cut through those easily)
the graphite thing isn't as bad as you think without changing your string tension to much lift the string out of the notch apply dry graphite in the notch reset blow excess off string wipe with dry tack cloth don't wipe it with your fingers your skin oil will act like a binder and make it stick.
you could try using a fine emery folded around a drafting erasure shield and reshape the side of the nut notches(using a thin piece of hardwood at the appropriate thickness to prevent you from cutting the notch deeper)that's what usually causes the string to bind (especially the plastic nuts 08 and 09 gauge strings can cut through those easily)
the graphite thing isn't as bad as you think without changing your string tension to much lift the string out of the notch apply dry graphite in the notch reset blow excess off string wipe with dry tack cloth don't wipe it with your fingers your skin oil will act like a binder and make it stick.
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the crazy glue baking soda works.
some epoxy's are too soft even when cured well
color is not a problem crazy glue is clear the baking soda is supposedly chemically harding and drying the multiple layers sometimes needed to rebuild height and cleans off easily.
some epoxy's are too soft even when cured well
color is not a problem crazy glue is clear the baking soda is supposedly chemically harding and drying the multiple layers sometimes needed to rebuild height and cleans off easily.
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You can use the dust from sanding a cut off of the same colour nut instead of the baking soda with the crazy glue (called super glue here).
We call it anaerobic cyanoacrylate, but I don't know whether that's even accurate, but we all mean the same stuff, and the thin variety, not some of the new gap-filling types (though I am curious about them too).
To hell with all that, rub a soft pencil in the groove.
If that doesn't work, replace the nut, or have it done professionally. At the very least, buy nut files if you try it yourself.
Nuts are capable of causing endless irritation when they go wrong, often the result of inexpert attention.
If that doesn't work, replace the nut, or have it done professionally. At the very least, buy nut files if you try it yourself.
Nuts are capable of causing endless irritation when they go wrong, often the result of inexpert attention.
You can't fix a bad nut with dust, glue or pencil graphite. The only real solution is to get a properly cut nut for the string gauge you like to use. It's a surprisingly complex and often misunderstood part of the guitar which needs to be crafted with special tools to sub-millimetre tolerances.
The problem on the Gibson is solved. I installed a set of Cobalt strings one range thinner, and they sound really great IMHO, more output from the cobalt than the heavier old nickel & steel ones, and really bright, good bass too, bends about the same, but a much smoother finish and the slightly smaller diameter fits the nut much better. I should have tried this long ago, the stock strings were most of the problem, or I just lucked out now. I was afraid I'd lose tone or tuning stability and they'd feel like rubber bands. I really lucked out, or more likely the stock strings suck or should have been replaced long ago. I hadn't realized the Gibson nut grooves where so shallow, more like scratches. But with the tuners on both sides of the head they're not far from the nut and the angle is steeper than a fender and they stay in the shallow slot just fine without any "string tree"....
The Epiphone just really needs a new nut, it was a factory screw-up on just one string, but I'm going to try the crazy glue / baking soda trick first as I have absolutely nothing to lose if it needs replacement anyway...and for now it's got to be better than the piece of paper shim under the string I use now. And I need a new x-acto saw if I want to remove the nut carefully; I'll probably razor-slice any varnish then saw thru the nut and then clean up very carefully.
And yes, I think it's definitely time for me to get a set of proper nut files instead of the razors and tig-welding tip cleaners I've been using.
While the strings were off I smoothed out the edges where the overly-thick urethane on the maple fingerboard was worn thru. It's getting character and I don't want to "relic" it but I can see the day coming soon when I'll be sanding the fingerboard with fine sandpaper and probably the neck back too. This is a tool, and function is foremost.
Now that it can be tuned easily, next I'm getting a Korg "pitchblack" 19" tuner. The rack-mount Peterson's liquid-crystal display (emulating an old-style motorized strobe) is more accurate if I was tuning a piano, but the new Korg's huge bright display is easier for me to see without my glasses or across the room, especially in their "strobe-simulating" moving-bar mode. No built-in metronome, which could be handy for an old beginner like myself. I'd like to use on in person, but an inclined to just order one online ASAP.
I'm probably also going to take non-electronic posts over to thegearpage.net but want to thank everyone here for their replies.
The Epiphone just really needs a new nut, it was a factory screw-up on just one string, but I'm going to try the crazy glue / baking soda trick first as I have absolutely nothing to lose if it needs replacement anyway...and for now it's got to be better than the piece of paper shim under the string I use now. And I need a new x-acto saw if I want to remove the nut carefully; I'll probably razor-slice any varnish then saw thru the nut and then clean up very carefully.
And yes, I think it's definitely time for me to get a set of proper nut files instead of the razors and tig-welding tip cleaners I've been using.
While the strings were off I smoothed out the edges where the overly-thick urethane on the maple fingerboard was worn thru. It's getting character and I don't want to "relic" it but I can see the day coming soon when I'll be sanding the fingerboard with fine sandpaper and probably the neck back too. This is a tool, and function is foremost.
Now that it can be tuned easily, next I'm getting a Korg "pitchblack" 19" tuner. The rack-mount Peterson's liquid-crystal display (emulating an old-style motorized strobe) is more accurate if I was tuning a piano, but the new Korg's huge bright display is easier for me to see without my glasses or across the room, especially in their "strobe-simulating" moving-bar mode. No built-in metronome, which could be handy for an old beginner like myself. I'd like to use on in person, but an inclined to just order one online ASAP.
I'm probably also going to take non-electronic posts over to thegearpage.net but want to thank everyone here for their replies.
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I tune my guitar then bend each string a bit to make the string settle either side of the nut.
I then tune it again.
I then tune it again.
Yes, that's exactly what I was doing, but it was sticking so bad I had to work it and bend each on both sides of the nut, then start over. It was sticking really bad! It was a hassle compared to the old Travis Bean. But this guitar is starting to grow on me. And there's something odd I hadn't expected happening too. Now that the fingerboard finish isn't perfect, I'm playing it more instead of trying to keep it perfect, enjoying it more instead of putting it on a pedestal, so to speak.
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Yeah, when I took violin lessons, the (old school) lady who taught me showed me how to tune the string up to pitch, then grab hold of it at about the midpoint and stretch it, and I mean stretch it, pull it out about 2 inches and jerk it side to side, she used to do it when I had the fiddle up under my chin, and I was terrified I would lose an eye.
This naturally causes the string to drop in pitch, but after a couple of repetitions things settle down. Particularly necessary when strings are new.
I also tune my own guitars when I buy them.
I have yet to buy one that was spot on.
I tune the guitar normally using a guitar tuner.
I then check the notes at fret 12 and adjust the adjustable bridge to get the notes spot on.
I have yet to buy one that was spot on.
I tune the guitar normally using a guitar tuner.
I then check the notes at fret 12 and adjust the adjustable bridge to get the notes spot on.
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