How hard is it to do? I need to remove the nut and flip over and re-install. Lefty convert to a righty. Thanks

Not that bad, but you may well damage the nut. Leaving you with no other option than to get a new one fitted.

If you've never done it, pay someone else to do it. I don't know anyone who didn't break the nut on the first or second time they removed one.

Also (unlikely) the slot may be cut slightly uneven. I.e treble side being lower than the bass side, or viceversa. Requiring a new nut to be fitted.

_________________
No no and no

Thanks for the advice ninja.

I am ashamed of myself......... this thread reminded me how far in the gutter my mind is

_________________

When I parted out my Strat, I gave the nut to a friend who needed it. No damage done.

_________________
1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

I have done the nut replacement and a lefty conversions several times. The first time a lutheir showed me how to do this I was like, wow that was easy. But one still has to use caution. If you break the nut, a new one can be had from places like eBay or Allparts, or other online vendors.

You have to lay the guitar on a padded table or bench and then use support under the neck where the nut is. A rolled up towel will work. Removing the nut is usually pretty easy. I use this "large" hammer (nothing stops a good hammer). Bracing the back of the headstock firmly, I tapped decidedly hard on the nut 3 times.



Then using first a dental tool to get under it, I then lifted it out with a small screw driver. I cleaned out all the old glue with a sharp dental tool. Now I just need to do a fret dressing and install the new nut when it arrives. Getting the new nut to look "aged" will be tricky.





I often will set the nut in to make sure everything looks fine. then when i am sure it looks like it will work I put a few drops of cyanoacrylate in the nut slot. I carefully press in the new nut (or in the case of a lefty, the flipped over nut) and made sure it lined up side to side perfectly and that it was not tipped in the slot. Still there was some rough edges and a little micro gap, which I will fix. I lightly dressed the edges so they were flush.




Pretty easy. Like Niki was saying you want to check the string cuts to make sure they work flipped. but if the nut is just being flipped there should be no problems as the nut was already cut for that neck...

_________________
Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

Yes, they have a special tool for this called a Bertschy Emasculator....... or nut removal tool.....and it IS painful....

_________________
Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

_________________

I am a bit afraid about the tools Xhefri has laying around

Cheers,
Robin

_________________
_________________________________
http://www.youtube.com/robinstrower
_________________________________

he must keep that one next to the zippered front leather mask

_________________

I have changed the nut on each strat I've owned, and have never gotten one out except in a million pieces. I always have the replacement nut at the ready before I get started. That hammer trick looked like a pretty slick way to get started though.

So far I have never broken a nut using the "old hammer trick." I think it is because the wood and the plastic are two different densities. When they get rapped pretty sharp, the glue breaks it's bond and they can be pried out fairly easy. One time I had to give about 6 good pops before it broke loose.

_________________
Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

The way I do it on nuts that may damage the fretboard, especially maple fretboards, and i know im not reusing the nut is to;

Take small circular saw, like for a dremel, or a really thin saw, cut slots between the string slots that are already there. Make sure you dont let the saw come into contact with the fretboard (xacto sell a perfect saw for this, i use it for making slots in nuts i make). Then you can take a pair of needle nose's; grip each one of the pieces of cut nut, and just rock it back/forth once or twice, it should pop right off. repleat until all the nut is now gone. Takes much less time, and ive yet to have any problems from doing ti this way

Wow! That's a great trick! Can't wait to try it next week. By the way, what type of glue to use under the new nut?

Thanks,