Off topic guitar setup question/Nut files

swelchy

swelchy

Well-known member
Have a new classic vibe that needs some nut work… Would like to take it in myself but after a brief search the tools are stupid expensive… going to be using 10-46 and the nut slots are a touch too high after I set everything up… I did buy a neck relief straight edge from stewmac… but datum nut files are crazy $… any work arounds you guys use?
 
You can get those welders sticks that get repurposed for nut jobs ( like me lol)

Guitar Bridge Saddle Nut Files Set - 13 Different Size Needle Files with Circular Cross Section and 9 Pcs Sand Paper For Bass, Ukulele, Acoustic & Electric Guitar nut slot polish - iLuiz https://a.co/d/e7cX0H9
 
I bought but files from stewmac years ago and used them only a handful of times, but they are very good and useful. If you plan on doing a lot of setups they are a good investment. Make sure you angle them down towards the fretboard so that the groove aligns with the string angle. Good luck!

Edit: I meant angle them down towards the headstock. I haven’t done this in too many years and got confused 😐
 
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When I first started, I shunned the stewmac tools and would always find a cheaper option. My buddy and I even made things like fret wire benders. For the nut files I had a collection of needle files and tiny saw blades. When I finally bought some files from stewmac and lmii.com I realized just how much faster, easier and more accurate I could work. Nut and fret files are some of the few things I actually think are worth paying extra for. My first was a fret crowning file. This was such a drastic upgrade that the nut files and vice were ordered soon after.
 
Great…. I need to build and sell some pedals to finance more tools… 🤣 … My motivation is lacking though… I’ve had 4 builds in a row turn out to be non working so I’m a bit unmotivated… 2 kliche back to back are not working … built one this weekend and tested it last night… No led.. no bypass nothing.. feeling defeated
 
swelchy said:
Great…. I need to build and sell some pedals to finance more tools… 🤣 … My motivation is lacking though… I’ve had 4 builds in a row turn out to be non working so I’m a bit unmotivated… 2 kliche back to back are not working … built one this weekend and tested it last night… No led.. no bypass nothing.. feeling defeated
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You got this, man!
 
I’m gonna second the opinion about these being one of the few tool (sets) that are hard to work around. I bit the bullet after assembling my first Warmoth partscaster—I originally thought I’d bring it in to get the final set up done, but it was reasonably close to good, and I decided to get the files (and two specialized fret files) and just learn how to do it, at about the same cost as a single fine tune/level and nut set up—made my son’s beach guitar much more playable, and then attacked the Warmoth.

At this point, I’ve done all my guitars, except the (very few) ones that were ideal when I got them. Have the files paid for themselves yet? Many times over.

The thinner files are very delicate; you’ll see suggestions to add a back support to keep them from flexing. Like a Japanese saw, it’s better to get in the habit of only cutting on the pull stroke.
 
What makes these files so expensive? I’d love to get a set, but I’d probably only use them a couple of times.
 
Tools for set up work are expensive. You can check out Philadelphia Luthier Suppy or Luthiers Mercantile. Mike's link to Amazon is a good product. I use Hosco files which run $15 per gauge. The 0.010 and 0.013 gauges can snap easily so exercise caution. Don't forget feeler gauges.

That said, it might be more cost effective to take your guitar to a good tech because nut work should not be more than an hour.
 
giovanni said:
I bought but files from stewmac years ago and used them only a handful of times, but they are very good and useful. If you plan on doing a lot of setups they are a good investment. Make sure you angle them down towards the fretboard so that the groove aligns with the string angle. Good luck!
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I think he means towards the headstock. You want the leading edge to be absolutely flush with the fingerboard side of the nut. Your break angle should be ever so slightly sharper than the angle from the string slot to the last wind on your tuning peg (for each string respectively).

Most important thing to remember is to go slow, very VERY slow and check your string height often.
 
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I'll also add that either of the files @giovanni or @MichaelW recommended are much better suited for this type of work than welding tip cleaners. The thinner files are delicate but I have a set that's still going strong after doing a few of my own.

On the nuts that I've prepped from blanks, I don't start with a nut file though, I do pilot slots with a handy dandy Japanese razor saw sized for my smallest string gauge (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BRESQY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I mark the slots with a string spacing ruler, and use the razor saw to rough in each slot. This gives you a lot more control and saves your nut files a ton of wear.

There are a lot of books on the subject and the books sold by Stew Mac are an invaluable tool to have around if you're going to be doing this kind of stuff even semi-regularly.
 
Brett said:
Most important thing to remember is to go slow, very VERY slow and check your string height often.
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I can't stress the importance of feeler gauges and a good quality digital caliper that can measure fret height.

Your fret height will determine the height of your nut slots which is almost always 0.010" above the height of the fret. For example, if you have medium jumbo frets, they're likely 0.047" high. You will select a couple feeler gauges so they add up to 0.057".

Lining them up against the nut as you file the slots will let you know when you reached the correct height but also prevent you from going below it.
 
Get the 3-file set from Hosco. Buy them from Philadelphia Luthier tools or whatever it's called or Solo guitars in Canada. If you're in north America.

I got those here in Poland for about 70 Euros and used them several times because I have 3 electric guitars and I've used different gauges.

Hosco also has a different set with a blue magnetic handle and small black files that snap in. Those are available individually and they can be used without the handle I believe. That's if you only need one or two.

Make sure you file the slots properly like a trumpet. Haze guitars has diagrams for that.
Use stacked feeler gauges on the fretboard against the nut to avoid lowering the slots once you've found the right depth. For example if you switch to a heavier gauge and only want to widen the slots. Do that by angling the file along its axis.
 
Pauleo1214 said:
I can't stress the importance of feeler gauges and a good quality digital caliper that can measure fret height.

Your fret height will determine the height of your nut slots which is almost always 0.010" above the height of the fret. For example, if you have medium jumbo frets, they're likely 0.047" high. You will select a couple feeler gauges so they add up to 0.057".

Lining them up against the nut as you file the slots will let you know when you reached the correct height but also prevent you from going below it.
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I've been doing this so long that I can just eyeball the right height for my tastes. I like about as little daylight as you can get without having the string sit on the first fret when depressing at the second fret. But when I first started doing it, I stacked up feeler gauges like @Pauleo1214 said to make sure I didn't cut too deep. Keep in mind that you can still file too deep even WITH feeler gauges. You want to stop as soon as the fret "kisses" the feeler gauge.

Edit: Oh and I'll add, resist the temptation to go fast. It'll come back and bite you in the arse. You can always file a little more but putting back material on an overcoat nut slot is a serious PITA.
 
Brett said:
I think he means towards the headstock. You want the leading edge to be absolutely flush with the fingerboard side of the nut. Your break angle should be ever so slightly sharper than the angle from the string slot to the last wind on your tuning peg (for each string respectively).

Most important thing to remember is to go slow, very VERY slow and check your string height often.
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Ops sorry yeah I meant towards the headstock. There are a couple stewmac videos on YouTube that show this very well.
 
Chuck D. Bones said:
I bought those from Sweetwater and they work great. By saving me a trip to the luthier's, they pretty much paid for themselves.

Why would you not use them to cut a blank?
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Maybe diamond coated files wear out faster than regular files and cutting a blank requires more filing?
 
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