I am thinking of replacing the original nut on my 2008 Mexican Strat. The main reason is that the G, B and High E strings sound slighly muffled when playing them open.
I am thinking of using the Black Tusq XL. I see that I have a choice of a curved bottom nut (with a tab in the middle) and a flat bottom nut. I have not removed the original nut and I do not plan doing so until I am ready to do the actual replacement, so I have no idea what kind of bottom the nut on my 2008 MIM has.
Would the tab on the curved bottom nut make it compatible with a flat nut slot?
Does anybody know what kind of nut slot do the 2008 MIMs have?
How is the sound change using the Black Tusq XL in combination with the String Saver Original saddles and also in combination with the String Saver Classic saddles?

Thanks.

use a fender roller nut.

The problem with your nut is most likely the break angle over the nut. Most likely caused by winding your strings high onto the tuner posts and having the string tree too high up.
Keep your string winds underneath each other so you progressively get lower down the tuner post and increase the break angle over the nut.
Try tightening your butterfly tree down a turn or two.

You'll always get the problem on the open G string, no matter what. The only solution for that string is a 2nd string tree on the D&G strings. You can allieviate the problem with the above method.

It's unlikely to be a nut problem per se because it occurs on all strings aside from the E and A. However if you do decide to address the nut slots. There is absolutely no need to buy nut files. You'll acheive far better results at smoothing the slots with a set of welding tip cleaners that cost around £5 a set.

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I only have one string tree which is as close to the headstock as it can go. I can barely slide the B and E strings under the tips of the string tree. From the string tree both strings angle away from the headstock towards their posts. The string winding up or down on the posts will not affect the break angle over the nut, at least for the B and A strings.
My guess is the the slots are not cut properly or that this is a side-effect of the cheap plastic nuts, hence my wish of using the better Black Tusq XL nut.

It's the same nut material you'll find on 95% of Fender's catalogue. I think theres only the odd few customshop guitars that use genuine bone. Theres no benefit to it anyway. It doesn't sound any different and is harder to maintain.


Found here
http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0144600380

Compared to the American Vintage at the other end of the catalogue.



Found here
http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0100102806

Though yeah your right about the B&E strings if the tree is that close to the headstock.

The way frets wear, you'll probably be right to just run a welding tip cleaner through the slot and sort it out. It sounds more like the slot has worn, which I find strange on a guitar only 2/3 years old. They tend to last the same amount of time as a set of frets (around 10-15years). I dunno perhaps you fret near the front of the nut on the 1st fret and maybe it's worn the leading edge of the slot. Causing a flat line nut slot rather than a nice break angle. Perhaps it's dirt or graphite built up in the slot causing a bad break angle. You can clean it out with waxy dental floss. It lubes way better than either graphite or nutsauce (which is nothing but vasceline in a handy applicator). It doesn't leave a horrible grey stain and smells nicer too.

Mate theres a library full of lies written about nuts, the values of different materials and design. It's all designed to empty your pocket needlessly. Rather than shell out £5 for a bit of plastic, pay someone £40 to fit it. You're far better off to get a needlefile or welding tip cleaner set and learn to maintain your own nut slots. Fender cut their nut slots well above the minimum needed for a clean open string (.020", min needed .009" above fret height). you'll likely have loads of play.

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Hi Fuzzy John: I'm leaving the rest of this discussion to Nick. But just as information on that bit of the question: I don't know what the slot is like on the MIM Std but it doesn't matter because just as you thought if the slot is curved you simply sand off that little tab and then the Graphtech nuts will fit.

So which ever way you decide to go, don't worry about that aspect of the thing.

Cheers - C

Nut replacement complete. The nut slot is curved and sanding off the small tab in the middle took care of it. The new nut was a hair too thick to fit in the slot but I only had to do a little sanding. And I had to sand about 1/32" from each end to make it flush with the neck. I did not have to do anything about the height. It was perfect.

Oh... The slightly muffled sound is gone. Open notes now sound the same as fretted notes.

Good result then FuzzyJohn - mission accomplished. I love Tusq nuts and have them on most of my guitars. They ring out nicely and they're super slippy if you're into big bends or lots of trem action.

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

No need to adjust the slot height on a new nut?

First time I've ever come across that.

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Apparently so. Not having a set of automotive gauges I used the excess from a high E string (10 set) to check the gap at the first fret while pressing the low E string at the second fret. This might not be as accurate as a gauge but I think it is close enough.

I've a couple of times had TUSQ ready made nuts go on needing no adjustment at all. Though more usually at least small tweaks are necessary.

Fuzzy John, if you don't have automotive gauges handy (they're very cheap...) a slightly more accurate way of testing the slot height is this. Fret the string at the first fret and look at the gap between the string and the top of the second fret. Then fret the string at the third fret (i.e. pressing between second and third frets) and then examine the gap between the string and the top of the first fret.

If the gap the second time round is pretty much the same as the first, or only a tiny bit bigger, then the slot is in near enough the right place. If the second gap is significantly bigger than the first that slot needs to be lowered some.

Feeler gauges are much better though. A good rule of thumb is that the distance between the fingerboard and the underside of the string at the nut should be around 0.020" / 0.5 mm more than the height of the first fret.

Good luck - C

I changed out the stock Fender nut on my 08 MIM strat not long after I first got it. The whole nut was cut way too low (strings almost touching the fretboard when they came out of the nut). I put in the Graptech TUSQ nut and what a difference. But I have found that you don't need to adjust anything with the actual nutslots on the Graphtech nuts. They're already precut to match the popular fretboard radius which is a 9.5 for the Strat. All that I did was sand some from the bottom of the nut to adjust the overall height.

I also ordered a TUSQ XL nut tonight for my USA Strat. I just don't feel like jacking with the nutslots.