Hi guys, I have been thinking of replacing the nut on my 2009 hw1. I have a gordon smith guitar with brass nut and think it sounds good but I also hear people recommend roller or graph tech nuts so would just like a few of your opinions. I do use the trem but not for dive bombing by the way. Also I think my current nut could be lowered slightly which could be filed from the bottom, my worry is with roller or brass is what scope is there for adjustment with such tough materials? Is there much difference in tone between roller brass and graphtech? I must say I am not a huge fan of modding as it goes away from a tested and tried formula but what d ya think? leave as is ?
thanks
Mark.

Theres no tonal difference at all between any nut material unless your playing open strings, then it isnt much.

Metal nuts are hard to work with, you dont file the underneath off. Reason being the slots need to be set to individual strings, not the arc of the strings as a whole.

Graphtite nuts offer the best performance.

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Hi vaarl: someone else here was telling us about their Gordon Smith guitar recently. Which model do you have? Be great to see some pix.

I'd be rather surprised if a Gordon Smith nut needed adjustment for height, and as Niki says if it did you'd adjust the slots, not the base of the nut.

Far as the material is concerned I'd be tempted to leave well alone, but if you feel you need to hear the difference for yourself I'd again follow Nick's advice and try a black Graphtech one or the imitation ivory TUSQ nut. You can get both of those pre-slotted and ready to drop right in, and sometimes when I've used those ones I have found that little (and one time no) further adjustment was needed. So you could experiment swapping them in and out with the brass one and see how you feel.

Provided you don't glue them in for the time being then on a Strat type guitar at least you can get away with swapping back and forth several times.

I seriously wouldn't bother with the permanent mod to the wood that a roller nut requires.

Cheers - C

Thanks, for the info guys, it may have been me ceri going on about gordon smith previously, they seem to prefer brass nuts on all their guitars. Are you two in England? I'm up in Bolton for my sins! I see what you say about the roller niki, sounds like a bigger commitment. What I really need to do first is level my frets again, I have done this on the hw1 already but perhaps not a great job as action is stll too high and mr buzz comes back, problem I think is presure needs to be really even when using radius block? and I have no crowning file so all polished with girlfriends nail file and wire wool! no laughing please. those crown files are well expensive. anyhow, will try it all again on next string change. what I really need is real know how and skill like you guys have to sort these things out, fed up of giving money to techs who do poor jobs, you never know it could be active relicing as blunder on hehe

Vaarl

Were both in the UK mate. Now Bolton has some very happy memories for me. Namely Harker and Howerth Guitars. I got my 57 Hotrod there and couldnt be happier with it. I think the guy who dealt with me was called Paul, thin ontop goatee beard. He set my hotrod up prior to me getting there and I couldnt have been happier with it. It's needed very little adjustment these last 2 years. Outstanding service, well worth the travel from Lincolnshire.
Well worth going and seeing him and asking his advice on getting the guitar looked at.

If your going to do the setup yourself its worth paying a bit of attention to the order that you work in. It saves needlessly going over things twice. I start at the tip of the headstock and work my way back to the bottom of the body. So I go Strings, Neck relief, Nut, Pickup height (rudimentary), Trem float, String height, Pickup height (again).

Your Highway1 may be suffering a odd fret out. It's usually not much though. Without seeing the guitar I'm a bit cautious on advising about it. You cant just have at the thing with a sanding beam.

Theres also Mr Steve Robinson from up your way. He knows what he's doing and has a great reputation.
http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/setup.html

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haha, small world niki, yes harker and howarth are still going although they may have moved premises, unless it was in the last couple of years. there is a guy there with goatee beard thingy and he is tall? I think you are right about the rogue fret(s) the neck is pretty much straight with no buzz around the 2nd 3rd frets so i suspect rogue fret or nut too high/ well, i may invest in a fret crown file and see if that helps, don't get me wrong the action is pretty low compared to some peoples but I like it real low. I am aware of steve robinson, but I have taken my guitars into places twice and spent about 150 notes in all and the action came back pretty much as it went in so I am wary and weary now, he does have good reputation though but it was about £80 quote for set up etc. Do you not think I should master this myself as a project?

I think it can be very dangerous to go attempting a fret level on your no1 axe. I dont advise it for a first timer to do it on something as expensive as a Highway1. Go get a 2nd hand encore thing to have a go at first.
I really dont think it's your nut slots being too high causing the rattle/buzz. It's far more likely to be your neck relief or as you say a bad fret.

Basicaly what you need to do to check the fret level is make a notched straightedge.
I bought a 38" aliminium rule off the market. Cut it to the length of the fretboard. Marked each side of each fret and cut a 3mm wide, 5mm deep notch out for each fret. Cost me £3.50
Like this.

Or ofcourse you can buy a stewmac one for $72.

What you need to do is get the fretboard perfectly straight, not the fret tops. Once that fretboard is straight, flip the ruler over to the other (un-notched) edge and check the fret tops are straight too. It's worth getting a feeler gauge to poke inbetween the fret and the ruler. In a perfect world it won't fit in between the ruler and frettop anywhere.

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Indeed. In fact, if buzz were being caused on the low frets due to the cut of the nut then lowering the slots would only make matters worse.

I love the local tech knowledge in Nick's earlier post! How cool is this Forum?

'Nother suggestion. Have you thought of just taking the guitar back to Gordon Smith himself? His outfit is in Partington, a mere stroll around the M60 from you, Vaarl.

I only just found that out: my wife's from Saddleworth and her sister still lives in Failsworth (gulp), so I know the area a bit. Never thought of visiting Gordon Smith Guitars - I wonder if they have a factory tour?

Good luck - C

PS I'll post some pix of fret levelling, crowning and dressing in a day or two, if that would help...

thanks again guys, first of all sorry ceri I think I have confused you, it is my hw 1 that is in question, my gordon smith fret work and action is perfect and very low, so I was refering to my fender. gs do have a small workshop as you say but not sure it is "open to the public" would love a look round but I think like most places of it's kind it may be protective of it's privacy. I have a gs 1.5 as you may know they have a good reputation.
Niki your ruler is a good idea and it is that very inventiveness that makes me want to struggle on alone rather than give it a fender dealer tech, especially seeing what ceri does as well, most inspiring. In terms of checking levels niki is sighting it horizontally not good enough as a guide? and surely I can only go so far straight before 2nd 3rd fret buz ensues? from that basis a good fret job will I hope suffice, if not I will leave it as it is probably only 3mm above frets action wise but I I like the sound of your 1.5mm action, does it not choke at the top end on bends?

ceri I look forward to your help but do not go out of your way.

No mate you cant sight fretwork, theres just too many things throwing your eye off. You need to have that fingerboard perfectly straight then check your fret tops are parrallel to it. If the upper frets gradually get lower as you go up its a benefit (withing .015-.010") from around the 15th fret to 22nd. And you dont ever touch the first fret when leveling. Unless ofcourse its ridiculously high or badly worn.

You need to get the neck straight to make sure your basing your work on the best possible circumstances. It would be no good to have frets level and straight on a neck with a load of bow in it. The minute you set the neck relief all your hard work will have gone to pot.

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D'oh! My mistake - sorry...

BTW: I hear the man himself, Nick the Ninja, does some mean fret levelling. I don't mean to suggest anything by that, just...

Cheers - C

haha I bet he does a great job too, I'm thankful for your help both, but like Robert Graves said I will take the road less travelled. I am getting better at all this and am feeling more confident about diagnosis, I am gonna follow my idea and get the neck straight then level again and this time buy a fret crowning file! give the mrs here nail files back. If all else fails I'm getting the train to Lincolnshire!

It's a hell of a journey. Honestly though mate try it on a old beat up rubbish thing first.

Instead of buying a crowning file you can get really good results with a triangular needle file. Simply gring the sharp edges off it first.

Your similar in your outlook to me. Why pay when you can educate yourself?

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It's been said already but everything I hear about the graphtech and tusc is great

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

hey niki what did you use to cut the gaps in the steel rule?